The Queen, Camilla and Catherine and Those Other “Royals” …
British Royalty This Week…
Last Sunday was a somber observance in the UK, where Remembrance Sunday is a day to remember those who served in WWI and WWII. At eleven o’clock on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, veterans are remembered and honored, and the closest Sunday to the eleventh is chosen. The U.S. names their day Veteran’s Day, and we thank and recall the sacrifice of those who served our country. Britain does this also, and the day is quite solemn.
Queen Elizabeth backed out of attending the service at the Cenotaph due to a sprained back, so Prince Charles and Prince William laid wreaths on behalf of the Queen. Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge stood in the Queen’s usual place, with Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall and Sophie the Countess of Wessex standing on either side of Catherine.
Many people have been worried about the Queen’s health, since she missed several engagements and has spent the night in the hospital. Her Majesty has lost quite a bit of weight since her devoted husband, Prince Philip, passed away in April. When the Queen had her first engagement in weeks yesterday in Windsor, a sigh of relief must have been felt throughout the UK.
Prince Charles and Camilla are currently visiting Jordan, and Charles addressed his mother’s health by saying being 95 isn’t easy, and then he joked about his own age, saying 73 isn’t exactly easy either. Queen Elizabeth has been told by her physicians to give up her long walks outside, and her nightly DuBonnet cocktail has to go, too; but the Queen looks happy when she’s in public. Many people in Britain and the U.S. are hoping the monarch is feeling better.
Prince Charles looked quiet emotional on Sunday, while I wondered if Prince William missed having his brother (before marriage changed him) around at these events. Catherine looked beautiful, and she wore a dress from several years ago, which is refreshing. It’s nice to see a future queen, who could easily justify spending money on a new outfit for every outing, recycling her wardrobe. During these tough financial times it’s comforting to know even royalty isn’t spending money haphazardly.
On the other side of the Atlantic the couple who wanted to leave a royal life for a life of privacy and quiet has been seen at too many events. The strangest thing happened this past week when Harry and Meghan attended the Intrepid Museum’s Salute to Freedom. Meghan wore a new designer dress that didn’t fit, and the dress didn’t fit with the somber acknowledgement of Veteran’s Day. A black or navy dress would have been appropriate, but Meghan wore a bright red dress with spaghetti straps on top.
Even more interesting was Harry’s request that the band play ‘God Save the Queen’ after the United States’ national anthem was played. Harry wore his British military medals to this event which was for Americans. Why on earth would our country observe an ex-prince’s request to be noticed at a military event? We Americans fought the British for our freedom, and this evening was all about freedom; except Harry spoke and he acted like a very American observance should be a showcase for him in all his Britishness.
When did Meghan and Harry decide to prance around America acting like royals? Harry knows better, and if he misses his old life, he really needs to go home. Which reminds me. At the Salute to Freedom gala the couple garnered very little applause with several veterans yelling for him to, “Go Home!”. To top it all off, Harry said he is working to rid the world of misinformation, which is funny in light of Meghan’s forgetfulness.
This couple is funny. Harry’s American wife decided to sue the Associated Newspapers for publishing excerpts of a letter she sent to her father, but Meghan decided last year she did not want to pursue the matter, so she requested the judge, Justice Warby, to issue a summary judgment in her favor. That happened so quickly, and Meghan cited personal reasons for not wanting to go through with a trial. She suffered a miscarriage last year with all the worry over a trial and the stress of being kicked out of Tyler Perry’s home.
Alas, the appeal is moving forward now, and Meghan and Harry’s former Communications Secretary, Jason Knauf, was a witness in court last week. Knauf said Meghan did ask for a help on her letter to her father. She wanted it to look a certain way in case the letter was leaked to the public, so Meghan wrote the letter with the public in mind. Meghan had to apologize to the court, and she said she somehow forgot she used Knauf to help her write her dad a letter. Forgetting is usually called perjury, but many think Meghan will get away with her memory problems.
It was also revealed that Knauf was asked by both Harry and Meghan to share pertinent information with Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand while writing a book about the couple, Finding Freedom. Knauf said Meghan and Harry both shared what they wanted to be in that book, which goes against what Meghan claimed; that they had absolutely no input on the book that hurt the royal family. I wonder if this appeal will go to trial now that we know the truth did not come out the first time, and it seems like Harry needs to work on his wife’s misinformation problems before he takes on the United States.
Oh, there is a petition going around, requesting Harry lose his special visa and be shipped back to Brtiain. He has been here for almost two years, and the man is showing no signs of becoming an American citizen. People are fed up with him and his wife’s constant barrage of fake news, so it will be interesting to see what transpires. Maybe Harry will have to go home. Maybe Meghan will have to live?? In London again? With the two kids, too?
2022 is going to be an interesting year for the royals, won’t it? And Meghan apparently has much more to say to Ellen Degeneres, the talk show host who had to quit amid claims of bullying behavior. Quite like the claims of royal aides who said they were bullied by the Duchess of Sussex. The two bullies are going to hash it out, I suppose, since Oprah has moved on to Adele and left Harry and Meghan to themselves.
Are you going to watch Ellen’s interview? I really have zero interest. Let me know if it was enlightening. Speaking of enlightening, it is tomorrow that Prince William and Catherine will attend the Royal Variety Performance, which means they will be glammed up and ready for a beautiful night. This is royalty to me! Where the royals dress up and head out for a glitzy night, and the next day they usually show up at a charity dressed down in their suits and dresses that escape notice. I appreciate the way William and Catherine do so well with people from all walks of life.
Last newsy bit. I went out to watch Spencer last night, and the film was a fable. Yes, I would say Kristen Stewart did a fine job, but my friend and I both thought the movie was…boring. Mainly it was Diana being all alone or vomiting for two hours. I never saw any true interaction with the other royals, which was disappointing. Go to the film if you must, but by 1991, which is when this film takes place, Diana was over her bulimia. I thought the whole film seemed like a strange nightmare, and I’ve decided to stay away from any shows on Diana now. She’s been gone for almost twenty-five years, and life goes on.
I’ll write about tomorrow’s gala, but the Cambridge children will be at home, because they need a good night’s sleep so they’re fresh for school on Friday. Well, that’s about all I have for now. Except this: Many people have observed that Catherine, Sophie, and Camilla are good examples of commoners who have made the royal family look good. And they do! They all seem as if they were brought up in high society or even as royalty. Maybe having some commoners mix in with the royals is a good thing.
Cheers! I think I’ll go drink a DuBonnet cocktail with gin in honor of the dear Queen. Long may she reign.
