Royal style & gossip: strawberries, serves and sartorial splendour - anyone for tennis?

[QueenOfTheAndals]

Previous thread

I love baseball. I knew nothing about it when I first arrived in the US. I can see it gaining niche popularity in Europe.

Charles and Camilla are also doing a tour in the Autumn
Wafty Kaftans anyone? (I love Camilla, so am just joshing!)

I doubt whether the Cambridge Children will go to Pakistan.

The RF seem to be doing a lot of soft diplomacy at the moment; foreign tours and profile raising. (Don’t want to bring politics into our lovely thread, but there was a mad flurry of visits when we had the previous Brexit date).

@SenecaFalls
Good point about the Saltire colours. (I just thought HM looked gorgeous in that shade of blue). She wore Emerald green to Ireland.

Diana wore some beautiful Shalwar Kameez in Pakistan. I’m sure Kate will be wearing some local designers and fabrics. Really looking forward to the trip fashion wise.

Looking at more photos of Meghan; her shape has changed completely since Archie. Definitely more junk in the trunk! I think the curviness really suits her.

I’m very late to this thread, thank you Queen. I’m impressed that Meghan is adapting her style to her new life rather than trying to resume her pre-Archie look immediately, that takes courage when your life has been so image aware.

The Times is reporting today that tbe christening will be a private affair with selected pictures released afterwards. You couldn't make it up. Even Penny Junor is quoted saying it's a mistake and she is usually fawning over them.

What with the house costs and yesterday's stories about 2 nannies quitting already you would think they would want to get some positive spin going. Who do they think they are?

I'm thinking the next part in the Archie jigsaw will be a back of the head shot.

But are they not always a private thing with photos or a photo call?

I think they've decided their strategy and must now stick to it. As long as they can hold their nerve.

Times Article

The christening is supposed to be next weekend.

I think H&M want the privacy afforded to Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, but they want all the trappings and funding of the Cambridges.
They can’t have it both ways.

Their pr advisor either does not understand or doesn’t give a shit about the British taxpayers who fund Meghan’s and harry.

Yesterday’s baseball outing was all about pandering to the US market.
They need a British private Secretary pronto.

Let's see what actually happens first before we rush to judge. Christenings are always private, we haven't seen any of the Cambridge kids get christened either. All we see is people arriving and I can't see anything in that article that says we won't. It says they want to keep the christening private and that's it. Everything else is speculation.

I can sort of see their point here. The Cambridge children are HRHs, in line for the throne. Archie is neither. There is less reason for people to see him, beyond public interest.

I think that Harry would view it as giving Archie the privacy that Zara Tindall gets, rather than seeking it for himself. Harry is still an HRH in a comparable position to the Princess Royal - did we see much of her children when they were little?

Whether that’s how others view it is another matter but I suspect that would be how they see it.

Thanks for the new thread Queen. Agree with PP that MM looks really good in that dress/shoes combo, more like she is being herself whereas it often looks as though she is just playing a part.

Really interested to see what she wears for the christening, will it be blue...?

Was coming on to say the same as Queen

The article says it will not be done in the same way as the Cambridges, with them being seen arriving. I'm totally happy with this if they self-fund their extravagant lifestyle.

Apparently H&M weren't the only big spenders in the last year. W&K spent £1m on resurfacing their driveway!

Good grief.

The article says there will be a private christening (according to "a source") and then there's a lot of assumptions about what may or may not happen, and Penny Junor rushes to stick her oar in.

Ah that looks to be the KP road. Bit different to saying W&K's driveway.

I don't know why it was felt necessary to say the christening would be a private one. As others have said, they all are.

I think keeping it private is the right decision, especially with the Markle family situation. Announcing it beforehand just confirms how self important and attention seeking they are. Look at me, don't look at me.

£1m on the royal train that only did 5 trips is a real shocker. At least driveways and houses are used but what's the point in having a royal train? Surely they could just go first class instead?

The palace hasn't announced it @Myimaginarycathasfleas, it's "a source" who's gone to the media and I'm always a bit dubious about these anonymous sources.

‘A source’. So shady!

Honestly, all this briefing and cloak and dagger stuff is fascinating but in a horrible way... it’s like the family politics with your Great Aunty Val who Is Not Speaking to Uncle Terrence after what he said about Our Sharron played out in the national press... with sparkly tiaras and designer shoes.

@ AnneEythMeyer,

I think if it was the KP road, the local highway maintenance agency would be responsible for its upkeep not private individuals. A private drive is the responsibility of the owners.

I just assume "a source" is newspaper code for "we made it up"!

I honestly can't work up any frothy outrage at "taxpayers" paying for Frogmore renovations. Yes yes, all very lovely for h&m and blah blah but ultimately it's not like they will subsequently be selling the place for £20m and benefiting financially from it.

As for christening. It's not clear what a "private christeninv" is. Is it Cambridge version where arrivals are seen but service is private or is it version where family sneak in back door to avoid any media? It's not clear to me that using a major chapel like Windsor would allow for much secrecy anyway but fully accept I don't know lay out.

The Times headline had Meghan and Harry "demanding". Honestly, am so tired of all this.

On plus side, Meghan looked.fab yesterday. Personally, I felt she was at risk of a Eugenie mistake in that her breasts are definitely bigger (still feeding?) And the dress was a bit tight, high necked. I think even just a version of her favourite boat neckline would have changed things for the better. But it's a minor quibble. She looked gorgeous and appropriate and happy.

There's only ever one photographer there anyway, isn't there? Or is there a few? There are always a dozen shots of arrivals, including the godparents arriving.

I do suspect it's going to be one of those heavily curated releases on their IG account of posed pics in black and white.

Not to my taste, but very much to theirs.

I do find it a bit tedious how apparently absolutely everything has to be a 180 from what the Cambridges did. The Cambridges haven't really don't anything wrong. Particularly with the christenings - they still kept the ceremony private so what's the problem?

The KP drive is a private road surely, as there is security stopping public access? But it is used by everyone to access KP, not just W & K.

Agree that the dress yesterday looked too small from the side. She was pretty squashed into it.

But she got away with it cos it was black.