Royal style & gossip: back to style, back to reality...

[QueenOfTheAndals]

Sorry! I was in a meeting and dropped the ball.

Previous thread and previous rules apply!

Christian looks exactly like Mary's dad, John Donaldson.

Details of the South Africa trip

@justasking111 me neither. Especially as I was still EBF at that stage. It's been reported as a "last minute decision".

It's not going to play well in the papers. Either they're both thick as mince or they just don't care. I think the latter.

Let's face it, the press look for the worst possible angle no matter what they do. It's 2 nights away from her baby, hardly neglect by royal standards!

I'm sure we'll see plenty of MM New York pics... her baby shower weekend was a private trip too wasn't it? And we got loads of photos that weekend...

I've been down a bit of a CPM youtube rabbit hole... she is REALLY good at pubic speaking!! I wonder if she had training for it when she joined the Danish royals or is she a natural? I think KM is improving all the time but lacks the air of confidence that CPM has when she makes speeches.

*public not pubic 🙈

I think CPM had a career in advertising before she married CPF so I guess she was used to presentations etc.

PMK

Yup - she's already taking heat for flying again, even if it's commercial. And of course she'll take heat for leaving Archie behind. I left DS for 12 days when he was 6 months old so I'm not feeling terribly worked up about her leaving Archie for 2 days at 5 months personally.

The people who are outraged by her "lavish" lifestyle will not change their minds whatever she does so I imagine they take the view there's no point even attempting it.

And the conspiracy theorists (eg the ones who think Archie isn't real) won't be changing their mind so she may as well get on with her life and let them get on with theirs.

I' tell you what I'd be doing if I was their PR adviser (all royals, not just MM and PH) - I'd be trying to find a way to show what they're doing in background. In the SA tour details there's something about a programme that harry has been working on with various groups. We get glimpses of this kind of thing all the time. Harry and Meghan at least show some of it, but the others don't - it's all very discreet and in the background. But they need to start getting people to see them as CEOs not shop assistants - ie they might not be visible but they're there doing things and making decisions and driving partnerships to make other things happen....

@BlingLoving having read Jephsons book The RF are always at meetings, discussing tours especially overseas, answering letters/requests. They really are CEO`s yet never show the work that goes into it. Perhaps they think it is not newsworthy. But unless they show it how are the public to know.

Justasking - the thing is, I know. I've got no contact with the royal family but it seems so obvious to me. Never mind anything else, every single public event must require a massive team behind the scenes and if they did these every day they'd have to have 100s of people working for them. But people don't get it.

And of course, if people don't get it, then they should make more effort to make it clear. But to be honest, it's unlikely to work. It's a bit like the SAHM vs WOHM arguments - so often both sides are blind to how the other one lives.

They're not CEOs. They have CEOs doing that work for them. They do a lot of homework and familiarise themselves with charities they're associated with but let's not get carried away with their executive function.

Perhaps not CEOs, but I have no doubt that at least some of them do a lot more than we see. We can't only credit them for when they turn up at an event.

@BlingLoving I do agree that some very good work goes unsung. Princess Anne is a prime example.

Was the cancelled weekend in Balmoral this weekend?

There was no cancelled weekend the press assumed they were going this weekend and they haven't I don't think they cancelled. I don't think they ever planed to go.

A fair amount of work goes on behind the scenes but a lot of the planning and organising is done by their teams

“BlingLoving I do agree that some very good work goes unsung. Princess Anne is a prime example.”

Really? What sort of things?

According to blind gossip... M&H wanted to launch her clothing line yesterday and it was going to clash with the starting school. Invite to Balmoral was rescinded - I find this hard to believe.

Her work with Save the Children, for a start.

I'm not sure how much I believe of that blind gossip. It would be an odd coincidence to plan the release of a clothing line on a midweek day that also just happens to be the same day your husband's niece starts school.

As for the invite being rescinded, I thought "a source" had said HM was disappointed they weren't coming. Of course, that could be a load of old toffee too.

It’s almost as if these people don’t have diary secretaries who know when school starts, isn’t it?

No one knows what the truth is do they? It would appear they never intended to go to Balmoral at all. I think it's very ill judged of M to be flying to NY for two days whether commercial or not. Again, bad for the environment and not necessary. If they REALLY cared about the environment they would be walking the talk.

M can't be breastfeeding if she is leaving her baby for a couple of days I assume.

CPM in Carolina Herrera. Love it
twitter.com/heavenqrf/status/1170000015101743105?s=21

@SeaUrchin14 a friend of mine had to go away because of a family emergency when her child was young and she was unable to take him. She pumped and dumped while she was away and had no problem resuming breastfeeding when she got back.

That makes zero sense as a piece of gossip Meghan didn't launch her clothing project yesterday so even if it was suggested as a date it was moved when the clash was noticed? Why would that make the queen rescind her invitation?

I'm sure dates clash all the time and require some moving around! I doubt the queen would make such a obvious dig about it!

Meghan has never been to Balmoral, I only found that out today. I assumed it would be one of those rite of passage visits you had to do to win HM's approval.