Kensington Palace released four photos from Prince Louis’s christening last Monday. The photos were taken at the Prince of Wales’s residence in London, Clarence House, by photographer Matt Holyoak and feature various assortments of the Wales side of the family and the Middletons.
The above, of course, features the royal branch and you’ll note that in the background there’s a portrait of the Queen – a nice nod to the matriarch not able to attend the day’s ceremony.
She may have waited until the bitter end, but the Duchess of Cambridge definitely made up for it this weekend by attending the final two days of Wimbledon. Following her outing with the Duchess of Sussex yesterday, today she attended the Men’s Final with the Duke of Cambridge, taking her place in the Royal Box alongside Prime Minister Theresa May.
Continue reading “William & Kate Turn Up for Last Day of Wimbledon”
I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been waiting to see exactly this appearance, but suffice to say, I am pleased. The Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex made their first public outing together at Wimbledon today without their respective husbands and it was all smiles, tennis and summer fashion. For those still wondering if these two women secretly hate one another, I think the photos from this afternoon will certainly help put that to bed. For the rest of us, it’s evidence of a new chapter for the House of Windsor.
After a short meeting with President Higgins, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex pivoted to an afternoon that made up the meat of their Dublin tour and included not a few walkabouts during which they met members of the public. Meghan also made a costume change, switching from her Roland Mouret dress to a black Givenchy suit.
Day Two of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s mini-tour of Dublin began with a visit to Áras an Uachtaráin, the home of Ireland’s President Michael Higgins. They were greeted at the door by Secretary General Art O’Leary, who escorted them inside and through the State Reception Rooms featuring busts of all past Irish presidents.
ICYMI, but a few days after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Windsor wedding in May, designer Emilia Wickstead reportedly told a news outlet that the bride’s Givenchy dress looked like one of her own designs and was poorly fit, while her hair was too messy. People lost their minds, boycotts of the brand from other royal women were called for and Wickstead, finally, issued an apology that didn’t exactly deny that she’d said that, so much as confirm she thought Meghan looked beautiful and that the design hadn’t been stolen.
Wickstead has been favorite of the Windsor women for years, but particularly with the Duchess of Cambridge and Countess of Wessex. Since the incident, Kate has steered clear…but she’s also been on maternity leave. Sophie, on the other hand, has repeatedly worn it and been criticized. But today, my friends, we finally have our verdict – whatever that was, it’s no longer: Meghan wore Wickstead.
Continue reading “So, Apparently Emilia Wickstead is Still a Thing”
Following today’s earlier RAF centenary ceremony, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left for Dublin where they are carrying out a two-day visit today and tomorrow. This is the couple’s first trip abroad as a married couple and is being viewed as a precursor from their extensive tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga in the autumn.
Continue reading “Meghan’s in Green Givenchy for Dublin Arrival”
Just one day after Prince Louis’s christening, the Duchess of Cambridge made a surprise appearance at the centenary ceremony and celebration of the Royal Air Force (RAF). Kate turned up alongside the Duke of Cambridge and the rest of the Royal Family at Westminster Abbey and then joined them on the balcony at Buckingham Palace for a flypast. Like a mini Trooping the Colour, really.
While today’s appearance was unexpected, it follows the same pattern Kate has taken during her maternity leaves in the past, which is that after a couple of months completely off, she begins to turn up here and there for a smattering of headliner engagements related to her patronages. As Honorary Air Commandant of the RAF, today made sense, and I think it will help mitigate criticism that may come up if she attends Wimbledon later this week.
Continue reading “Kate Makes a Surprise Appearance at the RAF Centenary”
This afternoon, Prince Louis was christened in Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace in London. He was feted by both sets of grandparents, three uncles, two aunts, five godparents and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Not too shabby for an 11-week-old. Today also marked the first time we’ve seen all five members of the Cambridge family in one place, with the Duke of Cambridge arriving with Prince George and Princess Charlotte in each hand, and the Duchess following with Louis.
Continue reading “All Five Cambridges Debut for Louis’s Christening [UPDATED]”
It’s easy to feel sympathy for Katherine of Aragon and her daughter, Mary I, when you know how they fared during Henry VIII’s reign – and I do. Katherine, the loyal and loving wife, was discarded after 24 years of marriage and left to die alone, separated from her only child. And Mary, the helpless daughter, saw a half-sister supplant her at age 17, had her mother die at age 20 and was then forced to watch five stepmothers pass through thanks to divorce and execution.
The tricky part about the casting Katherine and Mary as “good” where, say, Anne Boleyn was “bad” is that it dehumanizes women who were in fact very human and people utterly reflective of their times. Anne was a champion for the English Reformation, learned and incredibly powerful – yet by her own admission she showed cruelty to her husband’s adolescent daughter. Katherine was the abandoned first wife, but one whose religious extremism allowed her to think the expulsion of Muslim and Jewish populations was for the greater good. And finally Mary, who was absolutely victimized – in a truly horrifying way – by her father, went on to oversee the persecution and death of hundreds of Protestants during her reign.
