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Meghan Returns—for ‘Trooping,’ Not Trump
Meghan Markle is back on royal duties, just days after President Trump's departure from U.K. shores.
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Saturday’s Trooping the Colour ceremony to mark the queen’s official birthday (she has two) marked the first time since the Windsor Castle photocall, where she introduced her son, Archie Harrison, to the world, that Meghan was seen in public.
She wore a navy Givenchy/Clare Waight Keller cape and dress and Noel Stewart hat, and was seen in a carriage ride alongside Harry, and on Buckingham Palace’s balcony alongside a multitude of royals.
Did her appearance prove that the official explanation for her decision not to meet President Trump during his state visit to the U.K.—that she was on maternity leave—wasn’t true? Whatever, she looked happy to be present at such a happy occasion.
Despite the fervent hopes of royal fans, Archie was not to be seen; however Meghan’s re-emergence into the public sphere has sparked interest in when the Duchess of Sussex will next present her son to the world. (She was also seen to be wearing a third ring on her finger, which some posited was an eternity ring.)
The best information that the Royalist has is that we may not have too long to wait. It would be odd if photographs of the nipper were not distributed to mark his christening, which is expected in the next few months.
Meghan and Harry Wedding Pictures ‘Hacked, Then Leaked’
Pictures of Meghan and Harry’s wedding day have been turning up on social media in recent days, apparently hacked (last September) from the computer of the couple’s wedding photographer Alexi Lubomirski. Hundreds of pictures were reportedly stolen.
The Sun reported a royal source saying, “Security was compromised... There was an online compromise. Pictures were hacked then leaked. There was an internal investigation but police weren’t involved. The situation has now been contained.”
The Sun also reported, rather forbiddingly, that “steps were quickly taken to ensure no further breaches could occur.”
Queen Could Get Sucked Into Britain’s Brexit Mess
As the U.K. struggles to extricate itself from the European Union, the key issue has been to find a deal which can muster majority support in the House of Commons.
Now Dominic Raab, one of the leading contenders to be the next prime minister after Theresa May announced she was standing down, has come up with a cracking wheeze to bring to pass his vision of a “hard Brexit”—leaving Parliament closed for a few months, so it’s not able to block the default legal position, which is to leave without a deal on Oct. 31.
There’s only one catch: To do so, the queen would have to sign off on the insane plan. Hannah White, deputy director of the Institute for Government, a think tank, told The Times that the move would risk embroiling HM in “a terrible conflict,” adding, “Asking the Queen to give effect to this strategy would draw her into a massive political debate—something which No 10 and the Palace are normally at great pains to avoid.”
No Plastic Prince
Prince Harry hates plastic, and has taken to admonishing hotel staff about its use (as we all should, really). On his recent trip to Rome to play polo for his Sentebale charity, he took hotel workers to task about the excessive use of plastic on coffee cups and dry cleaning.
Fellow polo player Nacho Figueras, who also took part in the game, told CBS This Morning, “He was there and we were at the hotel where we spent the night before the game. He talked to a person and said, ‘This morning I got my coffee and I saw that you have a plastic thing on the coffee. And then I also sent my shirt and I got my shirt in a big plastic bag.’
“So that’s this guy, OK. I don’t like to talk about that at all, that’s who he is.
“That’s who they are. No plastic.”
Royal Fashion Watch
Kate Middleton wore a lemon-colored Alexander McQueen coat dress with matching petalled fascinator by Philip Treacy at Trooping the Colour. Its fresh zing served as a palette refresher after all the Dynasty-era fashions as modeled by the visiting Trumps.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Prince Louis and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, seen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour, the queen’s annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019, in London.
James Devaney/GettyThis Week in Royal History
Prince Philip turns 98 on Monday. He was born in Corfu, Greece, on June 10, 1921. As fans of The Crown know, he is known for being both fierce and fiercely independent, straining initially against the royal bounds that required him to always play second fiddle to his wife, the queen. He was also a tough parent. In the past he has been accused of racism, and his January road accident brought more unwelcome publicity. But onward, tough and determined, he goes.
Just Asking
If he lives to his 100th birthday, will Prince Philip receive the traditional telegram of congratulations from Her Majesty?
