When your brain is full of really obnoxiously random royal facts such as mine, it takes all I have not to scream when coming across headlines as those that were floating around yesterday after the Queen’s Young Leaders event.
No, no, the majority of headlines were not about the aforementioned young leaders, rather the fact that Meghan…
Prince Charles has spoken out upon hearing of the tragic passing of comedian Robin Williams.
Prince Charles has become the first British royal to publicly pay tribute to Robin Williams, after the late actor’s death on Monday.
The first-in-line to the throne, whose history with Robin dated years back, gave a statement to Press Association.
“I greatly enjoyed meeting him on several occasions and his irreplaceable contribution to life will be greatly missed by countless people, including myself,” said Charles.
He added: “He was a remarkable man, whose wonderful frenetic humour brought a special kind of laughter into people’s lives.”
Robin, who passed away from a suspected suicide in his California home at the age of 63, was last pictured meeting the Queen’s eldest child in 2008. (Hello!)
(Source.)
Let’s start this Monday with the most intriguing bits of British Royal gossip…
Prince Harry is reportedly seeing Camilla Thurlow (pictured above), the Scottish beauty he was seen snogging with back in June.
With the revelation of this potential romance comes, of course, rumors of Cressida wanting Harry back.
Harry was publicly linked to Camilla this week and the new duo seem to have a lot more in common than Harry and Cressida ever did. Camilla is a beauty queen that works for The Halo Trust, the anti-landmine organization that was closely linked to Harry’s beloved mother, Princess Diana. Aside from those things Camilla is hardly the wallflower that Cressida was. Instead she is known to be the life of the party and can keep up with Harry’s drinking when challenged. Girlfriend works and plays hard, just like Harry. (Celebrity Dirty Laundry)
Prince Harry continues to make his brother, Prince William, look like an amateur, issuing a poignant piece regarding his time in war, as well as announcing his hope to remain in the army until the age of 55.
Harry revealed his career plans last week at an event in Folkestone, Kent, while paying tribute to the thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in the First World War.
The royal said he was “incredibly moved” by the commemorations and was “proud” to have played a part in them.
A source said: “Harry was chatting quite informally and was talking about life in the Army. He said ‘I love it – it’s the best job in the world. I’m staying in until I can draw my pension – if they’ll let me’.” (Mirror)
Meanwhile, the media is continuing to spread word that Prince William “goes back to work” — pretty much acknowledging that he hasn’t been working for a while… — and there is a mixed reaction. Of course, here in the US, the media paints it as a way for the “little family” to stay as normal as possible. The US press loves to romanticize the royals, which I admit to buying into, but British press seems mixed on the matter. This piece calls Prince William out for being an adult, yet acting more like a child.
The nation has been very patient with William. We understood his reluctance as a young man to take on the royal mantle after the death of his mother. We respected his request for privacy while at university, then in the military. We indulged his little whim to undertake a course at Cambridge in agriculture.
But the reluctant Prince — who’s known to have inherited his father’s petulance — now appears to be becoming a rather selfish one, still dodging the royal draft, but keeping all the privileges that come with it. (Daily Mail)
Yesterday I posted about the latest Vanity Fair Best-Dressed List. I didn’t mention Kate’s being mentioned in the “Hall of Fame” because I really don’t care. It’s such a joke of a statement that I don’t really care to draw attention to it. But, it happened. And it’s ridiculous.
Almost as ridiculous as this fawning over the fact Kate took Prince George to the Princess Diana Memorial section of Kensington Park. There are no photos — the photo above is from a different outting — and they only stayed for 15 minutes… but it’s like candy for the media. I can’t help think this may be a way to deter from the previously mentioned ongoing criticism of her and Will’s ever-changing life plans…
There’s so much going on, but nothing too exciting gossip-wise. Except for Harry’s news… I’m genuinely happy for Prince Harry. He seems so down to earth and grateful for the live and platform he has been given… Prince William and Kate could benefit from following his lead.
Early last week, Vanity Fair released The International Best-Dressed List 2014. I was surprised by some of the honorees listed, especially Crown Princess Mary, and was happy to see Queen Maxima.
I do love the outfit that landed Crown Princess Mary on the list — pictured above — however, have found most of her outfits a bit, lackluster. Most of the time it looks like she bought her dresses right off the latest runway, and while I love runway fashion, it’s more often than not not suitable for a royal. Perhaps picking certain looks and emulating the pieces and looks that you most like, but looking like a walking mannequin does no one any favors.
What’s worse, copying the exact look of another royal…
While I hardly think Kate Middleton has the monopoly on skinny jeans and striped shirts — I can attest to wearing them far before I ever knew of Kate, as can many. But the green jacket featured above, identical to the slanted pocket, leaves one with doubts that this was a mere coincidence.
Ever since Kate hit the seen the media has been trying to push this comparison of the two “commoner” princesses narrative.
I don’t see it.
But, since Mary sometimes uses Kate as a fashion muse… and Kate sometimes looks to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana for inspiration… it seems as though the real royal most deserving of this Vanity Fair honor should be Diana herself. I suppose that’s not the popular opinion, just my own.
Queen Maxima, however, I am so glad to have seen listed. She seems to add her own flair to every outfit, and has the confidence to make a potato sack look glamorous.
I sincerely wish we had seen Queen Letizia mentioned, though. She seems to take a lot of fashion risks, and stays true to her own style.
Diana Princess of Wales and her boys enjoy a log ride at “Thorpe Park,” April, 1993.
Prince Charles, Diana, William and Harry visiting the Spanish Royal Family in Mallorca, 1987. (Prince Felipe looks dashing!)
I’m not a fan of the flower girls’ dresses, however, the pageboy outfits make up for it in their cuteness. Plus, having the future Queens of Norway, and Belgium, plus the future King of Denmark makes this group extra darling.
The colors, though a nice tribute to their country, were a tad too much for such an occasion…however, the literal cut of the dresses and suits were perfection. Had the colors been used more as accents, not the entire outfit, this group would have won by a landslide.
The color palette was phenomenal. I love the use of white for the dresses, and how they don’t look too ‘bride-y’ — if you will. The flower girl dresses, plus their frilly socks and shoes, and tiny bouquets are precious. However, I think the older flower girl’s dress could have a been a bit longer. The pageboys’ outfits are sweet, but just seemed a bit unfinished… I can’t quite put my finger on it, though.
This was a tough call. I loved these outfits so much, and thought the kids added so much personality to the wedding, but they lacked in uniqueness. The Spanish royal wedding oozed of cultural influence, and while the British royal wedding had the pageboys uniforms, the little flower girl dresses were… predictable. But, that doesn’t mean they weren’t absolutely darling.
The colors. The sashes. The ode to the country and its culture. The buckles on the shoes. The frills. THIS is how you do a royal wedding.
In terms of candid royal wedding photos of all time, this is in my top three. But this is about the flower girls and pageboys… I love these dresses. They complemented Diana’s dress wonderfully. I think, however, the material looks a little too much like knit sheets, and I am not a huge fan of the flower crowns. The little shoes are so sweet and classic, though.
Last weekend I finally got around to renting ‘Diana’ after having wanted to see it since seeing its first trailers.
Admittedly, I hadn’t researched the plot, so I was a bit disappointed upon realizing it was merely 90 plus minutes covering the alleged love story of Diana and heart surgeon Dr. Hasnat Khan. Had I been more interested in that aspect of her life, maybe I would have viewed the film with an entirely different opinion.
Naomi Watts did not play a convincing Diana, though you could certainly tell how badly she wished to represent her as authentically as possible. I do give her credit in that regard, as well as credit to the costume department of the movie.
I’m surprised that this was the piece of Diana’s life the filmmakers decided to cover. Though she had a tragically short life, it was full of fascinating stories from start to finish. Of course, her years as Princess of Wales, as well as immediately following, were among the most interesting. But this little sliver, her affair with the heart surgeon, is a compelling piece, but not hardly feature-film worthy.
With the film’s bad reviews (Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert), outright disapproval from the heart surgeon depicted, and Naomi Watts’ comparison of it to ‘a sinking ship,’ I suppose I shouldn’t have been so surprised to find the whole thing to be a complete flop.
(This particular post has to do with British Royal Protocol.)
Kate’s title is actually Her Royal Highness, Princess William, Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn.
I couldn’t believe it either when I started researching royal titles last week. But it’s very much true. In fact, a princess is only a Princess (insert name) if she was born into the role. Examples include Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Since neither Kate nor Diana were born royals, they were never merely ‘Princess Kate’ or ‘Princess Diana.’
Well yes, this is true. When Kate and William are passed down the title of Prince and Princess of Wales, they will both be exactly that. However, Kate will carry the title along with her husband’s name, ‘Princess William of Wales.’ Or even, ‘Her Royal Highness Catherine, Princess of Wales.’ Likewise, it was always ‘Her Royal Highness Diana, Princess of Wales.’
Upon her divorce from Prince Charles, by order of the Queen, Diana was stripped of all royal titles.
The good news is, I suppose, that when Prince William takes the throne, the Duchess of Cambridge (never Duchess Catherine or Kate) will become Her Majesty Queen Consort Catherine (VI).
And should Prince William and Kate have a baby girl next time around, she’ll be a Princess through and through.
