Tours, Football, and Mary-ness
"I’m at home here, I belong here..." - Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
You guys… what a week! Let’s dive in…
#RoyalVisitPakistan
We finally have details on Will and Kate’s upcoming visit to Pakistan!
The UK’s links with Pakistan are extensive, and Their Royal Highnesses are looking forward to building a lasting friendship with the people of Pakistan.
Christian Jones, their Communications Secretary, held a press briefing at Kensington Palace and revealed that their trip would take place over 1,000 km of the country, touching “the modern leafy capital Islamabad, to the vibrant city of Lahore, the mountainous countryside in the North, and the rugged border regions to the West.”
I’m very excited to see the landscapes of Pakistan - from what I’ve Googled, it looks like a beautiful country.
On Wednesday, Will and Kate paid a visit to the Aga Khan Centre in London to meet with members of the Pakistani Diaspora living in the UK, touching upon many areas of culture and business.
Their upcoming visit will touch upon the areas of youth, access to education (particularly for girls and women), climate change, and security and politics.
One of their top strengths as a couple is navigating sensitive diplomatic tours like this (remember how it was William who toured the Middle East last year and not Charles?). Given the complexity of this tour, I’m excited to see how they handle it.
Much of their trip will be embargoed until the day of, as this is the “most complex tour undertaken by The Duke and Duchess to date, given the logistical and security considerations.”
It’s going to be a pain for royal watchers to figure out where they are each day - I’m betting the press pack won’t be able to post photos on their social media teasing what’s ahead until it’s been announced.
You can read the full statement here.
#RoyalVisitSouthernAfrica
Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan just wrapped up their 10-day tour of Southern Africa, which was a smashing success.
Click here to watch a video from the sussexroyal Instagram that looks back at the highlights of their tour.
The coverage was positive. Meghan made savvy sartorial choices. All of her speeches were powerful. We got to see little Archie. Harry did a lot of great work for conservation and land-mine awareness. There was a lot of love for Diana. We got to see the beautiful landscapes of South Africa, Angola, Malawi, and Botswana. Their causes were highlighted. The people were highlighted. All in all, a great tour.
And then…
A bombshell lawsuit dropped on the Mail On Sunday that completely overshadowed the last day of the tour. My thoughts on this are complex. I keep thinking to myself, like “This…” and then I think “Well, what about that…”
What I want to state very firmly is that I’m on Meghan’s side here. I don’t question her right to file suit (stemming from a private letter published in the Mail On Sunday that she’d sent to her father), and I hope for her sake that it’s resolved speedily and that she gets the outcome she wants, even if Harry’s statement acknowledges that “Though this action may not be the safe one, it is the right one.”
Like, just when I think “The timing could’ve been better,” I read that their hands were kind of forced with timing. Or, “not all of their press coverage is bad,” then I think “Well, a lot of it is.” Then: “Well, some of it is valid criticism, like the private jets and the baby shower,” but then “but some of it isn’t, and I can see how that would be stressful to have to live through, especially while pregnant, especially while raising a newborn, especially when you’ve given up your life to marry a prince in the most visible royal family in the world.”
And then, majorly, most importantly: “She gets blamed for everything yet Andrew’s still around carrying out engagements like there aren’t a bazillion red flags currently waving in his direction for issues and relationships that are ten-thousand-times worse than anything anyone else in the Royal Family has ever done or likely will ever do.”
I can’t pretend to know how it feels. It’s a terrible situation they’re in. But, like I said, I hope they get the outcome they’re hoping for. Until then, we’ll all be waiting to see how it plays out.
Kensington Corner
BREAKING:
Prince George and Princess Charlotte were at the Aston Villa football match this afternoon with Will and Kate. No Prince Louis, but I assume he had conference calls he couldn’t reschedule.
Once again, they had a lot of engagements were conducted behind the scenes. William was the only one out and about again after their visit to the Aga Khan Centre on Wednesday.
On Thursday, he visited the H B Allen Centre at Keble College at Oxford to open the facility (see below for robotic dorkness), then paid a visit to the Royal Air Force Brize Norton.
On Wednesday, after their visit to the Aga Khan Centre, they received Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for an audience at Kensington Palace.
On Tuesday, William held a meeting for The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge; then he and Kate hosted a reception for the Foundation; hosted another reception for the finalists of BBC Radio One’s Teen Hero Awards; and then both attended another meeting for the Foundation.
Nothing formally announced is on the docket for next week, but World Mental Health Day is Thursday and I’ll be shocked if they don’t do something publicly to mark the occasion.
A HUGE HONOUR FOR MARY
Big news out of Denmark: Crown Princess Mary has been named “rigsforstander”, which means that she can stand in as head of state when Queen Margrethe or Crown Prince Frederik are out of the country.
Photo: KELD NAVNTOFT, THE ROYAL HOUSE
She is the first person of non-royal blood to be awarded the honour (Queen Ingrid was also able to be the “rigsforstander” but she was a blood princess of Sweden prior to marriage).
Currently, Crown Prince Frederik can stand in as regent for his mother, and Prince Joachim and Princess Benedikte can acts as “rigsforstander” as well. There hasn’t been any indication on where Mary falls in the line-up, but time will tell. (Kongehuset)
Elsewhere
Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel attended a memorial service for the Estonia disaster in 1994, when a passenger ferry crashed and 852 people were killed. (Royal Central)
The Norwegian State Opening of Parliament was this week (known as the Storting in Norwegian), attended by King Harald, Queen Sonja, and Crown Prince Haakon:
It was also the Danish State Opening of Parliament, attended by Queen Margrethe, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, and Princess Benedikte:
Queen Máxima paid a visit to MIND:
The Court Jeweller did a round-up of the jewellery Meghan wore in South Africa.
Prince Charles, who has probably the most soothing voice I’ve ever heard, did a poetry reading for National Poetry Day on BBC Radio 2:
Speaking of Prince Charles, he and Camilla were in Scotland:
And Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece is trying to win brownie points from me by posting a photo of him at a Queen concert:
Dork of the Week
Normally I only deal in gifs, but this video is too good to pass up.
William meeting Bam Bam the robot at the H B Allen Centre at Oxford on Thursday. Watch to hear their hilarious exchange:
See you next week!