A Royal Recycling (part 262)

Roksanda Ilinčić 

Prince William and Catherine, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit Caracol, an ancient Mayan archaeological site deep in the jungle of the Chiquibul forest in Caracol, Belize, on the third day of their Platinum Jubilee tour of the Caribbean. — 21 March 2022

HRH the Princess of Wales in 2022 ♛  

inspired by …

The queen of my heart, love of my life and light of my world has actually had her best royal year yet. Catherine became the Princess of Wales shortly after the death of Queen Elizabeth II and also completed the most engagements she has ever completed within one year. Her early years work continued, with a visit to Denmark, engagements in Boston, numerous meetings and a roundtable convened to discuss the findings of the Centre for Early Childhood. In a similar vein, Catherine became Patron of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance and, for the first time, had a joint engagement with the Princess Royal. She became Patron of both the Rugby Football Union and the Rugby Football League, watching a Six Nations match and a World Cup match in her new role. Towards the end of the year, Catherine hosted her 'Together at Christmas' carol concert once again. Alongside her husband, the then-Duchess of Cambridge undertook a tour of the Caribbean for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, visiting Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas, where she met with a wide range of people. She was also a regular presence at the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, joining her children and stepmother-in-law in a carriage for Trooping the Colour, visiting Wales with her eldest children, and sitting next to little Louis during the Jubilee Pageant. This year, Catherine turned 40 and, in honour of this, released three official photographs of herself in Princess Mode. Later in the year, an official portrait of William and Catherine was unveiled in Cambridge. Sadly, we have had no further updates on Catherine’s love of textiles, although she did have a phone call with Jennifer Urquhart of Johnstons of Elgin for some mysterious reason...

Why are the Sussex twats suddenly obsessed with Central America and the Caribbean, they’ve been to Costa Rica twice now? And they were yachting in the Bahamas?

That’s a good question. I’ve given it some thought and here’s what I think.

1. Compared to many other places around the world, Central America is pretty inexpensive. We know the Sussexes don’t have the money they pretend they do so someplace cheap is their only option. And we know they can only afford cheap (or freebie) vacations because they aren’t going to the usual celeb hotspots like Cannes, the Med, Italy, or even Hawaii, like they were back in 2019 when they were still in the BRF.

2. They go where the money is. If they can be paid for appearing somewhere or have their vacations comped, they’re on the first flight. Remember, the December Costa Rica trip with the kids was totally comped by the resort they stayed at, which suggests it was a sponsorship in kind. The Sussexes stay there for free, Meghan calls the paps or the hotel calls the local press, and the hotel gets the publicity. And given their reputations, it’s going to be unknown entities (like the random Costa Rica resort) who’ll give Meghan everything she wants for a freebie vacation.

3. The Caribbean is probably because of the royal family. It’s two-pronged. First, any time they’re in the Caribbean having fun, the press reminds us of the disastrous Cambridge tour and the uncomfortable Wessex tour in 2022 for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Second, because any time the royal family goes to the Caribbean, Meghan can put out her “we did it first, they’re copying us” stories.

Catherine's Jewel Vault (16/∞) ♛

↬ 'Cha Cha' Mother-of-Pearl Single Drop Earrings

Maria Black's Cha Cha Earrings have accompanied Catherine on several important engagements from foreign tours to audiences with queens since she first wore them on the Early Years Working Trip to Denmark in February 2022.

The earrings features a mother-of-pearl bead hanging from a sterling silver huggie hoop that’s plated in 22-karat gold.

The earrings have been publically worn by Catherine on a few occasions including for an audience with Queen Margrethe & Crown Princess Mary, the Platinum Jubilee Tour of Jamaica, The Big Jubilee Lunch, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Service and the Pre-Coronation visit to Soho.

PRINCESS ANNE The Royal who can’t get enough of Australia

The Australian Women's Weekly

By Juliet Rieden | Published 20 April 2022

The Princess Royal is famously pegged as the British monarchy’s hardest working royal because of the hundreds of engagements she carries out each year, so it came as no surprise that Her Royal Highness was the first member of the House of Windsor to fly out to Australian shores when border restrictions lifted.

True to form, the three-day tour, followed by a hop over to Papua New Guinea to mark the Platinum Jubilee, was carried out at a frenetic pace. But with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, by her side, the Queen’s only daughter was in her element reconnecting with a part of the world she tells me she has always loved.

The Princess was ostensibly here for a working visit as patron of the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth (RASC) for its bicentenary. To mark the occasion the royal couple had been invited to the opening ceremony of the Sydney Royal Easter Show, spending the whole day at the showgrounds.

Palace aides then tailored a bespoke program of engagements to touch on other key areas of interest for the Princess, especially talking to members of frontline services for fire and floods. “My husband’s brother lives at Lismore. Fortunately, up the hill. We’ve been kept in touch with the flooding,” she explains in my exclusive interview in England in advance of the tour. “I have to say it’s one of the things about the Sydney Show which I think brings together so much of the impact of what’s been happening, the extreme of the fires you’ve suffered and the floods. Sir Tim and I are working farmers so very much appreciate the opportunity to visit the Sydney Show.”

Princess Anne first visited back in 1970 and today she and Sir Tim arrived at the opening ceremony in the same historic horse-drawn calèche that 52 years earlier she had climbed into with her parents, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, and elder brother Prince Charles. That trip was the young Princess’s first major overseas tour and also the first time the now ubiquitous ‘walkabout’ had been tested in Australia.

This was the groundbreaking new way the royal family connected with the public, no longer standing on ceremony, but heading out into the crowds to meet people face-to-face. While it is now considered a cornerstone of royal tours, for the shy 19-year-old such encounters proved intimidating. “To be faced with a wall of strange faces, which may look very friendly at the time, but where do you start the conversation? That is quite a daunting prospect,” she confesses, smiling at the memory.

“We started the trip further south, so the introduction to the walkabout was in Melbourne. Sydney was a lot more buzzy, and of course, in a way the Easter Show is exactly the right place to go when you first go to Australia because there is everything that is Australian there and people from all over the country. It is a huge introduction to Australia; a really good place to start.”

Despite the anxiety of fronting up to crowds – which were huge – the Princess’s passion for the Show was ignited that day. “I was really delighted when my father asked me to succeed him as Patron of the RASC,” she said on this visit and her fervour was clear to see.

The Princess insisted on staying on foot in the showgrounds rather than being chauffeured in a buggy, so she could chat to as many people as possible. As she strode through the crowds she was greeted by excited faces and gasps of delight. And when she was called on to hand out ribbons for prize-winning calves and rosettes to youngsters involved in Riding for the Disabled, of which she is also the patron, she eagerly shared her knowledge of farming and rural life.

Watching from the sidelines, it was obvious that the royal has an army of fans in Australia. Indeed, as soon as her attendance was announced some weeks before the visit, ticket sales soared. Usually it is the following Easter weekend that is most popular, but the star power of the Princess Royal pushed April 9 to the top of the show’s sales’ charts, with 55,000 through the gates that day.

As a member of the royal family, crowds are an occupational hazard, but I wonder if the Princess still found them as confronting today. “It’s always interesting – because you just find people with stories to tell. So yes, I’m less daunted but maybe approach it slightly differently. Of course, weirdly, technology rather gets in the way now because whereas in those days [there was] the odd camera – now if you’re not careful it’s a wall of phones and you can’t actually see anybody,” she laughs.

Back in 1970 Princess Anne watched and learned from her parents, a necessary process of osmosis that formed her initiation into a life of service. “We’d been away for a while by then so we were getting into the swing of it. I think there is no way they [the Queen and the Duke] could have prepared you for just how tiring it gets. Suddenly you find that you’ve woken up in the middle of the night having a nightmare that you’re standing in the middle of a reception and you can’t speak. That creeps up on you and I think you just learn to pace yourself. I can now sleep in any form of transport, which does help!”

Choosing the right wardrobe was another learning curve. On that first trip the Princess’s hat was caught in a gust of wind and reporters famously heard her utter “bloody wind”, a comment which fuelled the tabloids. “Milliners do things which make perfect sense when you’re standing still inside; it makes slightly less sense when you’re outside in a draught, especially when it’s blowing from behind you, but that’s experience, as they say. These things you learn how to deal with.”

Another sartorial lesson adopted from her mother was putting weights in skirt hems. “For some materials that was an absolute necessity. It’s fine if you want to wear light clothes but airports, always breezy, never a good idea, so you find some way of dealing with that. It’s a very old-fashioned habit. You wouldn’t find it much now unless you actually asked or had things specifically made.”

Prince Charles had been to school in Australia at Geelong’s Timbertop and was already a fan of our outdoor lifestyle, ocean swimming and surfing. “We did go to his school in Geelong and I had a chance to meet some of his friends,” the Princess recalls. “I rather envied him that opportunity, I have to say. I could have done with seeing a bit more [of Australia].”

Nevertheless, on that first trip the Princess did manage to fit in her own private time out. “I was race riding at the time and I actually went out and rode for three days. From my perspective it was trying to keep fit because I was coming back to riding at home so I didn’t really want to spend a week sitting on my backside doing nothing. I rode a horse that had been in the Australian [1968 Mexico Olympics] team in Centennial Park in Sydney. That was, in retrospect, one of the bravest things I’ve ever done but he was a lovely horse,” she tells me.

Why brave? “Because I jumped some of the fences there,” she beams.

Princess Anne is adamant that agricultural shows like the Easter Show still have relevance. “The great thing about the Sydney show is since it first began it’s been bringing people [together] learning about Australia and how to be more successful in farming to build on its strengths in that time,” she explains. “The emphasis will have shifted [and] we certainly found in this country that agricultural shows have made a bit of a comeback because they’ve recognised that it is not so much about the farming community that needs to be stuck together, it’s introducing and making sure people understand farming who no longer have that automatic connection.

“Two hundred years ago everybody would have understood perfectly what the shows are trying to do, but that would have been a market, somewhere where you could promote how good you were in front of other farmers. Now, it’s more a question of educating populations as to the issues and challenges that farming faces.”

On the second day of the tour the Princess was eager to meet with Rural Fire Service volunteers and pay her respects to the families of two firefighters who had tragically lost their lives in the 2019 bushfires. It was emotional for Errol O’Dwyer who held his son Andrew’s framed photo as he talked to the Princess. Standing next to him was Andrew’s little girl, Charlotte, who was just 19 months old when her father died aged 35. In her speech the Princess highlighted the impact of loss on a community and the risks volunteers take on. She had no notes and spoke from the heart.

Afterwards she visited the Sea Heritage Foundation’s MV Cape Don, a lighthouse tender vessel under restoration, where her brother’s charity, Prince’s Trust Australia, is partnering with an initiative to train First Nations’ youth in the maritime industry. The Princess and former naval officer Sir Tim were fascinated by the ship and the project. “I think there’s the scope for making use of the history to inspire the next generations, because we’re all short of maritime workers,” she comments.

In a few weeks the Princess Royal will be joining the celebrations for Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee and inevitably our conversation turns to her mother’s legacy. “It’s a very difficult thing to put your finger on. I doubt if there’s a single description that would fit the bill,” she muses. “There is an element of constancy here in terms of attitude to service and recognition of service, the values that individuals bring ... I think she’s been able to support that and bring those people to the fore in a way that is so important.

“[Likewise] The Queen and I had a discussion the other day about the difference between fashion and style and I think maybe that’s relevant in the sense that she didn’t do fashion but she certainly does style, and style tends to last longer. You have an individual style and it’s a quality which has a long-term value.”

And while the longevity of Her Majesty’s reign is historic, her sheer volume of knowledge is also quite mind-blowing. “Yes, when you tot up the number of leaders of countries and her own prime ministers, that’s a quite extraordinary perspective.

“Her memories and understanding of each of those was they reach that point and the impact they can make – but equally having the ability to recognise that every individual could do it slightly differently. That may be part of the value. We’re not all the same.”

The Princess’s father was her mother’s “strength and stay” and now he’s gone, his contribution is fully recognised. “Unwavering support is probably the best way of describing it,” his daughter notes. “I think he also understood the things he was better staying out of – although it was quite difficult in the early days – but there were also distinct areas where he could help and did. His input and perspective and the fact that his travels took him to a slightly different area of the country and internationally could have a real impact. I think he learned how to distinguish when those moments were.” The Princess concedes that her father would have had a tough initiation. “I’m sure it wasn’t very easy to begin with because there was no such thing as a role then. He had to invent that one.”

When I ask what lessons she has learned from her mother, Princess Anne returns to the idea of style. “Maybe it is that style in the long term and the way you do things, remaining constant. I think it’s the way you treat people, with respect for individuals. When you’ve been around for long enough and people keep changing at the top of your organisations, if you’ve had a good relationship, a bit like prime ministers, you need to accept the next one because that isn’t necessarily the only way of doing anything. There are moments when you think, ‘are you sure that’s what you ought to be doing?’, but you have to stand back and let them get on.”

When the Queen was crowned, her daughter was second in line to the throne; today she’s 17th behind her younger brothers. It’s a gender penalty that is no longer applied and many feel it should be fixed retrospectively to reflect The Princess Royal’s unfailing sense of duty and service that, at 71, is as strong as ever.

But Princess Anne says she feels her gender has never been an obstacle. “I have been treated as an honorary man for a lot of my life. I did take part in a sport which didn’t have any gender balance. It was open to both, end of story. So, I had the benefit of being treated equally … although oddly enough when I first went to Australia I found a difference, the men went down one end of the room and the women went up the other. I didn’t think that was entirely appropriate.”

Now, Princess Anne thinks Australia has moved on and it’s a place she never tires of visiting. “I think Australia remains as one of the most attractive places to go to, for whatever reason – work or leisure.” 

Turning 40 is a milestone. But when Catherine Middleton, the then Duchess of Cambridge, celebrated hers on 9 January 2022, she could hardly have anticipated the seismic year on which she was about to embark.

There have been tiaras, tours, and a family relocation from London to Windsor.

Prince Louis, her youngest, has started school, and her sister, Pippa, welcomed her third child.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte joined their parents at high-profile sporting events and took part in their first royal walkabout to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee—a triumph of pomp and pageantry, which saw her young family shine under the glare of the global spotlight.

There have also been the explosive revelations shared by the Sussexes in their Netflix series and in Prince Harry’s autobiography, published tomorrow, some of which paint Catherine and her husband, Prince William, in an unfavorable light.

But each of these events pale in comparison to the profound sense of loss and moment of historic change sparked by the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

In the wake of Her Majesty’s passing, William and Catherine were granted the titles of the Prince and Princess of Wales, becoming the third and fourth most senior members of the Royal Family.

In doing so, their nine-year-old son, Prince George, became second-in-line to the throne.

The new titles sparked comparisons to Diana, the last Princess of Wales, though Catherine insisted she wanted to make the role her own.

The princess, who has been a queen-in-training since her wedding to William more than a decade ago, has embraced the role with expected ease.

She was the epitome of grace and dignity in the appearances surrounding Her Majesty’s funeral, has continued to champion early childhood development as the central pillar of her royal work, and has dazzled in a carousel of elegant ensembles (though royal aides have taken steps to make her royal wardrobe less of a focus of her public engagements).

There have been enormous expectations placed upon her shoulders, but for Catherine Middleton, this year has been her crowning moment. Who knows what her 41st year might hold?

Penman47 asked: Please explain why Prince Harry was stripped of his service medals by the queen. I have always heard that Harry served with distinction so what happened? Any idea how members of the armed forces felt about this action?

No, not quite true. There is a confusion between medals and titles.

Harry has not been stripped of his service medals - those earned in actual military service. But he was stripped of his honorific titles which was part of the deal/price (delete as appropriate) when he decided to step down as a working royal and make a new life with his wife, Meghan Markle, and pursue other life goals. Honorific titles are totally at the pleasure of HM Queen Elizabeth II - she can giveth and she can taketh away, so to speak.

Let’s unpack this a bit more.

Prince Harry spent ten years in the British Army. After passing out of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he was first commissioned as a Cornet (second lieutenant) with the  (Blues and Royals regiment (Household Cavalry) and later in the Army Air Corps as an Apache combat co-pilot, where he rose to the rank of Captain. He served in Afghanistan on two tours on the frontline and shared the same risks as everyone on the frontline. As a consequence he was awarded the Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan in 2008, as all soldiers who served did. In 2002, Prince Harry was also given the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal which was awarded to active personnel in the British Armed Forces and Emergency Personnel who had completed 5 years of qualifying service. In 2012 he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. This was a was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. I think about 450,000 medals were awarded only to members of HM Armed Forces (regular and reserves) who had served longer than five years.

In 2015, Prince Harry was made Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO). The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the reigning British monarch. It was awarded at the discretion of the Queen. She clearly thought Harry merited such an award for his years of royal service. In other words, he earned it as a royal.

In February 2022 Prince Harry was awarded the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal which is a commemorative medal created to mark the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. It was awarded to people across many walks of life and professions. Within the Armed forces, it was given to personnel who had completed 5 years of service by 2022. It was also given to members of the Royal Household with at least one year of service.

Prince Harry was also given other foreign awards such as the Order of Isabella the Catholic by Spain in 2017.

So one way or another Prince Harry earned his medals, in or out of uniform. In other words, as a civilian, he has every right to wear his earned medals and show justifiable pride in them - as any veteran might.

Titles are another thing entirely. Members of the Royal Family all have honorific titles that have links to the armed forces in one way or another. These honorific titles are given to working royals are done solely at the pleasure of HM Queen Elizabeth II. In other words, a royal doesn’t need to have done military service to be honoured in such a way.

Take one of my favourite royals, Anne, Princess Royal. She has received promotions to the rank of General in the Army and to Air Chief Marshal in the RAF and then later rank of Admiral in the Royal Navy. This follows the long-standing convention of military promotions for working members of the Royal Family. She also holds honorific titles in various regiments such as colonel of the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) and colonel-in-chief of the King’s Royal Hussars, Royal Army Veterinary Corps, Royal Corps of Signals, the Royal Logistical Corps etc etc. She also acts as honorary patron of many military themed associations such as the Special Forces Club. You get the idea. The point is soldiers or veterans are rightly proud of having Anne as their colonel-in-chief or as their patron even though she hasn’t served. She is a tireless and dedicated servant and is an accomplished woman in her own right.

So before his dramatic exit from royal life he held three various honorific titles from around 2006 to February 2022. These were: Captain General of the Royal Marines, Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington, and Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving, Royal Naval Command. By all accounts he was incredibly proud to serve in this capacity and he took it seriously, as one should do.

When he ceased to be a working royal and thus withdraw from royal public life, it was right and correct that he should return those honorific military titles back to the Crown. He is not entitled to wear the military uniform because he left the armed services after his two tours in Afghanistan. He could wear the uniform whilst he held the honorific titles as a working royal but that would come to and end when he stepped back from being a royal of course. As a civilian and as a non-royal he is of course - and should - wear his earned medals with pride.

People are getting worked up for nothing about Prince Harry and confusing medals and uniforms with royal protocols. As things stand only working members of the royal family who hold military rank are allowed to wear military uniforms. This explains why Prince Andrew - lest not forget before his sordid fall from grace was also a combat veteran who served as a Royal Navy pilot in the Falklands War - is also wearing a morning suit rather than a military uniform at his mother’s funeral. Like Prince Harry, he is wearing a morning suit and wearing his earned medals.

As to what army veterans think about this, I can’t speak for everyone of course. I can only say from the few conversations I have had with ex-comrades that I served with or other currently serving in the armed forces. All of them will agree what I’ve said here, which is what’s with all the fuss? Harry should wear his medals with pride as a veteran but shouldn’t wear the uniform because he’s a civilian, and not working royal.

When you add Meghan Markle and the whole media driven drama around their new lives in the US into the mix, then I’m afraid the opinions are quite divisive. That’s my polite way of saying they think it’s a shit show and many pity Prince Harry for being such a cuck.

I have a more charitable opinion however.

I have every fondness for Prince Harry. I can’t bring myself to say a bad word about him because, deep down I think he has a good heart. Sure, we all can make bad life choices - who hasn’t? - but fundamentally our character remains the same.

Moreover, unlike previous and present royals - with the exception of his grandfather, Prince Philip, who did active naval service during the Second World War and his uncle Prince Andrew, who as a naval officer flew Sea King helicopters during the Falklands War - he didn’t play the ceremonial toy soldier. After Eton he worked his arse off to get through Sandhurst and got commissioned with the Blues and Royals regiment. Trust me, as someone who has gone through Sandhurst, you do not get a free pass. You take your future role as an officer deadly seriously for serving men’s lives are in your hands. Upon the outbreak of war in Iraq, he was alleged to have said around 2006, “There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst and then sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country.”

So he fought so hard to go out and fight for Queen and Country as a royal. The military chiefs relented at first and then later got cold feet and pulled him out. But he did see active service with the British forces in Afghanistan with two tours. By all accounts he acquitted himself very well as a Forward Air Controller in Helmand Province and later as a co-pilot and gunner on Apache helicopters. I served in the Army Air Corps after his tour and by all accounts he was seen as a good egg. He was widely respected and accepted by rank and file because he was down to earth and never asked for special treatment.  He wasn’t a typical ‘Rupert’ - a squaddie’s nickname given to British army officers who typically came from privileged aristocratic backgrounds but were also ‘nice but dim witted’.

On top of his service, he went out of his way to establish the Invictus games which was for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans in 2014. People often overlook how invaluable these games are for veterans. Of course that’s where he met Meghan Markle and well, the rest is history, or a Netflix drama in the works.

At the end of the day, I wish people would cut some slack to Prince Harry himself. The poor man is here to mourn his beloved grandmother and yet has the misfortune to do so in the glare of millions. Many are watching every move to tease out any clue to fuel further scandals and bust ups. Frankly I find it all quite tawdry and disrespectful to the late Queen whose memory we’re supposed to be honouring.

Thanks for your question.

The Duchess of Cambridge arrives at a special reception hosted by the Governor General of Belize celebrating HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on Day 3 of the Caribbean Royal Tour on March 21, 2022.

Royals, republicanism and reparations: Wessexes feel the heat in Caribbean

Weeks after William and Kate’s controversial Caribbean tour, more nations signal plans to ditch the monarchy

Shanti Das

Sun 1 May 2022 12.00 (CEST)

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Sitting across from the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda last week, partway through a royal tour to celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee, Prince Edward laughed awkwardly. Gaston Browne had just asked the prince whether he and his wife Sophie would use their “diplomatic influence” to push for the payment of slavery reparations to Britain’s former colonies. “We believe that all human civilisation should understand the atrocities that took place,” the Caribbean nation’s political leader told the Queen’s youngest son.

In the same meeting came a second blow. “One day,” the prime minister told the couple, Antigua and Barbuda – a former British colony where the Queen is still the head of state – would cut ties with the monarchy and become a republic. Prince Edward shuffled nervously in his seat. “I wasn’t keeping notes, so I’m not going to give you a complete riposte,” he said. “But thank you for your welcome today.”

Protesters in St Vincent

Protesters in St Vincent during the royal visit last week. Photograph: Kenton X Chance/I-Witness News

The painful exchange was one in a series of historic moments in the Earl and Countess of Wessex’s week-long tour of the Caribbean, the second royal tour to the region in two months to be mired in controversy.

By the end of the trip last Thursday, two Commonwealth nations had indicated their intention to cut ties with the royal family and become republics. St Kitts and Nevis also revealed its plan to review its ties with the monarchy.

“The advancement of the decades has taught us that the time has come for St Kitts and Nevis to review its monarchical system of government and to begin the dialogue to advance to a new status,” Shawn Richards, deputy prime minister, told reporters.

Prince Edward meets Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda

Prince Edward meets Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda. Photograph: Stuart C Wilson/Getty Images

The declarations follow similar moves by other Commonwealth realms, several of which signalled their own plans to cut ties with the monarchy following a separate tour of the Caribbean by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in March.

During that tour, William and Kate were accused of harking back to colonial days after they shook hands with crowds behind a wire mesh fence in Jamaica, and rode in the back of a Land Rover like the Queen did 60 years ago. Protesters accused them of benefiting from the “blood, tears and sweat” of slaves, while in the Bahamas they were urged to acknowledge the British economy was “built on the backs” of slaves and to pay reparations.

Jamaica’s prime minister Andrew Holness told William and Kate that his country was “moving on” and may be the next to become a republic, while a minister from Belize said it was time to “take the next step in truly owning our independence”.

The latest declarations mean six of the 14 countries beyond the UK that have the Queen as head of state have now indicated that they want to remove her – Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica and St Kitts and Nevis.

If they do they will join countries including Trinidad, Guyana, Dominica and most recently Barbados, which became the world’s newest republic in November.

The royal tours have also led to renewed calls for reparations – an acknowledgement of the history of enslavement and payment for the damage – from Britain and the monarchy, even from countries with no current plans to cut ties with the Queen.

In St Vincent and the Grenadines – which held a referendum on becoming a republic in 2009 that failed to pass when 55% of voters voted against such a move, and has no current plans for another vote – protesters as well as supporters greeted Edward and Sophie during their visit.

“This wrong was done against a sector of the human race by another and this wrong must be compensated,” said Idesha Jackson, 47, one protester who came out during the Wessexes’ visit.

The controversy has led to concern at the Palace. After returning to the UK in March, Prince William acknowledged the monarchy’s days in the Caribbean may be numbered. “‘I know that this tour has brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future,” he said, adding that the future was “for the people to decide upon”.

On Saturday it was reported that after getting home William and Kate summoned senior staff for a meeting to “clear the air”, with a source telling the Mirror they felt they had been “poorly prepared”. “If they aren’t in tune with what is going on in the world they will be left fighting for their futures,” the source said.

For now, future royal tours would be “unwise”, said Peter Hunt, the former BBC royal correspondent.

“The world has moved on in the wake of the Windrush scandal and Black Lives Matter,” he said. “Any future trips would be unwise. The role of Britain and the monarchy in the slave trade would feature, and the royals appear ill-equipped to rise to the occasion.”

A Royal Recycling (part 257)  

Alexander McQueen

Prince William and Catherine, The Duke and Princess of Cambridge attend the inaugural Commissioning Parade for service personnel from across the Caribbean at the Jamaica Defence Force in Kingston, on day six of the Platinum Jubilee Royal Tour of the Caribbean. — 24 March 2022

Rob McElhenney & Ryan Reynolds: 1 - Meghan Markle: 0 by u/Chasmosaur

Rob McElhenney & Ryan Reynolds: 1 - Meghan Markle: 0 As part of QEII's Platinum Jubilee Civic Honors in 2022, Wrexham, Wales was granted city status by QEII. [wales.com] In honor of that, KCIII and QC visited Wrexham in early December, 2022, which included a visit with football (soccer) club Wrexham AFC.If you aren't aware, actors Rob McElhenney - one of the creators and stars of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" - and Ryan Reynolds - aka, Deadpool; owner of Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile, two marketing companies; and a million viral clips - jointly bought Wrexham AFC in 2020. You can follow their story - including how the team is wound into the identity and economy of the town - on the FX/Disney+ TV show, "Welcome to Wrexham." KCIII and QC toured several parts of Wrexham, but the most publicized part of their visit was when they visited the Wrexham Racecourse, the stadium where Wrexham AFC plays and where the business offices are located. They toured the stadium and also met with McElhenney and Reynolds, the team players, management staff, as well as the many volunteers that help support the club in day-to-day operations.So, did McElhenney and Reynolds sit back on their Hollywood charm and assume they could have a meeting with the King of the United Kingdom and his Queen Consort (as she was still called at that point) without any preparation? Nope - they hired an Etiquette Coach to make sure they greeted and interacted KCIII and QC without embarrassment. They briefly covered those etiquette coach meetings on the Season 2 premiere, which aired yesterday - here's a preview clip from the show's IG account:https://ift.tt/2oYUgiE [Instagram, Official "Welcome to Wrexham"]Now compare this to many self-documented efforts of Meghan Markle - whether they are true or apocryphal is really known to those who experienced them - meeting various members of the BRF. The standout encounters being the OTT bow to QEII she demonstrated in Harry & Meghan, and supposedly meeting the Cambridges for the first time while barefoot, wearing ripped jeans, and giving many "jarring" hugs. 🙄 (And speaking of those ripped jeans - both McElhenney and Reynolds wore well-fitted, camera-ready suits for their meeting! https://twitter.com/Wrexham_AFC/status/1601210048939687937 [Twitter, Wrexham AFC] )Also, it should be noted that while neither McElhenney or Reynolds graduated from college (they both enrolled and dropped out to act), Meghan Markle famously graduated with a double major in Theater and International Studies from Northwestern University. She also attended that brief internship at the American Embassy in Buenos Aires and attempted the FSO exam. (It has a very high failure rate, so I actually don't read much into the fact she didn't pass it, other than it's obvious she doesn't really understand how to behave like a diplomat, so it's unsurprising.)So two smart and successful actors with no specialized academic or job training knew that they needed to prepare for the particular rituals of meeting British royalty on a royal visit. But the actress who married into the BRF and has supposedly taken classes in how to deal with international cultures with aspirations to joining the diplomatic corps doesn't appear to have done any research at all for meeting her future family members. So that tracks... post link: https://ift.tt/4pTAEqb author: Chasmosaur submitted: September 14, 2023 at 08:21PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

The Cambridge Family in 2022 ♛

Well, that sure was a year! First things first, I did in fact kill the Queen (sorry!), meaning we have a new King and a new Prince and Princess of Wales. As part of the events following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, we saw numerous public walkabouts (x, x), as well as many events with foreign diplomats and royals (x, x, x). The Queen's death followed her hugely successful Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which included a surprise George and Charlotte appearance in Cardiff, and Prince Louis stealing the show at the pageant. William and Catherine undertook a number of overseas trip this year: William began with a visit to Dubai; Catherine then visited Denmark as part of her work on the Early Years; the couple visited Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas in a controversial tour; and a final overseas visit to Boston, on behalf of the Earthshot Prize. The Cambridge family - now known as the Wales family - also experienced some personal highs. The family moved their main home from Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage, in Windsor, and George, Charlotte and Louis began their new school year at Lambrook School. William and Catherine also gained a new niece, as Catherine's sister Pippa gave birth to another daughter, called Rose. The couple were able to experience some sporting highs, with the Princess of Wales becoming Patron of the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League in February, and attending a Six Nations match shortly after. She also attended the Sailing Grand Prix. The couple also attended Wimbledon together twice (x, x) (with Catherine also going alone once), as well as the Commonwealth Games. William was also able to see football finally come home, with the Lionesses' winning the 2022 Euros. With Covid-19 finally beginning to retreat and the BRF experiencing a new beginning, I hope the Wales family continue to flourish next year.

Katie Nicholl wrote another royal book, The New Royals. I read it so you don’t have to and here is my recommendation:

Don’t.

It’s not worth it. It’s about framing The Queen’s legacy through heirs (Charles and William), spares (Andrew and Harry), and the problems the spares have created that will probably affect King Charles’s reign. There’s no juicy gossip or any confirmation of popular rumors/theories. I can tell she wrote it in the springtime and it was meant to capitalize on royal fever that came with the Platinum Jubilee. It doesn’t cover The Queen’s illness in the late summer nor her death/mourning, so I suspect the text was locked in by the editors before August 2022. (It was published November 2022.) There wasn’t even an epilogue.

Honestly, the book read as a royal reporter’s interpretation of the monarchy’s succession plan for King Charles once The Queen was gone and it was her attempt to be the first journalist/commentator to speak on those plans to earn the credit and the byline when the succession plan became reality. It’s clear that Katie and her sources thought The Queen would live much longer, that Charles won’t have too long of a reign, and that planning for William’s ascension has already begun as of the Platinum Jubilee. Katie also seems to suggest that that William’s launching of Earthshot marked the beginning of his transition to inherit Prince of Wales from Charles and his remarks after the 2022 Caribbean tour is the first indication as to what kind of king William will be.

Katie also remains fervently pro-Sussex and continues to be a Harry apologist.

Notable tidbits:

1. Katie has no problem taking credit for her royal exclusives; however she continues to ignore that she is responsible for the “Waity Katie” moniker, writing that it was “tabloid media” instead. Katie continues to make digs at Catherine - she specifically writes that Catherine once told her she prefers to be called Catherine, not Kate...so then why not call her Catherine in the book?

2. Katie draws another interesting parallel between the Sussexes and David/Wallis -- that both couples are praised and adored in the US while Britain abhors them. She implies that Americans are so blinded by the “true love” fairy tale that both couples espouse that they can’t see the reality that is their problematic behavior (with David/Wallis’s problem being Nazi sympathizers, Harry’s being a spare).

3. Katie also implies that Diana’s mental wellness/health was far worse than the public thinks and gives specific examples. Now I have never heard those bits before, which leaves me feeling squicky - someone’s struggles with mental health should not be fodder for a reporter to make money on. However, now knowing that of Diana, it’s also easy to see how and why the BRF is behaving the way they are towards the Sussexes, Harry in particular.

Catherine’s Royal Closet (49/∞) ♚

↬ Modified Denver Sleeveless Cloque Midi Dress

Catherine has worn this midi-length dress from Emilia Wickstead's Resort '21 collection on two occasions - for the Ladies Singles Finals of Wimbledon in 2021 and as she and Prince William departed Jamaica following their Platinum Jubilee Tour in 2022.

The dress is made from cotton-polyester blend crepe fabric woven with a cloque puckered texture. It features precise darting on the bodice and waist providing a feminine drape as it opens to an undulating midi-length hem. It has a pleated skirt and a round neckline.

Catherine had the original dress altered to add darting on the bust and slightly puffed cap sleeves with a tuck. The latter appears to be taken from the Darcey dress by the same label.