Royal style: the Sussexes in Africa - it's gonna take a lot to drag us away from them...

[QueenOfTheAndals]

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Tour itinerary

As always, let's critique the clothes and not the wearers.

Lovely engagement news!

Talking of rings-do you think Meghan has a very awkward conversation with Harry about her engagement ring really not being her taste and style and would he mind very much if she kept it for special occasions and please could she have this little tourquoise instead?

Photo of the happy couple

Every time talk goes to awkward conversations about engagement rings I just cringe on Princess Marie’s behalf. Her engagement ring was one of the ugliest things I’ve ever seen!

I mean it’s actually got a kind of chunky beauty in and of itself, but it looked all wrong on her little dainty fingers and didn’t fit with her French aesthetic at all IMO.

“Meghan is holding Archie in all of them.”

I reckon Archie did incredibly well being so smiley and happy- lots of babies would have found the noise and strangeness overwhelming. It would have been unfortunate-if funny-to have pictures of him howling on The Arch’s lap!

With you on this one @Bert. But good luck to Bea, she looks very happy.

FWIW, I've never rushed out saying that Meghan/Sophie/Kate/anyone really is wearing something I must have.

What I have done though, is track down endless labels I might not have known before seeing them in them. So the google factor, for me at least, is huge.

Am I the only one thinking that today's announcement means there are no more impending babies, at least within (let's give it...) eight months?

@bertrand - Oh, I don't blame her at all for holding him for exactly that reason but as a South African I found it amusing to see the Arch and family looking on wanting a cuddle.

To give you some context, I was once in a wine shop in SA with baby DS. I asked the assistant about a particular wine or wine type. As she leaned into the pram to pick up DS, she pointed me in the right direction. It was pretty clear her view was that SHE would look after the baby while I went to browse the wine. As DS was giggling away at the time, I wandered off to choose a wine!

Awww Beatrice looks so happy, she is glowing

Also @BertrandRussell - I DO think that re Meghan and harry (I think we've speculated on that before) but do wonder therefore why she bothered having it reset. Although possibly she thought she'd wear it more if it was reset.

Yes- I agree. And imagine the enchanting pictures if Arch had held him!

I do wish Archie had had a poo- just to see the well oiled machine kick into action......

BTW interesting that Bea's engagement announcement came as vision was released of Harry powering upriver in Botswana with an anti-poaching gang.

What is going on here?

Bea looks lovely and very happy.

I have also bought labels that I would not have been aware of but for Kate. I recently bought a beautiful Goat dress and a few years back some Anoushka earrings,

I think the engagement timing has more to do with her dirty old dad's proclivities than anything Harry is doing.

Agree Queen it's to deflect from Andrew, but I think it's a bit naughty that they've announced on a day when the Cambridges have a nice engagement with Sir David Attenborough and Harry is doing his thing. Loads of Royal content around this week so they should have held off. Makes me wonder what's potentially coming in the Sunday papers about Andrew.

If true, our Eug took the official photos. Does that mean it all happened last weekend, at Misha Nonoo's wedding?

Or... the engagement timing could just be based on the fact that she recently got engaged and wants to tell the world.

When I worked in PR for a very large corporate, we tried to co-ordinate announcements etc across divisions but sometimes it just wasn't practical. Some things had to go out at certain times and if that means it's the same day as something else had to go out, then so be it. I think it's unrealistic to think that everything is always managed so that only one person is in the spotlight at a time.

This is the British royal family. People delay pregnancies, reporting of deaths are sometimes delayed, weddings are regularly delayed. Colour me sceptical.

Poor Princess Beatrice, if indeed the engagement news is meant to act as a distraction from what her odious father has been up to.

Tbh I’ve got no problem copying others’ fashion choices - I often ask random people where they got a coat/bag/pair of shoes/etc from, because I’ve learnt that I always regret it if I don’t. Plus, who doesn’t like a compliment on their taste or look - I figure I’m making them feel good and I get to have an item that I’ve admired. It’s just that I wouldn’t want people to think I buy or wear something simply because someone Royal somewhere wore it.

If they were going to announce it during the Sussexes tour, a day when Harry’s doing action man-y things is probably quite a good one. Still plenty of publicity for the elephant charity- but the pictures won’t be a compelling as yesterday's.

Hmmm I wonder if the RF actually have a little word with the man in question in this situation... ‘we really think it’s time you proposed. Right now, today. Here’s the ring, appointment for photographs has been made.’

Seems a little far fetched to me.

And I can’t imagine anyone actually caring enough for this to make any difference to the problem they’d be trying to solve - surely it will be all but forgotten by the weekend?

Taking bets now, the wedding will be in Italy.

I have bought some make up Meghan uses and am thrilled with the results it really does give me a glow.

I suspect the whole RF are attempting to to 'good news' us away from the main news headlines at the moment. It's all quite aggressive so they're probably thinking 'right get the young glam ones out Everywhere Now' and may be we can cheer people up a bit. I frequently retreat to these threads for that very reason!

Yes that I can totally buy! As a more general strategy that does actually work quite well. In times of crisis and upheaval many people will find themselves barking back to the constants of tradition and heritage and ‘old fashioned values’, as is evidenced quite markedly by how buying habits change during difficult times.

I don’t doubt they’re doing their bit in that sense. But specific engagement arrangements to throw people off a scandal, meh I’m not so sure.

@justasking111 Ohhh what make up?