Let’s start with the surprise news today: Princess Beatrice is engaged! The eldest daughter of the Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York became engaged to her boyfriend, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi earlier this month while the two were spending a weekend in Positano. At this time, a wedding date hasn’t been set, save that it will occur in 2020.
We just did a roundup on Monday, but in the interest of covering off on the week with a few stray stories (none of which really warrant their own post), I thought I’d do another before the weekend. We left off with the Prince of Wales and Duke of York both visiting the Queen at Balmoral last weekend, but since then the Queen’s second son departed Scotland for a holiday in Malaga with his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York.
This is proving an odd summer for the British Royal Family. Per tradition, members of the family pack it in for the month of August, engagements slow (in some cases to a screeching halt), and holidays are taken by not only the royals, but their staffs and the reporters who cover them. The risk with this schedule is that when there is news it has a way of dominating attention because there’s nothing else going on with which to distract. Such is the case this week, so let’s get into it.
Continue reading “Royal Roundup: Balmoral, Andrew & Cruachan IV”
I tend to stay away from the York family, and for good reason. With the exception of Princess Eugenie’s wedding last year, all too often the stories swarming around them are pretty negative. This week is no different in light of news that disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein was arrested, bringing back into the spotlight his longstanding relationship with the Queen’s second son, the Duke of York.
Members of the Royal Family gathered today at St George’s Chapel, Windsor for the wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston. The bride is the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, whose grandfather, Prince George, Duke of Kent, was a son of King George V. You can read more about the family here.
Continue reading “Lady Gabriella Windsor Marries at Windsor”
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are officially married! The Royal Family – and a slew of high-profile British guests – turned up in their wedding best for a ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor this morning. The bride wore Peter Pilotto, the Duke of York walked her down the aisle, Andrea Boccelli sang Ave Maria, Prince George was a ham and Princess Beatrice gave a reading from The Great Gatsby of all things.
I have gone out of my way to mostly ignore Sarah, Duchess of York (Prince Andrew’s ex-wife) due to the old adage, “If you don’t have anything nice to say…” Indeed, it’s for this same reason that I usually only reference Andrew when he happens to have attended a large family event. The only exception to this is a post from early last year that covered memorable public statements made by Andrew pertaining to the roles of his daughters in the “slimmed down” monarchy model that the Prince of Wales is said to favor.
My reason for writing that post was that it was particularly newsworthy and it is for that same reason I find myself circling back to the York family again today. So, here we go:
Continue reading “Royal Roundup: Autumn Dates, Possible Tours & the Yorks”
Well, that’s a weird title, but I think it hits the highlights. Where to begin with the last few days? Let’s start outside the UK where the Danish Royal Family has been dominating headlines. Denmark’s monarch, Queen Margrethe II has reigned for 45 years, is enormously popular and is supported by her two sons and plethora of grandchildren. That support does not, apparently, extend to her husband, Prince Henrik, a Frenchman to whom she has been married since 1967.
Henrik boldly stated that he had no desire to be buried alongside his wife at Roskilde, the traditional resting place for Danish monarchs and their spouses, because he had never been granted the title of “king.” His argument is that his prevention from receiving the title is 1) his wife’s fault and 2) sexist, because female consorts are given the title “queen.”
Continue reading “Royal Roundup: Henrik, Earl Spencer & the Succession”
