Royal style and gossip: monochrome Megs, colourful Kate, the whacky hats of Max

[QueenOfTheAndals]

Link to the previous thread, which was fast filling up!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/3394928-Royal-Style-and-Gossip-The-Sussexes-Down-Under-Meghan-is-glowing?msgid=82047922#82047922

For royal books I can highly recommend the recent Princess Margaret bio Ma'am Darling.

I'm reading Prince Philip, the Early Years. I'm surprised that man can still smile after his childhood and WWII experiences. His way of coping is to "just get on with it".

I’ve just downloaded the kindle sample @Queen

I’m currently dipping into the Lady Colin Campbell bio of the Queen’s marriage. There is a lot about Philip’s early life there too.
Agree @vanilla it was traumatic

Philips childhood was beyond dysfunctional. He did ok in the end, though I'm sure both he and HM would've liked a few more years of anonymity before she became Queen.

Can anyone do Six Degrees of Separation to The Queen?

Well, Curly, the obvious one is the Paul Burrell - A Royal Duty. Brilliant. The Andrew Morton ones - I actually enjoyed the 2nd one about Diana's life after Charles. Fergie Confidential (just awful/great gossip) and Finding Sarah (). The Penny Junor and Dimblebly ones on Charles. Andrew Marr's Diamond Queen. Ken Wharfe about Diana. I actually have loads more !! My favourite bookcase selection are the ones about Wallis and Edward. Fascinating!!!

Lady Colin Campbell is a parasite

I read the Kitty Kelly one years ago when a teenager.

Going back a bit farther, there is a good biography of Prince Philip's mother by Hugo Vickers. She has always been a fascinating person to me.

The Philip Ziegler books on George VI, Edward VIII and Mountbatten are interesting.

I second the Philip Ziegler books. I especially like the one about Mountbatten.

@VanillaSugary I can, as a distant cousin is friends with Pippa Middleton. Her wedding made the front pages of a few papers as all the Middletons attended, including Kate, and Michael gave her away! I spotted her in the guest photos at Pippa's wedding too.

The Kitty Kelley book is hilarious, I think she just makes random shit up to fill in the gaps! Is it still banned in Britain?

I didn't know it was! @QueenOfTheAndals - but on that note I did read it purely because my Aunt brought it over from America

I don't remember much of it at all only discussions of how "near" The Queen is with money and this really weird anecdote about a woman who met Andrew and Fergie and expected "classy highbrow conversation" only to find they were discussing farts in the bath 😂

Vanilla I can, just two steps away, and in theory everyone should be able to. that's the fascination of the six degrees theory.

@PawneeParksDept The woman must've been very naive to expect highbrow conversation from the Yorks. Farts in the bath doesn't surprise me at all!

I can within two.

Thanks to my other distant cousin
who was in The Prince and the Showgirl, I can do Six Degrees with most of Hollywood!

Thanks for the book recommendations. Who is the Kitty Kelley one about?

I’ve just been browsing the Seraphine website. There’s so many great dresses for Meghan. It would be great to see her wearing high street during her pregnancy.

Two degrees for me, through several people.

@CurlyWurlyTwirly All of them!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Royals-Kitty-Kelley/dp/0446585149/ref=nodl_

Those of you who like the bling will love this website. I could spend hours reading about royal jewellery
www.thecourtjeweller.com/?m=1

(HOW do you do hyperlinks?)

Scroll down to below the box for your message. It’s all explained there

Vanilla I can via 2 routes:

• I was once attended by a royal gynaecologist (which also puts me within 2 degrees of Kate). Via NHS not private healthcare in my case.

• Former boss is a close personal friend and business partner of Prince Charles.

Given the number of patronages the RF have, thousands of people must be within 6 degrees of them, and that's the point really. As much as social media offers a new way for them to connect with their subjects, nothing will replace getting out there to shake hands and cut ribbons.

Also, there were situations where women were named regent while the king was out of the country. One was Katherine of Aragon for Henry VIII.

Yes, and Katherine did better with her war than Henry did with his. While he was losing battles in France she had a major victory over the Scots, which really pissed Henry off.

Interesting and very capable woman, Katharine of Aragon. Though I sometimes think she'd have been better off conceding to Henry and living out the rest of her life in comfort as Princess Dowager...

I just want to add a postscript to the discussion about Meghan's Oscar de la Renta dress. She was definitely not overdressed. I have been watching some YouTube video of the event, and there was a lot of variety in what women were wearing, but many of them had on cocktail dresses or even long dresses.

It might be similar to what sometimes happens in the US if an invitation or word-of-mouth says cocktail attire and the men are in suits rather than black tie. You will see women in a little bit of everything.