Welcome to The Royalist—all the latest royal news and gossip with Tom Sykes and Tim Teeman. For Beast Inside members only.
Harry, Meghan and the Confected Gender Fluid Royal Baby Panic
The Kensington Palace press team, already so far in Meghan’s bad books that she appears to have started a shadow press operation to get her message across, has scored a spectacular own goal this weekend by denying stories saying that Meghan and Harry were planning to raise a ‘gender-fluid’ baby.
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It all stems from a story in Vanity Fair which quoted a source saying that Meghan and Harry would raise their baby without “imposing stereotypes” and with a “fluid approach to gender.” VF did not use the term ‘gender-fluid’ and made clear they understood the source meant the child would be raised with a progressive approach to gender; so, no pinks and blues, and easy on the Barbies and toy guns.
VF’s reporter, established royal biographer Katie Nicholl, contacted the palace for comment, of which there was none, and published the story in good faith. The tabloids then picked up on the story, and began running online stories saying that Meghan and Harry were planning to ‘raise’ a gender-fluid baby, clearly seeking to exploit LGBT prejudices and ignorance among their readers.
Once the story had gone everywhere, completely dominating the news feeds of royal fans for 24 hours, the palace finally stepped in, telling Hello! magazine, “This story is totally false.”
It is incredibly unfair to not deny a story to a reporter when they ask for comment, then trash their story 24 hours later to another outlet. The intervention also makes a mockery of the much vaunted royal press policy of “never complain, never explain.” Most importantly of all, however, the intervention is pointless. The story is out there and it’s too late to lock the stable door.
If the palace don’t want to engage with us ink-stained wretches, OK. But if they do, maybe it is time to sign the operation over to some of Meghan’s contacts who actually understand how—and how fast—the media works these days.
Baby rumors
Us Weekly claims a source says that while Meghan was at her baby shower in New York City earlier this month, she told her friends it was a boy. Guests were also seen carrying blue wrapped gifts into the hotel. But then a lot of pink flowers were also seen being delivered. Upshot: nobody knows.
She may have been lauded by Her Majesty for her ceaseless work ethic, but Meghan will soon be preparing to take a step back from front-line royal duties as she prepares for the birth. More mystery, as always, with the royals, surrounds her exact due date, but Meghan herself said she was six months pregnant in January, leading to speculation that the baby was due in late April or very early May.
Given that she flew to Morocco last week, the Royalist estimates that she was then likely a minimum of eight weeks away from her official due date; may we therefore be so bold as to suggest that May Day would be an auspicious date of birth for the newest member of the royal family?
Tabloid Shocker: Babies Grow
In other pregnancy news, The Daily Express reports, based on observation of Meghan wearing a clingy kaftan in Morocco that Meghan’s belly button has ‘popped’ into an outie. They have been able to establish, by poring over old photos of her, that Meghan used to have ‘innie’. The Express adds, helpfully that the belly button is now sticking out because, “the baby is growing.”
Kate: I’m feeling broody
Whether or not Meghan is to blame, rumors that Kate Middleton is thinking of having another child just won’t go away. And she did nothing to quell them this week when the 37-year-old mother of three said she was feeling “broody” as she met a 5-month-old baby during her and Prince William’s tour of Belfast on Thursday. Kate told James Barr’s father Alan: “He’s gorgeous. It makes me feel broody.”
“Baby number four?” inquired Alan.
Kate replied with: “I think William would be a little worried.”
Veterans of family life will note that she did not say, “Four kids? Are you insane. No. No way. No way ever.”
Royal Fashion Watch
Anything they can do… at the start of the week, Meghan and Harry won plaudits for their words and demeanor during their high-profile trip to Morocco. Meghan looked both casual and glamorous in a series of outfits, including this fabulous caftan-echoing Dior gown.
Suddenly, after this successful, good-looking display of royal diplomacy, William and Kate took a sudden, just-as-photogenic trip to Belfast, celebrating young people and their achievements... and where Kate stunned in this Missoni dress.
This week in royal history
A reminder of bloody times past. On March 9, 1566, David Rizzio, the Italian secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots, was murdered in her presence at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Rizzio’s presence was always controversial; as Undiscovered Scotland sketches out, some courtiers were convinced he was a spy, while Lord Darnley, Mary’s second husband, was reputedly jealous of Rizzio and helped conspire to kill him as part of what would be a failed coup against his own wife. Rizzio was stabbed 57 times, with Lord Darnley’s dagger left in his body. Darnley himself was murdered the following year, most likely by Mary’s third husband, James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell.
The royals this week
Harry will be one of the guests at we.org’s 6th annual WE Day on Tuesday. We is a global initiative to encourage young people to take part in positive social change.
On Friday, International Woman’s Day, Meghan has what is expected to be one of her last public appearances before the baby arrives, joining a panel discussion convened by the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust to discuss a range of issues affecting women today. Expect the usual chorus of confected outrage if she dares to have an opinion.
