Latest news with #monarchy
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The Queen was the 'master of the understatement', according to royal expert INGRID SEWARD
Throughout her 70-year reign the Queen was known for her dedication to duty and service - both in times of crisis and celebration. But in private the late monarch was known for her dry sense of humour and well-timed delivery, keeping her cards close to her chest and choosing her words wisely. Ingrid Seward, one of the most respected royal biographers, wrote about the Queen's sense of humour in her book My Mother And I. She said: 'The Queen was a master of the understatement delivered in her best deadpan voice as one of her closest friends, Lady Elizabeth Anson explained to me.' Lady Elizabeth, or Liza as she was known to her friends, was the Queen's cousin and a close confidante. Seward spoke to her about the times the Queen had confided in her, including comments on Meghan Markle 's wedding dress. The Majesty Magazine editor wrote: '"Too white", referring to Meghan's wedding dress meant it was not appropriate for a divorcee getting married in church to look quite so flamboyantly virginal. '"Too grand for us" was a remark she made to Lord Mountbatten as he was relaying the virtues of Marie-Christine's noble lineage before she married Prince Michael of Kent. '"Too in love" was her response to Prince Harry under his future wife's spell and "too presidential" described the former Labour prime minister with whom she never gelled, Tony Blair.' In her Christmas speech in 1991 the Queen said: 'Let us not take ourselves too seriously. None of us has a monopoly of wisdom.' As Harry wrote in Spare, the Queen was sometimes hard to read and her quick remarks could be misinterpreted. When the Duke approached the Queen during a shooting party at Sandringham to ask if he could marry Meghan, she gave a cryptic reply. Harry wrote that he awkwardly asked: 'I've been told that I have to ask your permission before I can propose'. He alleged the late Queen then replied: 'You have to?' to which Harry replied that is what he had been told. There was apparently a moment of silence before the Queen replied: 'Well then, I suppose I have to say yes.' Harry wrote: 'I didn't get it. Was she being sarcastic? Ironic? Deliberately cryptic? Was she indulging in a bit of wordplay? 'I'd never known Granny to do any wordplay and this would be a surpassingly bizarre moment (not to mention widely inconvenient) for her to start, but maybe she just saw the chance to play off my unfortunate use of the word "have" and couldn't resist.' Throughout her reign the late Queen showed her quick sense of humour. In 2018 during a BBC documentary called Coronation, royal commentator Alastair Bruce focused on a moment when two bishops symbolically lifted the Queen on to a raised platform. 'I can see the Bishop of Bath and Wells is very attentive Ma'am. The role of the two bishops is to take the weight of the crown, but they never have to do that,' he said. 'Really?' she replied. 'I thought they were just there to hold one's clothes and stop one falling over them.' She could also be incredibly self deprecating, once watching a video of herself and calling out to her husband: 'Oh Philip, do look! I've got my Miss Piggy face on.' Gyles Brandreth first met the Queen in 1968, when he was 20. Over the next 50 years he met her many times, both at public and at private events He wrote in Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait that this instinctive and self‑deprecating wit was as important a part of the Queen's personality as the clothes she wore and the smile that lit up her face. And perhaps nothing was more central to that than her ability not just to make a joke, but to take a joke, too. The Daily Mail's Richard Kay wrote that for years, the Queen's ability to say nothing, while speaking volumes, was undoubtedly one of her greatest strengths. When a government minister's mobile phone rang, in contravention of the rules, as she took a meeting of the Privy Council, she said: 'I hope that wasn't someone important.' And on one occasion, exasperated by the behaviour of Prince Andrew, she sighed to her then daughter-in-law, Sarah Ferguson: 'I am so glad you have taken Andrew off our hands, but why on earth did you do it?' Andrew, as reported by Brandreth, had explained the sorry saga of his long relationship with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which led to him being stripped of his public roles. 'Intriguing,' was her one word reply. This is another example of the late Queen being the master of the understatement, never saying more than was absolutely necessary. As Richard Kay wrote, this sense of humour was undoubtedly inherited from the Queen Mother. Aged 95, Elizabeth learned that a masked intruder wielding a crossbow was intercepted in the grounds of Windsor Castle, announcing he had come to kill her. And the Queen's quip could have come from her waggish mother: 'Well, that would have put a dampener on Christmas, wouldn't it?' Head coachman Colin Henderson recalls being with the Queen at the Windsor Horse Show when one of her grandchildren came up to her in the Royal Box. The Queen said: 'Did you have a good lunch?' and the child replied: 'Yes, Granny.' To which the Queen said: 'I thought so - you've got it all down your front.' Seward even went as far to suggest that the Queen's sense of humour was the secret to her and Philip's long and happy marriage. 'I think the secret is they laugh together. I think the Queen is the comedian,' she said. Following his antics at many royal events, including the recent VE Day celebration, it seems Prince Louis may be following in his comedian great-grandmother's shoes. At the Buckingham Palace event earlier this year the young royal, aged seven, was seen talking to Prince George. While the pair sat next to each other, Louis was spotted catching a glimpse of his brother gently brushing hair from his face. Seconds later, his younger brother cheekily copied him, swishing his hair to the side while pulling an over-exaggerated facial expression. It is likely the late Queen - who herself loved to imitate others - would have flashed a quick smirk at young Louis's impression of his brother.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Review: He's Here, He's Queer, He's the Future King of England
In 2032, a young man called Tips brings his boyfriend, Dev, home from college to meet the folks. Though cautious, Mum and Dad are neither surprised nor scandalized; after all, he's 18, and they have known he was gay for a while. For the characters in Jordan Tannahill's 'Prince Faggot,' though, that gayness was long since a given. Early in the play, we are shown a famous picture of Tips at 4, looking adorable and, to them, arguably fey. Tips is better known to the world as Prince George of Wales, the oldest child of Prince William and Princess Catherine. The real Prince George is now 11. For that reason, I will hereafter refer to the character by his nickname. I am one of those who, as the play anticipates, resist the dragooning of a preadolescent boy into a dramatic argument about sexuality and monarchy — just as I cringe at the use of a slur I take no reclaimed pride in to market a title. If the playwright means to shock, mission accomplished. But here's the real shocker: The play, which opened Tuesday at Playwrights Horizons, in a co-production with Soho Rep, is thrilling. Inflammatory, nose-thumbing, explicit to the point of pornography, wild and undisciplined (except in its bondage scenes) — yes, all that. Its arguments have so many holes in them, most hold water only briefly. Grievance is its top note: Tips is a whiner and Dev a theory queen. Love is everything and never enough. In other words, however objectionably conjectural, it's real. Tannahill tries to sideline reality quickly though. In a throat-clearing prologue, he has the six actors (all exceptionally good in multiple roles) debate the propriety of telling the story in the first place. One (Mihir Kumar) argues that since 'all children are 'sexualized' as heterosexual by default,' exploring a different framing is a kind of reparation. Another (K. Todd Freeman) retorts that to portray an actual child as queer is to invite a charge of grooming. A third (David Greenspan) adds wickedly, 'Frankly, I think we've been doing a terrible job at grooming. I mean look at how many straights there still are.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Inside Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly's startling wedding that left the royal family 'bewildered'
Their wedding in 2008 was a headline-grabbing affair but for the Royal Family the wedding of Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly was more memorable for other reasons. Peter was then 11th in line to the throne and was the first of Queen Elizabeth's grandchildren to marry.
News.com.au
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Prince Harry's wild palace comeback plan for Archie, Lili
There is a brilliant British expression: The marmalade dropper. That one is standing in one's kitchen at breakfast time, looking out over trellised delphiniums and Marks and Spencer garden furniture, and you hear some news so startling a jar of the Waitrose's finest Oxford pip-free slips through your fingers out of deep shock. So I'm warning you now. Put down all condiments, sauces, dressings or hot drinks. Get this: Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex reportedly sees a future where his children could return to the UK and become official working members of the royal family. Yes, him. The world's only royal refugee, a man who chucked in palace-dom and the possibility of ever being proudly tasked to open the Perthshire Agricultural Show, who painted the Windsors as emotionally constipated, self-serving egoists, who told us at exhausting length about the commercial-grade suffering that he endured as a paid up representative of the Crown. Him. He, reportedly, thinks that – despite having earned tens of millions of dollars rubbing his family and laying bare the inequities and humiliations of monarchy and despite his kids having been to the UK once in the last five years – his kids could one day become paid up, front row members of Crown Inc. I'm not sure we've had a piece of news this bizarre and defying all logic, reason and good sense since, Prince Edward (remember him? Thin, suited, bears an increasingly haunting resemblance to Prince Philip if he had ever joined a book club?) got the idea to do a royal version of 80s game show It's A Knockout. On Thursday The Guardian, which normally stays well clear of breaking any news about Crown Inc aside from pointing out the tens of millions they squeeze out farm land they acquired during a joust in 1484, took a break from extolling the virtues of wind farms and tahini to get into the royal reporting game. (Personally, I love both.) The Guardian ran a piece reporting that Archie and Lili were forced to wait six months for new passports after the late Queen died and that Harry and his wife Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex feared the delay was because 'UK officials were dragging their feet because the passport applications included the titles HRH (His/Her Royal Highness) for both children.' A source close to the Sussexes said that 'the king hadn't wanted Archie and Lili to carry the titles, most of all the HRH, and the British passports, once created, would be the first and perhaps the only legal proof of their names'. However, the Duke of Sussex wanted 'to keep the HRH titles for his children so that when they grow older they can decide for themselves whether they want to become working royals, or stay out of public life'. Marmalade, meet floor. Of all the things that you can imagine the duke noodling about in Montecito as he did the composting or was assuming the lotus position, his children having or wanting a future that would see Buckingham Palace merrily tasking them with a few lighthouse-related outings or some mid-tier midlands military patronages is madness. It would be like a committed vegan considering whether their adored offspring might one day get into farm to table butchery. The members working royal family, the fundamental indignity of the pathological hierarchy of it, the monarchy, the mandatory involvement of his most nemesis the British media duly recording every pat pleasantry during an away day to Sheffield – isn't this everything Harry has been pushing back against? Has repeatedly criticised from the global bully pulpit of Netflix and from the pages of a Guinness World Record setting book and interview after interview? Even aside from this, what makes the duke think his kids would be allowed to rejoin the merry old house of Windsor? Archie has not lived in the UK since he was about six months old; Lili has only been there once. She is not believed to have ever met William or Kate, The Princess of Wales or anyone with any sort of main character energy here. Why would they want to sacrifice their independence and freedom for a country and institution they have no connection with? Nor, you would have to imagine, would the British people be that jazzed about two people with thick Californian accents turning up to host garden parties who don't know what Hobnobs are. That the palace or the British people would accept the young Sussexes as representatives of the Crown is nigh-on impossible to swallow. Even then, even if these obstacles were somehow surmounted, there is the biggest of them all – would William let them? By the time Archie and Lilli are firmly in their 20s he is likely to be running the show and King. As a friend of his told The Daily Beast last year, he 'absolutely f**king hates' Harry. Does that sound like a welcome-with-open-arms situation to you? Even today, royal cousins are essentially barred from being allowed to be working members of the royal family. Since 2012, when Charles put his plan in action, four deeply regrettable words have echoed up and down the Buckingham Palace halls – 'slimmed down royal family'. At another time Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie as HRHs and 'blood princesses' would have been shoe-ins to never have to work real jobs and to live lives where they spent the hours of 10am until 2ish on any given Wednesday cutting ribbons at Women's Institute meetings and visiting donkey rescues on behalf of the palace. Instead you can find Beatrice York on LinkedIn, a regular London gal in her 30s with a very good career in the software biz. Beatrice and Eugenie have not been allowed out onto the palace balcony to exercise their waving muscles since 2019. Who knows. Maybe by 2045 the royal family will be desperate for fresh faces and Prince George, as he preps for the throne himself, will be dead keen on his American cousins being called up to bolster the flagging royal ranks. Maybe Archie and Lili will be keen to embrace their British heritage and want to devote their lives to dutiful public service. For the time being though, you can safely pick up the marmalade again but be warned. There is one thing we can say about Harry – the duke never fails to surprise us. Or the palace. And maybe the same goes for the next generation, in Montecito and London.
Fox News
02-06-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Kate Middleton's no-nonsense approach, ‘ruthless discipline' shapes her future as queen: expert
Kate Middleton is said to be taking a no-nonsense approach to becoming queen one day. The Princess of Wales, who is recognized as Britain's reliable royal, is said to hold a greater influence over the House of Windsor than once imagined, as she supports Prince William, heir to the throne. "Her emphasis on a ruthless discipline in her regimented daily routine and commitment to self-improvement has helped her," British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital. "She divides her time meticulously between parenting, supporting the heir to the throne, and her royal duties and manages to fit in an intense workout regime," said Fordwich. "Regarding her three children, she can combine tradition with a modern, more middle-class approach to family. This, on top of her dedication to duty, is seen as essential for the monarchy's relevance and continuity." Fordwich's statements came shortly after a source close to the royal household told People that the 43-year-old is the most popular member of the royal family. "She's very much seen as a player at the center of team Windsor," added Simon Lewis, a former Buckingham Palace communications chief. Royal author Valentine Low also told the outlet that Kate has "developed a toughness" behind palace doors as she supports her husband. One source told the outlet, "She takes things seriously – and thank goodness for that." "She has this public image of being nice and smiley," Low told the outlet. "But she is strong-minded, strong-willed, and prepared to fight for what she wants and what she thinks is right." Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital that Kate has good reason to develop thicker skin. "The onset of a life-threatening illness can make a person tough," he explained, referring to the royal's past battle with cancer. The princess announced she was in remission from cancer in January of this year. "When they have a clear goal, as Kate has, the maintaining of the monarchy and bringing up her family means the experience, although traumatic, can be used to advantage in the years ahead," he said. WATCH: KATE MIDDLETON MAKES KEY DECISIONS FOR ROYALS AS FUTURE QUEEN: EXPERT "Kate needed confidence as a public speaker, which she now has," said Fitzwilliams. "She is a fashion icon, which she uses to enormous advantage. And she and William are so close, as their PDA clearly shows. They are the monarchy's future. They work brilliantly as a team now, and they will continue to do so when William becomes king." Royal historian Amanda Foreman previously told People that the Prince and Princess of Wales have an unwavering partnership as a couple. William, she noted, has allowed Kate to shine on her own as she takes on royal duties. William and Kate became Prince and Princess of Wales upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II. England's longest-reigning monarch died in 2022 at age 96. "The last five years have been a nightmare for them in every possible way – the past year even more so," Foreman explained to the outlet. "That either crushes a marriage or it brings them together," she said. "And just in time, frankly – if there was ever a time when the country required stability, this is it. The international stage is so unstable, it is rather extraordinary to see how both have risen to the occasion." Royal experts told Fox News Digital that William has taken on more duties to support his father, King Charles III. The monarch, 76, was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February 2024. Kate has prioritized having a hands-on approach to raising their three young children, giving them as normal of an upbringing as possible while bringing them to royal events. "Without a doubt, Princess Catherine's toughness is a brilliant combination of resilience, self-discipline and emotional maturity – qualities which have rendered her the most popular of royals and crucial for the monarchy's future stability as well as public image," said Fordwich. "Prince William's influence and enduring strength of their relationship is significant, but so is her independent strength. Together, their sum is greater than their respective parts." The road to being a beloved royal wasn't always smooth for Kate. The Middleton family has no aristocratic background, and the British press often referred to Kate as a "commoner" marrying into the royal family. In 2001, she met William when they were students at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Friends and housemates at first, their relationship came to be in the public eye when they were pictured together in 2004. As a romance blossomed, the pair's relationship came under intense public scrutiny from the start. In 2005, Kate's lawyers asked newspaper editors to leave her alone, saying photographers were invading her private life. That didn't stop media interest in her relationship with William, or unkind headlines calling her "Waity Katie" when the couple briefly split in 2007. WATCH: KATE MIDDLETON'S DORMMATE RECALLS BEFRIENDING THE FUTURE PRINCESS OF WALES The couple's 2011 wedding sparked a level of royal mania unseen since the nuptials of the then-Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. After the wall-to-wall wedding coverage, the couple retreated to a relatively quiet life away from the limelight in rural Wales for two years while William completed his military service. But the royals' tussle with the press again came to the fore in 2012, when William and Kate sued a French magazine for publishing photos of a topless Kate, snapped while the couple was vacationing at a private villa in southern France. Media pressure on Kate largely eased when her brother-in-law, Prince Harry, married Meghan Markle in 2018. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020, citing the unbearable intrusions of the British press and a lack of support from the palace. They now reside in California. Kate rarely revealed her thoughts in public, though in recent years she has grown in confidence as a public speaker and a champion of early education for young children. In 2021, she demonstrated some talent as a performer, surprising the audience at a Christmas carol service with her piano playing. Motherhood also brought about a determination to forge a new, more controlled relationship with the press. Kate and William stressed they wanted their children to lead as "normal" a life as possible. In 2022, the family moved from Kensington Palace in central London to a cottage near Windsor Castle, further underlining their desire to raise their children in relative privacy. Fordwich said Kate's battle with cancer has made the public view her differently in recent months. The princess announced she had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of the disease in March 2024. "Her cancer diagnosis and her personal decision to record a video for the nation demonstrated her grace, composure and sense of duty," said Fordwich. "Her poise and strength were on full display, as it has been during all of her public engagements before and since." "Importantly, the public admired her humanity and ability to weather storms without either drama or complaining," Fordwich shared. "This renders her a vital anchor for the future of the monarchy. Overall, polling shows that the British public's faith in the monarchy is bolstered by Catherine's visible strength and reliability, especially since she and William are representative, in an ever-changing and chaotic world, of a solid collective future." Fordwich is adamant that Kate's future is looking bright. The princess will quickly be embraced by the public as queen when the time comes, she insisted. "Her admirable stoicism and discretion, which she has consistently displayed during difficult periods, is of tremendous appeal," she said. "… The [past] media scrutiny and classist attitudes she endured… it strengthened her, rendering her the stalwart senior royal she is today."
