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Prince Andrew finally sees granddaughter
Prince Andrew finally met his 2-week old granddaughter on Friday in Windsor, according to reports, having divested himself of his self-imposed incarceration at Balmoral.
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A source told The Sun: “It is quite something that he had to wait almost two weeks before he met her. He is very much aware Beatrice’s special moment was ruined by the accusations against him.”
Andrew had been there apparently hiding from lawyers wishing to serve him legal papers pertaining to a U.S. lawsuit accusing him of sexually assaulting Virginia Roberts Giuffre on three occasions when she was a minor. But Andrew’s being in hiding came to be pointless when his lawyers accepted the papers had been properly served. Andrew emphatically denies the allegations made against him, and must now file a response to Giuffre’s lawsuit by Oct. 29. The queen is reportedly funding her son’s legal costs to the tune of millions of pounds.
Princess Beatrice took to Twitter on Friday to announce the name of the baby girl she and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi just had. “We are delighted to share that we have named our daughter Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi. We are all doing well and Wolfie [Mozzi’s son who Beatrice is stepmother to] is the best big brother to Sienna,” the message read, with a picture showing the new baby’s footprints. Sienna was born late at night on Saturday, Sept. 18.
The significance of the name is twofold—the middle name is an obvious, affectionate nod to Queen Elizabeth, Beatrice’s grandmother, while Sienna, Hello! magazine reported, came from the couple “looking for an Italian name which started with an S for Sarah [to honor Sarah Ferguson, Beatrice’s mother], and also reflected the golden rust color of both the Duchess’ hair color and Beatrice’s which the new baby shares.”
Mozzi also posted to Instagram the same image, with this message: “Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi, Our life together has just begun, and I can’t wait to see all the amazing things that await us. Feeling so much love and gratitude for my amazing wife, baby Sienna and Wolfie. These are the days I never want to forget. This week, a friend said to me the sweetest saying….that with every child you grow a whole new heart. A massive thank you to the Midwife and the amazing team at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.”
Sarah Ferguson likely to be grilled over Andrew’s alibi
It’s not just Andrew who faces being hauled through the American legal process. His ex-wife Sarah Ferguson is reportedly preparing to be subpoenaed.
The Telegraph reports that unnamed courtiers accept that, if the case against Andrew goes ahead, she is likely to be deposed because she formed part of Andrew’s alibi. Andrew, of course, memorably claims that he was eating pizza and was then at home with with his daughters on the night he is alleged to have sexually abused Virginia Giuffre, and said that he and his wife had a rule that if one of them was not with the children, the other one had to be.
Sarah Ferguson, seen here at her daughter’s 2018 wedding, could be grilled in the investigation into her ex-husband, Prince Andrew.
Toby Melville/ReutersQueen talks about Philip in speech
The queen spoke about Prince Philip for the first time publicly on Saturday since his death, aged 99.
She was speaking at the opening ceremony for the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament, which she attended alongside Prince Charles and his wife Camilla.
“I have spoken before of my deep and abiding affection for this wonderful country, and of the many happy memories Prince Philip and I always held of our time here,” the queen said in her address, the BBC reported. “It is often said that it is the people that make a place, and there are few places where this is truer than in Scotland, as we have seen in recent times.”
Referencing the pandemic, the queen added, “As we all step out from adverse and uncertain times, occasions such as this today provide an opportunity for hope and optimism. Marking this new session does indeed bring a sense of beginning and renewal.”
It was the first time the queen had attended the ceremony without Prince Philip.
Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by Edinburgh Lord Provost Frank Ross, arrives to mark the official start of the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament.
Andrew Milligan/Pool/ReutersSecret drinking
This sounds like something straight out of parody royal show The Windsors. Jack Brooksbank, husband of Princess Eugenie, has claimed there is a secret passageway linking one of the royal palaces with a well-known London bar.
The Daily Mail’s diary editor, Richard Eden, says that Brooksbank spoke of just such a secret passageway, telling him: “There is one to Dukes Bar from St. James’s Palace. I haven’t used it yet, but I’d love to check it out.” Dukes Hotel bar is famous for its martini, but for some reason we wouldn’t be entirely surprised if Jack’s tequila popped up on their menu soon, if it hasn’t already.
Top Doggs
Another tantalizing tableau: Snoop Dogg has invited Harry and Meghan for Thanksgiving dinner. Snoop told a reporter from the Mirror: “Harry and Meghan are living their lives like they want and that can’t be an easy thing with the whole world judging them. They got to live life their way—they get a lot of respect from me for that. If they want to come over for Thanksgiving dinner they are in for something special. They can come over to Snoop’s crib.”
Talking about his friendship with Harry and William, Snoop said: “Harry and William are my boys. As soon as I knew they were fans I reached out to them and we’ve been cool ever since.”
Slimmed down property portfolio
Prince Charles has never been noted for his parsimony, so it comes as some surprise to hear that he is planning to downsize the monarch’s living accommodation at Buckingham Palace when he becomes king, rendering it more of a “flat above the shop” than the palatial royal residence it is now. Charles is also planning to shift his son William and family into Windsor Castle, rather than living there himself.
The reason for this generosity? The constant planes overhead make it “too noisy” for him, the Mail on Sunday reports. That’s more like the demanding dauphin we know and love!
Balmoral, meanwhile, could become a “museum” dedicated to the queen.
The Mail quote a source as saying: “The central point is: when the queen is no longer here, how do you effectively spread two generations of the family across quite a large number of properties?
“The Prince of Wales strongly believes that these places have got to deliver something for the public beyond just being somewhere for members of the Royal Family to live. Everything is seen through the lens of the question: ‘What value is this offering to the public?’ Everybody recognizes it makes no sense to run so many residences but if you give them up entirely you will never get them back when Prince George and the younger Royals grow up and need somewhere to live.”
Russian royals get married
Having kept an understandably low profile since the events of 1917, the Russian royal family have decided now is the time to re-enter society. And they did so with a—ahem—bang Friday, with Europe’s elite descending on Saint Isaac’s cathedral in Saint Petersburg for the marriage of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia, a descendant of the Romanov dynasty, and Rebecca (Victoria) Bettarini of Italy. Guests included Queen Sofia of Spain, Prince Rudolph and Princess Tilsim of Liechtenstein, and the former king and queen of Bulgaria, the Daily Mail, which carries dozens of photos of the nuptials, reports.
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini arrive for their wedding ceremony at Saint Isaac's Cathedral in Saint Petersburg.
Olga Maltseva/ReutersThis week in royal history
This coming week in October 2002, the queen and Prince Philip were in Canada on a 12-day tour, marking her 50th year on the throne, and as Canada’s head of state. A feature on the tour in Maclean’s magazine, quoted the queen at a Vancouver luncheon saying, “You are constantly redefining your national identity, what it means to be Canadian, something of particular importance to my family.” The journalist Ken MacQueen added: “For more than 50 years, she’s piled memory upon memory, relentlessly building a case that the monarchy—with all its idiosyncrasies, anachronism and dysfunction—remains a relevant part of that identity.”
Unanswered questions
Prince Andrew has finally left Balmoral and seen his grandchild. Now the question is: what will be in his written defense to Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s lawsuit against him?
