Well. Wednesday was a crazy day. If you missed the drama, then you can catch up here on the initial wave of reporting. Today, we’re going to touch on some odds and ends that didn’t make it into my initial post because of all the information coming out, as well as weigh in on some of the reactions and narratives beginning to build.
Tag: Meghan Markle
2019’s Engagement Numbers & What They Tell Us
[N.B. The below post was written before the Sussexes’ news yesterday. Since it’s not overly relevant to this topic, I haven’t edited it, save one little note at the end.]
Before we get started, Happy Birthday to the Duchess of Cambridge, who turns 38 today! The occasion was marked at Anmer Hall last weekend, but I’m sure there are some day-of festivities planned now that the family has returned to London. We’ll next see her out and about on Wednesday when she and the Duke visit Bradford for their first engagement of the new year.
With that, let’s turn to the matter at hand: last year’s engagement numbers. If you keep up with royal news then you may have seen the end-of-year articles tracking who the “hardest working” member of the Royal Family was in 2019. If you read more than one, then you may have noticed very different statistics get reported. There’s no exact science to these tallies – what constitutes an engagement is in the eye of the beholder, however the most traditional approach is to count it if it made it into the Court Circular.
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The Nuclear Option [UPDATED]
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex just announced on Instagram that they are stepping back from the Royal Family and, beginning this year, will split their time between England and North America. Per their statement, they still intend to support their patronages, but their charitable foundation sounds like it will be separate, and they will be working towards becoming “financially independent.”
Apparently they chose the nuclear option.
*Updated portion at the end of the post.
Will Harry & Meghan Move to Canada?
[Note: This post went live two hours before the Sussexes’ announcement about their 2020 plans. You can catch up on that here.]
British tabloid The Sun is reporting that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are seriously considering a more permanent move to Canada after the success of their six-week break. According to sources on background described as “friends,” the couple might leave the UK while still carrying out royal duties and maintaining staff based at Buckingham Palace. On the table is the possibility that they will drop their HRHs.
Harry & Meghan Return to Royal Work at Canada House
Yesterday it was announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would carry out an engagement today at Canada House. The press release shared advised that the couple planned on thanking the High Commissioner for Canada’s “warmth and hospitality” during their roughly six-week stay, as well as viewing a new art exhibit on display and meeting with staff who work on UK-Canada partnerships.
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A Year in Review: Meghan in 2019
Happy Monday, everyone! We’re due to see Meghan for the first time in 2020 tomorrow, so today we’re going to take a look back on her 2019. Before I write these posts, I like to look back on what I wrote the previous year and I was semi-surprised to see that I concluded my 2018 recap for Meghan with a warning that the hardest bit was still to come. I think we’ve seen that play out over the last 12 months, and it’s been at times frustrating and difficult to watch.
Bye, Andrew
Well. Let’s start at the end and work our way back, shall we? A couple of hours ago the Duke of York released a statement that the Queen gave her assent to a request that he be allowed to step down from royal duties for the foreseeable future. This news comes on the heels of several days’ worth of blistering coverage of his recent sit-down interview with the BBC on his former friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
My thought? Good.
Remembrance Sunday 2019
On Sunday, following the previous evening’s Festival of Remembrance, the British Royal Family turned out for the Remembrance service at The Cenotaph. This annual event is not only a hallmark of the royal calendar, but one that convenes the UK’s veterans, senior politicians, and members of the public for a somber recognition of those who lost their lives in service to the nation. Frankly, there are few countries who mark this occasion better.
Remembrance Festival 2019
On Saturday night, the Royal Family congregated at Royal Albert Hall for this year’s Festival of Remembrance, the prelude to Sunday’s formal ceremony. Like Trooping the Colour, it’s an event that nearly always draws the entire family, so high is its significance on the royal calendar.
Catching Up With the Cambridges & Sussexes
Ok, it’s time to catch up a bit on November. I’m going to back-date this post to last week so as to cover two engagements that the Cambridges and Sussexes carried out, and then we’ll turn back to this past weekend for the actual Remembrance Day events later today.
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