Royal News Roundup: Harry Appears in the U.K., Charles Gets a New Title & Elizabeth Receives a Surprise from Her Grandkids
Published Nov 20, 2020
•2:56pm
Here, all the royal news you need to know for the week of November 20, 2020.
- We learned last week that the Cambridge kids have one major Christmas event to look forward to with their Grandma Middleton. To keep with their holiday tradition, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will take part in a virtual tree decorating with Kate Middleton’s side of the family, according to the Duchess of Cambridge’s mother, Carole, who revealed the plan in an Instagram post.
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Prince Charles rang in his birthday over the weekend and while he received tons of public well-wishes from his loved ones, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were noticeably mum on the subject. Though a handful of the Duke of Cornwall’s royal family members sent him public messages of love and “Happy Birthdays,” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex appeared to have opted to do so in private.
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JJ Chalmers, a former royal marine and contestant on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, received quite the surprise last week. While training with his dance partner, Amy Dowden, Chalmers's close pal, Prince Harry, called into the show to support him, marking Harry's first (virtual) U.K. appearance since he and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down from their royal duties earlier in 2020.
Prince Charles rang in his birthday over the weekend and while he received tons of public well-wishes from his loved ones, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were noticeably mum on the subject. Though a handful of the Duke of Cornwall’s royal family members sent him public messages of love and “Happy Birthdays,” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex appeared to have opted to do so in private.
JJ Chalmers, a former royal marine and contestant on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, received quite the surprise last week. While training with his dance partner, Amy Dowden, Chalmers's close pal, Prince Harry, called into the show to support him, marking Harry's first (virtual) U.K. appearance since he and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down from their royal duties earlier in 2020.
- On Wednesday, Prince Charles added yet another title to his already extensive resume. The 72-year-old royal has agreed to become the Patron of Barts Heritage in honor of the upcoming 900th anniversary of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. The Prince of Wales’s patronage period will cover the current $19 million fundraising appeal for restoring the historic North Wing and the Henry VIII Gatehouse on the hospital’s Smithfield site.
- We also learned this week that Princess Diana had not one, but two, infamous sheep sweaters. On a recent episode of the Royally Obsessed podcast, royal author Elizabeth Holmes elaborates on her discovery: “That black sheep sweater is such an iconic piece from her wardrobe... I was looking at the images and thought, ‘Wait a second, is that sheep facing a different way? Did Diana have a second sweater?’” Turns out, she did, due to damage to the first one.
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Sophie, Countess of Wessex, recently posted a video on the Royal Family’s Instagram account where she’s doing some extreme baking. The recipe? Cheese and bacon scones, yum! But here’s where it gets more complicated: The Countess’s efforts were tied to Girl Guiding’s #ActYourAge campaign in the U.K.—she’s president of the org—which challenges participants to take their age and do something good with it. That means Sophie had to whip up a whopping 55 scones.
- In her new book HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style, Elizabeth Holmes shed new light on the meaning behind Queen Elizabeth’s penchant for hats. Holmes spoke to British historian Robert Lacey, who explained, "Very few modern women wear a hat as part of their work uniform, aside from perhaps members of the armed forces...It's a reminder that the Queen is indentured to a service, to a job."
- Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are celebrating their 73rd anniversary today. And in honor of the major event, the royal family shared a new portrait of Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh on its social media platforms. Not to mention, the royal couple received a personal card made by Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Sophie, Countess of Wessex, recently posted a video on the Royal Family’s Instagram account where she’s doing some extreme baking. The recipe? Cheese and bacon scones, yum! But here’s where it gets more complicated: The Countess’s efforts were tied to Girl Guiding’s #ActYourAge campaign in the U.K.—she’s president of the org—which challenges participants to take their age and do something good with it. That means Sophie had to whip up a whopping 55 scones.
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