#Platinum Jubilee Tour 2022

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Duchess of Cambridge's Caribbean Tour Wardrobe

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge began their week-long visit to Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas on March 19-26, 2022.

Officially, the trip was meant to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, celebrating 70 years on the throne.

[kate-royal-style-world]

A Royal Recycling (part 262)

Roksanda Ilinčić 

[world-of-wales]

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY TO THE SWEETEST AND SASSIEST QUEEN, HRH PRINCESS CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH DIANA OF WALES (B. 2 MAY 2015) ♡

On 2 May 2015, Princess Charlotte was born to Catherine and William, then known as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in St Mary's Hospital, London, at 8.34 BST weighing 8 pounds and 3 ounces. She was born during the reign of her paternal great-grandmother Elizabeth II is the second child and only daughter of Will & Cat. The little princess' name was announced on 4 May as Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. Charlotte is the feminine version of her paternal grandfather's name - Charles & also her aunt Pippa's middle name. Elizabeth honours her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, and is also the middle name of her grandmother Carole and her mum Catherine. Diana is in honour of her late paternal grandmother, Princess Diana. Lottie was nine weeks old when she was christened by the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, on 5 July, at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham. She wore the handmade replica of the Royal Christening Robe, and the Lily Font and water from the River Jordan were used during the baptism. Charlotte spent the first two years of her life at Anmer Hall in Norfolk, before relocating to Kensington Palace in 2017. She started at Willcocks Nursery School in 2018 and later joined her brother George at Thomas's School in Battersea in 2019. In 2022, Lottie and her family relocated to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, after which she started at Lambrook School with her siblings. Born as a Princess of Cambridge, she became HRH Princess Charlotte of Wales after her grandfather conferred her parents with the titles of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Charlotte who is currently third in line to the throne, made history as the first British princess to outrank a brother in the line of succession. She made her official royal debut at the Trooping of Colour in 2016 and since then has accompanied her parents and brothers for engagements and events. Charlotte joined her parents on official tours to Canada, Germany, and Poland. Taking part in two royal weddings, Lottie has also been a part of her great-grandmother's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022 and her grandfather's coronation in 2023. Charlotte is a nature pixie, and is a keen rugby and tennis player. She loves gymnastics & acrobatics and does amazing cartwheels & handstands. She adores dancing, especially Tap & Ballet and has a passion for theater, putting on shows for her family at home. Lottie loves Pizza and Olives (that's a queen, right there). She's an excellent footballer, which her father was sure to mention to the Lionesses, who she is a big fan of during a visit.

[princesscatherineblog]

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge during a traditional Garifuna festival on the second day of the Platinum Jubilee Royal Tour of the Caribbean on March 20, 2022 in Hopkins, Belize. 

[kingwilliamv]

Prince William and Catherine, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit Caracol, an ancient Mayan archaeological site deep in the jungle of the Chiquibul forest in Caracol, Belize, on the third day of their Platinum Jubilee tour of the Caribbean. — 21 March 2022

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

There's not much time left before Trooping the Colour, but there's still no PR! Interesting… They became completely silent, which is also strange. Still, the “tour” didn't go as they expected, apparently.

They didn’t do the “will they/won’t they” for Trooping last year either.

To remind everyone…

2020: Trooping scaled way down for COVID, held at Windsor Castle with only The Queen attending.

2021: Trooping still scaled down for COVID, held at Windsor Castle again, The Queen and Duke of Kent attended. (The Sussexes’ “will they/won’t they” PR began in January after The Times announced The Queen had invited them and the Sussexes were keen to go (which doesn’t make sense because surely they knew they were having a baby the week before, right? So even if no one else knew about the pregnancy - and no one did since it wasn’t announced until Feb 14th - they should’ve just demurred and said ‘we’ll consider it’ instead of just leaping straight to ‘yes, absolutely, we’ll come’) and kept it up off and on throughout the winter before going silent right after it was announced in March that it was another scaled back Trooping at Windsor.)

2022: Platinum Jubilee. Carriages and balcony appearances only for “Magnificent 7” working royals; everyone else in minibuses and fly past party on a rooftop viewing platform at the back of the palace. Harry and Meghan papped with Anne’s kids at Trooping, later not seen in Eugenie’s IG footage from the rooftop viewing party. (The Sussexes at Trooping/Jubilee events follows about 3 months of “will they/won’t they” PR and a drop-in visit to Windsor en route to The Hague for Invictus Games that many speculated was to negotiate terms for attending the Jubilee.)

2023: Carriages and balcony appearances for working royals only. (There was about 2-3 months of “will they/won’t they” PR between the Sussexes and Charles leading up to the coronation in May, and then complete radio silence afterwards on Trooping.)

2024: Scheduled for June 15. “the whole family is invited” announcement from Buckingham Palace; Charles expected to be in a carriage; Kate probably not appearing; and fly past may be scaled down due to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight being paused after last weekend’s accident

So for me, something happened between 2022 and 2023 Troopings that made them stop. Maybe they were told off? Maybe they were given money in return for silence? Maybe something happened at 2022 that made someone say “no more, you’re done, bugger off”? 🤷‍♀️

[princesscatherinemiddleton]

HRH the Princess of Wales in 2022 ♛  

inspired by …

The queen of my heart, love of my life and light of my world has actually had her best royal year yet. Catherine became the Princess of Wales shortly after the death of Queen Elizabeth II and also completed the most engagements she has ever completed within one year. Her early years work continued, with a visit to Denmark, engagements in Boston, numerous meetings and a roundtable convened to discuss the findings of the Centre for Early Childhood. In a similar vein, Catherine became Patron of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance and, for the first time, had a joint engagement with the Princess Royal. She became Patron of both the Rugby Football Union and the Rugby Football League, watching a Six Nations match and a World Cup match in her new role. Towards the end of the year, Catherine hosted her 'Together at Christmas' carol concert once again. Alongside her husband, the then-Duchess of Cambridge undertook a tour of the Caribbean for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, visiting Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas, where she met with a wide range of people. She was also a regular presence at the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, joining her children and stepmother-in-law in a carriage for Trooping the Colour, visiting Wales with her eldest children, and sitting next to little Louis during the Jubilee Pageant. This year, Catherine turned 40 and, in honour of this, released three official photographs of herself in Princess Mode. Later in the year, an official portrait of William and Catherine was unveiled in Cambridge. Sadly, we have had no further updates on Catherine’s love of textiles, although she did have a phone call with Jennifer Urquhart of Johnstons of Elgin for some mysterious reason...

[grandmaster-anne]

PRINCESS ANNE The Royal who can’t get enough of Australia

The Australian Women's Weekly

By Juliet Rieden | Published 20 April 2022

The Princess Royal is famously pegged as the British monarchy’s hardest working royal because of the hundreds of engagements she carries out each year, so it came as no surprise that Her Royal Highness was the first member of the House of Windsor to fly out to Australian shores when border restrictions lifted.

True to form, the three-day tour, followed by a hop over to Papua New Guinea to mark the Platinum Jubilee, was carried out at a frenetic pace. But with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, by her side, the Queen’s only daughter was in her element reconnecting with a part of the world she tells me she has always loved.

The Princess was ostensibly here for a working visit as patron of the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth (RASC) for its bicentenary. To mark the occasion the royal couple had been invited to the opening ceremony of the Sydney Royal Easter Show, spending the whole day at the showgrounds.

Palace aides then tailored a bespoke program of engagements to touch on other key areas of interest for the Princess, especially talking to members of frontline services for fire and floods. “My husband’s brother lives at Lismore. Fortunately, up the hill. We’ve been kept in touch with the flooding,” she explains in my exclusive interview in England in advance of the tour. “I have to say it’s one of the things about the Sydney Show which I think brings together so much of the impact of what’s been happening, the extreme of the fires you’ve suffered and the floods. Sir Tim and I are working farmers so very much appreciate the opportunity to visit the Sydney Show.”

Princess Anne first visited back in 1970 and today she and Sir Tim arrived at the opening ceremony in the same historic horse-drawn calèche that 52 years earlier she had climbed into with her parents, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, and elder brother Prince Charles. That trip was the young Princess’s first major overseas tour and also the first time the now ubiquitous ‘walkabout’ had been tested in Australia.

This was the groundbreaking new way the royal family connected with the public, no longer standing on ceremony, but heading out into the crowds to meet people face-to-face. While it is now considered a cornerstone of royal tours, for the shy 19-year-old such encounters proved intimidating. “To be faced with a wall of strange faces, which may look very friendly at the time, but where do you start the conversation? That is quite a daunting prospect,” she confesses, smiling at the memory.

“We started the trip further south, so the introduction to the walkabout was in Melbourne. Sydney was a lot more buzzy, and of course, in a way the Easter Show is exactly the right place to go when you first go to Australia because there is everything that is Australian there and people from all over the country. It is a huge introduction to Australia; a really good place to start.”

Despite the anxiety of fronting up to crowds – which were huge – the Princess’s passion for the Show was ignited that day. “I was really delighted when my father asked me to succeed him as Patron of the RASC,” she said on this visit and her fervour was clear to see.

The Princess insisted on staying on foot in the showgrounds rather than being chauffeured in a buggy, so she could chat to as many people as possible. As she strode through the crowds she was greeted by excited faces and gasps of delight. And when she was called on to hand out ribbons for prize-winning calves and rosettes to youngsters involved in Riding for the Disabled, of which she is also the patron, she eagerly shared her knowledge of farming and rural life.

Watching from the sidelines, it was obvious that the royal has an army of fans in Australia. Indeed, as soon as her attendance was announced some weeks before the visit, ticket sales soared. Usually it is the following Easter weekend that is most popular, but the star power of the Princess Royal pushed April 9 to the top of the show’s sales’ charts, with 55,000 through the gates that day.

As a member of the royal family, crowds are an occupational hazard, but I wonder if the Princess still found them as confronting today. “It’s always interesting – because you just find people with stories to tell. So yes, I’m less daunted but maybe approach it slightly differently. Of course, weirdly, technology rather gets in the way now because whereas in those days [there was] the odd camera – now if you’re not careful it’s a wall of phones and you can’t actually see anybody,” she laughs.

Back in 1970 Princess Anne watched and learned from her parents, a necessary process of osmosis that formed her initiation into a life of service. “We’d been away for a while by then so we were getting into the swing of it. I think there is no way they [the Queen and the Duke] could have prepared you for just how tiring it gets. Suddenly you find that you’ve woken up in the middle of the night having a nightmare that you’re standing in the middle of a reception and you can’t speak. That creeps up on you and I think you just learn to pace yourself. I can now sleep in any form of transport, which does help!”

Choosing the right wardrobe was another learning curve. On that first trip the Princess’s hat was caught in a gust of wind and reporters famously heard her utter “bloody wind”, a comment which fuelled the tabloids. “Milliners do things which make perfect sense when you’re standing still inside; it makes slightly less sense when you’re outside in a draught, especially when it’s blowing from behind you, but that’s experience, as they say. These things you learn how to deal with.”

Another sartorial lesson adopted from her mother was putting weights in skirt hems. “For some materials that was an absolute necessity. It’s fine if you want to wear light clothes but airports, always breezy, never a good idea, so you find some way of dealing with that. It’s a very old-fashioned habit. You wouldn’t find it much now unless you actually asked or had things specifically made.”

Prince Charles had been to school in Australia at Geelong’s Timbertop and was already a fan of our outdoor lifestyle, ocean swimming and surfing. “We did go to his school in Geelong and I had a chance to meet some of his friends,” the Princess recalls. “I rather envied him that opportunity, I have to say. I could have done with seeing a bit more [of Australia].”

Nevertheless, on that first trip the Princess did manage to fit in her own private time out. “I was race riding at the time and I actually went out and rode for three days. From my perspective it was trying to keep fit because I was coming back to riding at home so I didn’t really want to spend a week sitting on my backside doing nothing. I rode a horse that had been in the Australian [1968 Mexico Olympics] team in Centennial Park in Sydney. That was, in retrospect, one of the bravest things I’ve ever done but he was a lovely horse,” she tells me.

Why brave? “Because I jumped some of the fences there,” she beams.

Princess Anne is adamant that agricultural shows like the Easter Show still have relevance. “The great thing about the Sydney show is since it first began it’s been bringing people [together] learning about Australia and how to be more successful in farming to build on its strengths in that time,” she explains. “The emphasis will have shifted [and] we certainly found in this country that agricultural shows have made a bit of a comeback because they’ve recognised that it is not so much about the farming community that needs to be stuck together, it’s introducing and making sure people understand farming who no longer have that automatic connection.

“Two hundred years ago everybody would have understood perfectly what the shows are trying to do, but that would have been a market, somewhere where you could promote how good you were in front of other farmers. Now, it’s more a question of educating populations as to the issues and challenges that farming faces.”

On the second day of the tour the Princess was eager to meet with Rural Fire Service volunteers and pay her respects to the families of two firefighters who had tragically lost their lives in the 2019 bushfires. It was emotional for Errol O’Dwyer who held his son Andrew’s framed photo as he talked to the Princess. Standing next to him was Andrew’s little girl, Charlotte, who was just 19 months old when her father died aged 35. In her speech the Princess highlighted the impact of loss on a community and the risks volunteers take on. She had no notes and spoke from the heart.

Afterwards she visited the Sea Heritage Foundation’s MV Cape Don, a lighthouse tender vessel under restoration, where her brother’s charity, Prince’s Trust Australia, is partnering with an initiative to train First Nations’ youth in the maritime industry. The Princess and former naval officer Sir Tim were fascinated by the ship and the project. “I think there’s the scope for making use of the history to inspire the next generations, because we’re all short of maritime workers,” she comments.

In a few weeks the Princess Royal will be joining the celebrations for Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee and inevitably our conversation turns to her mother’s legacy. “It’s a very difficult thing to put your finger on. I doubt if there’s a single description that would fit the bill,” she muses. “There is an element of constancy here in terms of attitude to service and recognition of service, the values that individuals bring ... I think she’s been able to support that and bring those people to the fore in a way that is so important.

“[Likewise] The Queen and I had a discussion the other day about the difference between fashion and style and I think maybe that’s relevant in the sense that she didn’t do fashion but she certainly does style, and style tends to last longer. You have an individual style and it’s a quality which has a long-term value.”

And while the longevity of Her Majesty’s reign is historic, her sheer volume of knowledge is also quite mind-blowing. “Yes, when you tot up the number of leaders of countries and her own prime ministers, that’s a quite extraordinary perspective.

“Her memories and understanding of each of those was they reach that point and the impact they can make – but equally having the ability to recognise that every individual could do it slightly differently. That may be part of the value. We’re not all the same.”

The Princess’s father was her mother’s “strength and stay” and now he’s gone, his contribution is fully recognised. “Unwavering support is probably the best way of describing it,” his daughter notes. “I think he also understood the things he was better staying out of – although it was quite difficult in the early days – but there were also distinct areas where he could help and did. His input and perspective and the fact that his travels took him to a slightly different area of the country and internationally could have a real impact. I think he learned how to distinguish when those moments were.” The Princess concedes that her father would have had a tough initiation. “I’m sure it wasn’t very easy to begin with because there was no such thing as a role then. He had to invent that one.”

When I ask what lessons she has learned from her mother, Princess Anne returns to the idea of style. “Maybe it is that style in the long term and the way you do things, remaining constant. I think it’s the way you treat people, with respect for individuals. When you’ve been around for long enough and people keep changing at the top of your organisations, if you’ve had a good relationship, a bit like prime ministers, you need to accept the next one because that isn’t necessarily the only way of doing anything. There are moments when you think, ‘are you sure that’s what you ought to be doing?’, but you have to stand back and let them get on.”

When the Queen was crowned, her daughter was second in line to the throne; today she’s 17th behind her younger brothers. It’s a gender penalty that is no longer applied and many feel it should be fixed retrospectively to reflect The Princess Royal’s unfailing sense of duty and service that, at 71, is as strong as ever.

But Princess Anne says she feels her gender has never been an obstacle. “I have been treated as an honorary man for a lot of my life. I did take part in a sport which didn’t have any gender balance. It was open to both, end of story. So, I had the benefit of being treated equally … although oddly enough when I first went to Australia I found a difference, the men went down one end of the room and the women went up the other. I didn’t think that was entirely appropriate.”

Now, Princess Anne thinks Australia has moved on and it’s a place she never tires of visiting. “I think Australia remains as one of the most attractive places to go to, for whatever reason – work or leisure.” 

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Penman47 asked: Please explain why Prince Harry was stripped of his service medals by the queen. I have always heard that Harry served with distinction so what happened? Any idea how members of the armed forces felt about this action?

No, not quite true. There is a confusion between medals and titles.

Harry has not been stripped of his service medals - those earned in actual military service. But he was stripped of his honorific titles which was part of the deal/price (delete as appropriate) when he decided to step down as a working royal and make a new life with his wife, Meghan Markle, and pursue other life goals. Honorific titles are totally at the pleasure of HM Queen Elizabeth II - she can giveth and she can taketh away, so to speak.

Let’s unpack this a bit more.

Prince Harry spent ten years in the British Army. After passing out of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he was first commissioned as a Cornet (second lieutenant) with the  (Blues and Royals regiment (Household Cavalry) and later in the Army Air Corps as an Apache combat co-pilot, where he rose to the rank of Captain. He served in Afghanistan on two tours on the frontline and shared the same risks as everyone on the frontline. As a consequence he was awarded the Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan in 2008, as all soldiers who served did. In 2002, Prince Harry was also given the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal which was awarded to active personnel in the British Armed Forces and Emergency Personnel who had completed 5 years of qualifying service. In 2012 he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. This was a was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. I think about 450,000 medals were awarded only to members of HM Armed Forces (regular and reserves) who had served longer than five years.

In 2015, Prince Harry was made Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO). The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the reigning British monarch. It was awarded at the discretion of the Queen. She clearly thought Harry merited such an award for his years of royal service. In other words, he earned it as a royal.

In February 2022 Prince Harry was awarded the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal which is a commemorative medal created to mark the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. It was awarded to people across many walks of life and professions. Within the Armed forces, it was given to personnel who had completed 5 years of service by 2022. It was also given to members of the Royal Household with at least one year of service.

Prince Harry was also given other foreign awards such as the Order of Isabella the Catholic by Spain in 2017.

So one way or another Prince Harry earned his medals, in or out of uniform. In other words, as a civilian, he has every right to wear his earned medals and show justifiable pride in them - as any veteran might.

Titles are another thing entirely. Members of the Royal Family all have honorific titles that have links to the armed forces in one way or another. These honorific titles are given to working royals are done solely at the pleasure of HM Queen Elizabeth II. In other words, a royal doesn’t need to have done military service to be honoured in such a way.

Take one of my favourite royals, Anne, Princess Royal. She has received promotions to the rank of General in the Army and to Air Chief Marshal in the RAF and then later rank of Admiral in the Royal Navy. This follows the long-standing convention of military promotions for working members of the Royal Family. She also holds honorific titles in various regiments such as colonel of the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) and colonel-in-chief of the King’s Royal Hussars, Royal Army Veterinary Corps, Royal Corps of Signals, the Royal Logistical Corps etc etc. She also acts as honorary patron of many military themed associations such as the Special Forces Club. You get the idea. The point is soldiers or veterans are rightly proud of having Anne as their colonel-in-chief or as their patron even though she hasn’t served. She is a tireless and dedicated servant and is an accomplished woman in her own right.

So before his dramatic exit from royal life he held three various honorific titles from around 2006 to February 2022. These were: Captain General of the Royal Marines, Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington, and Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving, Royal Naval Command. By all accounts he was incredibly proud to serve in this capacity and he took it seriously, as one should do.

When he ceased to be a working royal and thus withdraw from royal public life, it was right and correct that he should return those honorific military titles back to the Crown. He is not entitled to wear the military uniform because he left the armed services after his two tours in Afghanistan. He could wear the uniform whilst he held the honorific titles as a working royal but that would come to and end when he stepped back from being a royal of course. As a civilian and as a non-royal he is of course - and should - wear his earned medals with pride.

People are getting worked up for nothing about Prince Harry and confusing medals and uniforms with royal protocols. As things stand only working members of the royal family who hold military rank are allowed to wear military uniforms. This explains why Prince Andrew - lest not forget before his sordid fall from grace was also a combat veteran who served as a Royal Navy pilot in the Falklands War - is also wearing a morning suit rather than a military uniform at his mother’s funeral. Like Prince Harry, he is wearing a morning suit and wearing his earned medals.

As to what army veterans think about this, I can’t speak for everyone of course. I can only say from the few conversations I have had with ex-comrades that I served with or other currently serving in the armed forces. All of them will agree what I’ve said here, which is what’s with all the fuss? Harry should wear his medals with pride as a veteran but shouldn’t wear the uniform because he’s a civilian, and not working royal.

When you add Meghan Markle and the whole media driven drama around their new lives in the US into the mix, then I’m afraid the opinions are quite divisive. That’s my polite way of saying they think it’s a shit show and many pity Prince Harry for being such a cuck.

I have a more charitable opinion however.

I have every fondness for Prince Harry. I can’t bring myself to say a bad word about him because, deep down I think he has a good heart. Sure, we all can make bad life choices - who hasn’t? - but fundamentally our character remains the same.

Moreover, unlike previous and present royals - with the exception of his grandfather, Prince Philip, who did active naval service during the Second World War and his uncle Prince Andrew, who as a naval officer flew Sea King helicopters during the Falklands War - he didn’t play the ceremonial toy soldier. After Eton he worked his arse off to get through Sandhurst and got commissioned with the Blues and Royals regiment. Trust me, as someone who has gone through Sandhurst, you do not get a free pass. You take your future role as an officer deadly seriously for serving men’s lives are in your hands. Upon the outbreak of war in Iraq, he was alleged to have said around 2006, “There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst and then sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country.”

So he fought so hard to go out and fight for Queen and Country as a royal. The military chiefs relented at first and then later got cold feet and pulled him out. But he did see active service with the British forces in Afghanistan with two tours. By all accounts he acquitted himself very well as a Forward Air Controller in Helmand Province and later as a co-pilot and gunner on Apache helicopters. I served in the Army Air Corps after his tour and by all accounts he was seen as a good egg. He was widely respected and accepted by rank and file because he was down to earth and never asked for special treatment.  He wasn’t a typical ‘Rupert’ - a squaddie’s nickname given to British army officers who typically came from privileged aristocratic backgrounds but were also ‘nice but dim witted’.

On top of his service, he went out of his way to establish the Invictus games which was for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans in 2014. People often overlook how invaluable these games are for veterans. Of course that’s where he met Meghan Markle and well, the rest is history, or a Netflix drama in the works.

At the end of the day, I wish people would cut some slack to Prince Harry himself. The poor man is here to mourn his beloved grandmother and yet has the misfortune to do so in the glare of millions. Many are watching every move to tease out any clue to fuel further scandals and bust ups. Frankly I find it all quite tawdry and disrespectful to the late Queen whose memory we’re supposed to be honouring.

Thanks for your question.

[duchesscambridges]

The Duchess of Cambridge arrives at a special reception hosted by the Governor General of Belize celebrating HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on Day 3 of the Caribbean Royal Tour on March 21, 2022.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Turning 40 is a milestone. But when Catherine Middleton, the then Duchess of Cambridge, celebrated hers on 9 January 2022, she could hardly have anticipated the seismic year on which she was about to embark.

There have been tiaras, tours, and a family relocation from London to Windsor.

Prince Louis, her youngest, has started school, and her sister, Pippa, welcomed her third child.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte joined their parents at high-profile sporting events and took part in their first royal walkabout to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee—a triumph of pomp and pageantry, which saw her young family shine under the glare of the global spotlight.

There have also been the explosive revelations shared by the Sussexes in their Netflix series and in Prince Harry’s autobiography, published tomorrow, some of which paint Catherine and her husband, Prince William, in an unfavorable light.

But each of these events pale in comparison to the profound sense of loss and moment of historic change sparked by the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

In the wake of Her Majesty’s passing, William and Catherine were granted the titles of the Prince and Princess of Wales, becoming the third and fourth most senior members of the Royal Family.

In doing so, their nine-year-old son, Prince George, became second-in-line to the throne.

The new titles sparked comparisons to Diana, the last Princess of Wales, though Catherine insisted she wanted to make the role her own.

The princess, who has been a queen-in-training since her wedding to William more than a decade ago, has embraced the role with expected ease.

She was the epitome of grace and dignity in the appearances surrounding Her Majesty’s funeral, has continued to champion early childhood development as the central pillar of her royal work, and has dazzled in a carousel of elegant ensembles (though royal aides have taken steps to make her royal wardrobe less of a focus of her public engagements).

There have been enormous expectations placed upon her shoulders, but for Catherine Middleton, this year has been her crowning moment. Who knows what her 41st year might hold?

[world-of-wales]

Catherine's Jewel Vault (16/∞) ♛

↬ 'Cha Cha' Mother-of-Pearl Single Drop Earrings

Maria Black's Cha Cha Earrings have accompanied Catherine on several important engagements from foreign tours to audiences with queens since she first wore them on the Early Years Working Trip to Denmark in February 2022.

The earrings features a mother-of-pearl bead hanging from a sterling silver huggie hoop that’s plated in 22-karat gold.

The earrings have been publically worn by Catherine on a few occasions including for an audience with Queen Margrethe & Crown Princess Mary, the Platinum Jubilee Tour of Jamaica, The Big Jubilee Lunch, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Service and the Pre-Coronation visit to Soho.

[princesscatherineblog]

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge on the second day of a Platinum Jubilee Royal Tour of the Caribbean on March 20, 2022 in Belize. 

[kingwilliamv]

Prince William and Catherine, The Duke and Princess of Cambridge attend the inaugural Commissioning Parade for service personnel from across the Caribbean at the Jamaica Defence Force in Kingston, on day six of the Platinum Jubilee Royal Tour of the Caribbean. — 24 March 2022

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Why are the Sussex twats suddenly obsessed with Central America and the Caribbean, they’ve been to Costa Rica twice now? And they were yachting in the Bahamas?

That’s a good question. I’ve given it some thought and here’s what I think.

1. Compared to many other places around the world, Central America is pretty inexpensive. We know the Sussexes don’t have the money they pretend they do so someplace cheap is their only option. And we know they can only afford cheap (or freebie) vacations because they aren’t going to the usual celeb hotspots like Cannes, the Med, Italy, or even Hawaii, like they were back in 2019 when they were still in the BRF.

2. They go where the money is. If they can be paid for appearing somewhere or have their vacations comped, they’re on the first flight. Remember, the December Costa Rica trip with the kids was totally comped by the resort they stayed at, which suggests it was a sponsorship in kind. The Sussexes stay there for free, Meghan calls the paps or the hotel calls the local press, and the hotel gets the publicity. And given their reputations, it’s going to be unknown entities (like the random Costa Rica resort) who’ll give Meghan everything she wants for a freebie vacation.

3. The Caribbean is probably because of the royal family. It’s two-pronged. First, any time they’re in the Caribbean having fun, the press reminds us of the disastrous Cambridge tour and the uncomfortable Wessex tour in 2022 for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Second, because any time the royal family goes to the Caribbean, Meghan can put out her “we did it first, they’re copying us” stories.

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Recycling old snits to kick Catherine again: Revealed: Meghan Markle's reality TV star friend Garcelle Beauvais made jibe at Kate Middleton for missing Lilibet's birthday by u/Von_und_zu_

Recycling old snits to kick Catherine again: Revealed: Meghan Markle's reality TV star friend Garcelle Beauvais made jibe at Kate Middleton for missing Lilibet's birthday Why is the DM prominently running this stupid story about this Garcelle person's comments uttered in June 2022, on E!'s Daily Pop talk show about her opinion as to the failure of William and Catherine to drop everything to attend the putative female child's birthday party in June 2022 during the Platinum Jubilee. And, I guess they also missed the chance to be photographed by sycophant Misan and appear in the NF mockumentary as photos from this "party" were splashed about strategically by Madame after the fact.Btw - am I the only person who does not have a clue about this Garcelle person? Just like I had never heard of Megsy until she had been dating Harold, I've never heard of her before the jam crap. Now, I consider her pre Markled and toxic.Garcelle Beauvais, known for her stint on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, has become the latest famous fance to join the exclusive 'jamfluencer' club alongside Chrissy Teigen, Heather Dorak, Tracy Robbins and Kris Jenner.Garcelle, who lives in Northridge which is a 80-minute drive to Montecito, has previously spoken about the royal family feud and opened up about her thoughts on The Prince and Princess of Wales.Garcelle said it was it was 'shady' for the future King and Queen to miss their niece Lilibet's first birthday, which she celebrated at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor in 2022 during the late Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee.On the day, Wiliam and Kate were in Wales representing his late grandmother by overseeing concert rehearsals at Cardiff Castle, joined by Prince George and Princess Charlotte - who undertook their first official royal walkabout.***However, Garcelle said it was it was 'shady' for the future King and Queen to miss their niece's birthday, despite being on official duty.The 57-year-old said: 'What's going on is, "What a coincidence, we're out of town, I'm washing my hair". There's a little shade there.' When she was asked whether the scheduling could be a coincidence, Garcelle replied: 'No. They can't hold back the flight a couple of hours to meet Lilibet and Archie?'The reality star has since proved her closeness to Meghan after she bagged herself jar number 15 of the royals' American Riviera Orchard Jam, and uploaded a picture of the jar resting on a bunch of vibrant, yellow lemons.She captioned the post 'Sweetness' with a lemon emoji and tagged the American Riviera Orchard Instagram. Only 50 of Meghan's closest celebrity pals got sent a limited edition jar of her jam as part of her 'soft launch' to the brand.What?! How charming to equate duty and royal engagements with the "I'm washing my hair" excuse. How thoughtful to suggest inconveniencing everyone involved with the long scheduled royal engagements in favor of a last minute birthday party for someone they do not know. Of course, William and Catherine, and the entire RF should have dropped everything to show up to celebrate this child's birthday! Because of course, Harold and Madame are more important than those peasants awaiting them in Wales!It is just incredible to me that they are finding this petty crap from years ago to keep them in the news, to kick the PPoW again, to distract from any criticism of their faux royal tour to Nigeria, etc.Also, it could not be more obvious to me that someone in Montegrifto prompted/wrote this article.https://ift.tt/28XPo5J post link: https://ift.tt/cRZa9ne author: Von_und_zu_ submitted: April 30, 2024 at 04:44PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.