Royal style and gossip: tiaras galore and more!

[QueenOfTheAndals]

Thread 1
Thread 2
Thread 3
Thread 4
Thread 5
Thread 6
Special edition: Eugenie wedding thread
Thread 7

And we're now at thread 8! Here are some useful royal style blogs
HRH Duchess Kate
Mad About Meghan
New My Royals - good for European royal watching

Coming up this month:

• The Cambridges are at the Tusk Conservation Awards on Thursday the 8th
• The Cambridges and Sussexes are at two Remembrance events this weekend the 10th/11th
• The Sussexes have the Royal Variety Performance on the 19th

Plus Prince Charles turns 70 on the 14th but we may not get photos of the event as he's having a private party.

I would love love to know the real story about Meghan’s PA leaving so abruptly.

It's hardly a taxing career for William though. Do a few hours work each week, show up and smile, cut ribbons. It's not like in days of yore when the monarch actually ran the country!

Anyway, despite his appearance I'm sure Charles will last another 20 years and William won't ascend the throne til he's in his 50s.

The Tower of London is fascinating. There's a display of all the previous crowns but all you see is the cage, or frame. The jewels have been stripped out and reset into different crowns to fit the Royal Head. Elizabeth II was the first monarch not to do this and she wears her father's crown. It will be interesting to see what Charles does. He may want his own crown.

Queen, it’s a gilded cage. We can all look from the outside and think what an easy life it must be not to have to ‘work’, but he would probably far rather work and have a normal life. Choice and freedom are what make for happiness and he really doesn’t have choice or freedom.

Having just finished a 13hr night shift I don't have to much sympathy for William being honest that said if I could pick I would take Harry's role over Williams but neither are on my list of worst jobs .

Re the princes trust I wonder if Harry will spear head as he is youth ambassador to the commonwealth. William did speak highly of it too though so he might be happy to carry that one on.

William can always buck the trend and give it up if he's that unhappy. It would create a massive ruckus I'm sure, but if he really wanted to he could. He'd hardly be penniless!

To think they’d regularly be able to do this, yes.

But William travelled on a full rowdy charter flight to Heraklion for a holiday in Malia a few years ago, barely recognised. No first class, just sat amongst everyone else.

I can’t feel too sorry for William. I actually think they are afforded a lot of privacy. How much do we really see of them? He is very fortunate that he is able to spend as much time as he wants with his children as he doesn’t have to do a full time job and all those things that other parents have to do in the spare time are taken care of (cooking, housework, gardening, car washing, life admin etc etc)

However stressful and onerous it may be, the role is handsomely rewarded. They have complete privacy at Anmer Hall, KP and anywhere else they stay. They holiday in Mustique, Switzerland, South of France. They have access to the best medical care, education for the children and staff to deal with time consuming, irritating and mundane tasks. William needs to either embrace it full throttle or give it up. Let's end the charade that they're sacrificing their lives for our benefit.

Further to Fergie’s interview in the DM, where I thought she cam across very well.
Mumsnet thread about the rumours of Andrew batting for the other side.

To be honest, I really do think that is the only way they could still sat friends & coo-parent successfully; if the whole sex thing was taken out of the equation.

Hence his; and the Queen’s loyalty to Fergie. She has been a profligate idiot at times, but she has also taken one for the Team.

I’m not saying they don’t have a lot of benefits but it’s so so hard to go against that sense of duty that’s been drilled into you since birth. The burden that it puts on you is horrid. I’m “lucky” for want of a better word that it meant that I could get out because of illhealth but that duty was then passed onto another family member. There was no real choice for them either.

William gets a LOT of privacy. You don't really see the Cambridges unless they're at events and the only photos you see of the children are ones that have been officially sanctioned. Which is fair enough, but I don't think he has a hard time of it at all.

That's a good and sympathetic interview with Fergie, although the Victoria and Albert comparison and describing Jack as "a consort" is a bit much. Eugenie isn't going to be Queen!

I had to laugh at the Victoria and Albert comparison! Also all the different types of food on offer, symbolic to the couple! I'm trying not to imagine the waste.

I think Fergie was probably talking about Victoria and Albert’s devotion to each other. Although consort was a bit flowery language to use about Jack. But as we know; Fergie is all about the Sparkly Unicorns. She’s not super bright but she’s enthusiastic and loyal.

I always feel a bit conflicted re Fergie (I'm sure she stays up all night worrying about that ) - on the one hand she is a bit grabby and profligate and hasn't shown much common sense over the years, but on the other I think she's essentially a kind and warm-hearted woman who's probably quite generous, and you can't deny that she and Andrew have been good parents to their daughters. Probably far better than Charles and Diana were.

It's also interesting how the media narrative about her has changed over the years. From the frumpy unstylish Duchess of Pork to poor old Fergie, we've always loved you really.

It makes me wonder if the tabloids would be kinder to Meghan if she were plainer and a bit gauche rather than being beautiful and confident. It's a double-edged sword, isn't it? I don't know why there's a sudden spate of stories that paint her in a bad light when she's just come back from a very successful tour where she showed herself to be both gracious and hard-working.

I was aghast at Fergie's comparison of Eugenie and Jack to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The woman needs to get a reality check. Her daughter is not going to be Queen , stupid woman! It's offensive.

CurlyWurly that other thread is 
This thread is more 'twin set and pearls' 

Catching up...

I love Jenny Peckham and would wear her gowns all day every day if I had the money, figure, lifestyle etc. But of all the gorgeous JP gowns that Kate has, apart from the divine colour, I really don't like the teal one. I think it's the sleeves?

As far the PC documentary, two things struck me. First, his comments about plastic way back in NINETEEN SEVENTY!!! Secondly, he put the milk in last.

Oh, and I would choose the tiara first and then have the dress designed to go with it. Obvs.

I am enjoying the other thread
A lot of people seem to be very knowledgeable about Andrew’s ahem past.

Yes this thread is very genteel!

I haven't got time for a second Royals thread . Can someone summarise the juicier bits please?!

Its only 3 pages. Basically Andrew is gay, Fergie has covered for him. He's not going to come out, but perhaps a future generation will feel comfortable being openly gay.

What would happen if George is gay and him and his partner don’t want children? Or if he’s simply straight and they don’t want children or are infertile?

I think I've mentioned this before, but a friend of a friend used to be a former protection officer and said one of HM's children is gay, "but not the one everyone thinks". I'll pop over to the other thread shortly...

Ahoy I think Charlotte would be George's heir in that case? And if she also had no children, Louis would be hers?