We have arrived at the end of May. And this month, I have my wits about me enough to remember that it *is* the last day of the month! I apologize for last month’s late newsletter; life is completely hectic sometimes. Ok…let’s take a look back at this month in the royal world.
Earlier this week, the Palace announced Trooping the Colour will go forward despite the general election that will take place on July 4th. When the Prime Minister unexpectedly called for the election, the royals had to rejigger their calendars. The Palace explained: “The Royal Family will – in accordance with normal procedure – postpone engagements that may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign.” Happily, Trooping is still on the docket!
Yesterday, however, the Palace confirmed HRH the Princess of Wales will not be present at any of the weekend’s events. Of course, we all knew she would not be there. I did not expect her to be there, but for some reason, it still made me sad to see the news. Her appearances really are such lovely bright spots. I am praying for her full recovery in whatever timeframe is required, but certainly look forward to her return!
Although Kate has not been pictured publicly, you likely saw the People! report that she has been spotted out with her family and running errands solo. We have discussed in previous posts that the royals go about their lives—especially outside of London—with relative normalcy. Observers in public usually leave them alone, and given Kate’s cancer announcement, I am sure people feel extra protective of her. Still, it is nice to hear an oral report that she is up and about.
Katie Nicholl, a longtime royal commentator, claims her sources told her that Kate has “turned a corner” and is feeling much better. Opinions differ on how credible Kate Nicholl’s sources are, but I think it is interesting enough to pass on for your own determination. I have always liked Katie Nicholl.
William brought George with him to Wembley last Saturday to watch the FA World Cup Final (pictured below). The little prince gave the game his close attention, and his expressive face throughout the match reminded me so much of Kate in the stands at Wimbledon.
Everything is quiet in California, which is par for the course. Meghan and Harry specialize in bursts of energy followed by long periods of quiet. Perhaps this cocooning time will finally result in activity over at ARO? With the royals dialing back their activity significantly over the next month, it is the perfect opening for the Montecito duo to make some headlines.
Finally, Kate Mansey has a special report out today leading into the weekend. In it, she asserts that the King is trying to force Andrew out of the Royal Lodge. We heard whispers about this many months ago, but they were just whispers and nothing came of them. This is the most confidently worded report I have seen yet. Mansey writes the brothers are “embroiled in a battle of wills,” and that Charles plans to cut funding to force Andrew out. Charles is willing, as previous reports indicated, to continue to fund his brother (and Fergie!) at Frogmore Cottage—the former home of Harry and Meghan. I will be interested to see how that develops, and I will share more on Instagram later today.
I am thinking that the first appearance by the Princess of Wales after such a long (and much-needed) break is going to be a difficult one to choose. For instance, she might want to appear at the wedding next week of the Duke of Westminster but knows that it would take far too much attention away from the bride and the event itself. (In much the same way as she is known for wearing repeats of her outfits when attending weddings, so she's not making unnecessary "news".) She can't attend any D-Day commemorations for the exact same reason. That said, I think that appearing on the balcony for Trooping the Color might be the way to go if at all possible, as everyone would know it was being done to honor the King. Then, perhaps (probably not, but a girl can dream....) she could start making occasional appearances at her various patronages without her very presence causing an uproar. It will be a happy day when she's back on the scene.
Reading about the royals makes me even more excited for my upcoming trip to England next week! I too am curious to see if H + M use this relatively quiet period from the royals to make a big splash about something.