If you love The Daily Beast’s royal coverage, then we hope you’ll enjoy The Royalist, a members-only series for Beast Inside. Become a member to get it in your inbox on Sunday.
Charles stops Edward from becoming Duke of Edinburgh: report
That he wants to slim down and shape the royal family in his own vision as king is well-known, and now Prince Charles is showing his ruthlessness again, the Sunday Times reports. The paper says he’s put the kibosh on Prince Edward becoming the Duke of Edinburgh following the death of Prince Philip, who previously held the title.
ADVERTISEMENT
Edward—the only royal son not to have a dukedom, poor dude—has been waiting over 20 years to take on the title; when he married wife Sophie in 1999, Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales have also agreed that the Prince Edward should be given the Dukedom of Edinburgh in due course, when the present title held now by Prince Philip eventually reverts to the Crown.”
Well, apparently no more. Right now, Charles holds the title, because he’s the oldest royal son, and a source close to him told the Sunday Times: “The prince is the Duke of Edinburgh as it stands, and it is up to him what happens to the title. It will not go to Edward.”
Another source said: “Edinburgh won’t go to them (the Wessexes) as far as the prince is concerned.”
When Edward was asked by the BBC about becoming Duke of Edinburgh, in an interview after Philip’s death, Edward replied: “It was fine in theory, ages ago when it was sort of a pipe dream of my father’s… and of course it will depend on whether or not the Prince of Wales, when he becomes king, whether he’ll do that, so we’ll wait and see. So yes, it will be quite a challenge taking that on.”
That was a diplomatic answer, perhaps signaling on Edward’s part “Yes, I would like the title, as promised,” as well as, “I also know my big brother is likely to grizzle about it, so not exactly holding my breath over here.”
Neither Clarence House nor Buckingham Palace would comment to the Sunday Times, but if Edward is ultimately denied the title it would be a cruel slap in the face, considering that he and Sophie were clearly positioned in a front-facing royal role in the wake of Prince Philip’s death, giving TV and newspaper interviews—with commentators long noting Sophie’s closeness to the queen particularly. Now what?
Queen wishes English footballers the best
If you’re English, and even if you are not, you will be aware that There Is a Rather Important Football Match today (Sunday July 11).
It’s the Euro 2020 final, baby! England versus Italy at Wembley Stadium. 3 p.m. ET, 12 p.m. PT, and 8 p.m. if you’re in the U.K. itself. A globe of chewed fingernails and cursing and cheering at TV screens.
The queen has sent a message of encouragement to much-praised England manager Gareth Southgate, also reminding the country—as if it needs reminding as it’s repeated incessantly—that she last handed a major soccer trophy to the national team in 1966 at that year’s never-forgotten World Cup.
“Fifty-five years ago, I was fortunate to present the World Cup to Bobby Moore and saw what it meant to the players, management and support staff to reach and win the final of a major international football tournament,” the queen wrote. “I want to send my congratulations and that of my family to you all on reaching the final of the European Championship, and send my good wishes for tomorrow with the hope that history will record not only your success but also the spirit, commitment and pride with which you have conducted yourselves.”
Prince William added his good wishes in a separate note, saying, according to the Mail: “I can't really believe this is happening… You bring out the very best of England and we are all behind you. The whole country is behind you.”
William is “dreading” Harry’s next move
Duncan Larcombe, former royal editor at the Sun and one of Harry’s many biographers, has been speculating about Harry and Meghan’s next career move in British OK! magazine. “What do they do next? That’s a question Prince William is dreading the answer to,” Larcombe says. “Most of Harry’s time is going to be taken up by his mental health work. He’s going to be mentoring people and undoubtedly speaking out more about his own experience.
“But what’s going to be really interesting is how they navigate their fallout with the Royal Family. There’s an outstanding bullying claim against Meghan that will heat up over the coming months, and we now know that Harry’s best form of defense is to attack.”
Prince William plays polo
The call it the sport of kings, and William certainly looked right at home on the field at Guards Polo Club in Windsor, Friday, with the duke looking rather dashing in breeches and shades.
Kensington Palace said that the prince was playing in the Out-Sourcing Inc. Royal Charity Polo Cup 2021to help raise money for favored charities, Vanity Fair reports. Last time William played in front of a crowd was 2019 when he beat his brother, Prince Harry, who was captaining the rival team. Zara Tindall was back on horseback again this week as well, competing at the Barbury Castle International Horse Trials, the Mail reported.
Cleaning the royal loo
A quirky article in last week’s Daily Telegraph was a first-person account by Alicia Healey of her life as a cleaner at Balmoral and Buckingham Palace. Healey, a history of art graduate, took the job on a whim and ended up staying in part because she enjoyed being surrounded by the royal family’s fantastic art collection. “To be able to dust an Antonio Canova sculpture one minute and clean a royal loo the next really is a tale of two jobs,” she writes.
Healey, who worked at the palace for four years but now describes herself as a “traveling lady’s maid,” doesn’t betray any confidences about HM but was clearly close to the family at times, saying: “One off-duty highlight was dancing a waltz with the Duke of Edinburgh at the Ghillies Ball at Balmoral Castle, a memory with particular poignancy now.”
Family prize
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been praised for their stated intention of having just two children by Population Matters, a U.K. charity that campaigns for a “sustainable human population.” Harry previously said that he and Meghan were only planning to have a maximum of two children, a goal that was completed with the birth of Lilibet earlier this year.
“In choosing and publicly declaring their intention to limit their family to two, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are helping to ensure a better future for their children and providing a role model for other families,” a spokesperson for Population Matters said, according to the Evening Standard. “Having a smaller family reduces our impact on the Earth, and provides a better chance for all our children, their children, and future generations to flourish on a healthy planet.”
This week in royal history
Saturday, July 17, is a happy royal day (at least, without the ever-present possibility of scandals etc). So first raise your glasses to Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince Charles’ wife, who turns 74 that day. Beatrice, Prince Andrew and Fergie’s older daughter and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi will also be marking their first anniversary that day. The couple are expecting their first baby (due in the fall), and were seen out at the Wimbledon Championships earlier this week.
Unanswered questions
If England win the football tonight, will Harry participate in the national joy? He has kept his head down so far, respecting William’s position as patron of the English Football Association, but it’s hard to imagine the sport-loving prince being able to maintain radio silence if England’s long-held dreams of major tournament success actually come to fruition.
