So, Kate Skied Too

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Image via The Sun, though not from this trip

God help us all. To be clear, I’m only writing this up in a separate post because I wrote twice about the Duke of Cambridge’s Verbier trip and fair is fair. Today, Emily Andrews at The Sun reported that that same weekend the Duchess was in Meribel, France skiing with her sister, Pippa, and friends as part of a pre-wedding “hen party.”

The two groups actually shared the same private jet out of the UK and then split up. A “friend” shared with the paper that:

“Pippa loves skiing so it was her first choice for a hen weekend. They stayed in a really exclusive catered chalet with maids and chef, who ensured that they were totally spoilt. The owners also wanted to impress their royal guests so the girls were showered with gifts. They were given Swatch watches, Ugg slippers, leather-bound notebooks and bespoke fragrances. It was a very small, private party and they had an amazing time.

“Apparently the girls on Pippa’s hen were giggling as Kate told them that William had had to be escorted down from the mountain for being too drunk after that lunch on the Sunday. All the girls thought it was hilarious. He wasn’t allowed to ski as he’d had too much to drink. The staff didn’t want him to get hurt. At first Kate thought it was very funny. But she wasn’t too impressed when she saw the photos of him dancing with that Australian girl.”

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Camelot & the Virginity of Katherine of Aragon

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Between Henry VII ascending the throne in 1485 and his death in 1509, England evolved from a country that had been in or on the verge of civil war for decades to a country that was beginning to re-emerge as an actual power broker in Europe. It’s an interesting concept to consider in the wake of all the Brexit news as members of today’s Royal Family undertake diplomatic tours of European countries to underline Britain’s continued friendship.

By establishing the House of Tudor, Henry essentially put an end to the viability of continued Plantagenet infighting. As the last Lancastrian claimant (sort of, his lineage wasn’t much to boast of) he strategically married Elizabeth of York, fusing the two warring houses in one union. Thus, their children were meant to appease both sides, and their position was bolstered by a father who ruthlessly kept the peace, filled the coffers and eliminated dynastic threats.

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Royal Roundup March 27 – April 1: London Pap Shots, Meghan Markle in Vanity Fair & Tuvalu

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Image via the Daily Mail

It’s been a busy week for the RF, even excluding all the news coming out of the Prince of Wales’s visit to Romania and the ongoing to trip to Italy. This is particularly true for the younger set of royals, especially the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

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Charles & Camilla in Italy: Day One

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The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall arrived in Florence yesterday, reuniting for the next leg of their European tour after Charles spent three days carrying out engagements in Romania. First up was a photo-op at the Ponte Vecchio bridge.

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