#Commonwealth of Three Nations

[xhxhxhx]

Let's write something today.

I.

I came to the United States a few years ago to live with my partner. I know little of the country. To me, it's still a vast, foreign place.

Its states, represented in its upper house, span lands from the Arctic Circle to points four degrees south of the Tropic of Cancer.

The states themselves are vast. It's the stuff of popular song. The spacious skies, mountain majesties, redwood forests and Gulf Stream waters, this land from sea to shining sea.

Its territories, where its Constitution does not apply of its own force, extend to the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific, where the United States acquired its unincorporated overseas territories.

These territories extend past the 64th meridian west in the Caribbean, points parallel with Bermuda, and past the 144th meridian east, points parallel with Hokkaido.

These territories are entirely south of the contiguous United States, and extend to the 14th parallel south, past the equator, to points parallel with Angola and Mozambique.

But most Americans don't think much about the territories.

The territories, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands of the United States, are usually set aside.

The United States tends to set them aside too.

II.

The territories of the United States aren't represented in its constitutional government. There's a straightforward reason for that: The Constitution defines its government in terms of the States.

The House consists of representatives "apportioned among the several States," U.S. Const. art. I, § 2, cl. 3; cf. id. amend. XIV, § 2, elected "by the People of the several States." Id. cl. 1.

The Senate consists of "two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof," id. amend. XVII, cl. 1, and the President is elected by electors appointed by "[e]ach State." Id. art. II, § 1, cl. 2.

Together, these three persons, the House, Senate, and President, have the whole legislative and executive power of the United States. Id. art. I, § 1; id. art. II, § 1, cl. 1.

They're chosen from the States, "by the People of the several States;" "from each State, elected by the people thereof;" and electors from "[e]ach State"—and no one else. States only.

And territories aren't states.

III.

The territories aren't protected by the Constitution either.

Under current precedent, the Constitution does not extend to what we call the "unincorporated territories." See generally United States v. Vaello Madero, 596 U.S. 159, 180ff. (2022) (Gorsuch, J., concurring). The United States extends its benefits to the territories by grace, not compulsion.

For example, people born in Puerto Rico are United States citizens by birth. But they're citizens only by virtue of congressional acts, not the Constitution. Even though they should be United States citizens by virtue of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Under the Citizenship Clause, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

To all appearances, Puerto Rico is "in the United States." Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States and under the United States. The territory and people of Puerto Rico are subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

That means that any person born or naturalized in Puerto Rico, not otherwise outside the jurisdiction of the United States, must be a citizen of the United States, simply by virtue of the Constitution and its Citizenship Clause.

That's consistent with the law of the United States, Under current law, "a person born in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof," is a national and a citizen of the United States at birth. 8 U.S.C. § 1401(a).

And Puerto Rico is "in the United States." It tells us that "United States" here "means the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Island." § 1101(38).

That means that any person born or naturalized in Puerto Rico, not otherwise outside the jurisdiction of the United States, must be a citizen of the United States, simply by virtue of the Constitution and its Citizenship Clause.

But under current precedent, that's not so. The Fourteenth Amendment doesn't apply to Puerto Rico. Nor do most of the other bits of the Constitution.

Because it's not "in the United States."

IV.

Puerto Rico was ceded to the United States by the Treaty of Paris 1898, 30 Stat. 1754. Under its terms, those who remained in Puerto Rico became United States nationals by default. Congress would determine their rights and status. Id. at 1759.

When Congress established a civil government for Puerto Rico, it deemed its residents "citizens of Porto Rico, and as such entitled to the protection of the United States." 31 Stat. 77, 79.

That suggested that citizens of Puerto Rico were at least nationals of the United States. As nationals, they would owe the United States allegiance and the United States would owe them protection. But not necessarily more than that.

The Supreme Court confirmed that reading in Gonzales v. Williams, 192 U.S. 1 (1904). The citizens of Puerto Rico were "nonaliens," putting them beyond the power of immigration control, permitting them to travel without exclusion, parole, or removal.

But not citizens of the United States. That only happened when Congress made them citizens.

That's what Congress did in March 1917, when it made any citizen of Puerto Rico a citizen of the United States, and anyone born there a citizen of the United States. 39 Stat. 951, 953. That's the predecessor of the current provisions. 8 U.S.C. §§ 1401(a), 1101(38).

But anyone else? Anyone born in American Samoa, a territory of the United States, but not part of the "United States" defined in 8 U.S.C. § 1101(38)? Not a citizen.

Current law makes people born in American Samoa "nationals, but not citizens." 8 U.S.C. §§ 1408, 1101(29). And the courts, content to see the territories as places not "in the United States," have sustained that law. Fitisemanu v. United States, 1 F.4th 862 (10th Cir. 2021); Tuaua v. United States, 788 F.3d 300 (D.C. Cir. 2015).

And I don't know much about the United States, but.

That just seems wrong to me.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Eli Stokols and Adam Cancryn at Politico:

President Joe Biden on Friday declared that the Equal Rights Amendment is the law of the land, attempting to ratify a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in a last-ditch effort to protect women’s reproductive rights. But Biden’s assertion may amount to little more than an expression of his opinion, with the White House acknowledging that it has no immediate force of law — and wouldn’t order the nation’s archivist to formally add it to the Constitution. “I have supported the Equal Rights Amendment for more than 50 years, and I have long been clear that no one should be discriminated against based on their sex,” Biden said in a statement. “We, as a nation, must affirm and protect women’s full equality once and for all.”

The move, which states that Biden personally believes the ERA has cleared all the hurdles to ratification, would be unlikely to carry weight unless courts agree with him, a hurdle even White House officials conceded as they made the announcement. If successful, the long-shot gambit would provide a dramatic coda to the 50-year effort to get sex-based equality into the Constitution and bolster Biden’s policy record. In Biden’s final days before turning the Oval Office over to President-elect Donald Trump, whose Supreme Court appointees helped to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, the statement on the ERA offered the departing president a final opportunity to push back at the laws that resulted from that decision in several states where lawmakers have restricted and even criminalized abortion procedures. The move shifts the spotlight to U.S. Archivist Colleen Shogan, who is responsible for publishing amendments to the Constitution — but has previously said that the ERA’s eligibility has expired, and now could not be added unless Congress acts. Congress, under the control of Republicans, is unlikely to do so.

[...] The ERA would bar sex-based discrimination, including constraints on abortion, by states. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) argued last month in a New York Times op-ed, while urging Biden to formally direct the national archivist to add the ERA to the Constitution, that the amendment has met all the requirements for certification. It passed two-thirds of Congress in 1972 and, after sitting dormant for decades, was finally ratified by three-quarters of the states in 2020. But Donald Trump’s Justice Department said at the time that ratification took too long and the states missed the deadline. That’s a position Shogan supported in a statement last December. Biden disagrees, yet declined to force the issue by going as far as Gillibrand had requested and ordering the archivist to take action.

“On January 27, 2020, the Commonwealth of Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment,” Biden’s statement said. “The American Bar Association (ABA) has recognized that the Equal Rights Amendment has cleared all necessary hurdles to be formally added to the Constitution as the 28th Amendment. I agree with the ABA and with leading legal constitutional scholars that the Equal Rights Amendment has become part of our Constitution.” His statement concluded: “It is long past time to recognize the will of the American people. In keeping with my oath and duty to Constitution and country, I affirm what I believe and what three-fourths of the states have ratified: the 28th Amendment is the law of the land, guaranteeing all Americans equal rights and protections under the law regardless of their sex.” The declaration is likely to win praise from advocates who have long pushed for the ERA’s recognition. But the move, coming just three days before Biden leaves office, raised questions about why a president who the White House said has long harbored this opinion did not act sooner.

President Biden declared today that the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is the law of the land to become the 28th Amendment to the Constitution, but doesn’t order the national archivist to formally approve its addition.

See Also:

NPR: Biden says the Equal Rights Amendment is law. What happens next is unclear

AP: Biden says the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered ratified

[aimeedaisies]

The Princess Royals Official Engagements in April 2025

01/04 Received Lieutenant General Richard Cripwell (Lieutenant-Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Bailiwick of Guernsey). 🇬🇬

02/04 As Patron of Farms for City Children, visited Lower Treginnis Farm in St David’s, Haverfordwest. 🧑‍🌾

03/04 As President of Racing Welfare, attended the Charity Luncheon at Aintree Racecourse. 🐎

04/04 As Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Medical Service, held a Meeting via video link with Major General Scott Malcolm (Surgeon General). 🇨🇦🩺

07/04 As President of the UK Fashion and Textile Association, visited Toray Textiles Europe Limited in Mansfield. 🧵

As Patron of the Eric Liddell Community, opened an Exhibition at 15 Morningside Road in Edinburgh.🥇

As Patron of the Haig Housing Trust, visited Veterans Housing in Edinburgh. 🏡

08/04 Visited Aden Country Park in Peterhead. 🌲

Visited MACBI Community Hub in Peterhead. 🤝

Visited Peterhead Prison Museum. ⛓️

As President of World Horse Welfare, visited a Rescue and Rehoming Centre and attended a Reception at Belwade Farm, Aboyne, Aberdeenshire. 🐴

09/04 Visited Three Kings Cullen Association at the Cullen Community and Residential Centre in Cullen, Buckie. 🤝🐴

Visited Cullen, Deskford and Portknockie Heritage Group at 11 the Square in Cullen. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Visited Gray Composting Services in Banff. ♻️

Visited Banffshire Partnership Limited at the Boyndie Visitor Centre. 🤝

10/04 Opened BAE Systems Naval Ships’ Applied Shipbuilding Academy in Scotstoun. ⚓️

As Patron of Sense Scotland, afterwards visited TouchBase Glasgow. ��💜

As Patron of the Friends of TS Queen Mary, attended a Reception at the Glasgow Science Centre. 🛥️

Visited the Traumatic Brain Injury Unit at the Briar Centre in Stonehouse. 🧠🤕

As Patron of Columba 1400, held a Twenty Fifth Anniversary Dinner at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. 🍽️

11/04 As Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, officially opened Edinburgh Futures Institute. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🎓

Opened Nautilus Welfare Fund’s Nautilus House in Wallasey. 🏡

14/04 As Guardian of Give Them A Sporting Chance, held a Management Team Meeting. ⚽️

As Guardian of the Chaffinch Trust, held a Management Team Meeting. 💼

15/04 As President of the Royal Yachting Association, attended the Youth National Championships at Plas Heli Cyf in Pwllheli.

As President of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Commonwealth Study Conferences, held a Dinner at Windsor Castle for the Commonwealth Study Conferences Canada’s As President’s Council and the Caribbean-Canada Leaders’ Dialogue. 🇨🇦🏝️

16/04 On behalf of The King, held an Investitures at Windsor Castle. 🎖️

22/04 As Former President of the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers, presented the Princess Royal Award and the Royal Dairy Innovation Award. 🥛🐄

24/04 With Sir Tim Attended the Commemoration Service of Turkey at Çanakkale Martyrs’ Memorial, Gallipoli. 🇹🇷

With Sir Tim Attended the Commemoration Service of France at Morto Bay Cemetery, Gallipoli. 🇫🇷

With Sir Tim As President of Commonwealth War Graves Commission, afterwards visited the Seddel-Bahr Military Grave of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Doughty-Wylie at Seddulbahir, Gallipoli. 🪦

With Sir Tim Attended the Commemoration Service of the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and Ireland at Helles Memorial, Gallipoli. 🇬🇧🌍🇮🇪

With Sir Tim Visited Seddülbahir Castle, Gallipoli. 🏰

With Sir Tim Attended a Commanders’ Reception at the Kolin Hotel, Çanakkale, given by His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey (Her Excellency Ms Jill Morris). 🥂

25/04 With Sir Tim Attended a “Spirit of Place” Ceremony and Dawn Memorial Service at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli. 🌅

With Sir Tim Attended a Reception at the Bengodi Hotel, Eceabat, Gallipoli Peninsula, given by the Australian Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey (His Excellency Mr Miles Armitage) and the New Zealand Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey (His Excellency Mr Gregory Lewis). 🇹🇷🥂

With Sir Tim Received the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia (Her Excellency the Hon Samantha Mostyn) and Mr Simeon Beckett at the Bengodi Hotel. 🇦🇺

With Sir Tim Received the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon MP (Prime Minister of New Zealand) and Mr Mark Talbot (Senior Foreign Political Advisor) at the Bengodi Hotel. 🇳🇿

With Sir Tim Attended the Australian National Service at Lone Pine Cemetery, Gallipoli. 🇦🇺

With Sir Tim Visited Walker’s Ridge Cemetery, Gallipoli. 🇦🇺

With Sir Tim Attended the New Zealand Memorial Service at Chunuk Bair Cemetery, Gallipoli. 🇳🇿

28/04 As Patron of Sense, attended the Charity’s Seventieth Anniversary at Sense Touchbase Pears in Selly Oak, Birmingham. 💜🧡

As Chancellor of the University of London, attended a Graduation Ceremony at the Barbican Centre. 🎓

29/04 Visited Youth Court Solutions Service operating from Wellingborough Magistrates Court. ⚖️

As Patron of the Horse Trust, visited the Weigh to Win Programme at Slad Lane in Princes Risborough. 🐎

As Patron of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, held a Centenary Reception at Buckingham Palace. 🦋🐾🐍

As Patron of the Forces Employment Charity held a Dinner at St James’s Palace to mark the One Hundred and Fortieth Anniversary of the Charity. 🫡💼

30/04 As Patron of the English Rural Housing Association, Attended a Housing Conference at The Queen Elizabeth II Centre. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏡

As President of the City and Guilds of London Institute, attended the Tenth Anniversary of the Princess Royal Training Awards at Goldsmiths’ Hall. 🏆

As Royal Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, attended a Reception at 41 Portland Place. 🩺🏥

With Sir Tim As Patron of the Whitley Fund for Nature, attended the Annual Awards Ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society. 🦋🧡

Total official engagements for Anne in April: 52

2025 total: 149

Total official engagements accompanied/represented by Tim in April: 14

2025 total: 18

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Inside William’s Next Act: Tatler’s May issue goes behind the scenes as the Prince of Wales is rising above the noise — and playing the long game

The burden of leadership is falling upon Prince William, but as former BBC Royal Correspondent, Wesley Kerr OBE, explains in Tatler’s May cover story, the future king is taking charge

By Wesley Kerr OBE

21 March 2024

When I first met Prince William in 2009, he asked me if I could tell him how he could win the National Lottery.

It was a jokey quip from someone who has since become the Prince of Wales, the holder of three dukedoms, three earldoms, two baronies and two knighthoods, and heir to the most prestigious throne on earth.

He was, of course, being relatable; I was representing the organisation that had allocated Lottery funding towards the Whitechapel Gallery and he wanted to put me at ease.

William is grand but different, royal but real.

At 6ft 3in, he has the bearing and looks great in uniform after a distinguished, gallant military career.

He will be one of the tallest of Britain’s kings since Edward Longshanks in the 14th century and should one day be crowned sitting above the Stone of Scone that Edward ‘borrowed.’

William, by contrast, has a deep affinity with Scotland and Wales, having lived in both nations and gained solace from the Scottish landscape after his mother died.

He’s popular in America and understands that the Crown’s relationship to the Commonwealth must evolve.

The Prince of Wales has long believed that ‘the Royal Family has to modernise and develop as it goes along, and it has to stay relevant’, as he once said in an interview.

He seeks his own way of being relatable, of benefitting everybody, in the context of an ancient institution undergoing significant challenge and upheaval, as the head of a nation divided by hard times, conflicts abroad, and social and political uncertainty.

We might recognise Shakespeare’s powerful line spoken by Claudius in Hamlet: ‘When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions.’

With the triple announcement in January and February of the Princess of Wales’s abdominal surgery and long convalescence, of King Charles’s prostate procedure and then of his cancer diagnosis, the burden of leadership has fallen on 76-year-old Queen Camilla and, crucially, on William.

The Prince of Wales’s time has come to step up; and so he has deftly done.

In recent months, we have seen a fully-fledged deputy head of state putting into practice his long-held ideas, speaking out on the most contentious issue of the day and taking direct action on homelessness.

Last June, he unveiled the multi-agency Homewards initiative with the huge aspiration of ending homelessness, backed with £3 million from his Foundation to spearhead action across the UK.

He is consolidating Heads Together, the long-standing campaign on mental health, and fundraises for charities like London’s Air Ambulance Charity.

He was, of course, once a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance services – a profession that had its downside: seeing people in extremis or at death’s door, he found himself ‘taking home people’s trauma, people’s sadness.’

Tom Cruise was a guest at the recent London’s Air Ambulance Charity fundraiser, William’s first gala event after Kate’s operation.

And more stardust followed when William showed that, even without his wife by his side, he could outclass any movie star at the Baftas.

There’s also his immense aim of helping to ‘repair the planet’ itself with his Earthshot Prize: five annual awards of £1 million for transformative environmental projects with worldwide application.

This project has a laser focus on biodiversity, better air quality, cleaner seas, reducing waste and combating climate change. Similar aims to his father; different means to achieve the goal.

On the issue which has caused huge convulsions – the Middle East conflict – William’s 20 February statement from Kensington Palace grabbed attention.

He said he was ‘deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October. Too many have been killed.’

There were criticisms – along the lines of ‘the late Queen would have never spoken out like this’ or ‘what right does he have to meddle in politics?’ – but it was hard to disagree with his carefully calibrated words.

His call for peace, the ‘desperate need’ for humanitarian aid, the return of the hostages.

The statement was approved by His Majesty’s Government, likely cleared with the King himself at Sandringham the previous weekend and also backed by the chief rabbi of Great Britain, Sir Ephraim Mirvis.

Indeed, William and Catherine had immediately spoken out on the horrors of 7 October.

William followed up the week after his Kensington Palace statement by visiting a synagogue and sending a ‘powerful message’, according to the chief rabbi, by meeting a Holocaust survivor and condemning anti-Semitism.

This is rooted in deep personal conviction following William’s 2018 visit to Israel and the West Bank, says Valentine Low, the distinguished author of Courtiers and The Times’s royal correspondent of 15 years, who was on that 2018 trip.

‘William was so moved by his visit to Israel and the West Bank, he found it very affecting, and he was not going to drop this issue – he was going to pay attention to it for the rest of his life,’ says Low.

‘He must feel that… not to say something on the most important issue in the world [at that moment] would be a bit odd if you feel so strongly about it.’

There was concern from some commentators about politicising the monarchy, but this rose above the particulars of party politics.

As Prince of Wales, like his father before him, there is perhaps space to speak out sparingly on carefully chosen issues.

On this occasion, his views were in line with majority public opinion.

On homelessness, news came that same week that William was planning to build 24 homes for the homeless on his Duchy of Cornwall estate.

‘William’s impact is very personal,’ says Mick Clarke, chief executive of The Passage, a charity providing emergency accommodation for London’s homeless.

‘Two weeks before Christmas, the prince came to our Resource Centre in Victoria for a Christmas lunch for 150 people.

He was scheduled to stay for an hour, to help serve, wash up, and talk to people.

He ended up staying for two and a quarter hours, during which time he went from table to table and spoke to every single person.’

Clarke continues:

‘William has an ability to listen, talk and to put people at ease. During the November 2020 lockdown, he came on three separate occasions to help.

It gave the team a boost that he took the time; it was his way of saying: “I support you; you’re doing a great job.”’

Seyi Obakin, chief executive of Centrepoint, one of the prince’s best-known causes, adds:

‘People associate his patronage with the big moments like the time he and I slept under Blackfriars Bridge.

The things that stick with me are smaller in scale and the more profound for it – in quieter moments, away from the cameras, where he has volunteered his time.’

It is a different approach from the King’s.

As Prince of Wales, he was involved in the minutiae of dozens of issues at any one time, working into the night to follow up on emails, crafting his speeches, writing or dictating notes.

Add to that much nationwide touring over 40 years (after he left active military service in 1976), fitting in multiple engagements, often being greeted formally by lord lieutenants.

This is not William’s style. He has commended his father’s model, but he does things his own way.

Although patronages are under review, William has up till now far fewer than either his father or his grandparents.

Charles is sympathetic to William’s approach and his desire to make time with his young family sacrosanct.

They are confidantes, attested by the night of Queen Elizabeth’s death.

They were both at Birkhall with Camilla, reviewing funeral arrangements while the rest of the grieving family were nearby at Balmoral, hosted by the Princess Royal.

Charles has had almost six decades in public life and is the senior statesman of our time, with even longer in the spotlight than Joe Biden.

After Eton and St Andrew’s University, where he met Catherine, William served in three branches of the military between 2006 and 2013, finishing as a seasoned and skilled helicopter rescue pilot.

His later employment as an air ambulance pilot stopped in 2017, when he became a full-time working royal.

At that time, not so long ago – with Harry unmarried, Andrew undisgraced, and Philip and Elizabeth still active – William shared the spotlight.

Now, after the King, he’s the key man.

He can look back on the success of his first big campaign initially launched with his wife and brother in 2016: Heads Together.

‘We are delighted that Prince William should have become such a positive and sympathetic advocate for mental health through his Heads Together initiative and now well-established text service, Shout, among other projects,’ says the longtime CEO and founder of Sane, the remarkable Marjorie Wallace CBE.

‘It is not always known that he follows in the footsteps of his father, the King, whose inspiration and vision were vital in the creation of our mental health charity Sane.

As founding patron, he was instrumental in establishing our 365-days-a-year helpline and was a remarkable and selfless support to me in setting up the Prince of Wales International Centre for Sane Research.’

'Indeed,' says Wallace, 'this is where Prince William echoes the work of his father, showing the same ‘understanding and compassion for people struggling through dark and difficult times of their lives and has done much to raise awareness and encourage those affected to speak out and seek help.

We owe a huge debt to His Majesty and the Prince of Wales for their involvement in this still-neglected area.’

Just as I saw all those years ago at that early solo engagement in Whitechapel, William still approaches his public duties with humour and fun.

‘He defuses the formality with jocularity,’ says Valentine Low, citing two public events in 2023 that he witnessed.

In April last year, while on a visit to Birmingham, William randomly answered the phone in an Indian restaurant he was being shown around and took a table booking from a customer – an endearing act of spontaneity.

On his arrival later that day, the unsuspecting diner was surprised to be told exactly whom he had been talking to.

In October, Low reported, William ‘unleashed his inner flirt as he hugged his way through a visit with Caribbean elders [in Cardiff] to mark Black History Month.

As he gave one woman a hug – for longer than she expected – he joked: “I draw the line at kissing.”

And while posing for a group photograph, he prompted gales of laughter when he quipped: “Who is pinching my bottom?”’

Low believes that when William eventually becomes king, he will be more ‘radical’ than his father but wonders if people will respond to ‘call me William’ when ‘the whole point of the Royal Family is mystique and being different.’

However, William has thought deeply about his current role and is prepared for whatever his future holds.

For now, there is a decision to be made on Prince George’s secondary schooling. It’s said that five public schools are being considered, all fee-paying.

Eton is single-sex and boarding but close to home. Marlborough (Catherine’s alma mater) is co-ed and full boarding. And Oundle, St Edward’s Oxford and Bradfield College (close to Kate’s parents) are co-ed with a mix of boarding and day.

As parents, William and Catherine aspire to raise their children ‘as good people with the idea of service and duty to others as very important’, William said in an interview with the BBC in 2016.

‘Within our family unit, we are a normal family.’ Which may be one reason why he is so resistant to their privacy being compromised either by the media or close family members.

The 19th-century author Walter Bagehot wrote:

‘A family on the throne is an interesting idea also. It brings down the pride of sovereignty to the level of petty life… a princely marriage is the brilliant edition of a universal fact, and, as such, it rivets mankind.’

If hereditary monarchy is to survive, it must beguile us but also demonstrate its utility, that it is a force for good.

William said in that 2016 interview, ‘I’m going to get plenty of criticism over my lifetime,’ echoing Queen Elizabeth II’s famous Guildhall speech in 1992 ‘that criticism is good for people and institutions that are part of public life. No institution – city, monarchy, whatever – should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support, not to mention those who don’t.’

William saw close up his mother’s ability to bring public focus and her own personal magnetism to any subject or cause she focused on.

He admires his father’s work ethic, the way he ‘really digs down,’ sometimes literally (I understand that gardening is giving the King solace during his cancer treatment).

But the biggest influence for William was Her late Majesty, as he said on her 90th birthday.

As an Eton schoolboy, William made weekend visits to the big house on the hill, being mentored by Granny rather as she had been tutored in the Second World War by the then vice-provost of Eton, Sir Henry Marten.

William said in 2016:

‘In the Queen, I have an extraordinary example of somebody who’s done an enormous amount of good and she’s probably the best role model I could have.’

That said, his aim was ‘finding your own path but with very good examples and guidance around you to support you.'

Queen Elizabeth II had a brilliant way of rising above the fray and usually being either a step ahead of public opinion or in tune with it.

If you are at the helm of affairs in a privileged hereditary position, your duty is to serve and use your pulpit for the benefit of others.

In a democracy, monarchy is accountable.

The scrutiny is intense, with an army of commentators paid for wisdom and hot air about each no-show, parsing each announcement, interpreting each image.

William takes the long view. He has ‘wide horizons,’ says Mick Clarke.

‘There are so many causes that are more palatable and easier to achieve than ending homelessness, but his commitment and drive are 100 per cent.’

The prince seeks a different way of being royal in an ancient institution that must move with the times. His task? To develop something modern in an ever-changing world.

He faces all sorts of new issues – or old issues in new guises.

Noises off from within the family don’t help – Andrew’s difficulties, or the suggestions of prejudice from Montecito a couple of years ago (now seemingly withdrawn), which prompted William’s most vehement soundbite: ‘We’re very much not a racist family.’

William is maybe a new kind of leader who can keep the monarchy relevant and resonant in the coming decades.

Queen Elizabeth II is a powerful exemplar and memory, but she was of her time. William is his own man.

He must overcome and think beyond ‘the unforgiving minute.’

Indeed, he could seek inspiration in Rudyard Kipling’s poem, If.

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch[…]

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

This article was first published in the May 2024 issue, on sale Thursday, 28 March.

[lovers-tucked-into-a-quiet-cafe]

4th of July Special [IKYLHT]

~2.9k Words | Series Masterlist | Prev | Next Chapter [Coming Soon]

Hope you enjoy this very very overdue special chapter. It's part of the larger timeline of the story but considering we just had the 4th not too long ago I figured I'd post what I had so far just to keep you held over until chapter 8 is finished. It will very much be expanded upon in due time. Much love

-

There are three holidays you force yourself to celebrate as an active member of the military.

Veterans Day, the obvious.

Memorial Day, also obvious.

And the great ol’ 4th of July. Independence Day, a celebration of our great freedoms, our national pride.

More importantly- a day filled with beer, fireworks, and a rack of ribs, all without the threat of having to clock in that morning.

The boys had called you a yank when you’d first suggested it, mentioned something about the ridiculousness of the American desire to clog your arteries while lighting shit on fire.

The sweat of the 98° day dripping down Johnny's back, soon to be washed away by cool pool water. An ice cooler filled with Coronas, freshly cut limes on the table. Slow cooked rack of ribs on each plate while the burgers sizzle on the grill. These were things you’d pitched to the boys only moments before they’d laughed in your face.

The idea of leaving the Queen’s land to shack it up with a bunch of blue-coats celebrating the day they’d left the commonwealth felt blasphemous, especially for Simon and Price, the true patriots they are. Kyle didn’t care much, he’d actually been quite excited to visit the US again. The west coast was unexplored to him, and he’d be lying if the prospect of seeing a few celebrities during his stay in California didn’t excite him. Truthfully, Johnny would take any chance to subtly spite the Brits. He’s a proper Scot, after all.

But you’d pushed the idea hard.

It was Sparks’ annual 4th of July barbeque and there was no way in hell you were going to run the risk of missing him lose a finger trying to light the extra explosive fireworks he’d bought after a mission in Texas.

You’d gone that route first- having Shane call Price to personally invite the task force to his home in San Diego with the promise of good food and drinks. When the invitation didn’t seem to make it to the group chat, you’d stepped up your game. You thought maybe a polite Captain-to-Captain request from Griggs would suffice. It did not.

Fortunately, you were in the perfect position to seal the deal.

“You know, I just think it’d be a great team bonding activity.”

You hear his groan as your movement stops, feel the way his hands fly up to grasp at your waist, but you ignore him entirely.

“I don’t understand why you insist on impeding my job, John. I thought it was a captain’s duty to assist his subordinates?”

His fingers dig into your hips, trying their best to move you but you keep yourself steadily perched atop his lap.

“I think this is team bonding enough, love.”

You look around the room, turning your head as far as you can in each direction, before you settle your eyes on his form once more.

“I don’t see the rest of them. Seems like it’s just you and me here, Price.”

A small moan he clearly tried to conceal slips out as you lean forward, planting your hands on his sweaty chest and feeling the way his heart quickly patters. The bed shifts under you, sheets molten hot with your combined heat.

“Want me to go get them? I can roam the base in search of them. Would be faster if I skipped getting redressed-”

“-Alright, alright. I’m listening.”

You go to speak but shoot him a stern glance as you feel him attempt to move from under you.

The coy smile he lets out feeds your soul, his cheeks flushed from exertion, eyes hungry with want.

“We’re going.”

He laughs, eyes glancing down to where he throbs inside you.

“You think this is the best time to bring this back up, sweetheart?”

Shifting enough to make his breath hitch, you flash your own big smile.

“I do.”

Glancing at his watch, he quietly huffs as he mulls over his options.

“California?”

“Yes”

“During peak travel season…”

“Yup”

“For a holiday only you celebrate?”

“In a country you don't wanna revisit. I know, it’s not ideal.”

“So we’re doing it because?”

“Because it’s for me, John. We’re doing it for me. So I can go home.” Your smile is pleading.

He gives a small nod, lifting your hand off his chest and kissing the back of it.

“Okay. I’ll call Sparks and let him know we’re coming.”

“It’s okay! I’ll just text him-” You can’t control your smile, damn near flying off the bed to grab your phone if it weren’t for Price hooking an arm around you and flipping you beneath him.

“-You can text him once we’re done here. I still have another fifteen minutes with you.”

Admittedly, you didn’t call Shane until the following morning.

With Price on your side, it was easy getting everything in order. He dealt with the logistics- plane tickets, hotels, rental cars- while you did the fun part.

Helping the boys pack.

Kyle was by far the easiest. He naturally had good style, all you’d needed to do was inform him of the typical San Diego weather and how to transition those outfits into something a little cooler for when you’d venture up to Los Angeles.

Simon and Price came next. Simon’s was physically easier, just more mental gymnastics. Despite being in many’a hot biome before, he refused to admit his all black ensemble just wouldn’t do. Cargo pants and combat boots weren’t adequate pool party attire, especially when you knew he’d want to prove his usefulness attending to anything he possibly could (you prayed Shane had fixed the dishwasher leak or you knew you wouldn’t be seeing Simon until well past sunset). Price was more physically demanding. He didn’t care much what you dressed him in, he trusted you enough to ensure he stepped outside looking handsome- you’re 99% sure someone had told him about the ‘girlfriend effect’ and he just ran with it. The difficult part was actually buying the clothes. He had no problem handing his card over, but he didn’t seem to want to send sizes, measurements, color preferences, anything of use. You’d resorted to taking a measuring tape to his biceps as he oversaw drill exercises, the width of his shoulders as he sat doing paperwork, the length of each limb as he stood at the gym’s cable machine.

Johnny was quite a bit more difficult. Having been to your home in LA a few times before, he knew how hot it’d get in the dead of summer and thus decided it was prime time to dress in nothing but swim trunks and his favorite pair of vans. Despite being told numerous times that he’d need to pack at least one shirt, every time you checked his suitcase that shirt seemed to have vanished. Your only saving grace was Price’s scolding when he’d gone over the group’s tax write offs and seen the recurring £5.25 Tesco charge for a single men’s t-shirt.

Still, somehow you’d all managed to make it in one piece. And best of all, without a single complaint.

Price stood at the grill chatting with Griggs about various meat charring techniques while Ghost supervised refereed the game of chicken Soap and Gaz were playing with the rest of the Demon Dogs.

The liquor was free flowing and gave you the opportunity to utilize this annual event for what it truly was- a chance to check up on everyone.

And who better to do it with than your closest confidant and his therapist wife.

Convenient, really.

“How’ve you been, kid?”

Nodding as you glance over at Johnny balancing Kyle upon his shoulders, you can’t help but smile.

“We’ve had our moments. Can’t complain, though.”

Alison nods, and you see her head tilt ever so slightly. She’s going into work mode as best she can without raising your suspicions. She’s well trained, probably what’s saved her marriage with Shane. To her dismay, you are also well trained.

“How do you see your future together?"

“Alison, you'd know better than most that people like us don’t get futures.”

“You can spare her the melodramatic self loathing, she’ll just whack you upside the head.”

She glares at Shane’s retort, gives him that ‘stop joking I’m trying to fix shit’ look you’ve seen so many times before.

“I guess I haven’t thought about it. Genuinely. I think it’ll be good though. I love him… and all that mushy shit you’re dying to hear me say.”

“Okay. Well, that’s a start. What about the rest of the task force? Do you think you work well as a team?”

“Oh yeah, we’re a well oiled machine. My doing, of course. Successful or not, our missions can always be described as top tier.”

“And how about off-mission? Do you get along with everyone?”

You fight the urge to glance over at the four men whose hands you’d put your entire life into in more ways than one.

“Uh, yeah. We’re good.”

“Good?”

“Yeah.” You shrug.

Her response is cut off before she could even start it, two shorts car honks bouncing off the wood of the open side gate leading to the front of the property. She cranes her neck to see the car from her position in the backyard, just catching the conversation between Raines and his wife as they begin to unload the car.

Alison turns back to you after waving hello, pointing a finger and making a stern face.

“We’re not done here.”

“Aye Aye ma’am.” You jokingly salute her as you internally thank Raines’ kids for making him late to every event he’s ever been invited to.

You and Shane wave to the couple as she walks up to say her greetings, Shane walking towards the cooler to grab two beers.

“I warned her against interrogating you. But we all know how she feels about listening to me.”

“She’s lucky. She’s the only one that can ignore you and call you a dumbass without repercussion. Sometimes I envy her.”

Popping off the cap, he makes his way to two lounger seats off in the corner of the fenced backyard, plopping down with a sigh.

“Gonna have to retire soon. Or take up being a desk jockey. Whatever keeps my knees from going out.”

“Not showing up to your PT appointments, Sparks? I do recall you scolding me for doing the same.”

“I’ve been showing up, that’s the problem. Ain’t bouncing back like I used to.”

You nod in understanding. You’re not even that old and the aches had already settled in. The military really does take your best years.

“Alright, kid. Enough stalling. How’ve you really been doing?”

“I told you, Johnny and I have been good-”

“-I don’t mean your relationship. I know you two are doing good. God knows I’d be getting a call from MacTavish asking how to fix it if y’all weren’t. I mean about the mission.”

“Oh. Yeah, no. It was fine. It’s over.”

“Heard it was a rough one up top.”

“Uh, yeah. Always is, I guess. We would’ve loved to have traded places with you.”

“Don’t underestimate the stairs, kid. Was damn near out of breath by the time we’d gotten up there.”

You let out a hum, more of an acknowledgement than an agreement.

“I know it’s hard for you to sit and watch. But you gotta remember your roots, Water.”

A snort escapes you, humor and nostalgia behind it.

“Haven’t heard you call me that in what, five years?”

“You retired it. You may call me an asshole but I do have a heart.”

“Well-”

“-Don’t change the subject, Carrots.”

“You know I’m still mad you told Kyle-”

“-Rabbit. Come on. Talk to me, kid.”

He stares you down, gives that same stern look you’d always seen after cracking a joke a little too soon after a mission gone awry.

“Nightmares?”

“A couple.” You murmured with a shrug.

“Just a couple?”

“A few.” You manage another murmur.

He studies your side profile a moment longer before trailing his eyes towards your line of vision.

Kyle sits on the pool ledge right where the deep end becomes standable again, using his dry hand to feed Johnny chips from the paper plate he teeters on his thigh. Every time Soap gestures as he speaks, pool water flings from his position standing in front of Kyle’s shins and onto the plate.

Shane thinks back to the first time you’d shown up to an event like this. He watched you, a newly-appointed baby-faced private first class awkwardly clutching a plate with a burger you had no intention of eating, and was reminded of how out of place you had felt in this small sliver of normalcy.

He thinks back to how utterly determined you seemed to not make friends, to not form attachments.

He thinks back to how, despite your reservations, you found yourself slowly easing into the environment.

Despite being so quick to adapt, you’d never been fond of change. And you couldn’t be more different now from the person you were before.

He thinks about how embarrassing it was for you to admit you'd even been having nightmares, let alone what they were about.

“Ok kid. I’ll let you avoid interrogation for now. No use in ruinin’ a good barbeque.”

You pat his knee with an appreciative smile before you heave yourself out of the low chair, setting your sights back onto Kyle as he rejoins Johnny in the pool.

“Hey Rabbit?” You hear Sparks call out after you.

You look back at him over your shoulder.

“Yeah?”

You look at his blank face. You’ve known Shane long enough to tell he doesn’t want to spook you off but is begging for answers. He's giving you the opportunity to tell him on your own volition, no questions asked.

There’s a small demon resting in the back of your throat. He decides now’s a good time to carve at your esophagus. He urges you to spit it out so he can escape his imprisonment in your windpipe. To say what can’t be retracted, to just get it out there.

You stay silent, facing forward again and walking up to Price. He scrubs char off the grill rack, seemingly abandoned by Griggs.

That answers who lost the coin toss.

“Hey Cap,” You bump shoulders with him, tugging on the string of his boonie hat that rests against the back of his neck.

“Hey sweetheart” He mumbles back.

“You look handsome” You whisper with a giddy smile.

“Yeah?”

“Mmhmm”

“Hungry yet?”

“Only for you, big daddy” You manage to get out between a laugh and an over the top wink, just narrowly missing the way he goes to swat at you.

“Behave, Rabbit.”

“I always do, sir” You nearly purr.

As the earlier heat of the day began to cool, the sky painted itself in hues of orange and pink. You were finally feeling contentment settle deep into your bones. Your favorite part was soon and very much worth skipping your main meal, even if Price disagreed.

You and Soap had helped set up a small fire pit in the center of the yard- marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars all laid out for s’mores. Kyle, still somewhat in subdued awe of the whole spectacle, watches from your left as the others talked around the fire, their faces illuminated by the steady flame. You watched the way his eyes constantly bounced around, so deeply invested in the stories of your comrades.

Johnny sits between you and Ghost, his usual spot for the last nine months or so since Las Almas. You go to search for Price but are almost startled out of your seat as his arm misses your face by about two inches, draping over your lap a red checkered blanket he’d found thrown over one of the lawn chairs.

You grab his shirt by the collar before he gets the chance to pull away, pulling him down to kiss his cheek.

It was risky, there was no guarantee everyone outside of you five had been distracted by the sudden start of the neighbors fireworks, but you couldn’t really find it in yourself to care at that moment.

Grabbing the metal rod Johnny holds out for you, you shove the marshmallow on the prongs and lick the stickiness off your fingertips. You’d always hated the residue, but the practicality of Johnny hand feeding you the squishy candy didn’t negate how sickeningly adorable it was to witness.

“Care for a s’more, Ghost?” you asked, leaning forward and holding out a stick with a perfectly roasted marshmallow.

He looked at the stick, then at you, and finally at the fire. It was a simple, almost childlike gesture, but there was something undeniably comforting about it. He took the stick from you with a small nod.

Johnny was already assembling the graham crackers and chocolate for him, adding an additional little chocolate square in the center.

Simon holds the dessert, examining it on all sides before looking up at the group before him. No one is paying any attention to the three of you, something you’d requested from both your old team and Price and Gaz.

You nod as encouragingly as you can when he scans the group once more, whispering just enough to be heard by him.

“It’s alright Simon. Go ahead.”

His black surgical mask is only down for a second before half his face is covered again, now with significantly more graham cracker crumbs settling at the bottom of it then before.

He hands the s’more back over to Johnny as he nods his head.

“See? Not so bad, right?”

Ghost looked over at you, your face illuminated by the soft glow of the firelight, and nods once more. “Not bad at all.”

Soap, munching on the last of the s’more, looks over with a smirk.

“Told ya. Next time, we’ll get you on karaoke.”

Simon goes completely deadpan but chuckles softly.

“We’ll see about that.”

-

<3

Taglist:

@voodoo-writer @wonderswritings @loving-milkskake-coffee @mothcelestial @hindi-si-ikay @poohkie90 @berrysealsblog @anniblindfischi @autrizzm @megansheila @aldis-nuts @gentlegiant @johnwickthethird @dante-mightdie @forever-hero-trash @330bpm-whiplash @addison-james @l0velyy-xmll @secretsthathauntus @angstismydrug @mo-i-ra @wh0rethoughtz @trulytiredboi @pengwen14 @craxy-person @mrmountainman @galacticgrump @kiritokunuwu @luvvnightingalee @cosychick @jollyjumpsfrog @sn0w72897 @urfavsunkissedleo @erothickthefemboy @perpetual-fandom-brainrot @bossva @missmidnight-writes @supernaturalstilinski @certainkittenpeach @alcinas-darling-side @jinxxangel13 @jewelbby @rhaenryawhore @murdersheghostwrote @leothescorpio @michilpyay @cassiecasluciluce @browtfyoudoing @savagemickey03 @xxqueensneverdie @lovelyeau @kimbeans90 @notcrazynotoldbutcatlady @nessaasstuff @sadg3 @thriving-n-jiving @ghost-with-a-teacup @bbyfimmie

[probablyasocialecologist]

London did try to cobble together a three-part strategy for a sustainable, if vastly reduced, postwar empire: first, consolidate smaller colonies into cost-effective confederations; next, control their exports to capture hard-currency profits; and finally, cling to military bases critical for imperial defense. For instance, it merged nine sultanates and two crown colonies into the Federation of Malaya to control the US dollars earned from its rubber exports, which provided, by 1952, 35 percent of Britain’s net balance of payments with the dollar area. So critical was this cash flow that London dispatched 50,000 troops, who would fight for a decade to crush a communist revolt and keep Malaya in the British Commonwealth. Similarly, the Central African Federation combined three colonies to secure the dollars from Zambia’s copper exports while supporting a small number of white settlers in Zimbabwe (then Southern Rhodesia), who had been allocated 50 million acres of farmland, compared to only 29 million for Africans. In the Persian Gulf, British Petroleum explored for oil while British advisers led seven sheiks into a federation that later became the petro-rich United Arab Emirates. Over the longer term, the Federation of Malaya and the United Arab Emirates proved relatively stable independent states, while their Central African counterpart broke apart, after mass protests and inept colonial repression, into the nations of Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Alfred W. McCoy, To Govern the Globe: World Orders and Catastrophic Change

[hboww2rewatch]

Please read the movie descriptions below

Saving Private Ryan (1998) - Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action. Dir. by Steven Spielberg

A League of Their Own (1992) - American sports comedy drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) during WWII. Dir. by Penny Marshall

Greyhound (2020) - The film is based on the 1955 novel The Good Shepherd, and follows a US Navy commander on his first assignment commanding a multi-national escort destroyer group of four, defending an Allied convoy from U-boats during the Battle of the Atlantic. Dir. by Aaron Schneider

Mudbound (2017) - The film depicts two World War II veterans – one white, one black – who return to rural Mississippi each to address racism and PTSD in his own way. Dir. by Dee Rees

Twelve O'Clock High (1949) - A tough-as-nails general (Gregory Peck as General Savage) takes over a B-17 bomber unit suffering from low morale and whips them into fighting shape. Based on a novel by the same name. Dir. by Henry King

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) - three United States servicemen re-adjusting to societal changes and civilian life after coming home from World War II. The three men come from different services with different ranks that do not correspond with their civilian social class backgrounds. It is one of the earliest films to address issues encountered by returning veterans in the post World War II era. Dir. by William Wyler 

The Monuments Men (2014) - An unlikely World War II platoon is tasked to rescue art masterpieces from German thieves and return them to their owners. Based on the 2007 non-fiction book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History. Dir. by George Clooney

Dunkirk (2017) - Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Commonwealth and Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army and evacuated from Dunkirk. It is shown from the perspectives of the land, sea, and air. Dir. by Christopher Nolan

Fury (2014) - A grizzled tank commander makes tough decisions as he and his crew fight their way across Germany in April, 1945. Dir. by David Ayer

Valkyrie (2008) - A dramatization of the July 20, 1944 assassination and political coup plot by desperate renegade German Army officers against Adolf Hitler during World War II. Dir. by Bryan Singer

[the-empress-7]

The three-strand pearl necklace

The Princess of Wales wore Queen Elizabeth II’s three-strand pearl necklace—an item Her Majesty was famous for—during a Buckingham Palace lunch for the governors-general of the Commonwealth nations prior to the monarch’s funeral in September 2023.

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

December 8, 1991: Counter-revolutionary leaders dissolve the Soviet Union.

DAY OF SHAME: Thirty-three years ago, against the will of the people and the Constitution of the USSR, Boris Yeltsin of Russia, Leonid Kravchuk of Ukraine and Stanislav Shushkevich of Belarus signed the “Belovezhskoe agreement” dissolving the Soviet Union.

Sam Marcy on the counter-revolutionary agreement to dissolve the USSR (Dec. 1991):

Let’s remember that as early as 1922, when the Civil War had barely ended, a treaty was formulated under Lenin’s guidance that recognized the sovereignty and equality of all republics. What united them was the strong influence of the Communist Party. There was centralism on a working class basis. The party expressed the solidarity of the working class, the Soviets expressed the solidarity of all the oppressed masses. Together they reined in the centrifugal forces generated by nationalist tendencies. …

It was then that the Soviet Union established a bicameral system. One house–the Soviet of Deputies–represented all the population, all the workers and peasants. The other one–the Soviet of Nationalities–had a certain number of representatives for each nationality.

For many years it was a very important area where the national question and other issues could be discussed. When there was disagreement, the leaders of both houses met. If a compromise or agreement was not arrived at, it was sent back to both houses. This was a new and remarkable achievement for a workers’ state. …

This Commonwealth treaty abolishes the Soviet of Nationalities and destroys and invalidates completely the existence of the Congress of People’s Deputies. Under Gorbachev this body had become a bourgeois parliament, as distinct from Soviets organized on a working class, peasant, and popular basis. But a bourgeois parliament is better than a bourgeois dictatorship. And better than having centrifugal forces organized by a few top leaders of the biggest republics.

After the failure of the coup, Gorbachev called the parliament, the Congress of Deputies, into session and virtually ordered them to give up all their power to the republics. Their pay would go on, however. So the Congress was virtually shorn of all its power. How 2,500 parliamentarians could take all this, I don’t know. Why not have a sitdown strike and say: You’ll have to arrest us first!

https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/writers/marcy/1991/sm911226.html

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Kassy Akiva

Scott Hayes, 48, will likely avoid trial after shooting an anti-Israel man who tackled him last September during a protest in Newton, Massachusetts.

Hayes was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and released on a $5,000 bail last year after he shot Caleb Gannon, a man wearing a pro-Palestinian pin, who allegedly charged through traffic and attacked Hayes. Hayes pleaded not guilty and said shooting Gannon in the stomach was an act of self-defense.

A judge ordered that Hayes will not go to trial for the charges of assault and battery if he completes a probationary period that was agreed upon by Hayes’s lawyer and the district attorney’s office.

The conditions of the probationary period will remain in effect until September 13 — the day after the anniversary of the incident — and require Hayes to stay out of Newton, except for attending religious services, medical appointments, or passing through the city while traveling elsewhere. He is also prohibited from contacting Gannon, must complete an online course on civil discourse, and will have his license to carry a firearm suspended until that date.

Another condition requires Hayes to seek and apply for employment, including at least three job searches a week. After the incident, the Iraq War veteran lost his job conducting natural gas leak detection, surveys, and inspections for a company contracted by National Grid, one of Massachusetts’ largest utility providers.

If Hayes violates the conditions, he will go to trial.

In March, Hayes said the office of Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan backed out of finalizing a disposition to resolve the case outside of court after both sides disagreed on the terms of the pretrial probation. The main point of contention was whether Hayes should be barred from entering Newton — a city he has been free to visit since October, when a judge lifted his ankle monitor requirement and restrictions on entering the suburb where Gannon lives.

“Today’s agreement was the second best option,” Hayes told The Daily Wire. “The first would have been a full dismissal of the charges immediately but the DA played politics with my case instead of following the law. The Commonwealth brought a very weak case to the table that in most states wouldn’t have made it this far along the process.”

Hayes said that Ryan’s case relied on two of his social media posts from 6 months before the incident.

“I know what I did on 9/12/24 was right,” Hayes said. “I have no regrets for my actions that day as it saved my friends’ lives. My attacker was actively trying to take my firearm from me and I am sure he would have committed murder if he had succeeded.”

[princesscatherinemiddleton]

The Princess of Wales’ Stats - First Quarter

Sorry this is literally over a month late...

In the first three months of 2025, the Princess of Wales completed 14 engagements, averaging around 4.6 engagements a month. Her work rate was fairly steady, completing 4 engagements in January and 5 in both February and March. She also appeared in two released photos - one for her birthday and one, taken by Prince Louis, for World Cancer Day. She also made several personal tweets. In January, Catherine was spotted once - at the opticians.

Of her 31 patronages, she has visited or completed work for 6, totalling 7 engagements in total. In January, Catherine completed two engagements on behalf of her patronages. Both of those were for new patronages and her debut visit - the Royal Marsden Hospital and Tŷ Hafan Hospice. In February, Catherine completed a joint engagement for Action for Children and the National Portrait Gallery, as well as one for the Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales. In March, one of her engagements was related to the Royal Foundation, while one was related to the Rugby Football Union.

Of her 14 engagements, 6 have been solo while another 7 were when she was accompanied by her husband, the Prince of Wales. One engagements took place with the wider British Royal Family.

All of her engagements have taken place in the UK, in England (7) and Wales (7). More specifically, 5 of her engagements took place in London, while another 5 took place in Glamorgan, Wales. She also halso undertaken 1 engagement in Windsor, 1 in Chesire and 2 in Cardiff.

For the first time, most of Catherine's engagements have not fallen under one of my categories I have arbitrarily given her work so I have categorised them as "other". 2 of her engagements have linked to both Catherine's Early Years initiative and sport. She also undertook one engagement specifically linked to the children & young people, the Commonwealth, the military and textiles. Catherine also completed an engagement linked to a newer topic that is close to her heart - cancer.

Clotheswise, her most worn identified designer has once again been Alexander McQueen, followed by BLAZE Milano, Kiltane Scotland, Catherine Walker and Sezane, although she has worn two unidentifed looks. Her most carried bag designer was Grance Han. Her most-worn shoe designer is, again, Gianvito Rossi, althought this was joint with Russell & Bromley. In terms of jewellery, she has predominantly worn Spells of Love pieces. She has also worn items from Carter, Kiki McDonough and pieces from the late Queen with 2 wears each. When it comes to hats, Catherine was seen in two hats, both made by a different milliner/brand - Gina Foster and Lock and Co.

[aimeedaisies]

The Princess Royals Official Engagements in March 2025

03/03 Opened Minchinhampton Surgery in Minchinhampton near Stroud. 🩻👩‍⚕️

04/03 unofficial Sir Tim, as President of Kent Cricket Club, attended a memorial service at Canterbury Cathedral for former England spin bowler Derek Underwood. 🏏🤍

On behalf of The King, held an Investiture at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. 🎖️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Attended a Royal Warrant Holders Association Reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. 📜🍽️

05/03 unofficial The King was represented by Dame Sarah Troughton (His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire) at the Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of Lieutenant General Sir Maurice Johnston (formerly Her late Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire), held at St John’s Church in Devizes. The Princess Royal was represented by Captain Sir Nicholas Wright RN. 🕊️

As Patron of Maritime UK, chaired a National Council Meeting at the offices of Gallagher, the Walbrook Building, in London. ⚓️💼

As Chancellor of the University of London, opened King’s College London’s new Engineering Building. 🦾🦿

As Patron of the Maritime Society and Sea Cadets, and Admiral of the Sea Cadet Corps, held a Reception at Buckingham Palace. ⚓️🫡

06/03 As President, this afternoon attended the National Equine Forum at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in London. 🐎

As Grand Master of the Royal Victorian Order, attended Evensong and a Reception at The King’s Chapel of the Savoy in London. ⛪️

07/03 As Admiral and Patron, this morning visited the Royal Naval Sailing Association in Gosport. ⛵️

Opened the new Emergency Department at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth. 🏥

As Patron of Maritime UK, attended a Coastal Powerhouse Summit Reception at Portsmouth International Port. 🔋

08/03 With Sir Tim As Patron of the Scottish Rugby Union, attended the International Rugby Match between Scotland and Wales at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏉

As Patron of Scottish Garden City Housing Society Limited, attended the 110th Anniversary Reception at Edinburgh Castle.🏡🥂

10/03 As Patron of the Canal Museum Trust, opened the “Building Britain’s Canals” Temporary Exhibition at the London Canal Museum. 💦🛶

Alongside The King and Queen, The Prince and Princess of Wales and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester attended the Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration in Westminster Abbey. 🌍⛪️

11/03 As Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Butchers, attended the Annual City Food and Drink Lecture at Guildhall in London. 🍝🍷✍️

13/03 Unofficial Attended St Patrick’s Thursday of Cheltenham Races. ☘️🏇🏼

14/03 With Sir Tim Attended Gold Cup Friday of Cheltenham Races. 🏆🏇🏼

15/03 With Sir Tim As Patron of the Scottish Rugby Union, attended the International Rugby Match between France and Scotland at Stade de France, Paris. 🇫🇷🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏉

17/03 As Patron of Save the Children UK, attended the 30th Anniversary International Financial Review Annual Awards Dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. 🍽️

Unofficial As Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, Sir Tim attended the Premiere of the Thinking Game and presented Science Museum Fellowship awards. 🎬🧬

18/03 Unofficial Departed from Heathrow Airport and arrived at Athens International Airport. 🇬🇧✈️🇬🇷

19/03 As Member of the International Olympic Committee, and Chairman of the Members Election Commission, attended day one of the International Olympic Committee Session at the Romanos in Costa Navarino, Greece. 🇬🇷

20/03 As Member of the International Olympic Committee, and Chairman of the Members Election Commission, attended day two of the International Olympic Committee Session at the Romanos in Costa Navarino, Greece. 🇬🇷

21/03 As Member of the International Olympic Committee, and Chairman of the International Olympic Committee Members Election Commission, attended day three of the International Olympic Committee Session at the House of Events, the Romanos Hotel in Costa Navarino, Greece. 🇬🇷

Unofficial Departed from Greece and arrived back at RAF Brize Norton. 🇬🇷✈️🇬🇧

24/03 As President of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, attended the President’s Panel Discussion and Dinner. 🍽️

25/03 Joined by the King, As Patron of the Butler Trust, held the Annual Awards Ceremony at St James’s Palace, followed by a Reception.

26/03 As Patron of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, attended the Spring Conference at Birmingham Repertory Theatre. 💊

As Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Corps of Signals, inspected 22 Signal Regiment on public duties at St James’s Palace. 🫡

With Sir Tim As President of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, attended a Presidential Dinner at Fishmongers’ Hall in London. 🎪🍽️

27/03 On behalf of The King, held an Investiture at Buckingham Palace. 🎖️

As Colonel of The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons), attended a Service of Thanksgiving for the new Organ at the Guards’ Chapel, Wellington Barracks, London. ⛪️🎹

As Patron of the British Quality Foundation, this attended the United Kingdom Awards Ceremony and Dinner at Wembley Stadium. 🏟️

28/03 On behalf of The King, held an Investiture at Buckingham Palace. 🎖️

Total official engagements for Anne in January: 34

2025 total: 97

Total official engagements accompanied/represented by Tim in January: 4

2025 total: 4

[camisoledadparis]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … January 30

January 30, 1965

Historical Context

Winston Churchill's funeral was on a scale befitting his place in history as the prime minister who guided Britain to victory during World War II. He died on January 24, 1965, having lived to the age of 90. The government had been planning extensively for his funeral in the years before his death, and it had to be revised several times as Churchill kept living, leading Lord Mountbatten to remark that "the pallbearers kept dying and Churchill kept living." It became the largest state funeral in history. Representatives from over 120 countries attended the ceremony in London, including Queen Elizabeth II, for whom Churchill was reportedly her favorite prime minister. The funeral itself was watched by 350 million people on television. After his death on January 24, the Queen sent his wife Clementine Churchill a letter saying "The whole world is the poorer by the loss of his many-sided genius while the survival of this country and the sister nations of the Commonwealth, in the face of the greatest danger that has ever threatened them, will be a perpetual memorial to his leadership, his vision and indomitable courage". Vast numbers of dignitaries attended the funeral, including wartime colleagues Dwight D. Eisenhower and Charles de Gaulle as well as several past British prime ministers.

1859 – Edward Martyn was born on this date. (d.1923); Martyn was the first president of Sinn Féin, the Irish republican movement's political party, which he co-founded with Arthur Griffith, serving from 1904 to 1908. He was homosexual and the son of a wealthy Catholic family from Tillyra Castle in County Galway.

A pillar of the Celtic Renaissance, in 1899 Martyn co-founded, with the poet W.B. Yeats, what became Ireland's famous national theater, The Abbey, the Irish Literary Theatre (1899), which was part of the nationalist revival of interest in Ireland's Gaelic literary history. He was a cousin and friend to George Moore, the Irish novelist, though their relationship was often antagonistic.

Violently opposed to British rule in Ireland, he was the center of a court case in 1905 as the result of an off-the-cuff remark in which he stated that "All Irishmen who join the English army ought to be flogged". He died in 1923, unmarried, and after donating his body to science, was buried at his own request in a pauper's grave.

Martyn was outed by his friend George Moore, a prolific novelist, critic, and polemicist, in his three-volume memoir "Hail and Farewell" (published between 1911 and 1914), which entertained its readers but infuriated his former friend. Moore himself said of these memoirs, "Dublin is now divided into two sets; one half is afraid it will be in the book, and the other is afraid that it won't".

Moore, who was attracted to the handsome young Yeats, later fell in love with the celebrated French painter Edouard Manet, who painted three portraits of him. Moore was influenced by the homosexual Oxford critic Walter Pater, and Moore's 1886 work, A Drama in Muslin, contained references to Lesbianism. Moore's 1887 novel, A Mere Accident, also has a homosexual theme and its central character is again based on Martyn.

1889 – Joseph Fielding Smith (d.1964) was presiding patriarch and a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1942 until 1946.

Smith was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, the son of a LDS Church apostle. He went to school at the University of Utah. In 1929, he married Ruth Pingree. Together they had 7 children.

At the age of 43, Smith was ordained a high priest and Patriarch to the Church on 8 October 1942 by Church President Heber J. Grant. He served but four years before it was reported by the church that he had requested to be released from his position. His request was granted by Church President George Albert Smith on 6 October 1946, with the church announcing that Smith was released for reasons of "ill health." After Smith's death it was discovered that the patriarch had been involved in a homosexual affair with a 21-year-old U.S. Navy sailor, who was also a Latter-day Saint.

After being released, Smith took his family to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he continued to raise his family. For a time, Smith was not allowed to hold any position in the church, but reportedly was "treated with compassion." In 1957, Smith was again allowed to serve in the church after he had forsaken his homosexual behavior.

1948 – Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi, India by a Hindu religious extremist. Gandhi had ended British rule in India through nonviolent resistance.

"Non-violence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our very being," he stated in 1926.

His teachings were used during many of the Gay demonstrations of the 60s and 70s and were a major influence on Martin Luther King, through his gay cohort and fellow organizer, Bayard Rustin, who studied with Gandhi and brought the idea of satyagraha (a synthesis of the Sanskrit words Satya (meaning "truth") and Agraha ("insistence", or "holding firmly to") back to the American civil rights movement Today, the Gay Christian group Soulforce continues the uses Gandhi's non violence practices in its demonstrations against Christian churches that discriminate against GLBT people.

1951 – A California appellate court upholds the oral copulation conviction of a man based on police looking into the window of a restroom.

1961 – The New Mexico House of Representatives votes 37-28 in favor of a revised criminal code that includes a repeal of the state's sodomy law. This is the first vote by a U.S. legislative body to repeal a sodomy law. This bill refers to sodomitical relations as "variant sexual practice," something unique in U.S. history.

1981 – Fernando Grostein Andrade, born in São Paulo, is a Brazilian filmmaker, director, producer, screenwriter, director of photography, and media entrepreneur. He is a columnist for VEJA magazine and the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo.

His best-known work is the documentary Quebrando o Tabu, which discusses alternative policies to the War on Drugs and features former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso as well as former US presidents Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, infectologist Drauzio Varella and writer Paulo Coelho.

In 2012, in partnership with Sun Dog Pictures, owned by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, the documentary was adapted into an international version which was narrated by actor Morgan Freeman. The project has spun off into the largest online platform in defense for human rights, with over 15 million followers between Facebook and Instagram.

Abe, his most recent movie, was selected to the Sundance Film Festival in 2019, and stars Noah Schnapp and Seu Jorge.

Fernando was also selected a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2019. He is a founder of Spray Media, which produces content for cinema as well as YouTube and branded content. Other works include the documentary Wandering Heart, with Caetano Veloso, and a number of publicity campaign for big brands such as Nestlé, Coca-Cola, and Volkswagen.

Fernando is the son of PhD urbanist Marta Dora Grostein and journalist Mario Escobar de Andrade, director of Playboy magazine in Brazil, who died in 1991. He is brother, on his mother's side, of the TV host Luciano Huck. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his husband, actor Fernando Siqueira.

2003 – On this date Belgium became the second country in the world to legally recognize same-sex marriage, with some restrictions. According to the Belgian Official Journal, approximately 300 same-sex couples were married between June 2003 and April 2004 (245 in 2003 and 55 in 2004). This constituted 1.2 percent of the total number of marriages in Belgium during that period. Two thirds of the married couples were gay male couples; the remainder were lesbian couples. On 22 July 2005, the Belgian government announced that a total of 2,442 same-sex marriages had taken place in the country since the extension of marriage rights to same-sex couples two and a half years earlier.

[thatsonemorbidcorvid]

“Described by its authors as the largest study of its kind ever undertaken globally, the study, titled Identifying and understanding child sexual offending behaviour and attitudes among Australian men, surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,945 Australian men and found 9.4% said they had offended against a child. That would equate to about one million Australian men.

The figure includes online offending such as those who reported to have had online sexual conversations with children (4.3%) or deliberately watched pornographic material containing people below the age of 18 (2.5%).

…

It reported that child offenders are also prolific consumers of deviant or violent adult pornography, signalling to Salter that “the overall porn-saturated online environment does have a role to play in sexual harm to children”.”

Francene Reo’s step-dad told her it was therapy. In 1976, the Newcastle supreme court found it was child sexual abuse.

At that time, charging someone for incest was so unusual “they didn’t even know how to word the charges”, she said. Reo’s step-dad spent five years behind bars for his years of severe offending, which took place for 10 years when she was aged six to 16. She didn’t speak about it for decades.

“I felt that if I’d gone public in those days, that I would have been seen as a nutcase,” Reo said.

“People were so unable to discuss their own sexuality, let alone confront little children being sexually abused.”

At the time paedophilia was believed to be rare. But according to University of New South Wales research published today, there is nothing rare about the sexual abuse of children.

Described by its authors as the largest study of its kind ever undertaken globally, the study, titled Identifying and understanding child sexual offending behaviour and attitudes among Australian men, surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,945 Australian men and found 9.4% said they had offended against a child. That would equate to about one million Australian men.

The figure includes online offending such as those who reported to have had online sexual conversations with children (4.3%) or deliberately watched pornographic material containing people below the age of 18 (2.5%).

The study found 3.2% of men said they had had sexual contact with a person below the age of 18 when they were over 18. The age of consent in Australia is 16 or 17, depending on the state, which researchers admit is a limitation of the study which was set up to align with international surveys.

However, they said the rate of contact offending was consistent with other studies worldwide.

“People really need to ask themselves, we’ve got so many victims in the community, we’ve got so many lives that are impacted by child sexual abuse, but we have comparatively few men in prison for this offence. So who’s responsible for all of this damage?” asked Michael Salter, an associate professor in criminology at UNSW, who helped develop the study. “And that’s what our survey’s highlighting.”

The report found nearly one in six men (15.1%) had sexual feelings towards children under 18.

It reported that child offenders are also prolific consumers of deviant or violent adult pornography, signalling to Salter that “the overall porn-saturated online environment does have a role to play in sexual harm to children”.

“Unfortunately, the commonwealth government has kicked the can down the road when it comes to age verification for adult content, and I think our survey signals [the] need to revisit that decision.”

The findings add to groundbreaking research into victims of child abuse published in April. The landmark Australian child maltreatment study found that about 23.7% of Australians had experienced child sexual abuse; about 8.7% had been forced into sex. More than one in three Australian girls experience child sexual abuse, it found.

The UNSW research found two distinct cohorts of child sex offenders: “one which is motivated by sexual interest in children, and a second group who may be offending for situational or opportunistic reasons”.

It also revealed the existence of a large group of undetected men who Salter called “specialist” offenders: otherwise pro-social, well-liked, high status men who repeatedly groom and then abuse children without detection. The study showed they tend to have higher incomes, are more likely to be married and are more likely to work in a field giving them access to kids.

He said governments – and social media providers – need to do more to uncover their offending.

“We have commercial products that are actively facilitating child sexual exploitation,” he said.

The study also found that perpetrators were also more likely to have been themselves the victim of sexual abuse or had adverse experiences as a child, to have anxiety, depression and binge drinking.

Stop It Now! Australia, the country’s only helpline for people sexually attracted to children, helped develop the study. It found that about one-third of men with sexual feelings towards children wanted help.

Georgia Naldrett, clinical manager at the helpline, called for governments to invest in initiatives that address boys and men who report “troubling thoughts and behaviours”.

Now 77, Reo spent years fighting for compensation even after proving the offending took place.

She said the offending had lifelong deleterious effects on her, but urged victims to seek therapeutic support and guidance.

“You can get through it, and you can live a normal life. You can get it into perspective to the point where … you don’t relive it and … you’re not having nightmares any more,” she said.

Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html


[scotianostra]

On 18th December 1661, the ‘Elizabeth of Burntisland’ sank while returning 85 barrels of historic records to Scotland, after Oliver Cromwell removed them from Stirling Castle.

Among the state documents that went down with the Elizabeth were charters and records dating back to the reigns of King Robert the Bruce and his son King David II.

But why were these important historic documents being shipped north from London in a storm? To answer that question we must go back to 1650 and Oliver Cromwell’s military campaign into Scotland.

In 1650, Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army entered Scotland after the Scottish parliament, led by Covenanters, declared Charles II king. The defending forces were no match for Cromwell’s army of well-trained and well-provisioned professional soldiers. The Scots suffered severe losses as the city and castle of Edinburgh fell.

The Records of Scotland were held in a special register house in Edinburgh. After its capture the state and legal papers were allowed to be moved to Stirling Castle for safekeeping.

The precious archive, however, was not safe for long. In August 1651, Cromwell’s military commander, General Monck, laid siege to Stirling Castle. Monck set up artillery around the castle, including in a nearby churchyard, “whence for three days a fire was kept up causing considerable damage to the Castle.” When the Castle fell, Cromwell’s forces, carried off their ‘spoils of war.’ These included not only the Earl of Mar’s coronet and robes but also the national records.

The records were sent to the Tower of London, Cromwell may have wanted to have all records of his new ‘commonwealth’ in one archive, or he may have wished to demonstrate his power over a subjugated nation. Either way, it became very difficult to bring any legal cases in Scotland with the records in England.

After the restoration of Charles II in 1660, arrangements were made for the records to be returned to Edinburgh. However, a series of ill thought out decisions were to lead to their destruction.

Firstly, the ship carrying the records was due to sail during a period of particularly stormy weather. Secondly, it was well known that the Elizabeth of Burntisland was not the most seaworthy of vessels. Her Captain was reluctant to take the precious cargo. Ultimately, the Elizabeth was loaded with two tonnes of papers stored in 85 barrels.

The Captain’s apprehension was justified when the ship began to take on water off Northumbria. She sank, taking with her barrels of Scottish Royal charters and legal documents, documents whose loss leaves a hole in Scottish archives to this day.

[princessanneftw]

“Also playing a key role in the new reign, in her customary understated way, will be the Princess Royal. One look at the official Coronation photographs is proof of that. While the King has the Queen on his left, it is his sister who stands at his right-hand side. One of the three members of the family who regularly performs investitures, along with the King and the Prince of Wales, the Princess has also now been added to the roster of senior royal mourners. It means that she can attend important world funerals if the Prince of Wales is unable to attend (as happened after the death of ex-King Constantine of the Hellenes in January 2023).

Even more understated is her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. His distinguished Royal Navy career has been followed by multiple leadership roles in institutions ranging from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to private sector bodies like the Major Projects Association, often during periods of change. As the National Trust found itself caught up in the full force of the ‘culture wars’ through its handling of issues such as slavery and the sexuality of former stately homeowners, it’s main rival, English Heritage, did not. It, too, looks after hundreds of castles, monuments and swathes of countryside plus all the blue plaques on important buildings. In addition, it was also undergoing a fundamental transformation from government agency to national charity. As its two-term chairman, Laurence was at the helm throughout what could have been a turbulent - yet it proved not to be. While he has no official royal role, and has never sought one, he is widely respected across the Royal Household as a wise sounding board and the proverbial ‘safe pair of hands’. In September 2023, with a minimum of fanfare, he received his first patronage when he was appointed patron of the International Maritime Rescue Federation. With the Princess now enjoying an enhanced role, life is unlikely to slow down for this low-key, non-royal, royal consort.”

‘Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story’ by Robert Hardman (2024).