December 2023 Newsletter + ANNOUNCEMENTS for 2024

This morning, as I sat planning today’s post and sipping my coffee, my thought was to discuss Kate’s Christmas card photo and various sundry items. I did not expect to have blockbuster news from the broader royal world before I had finished brunch, but here we are. I don’t want to hijack our Kate time, though, so let’s start with her. I will get to Queen Margrethe’s abdication announcement later in this post, or perhaps a new post so I can find it more easily in the future if I want to refer back to it. Jumping into a recap of Kate’s December:

December was a very quiet month for Kate. She had only one “live” run-of-the-mill public engagement when she opened Evelina London’s New Children’s Day Surgery Unit on December 5th.

The Princess was pictured at the Diplomatic Reception, she was featured in a promotional video in the run-up to her Christmas Carol Service, the service itself, a video montage of a private engagement with her children, another promo for the Carol Service (which aired on Christmas Eve), and Christmas morning at Sandringham.

So we had a number of very exciting events in the royal calendar in December—the Diplomatic Reception, the Carol Service, and Christmas Day—but otherwise Kate really did not undertake public engagements. It seems Kate was spending the holiday season in the country with her children.

Christmas Tea included in the Carol Service broadcast on ITV

It is likely the family visited Lapland UK or took in a performance of the Nutcracker, as they have in years gone by. As I have said many times before, I am perfectly fine with her taking these busy holiday seasons to focus on her family. I am sure they are as hectic or more so than the average family’s.

From a fashion perspective, it was a great month, because although the number of engagements was small, the outings were big ticket ones. The Diplomatic Reception was the marquee event with the tiara and sparkles. Kate chose a complete rewear of the ensemble she wore to the Jordanian wedding reception, and she caught some flak for it. But in my mind, the reaction could have gone the other way. We didn’t get all that many pictures from the wedding, and plenty of fans could have been hoping for a rewear to get a better look. That is often the case, for example, with her Remembrance Sunday coats—a second wear gives us the full picture. I felt we got a much better look at the gown on this wear and really enjoyed it.

The Waleses released their Christmas photo in early December, and, again, received mixed reviews from fans. The Waleses have released casual pictures before, but this was probably the most casual, and it was black and white. Quite the combo. To me, it looked like a family photo taken at JCPennys in the 1990s, so not exactly a success in my book. I also agreed with those who felt black and white for a Christmas/holiday card was a downer.

I don’t mind the family releasing more casual photos on occasion. Diana, Princess of Wales, had the occasional glamor/casual shoot, and those images were striking. Perhaps it is not the best part of my nature, but given how Meghan loves to equate herself with Diana, I did like the nod to Diana in the Waleses’ Christmas shoot. It reminded me a lot of these images:

That said, I think if the Wales family is going to go very casual, they should also do the occasional super royal photo session, as Diana also did. Balance in all things, friends, especially when one is a modern royal.

I did love that William and Kate released another image from the photo shoot featuring just the children. They released this one on Christmas Eve, and it was a very sweet little treat for royal fans. Whatever disappointment I felt in the quality of the family card was ameliorated by a second shot just before Christmas. Well done Kate.

Overall, the verdict for me on the Christmas card image was that it was not a big win, but it was not a total disaster. I just hope next year is something a little more colorful and fun. And, as I have been hoping for almost 12 years now, I’d really love some royal images one of these days.

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The Sussex Scoop

Earlier in December, Harry, Meghan, and their children took a vacation to Costa Rica. The family spent a week enjoying the more tropical weather before departing December 20th to make it home in time to settle in for Christmas. A grainy image of the four Sussexes on a golf cart circulated on social media after the family had departed.

I read an article that claimed Meghan is a very hot item in Hollywood these days. According to this report, she is in incredibly high demand, but chooses not to accept the majority of events and partnerships that are offered to her. None of you will be surprised to learn that I don’t believe this report one bit, but 2024 will tell the tale, I suppose. Otherwise, not much seems to be happening Chez Sussex. I expect activity mid-January.

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FBTB Updates

The week between Christmas and the New Year is always a very quiet time externally and a very busy time internally, as I reflect on the year that is ending and look forward to and plan the year to come. The year 2023 was a dramatic one for me. I delivered my first child in the spring and not long after my six-week check-up, I learned that I had an early cancer on one of my ovaries. I was stunned by this diagnosis, as you can imagine, and we had a very hard summer and fall full of appointments with my oncologist, many tests to be certain cancer wasn’t anywhere else, and two surgeries and attendant recoveries. As we turn the corner into a new year, I am so grateful to be putting those dark days behind me. Although I didn't share this update earlier, I know you all would have prayed for me, and that your prayers now are efficacious ex post facto. :-) Thank you!

In 2024, I am reorganizing a little. Kate’s Year of the Trouser has many of us missing some of her old looks, so in 2024, every Monday will be a Monday Memory post featuring a past engagement/ensemble of Kate’s. I am also going to shoot for a post every weekend with my thoughts on the week’s royal news, and, of course, the monthly newsletter will continue on. Listening to your feedback, I have started to open the comments section on more posts, too.

After losing an ovary this year, I am more anxious than ever to have a second child. In light of that, my husband is concerned that I not overcommit myself. But I figure that if I could get out a post the day after my cancer surgery, I can get posts out through morning sickness, if the Lord chooses to bless us with another little one. In any case, we will navigate the year as it comes, but I am very grateful to all of you for your loyalty to me and FBTB in the last year, and I want to be as productive as I can in return to you.

With that, I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year. I am raising my glass to a wonderful 2024 of royal watching ahead of us!