Welcome to The Royalist—all the latest royal news and gossip with Tom Sykes and Tim Teeman. For Beast Inside members only.

Prince Harry Photographed ‘Drugged and Tethered’ Elephant

The majestic picture of an elephant Prince Harry posted on his Instagram this week to mark Earth Day was cropped so it didn’t show a rope around the animal’s leg tethering it. The animal was also drugged, according to a field guide, Frank Weitzer, who was present when the elephant, one of a herd that was being moved to a safe park, was photographed.

Weitzer tells The Mail on Sunday, which publishes embarrassing side-by-side snaps of the two images today, that he has photos of the elephant ‘falling to the ground’ later on as the tranquilizer took effect. There are now question marks over how Harry managed to take close-up images of a lion’s eye and a sleepy-looking rhinoceros. In an unconvincing explanation, Harry’s people denied the image of the elephant had been deliberately cropped to cut out the rope around its leg, saying it was instead “due to Instagram’s format.”

King William

Prince William was a dignified and estimable ambassador for Britain this week on a whistle-stop tour of New Zealand to pay tribute to the victims of the horrific mosque shooting in Christchurch.

In a powerful address, which perhaps gave a hint of how King William will comport himself when he one day wears the crown, William said: “I have had reasons myself to reflect on grief and sudden pain and loss in my own life. And in my role, I have often seen up close the sorrow of others in moments of tragedy, as I have today.

“What I have realized is that of course grief can change your outlook. You don’t ever forget the shock, the sadness and the pain. But I do not believe that grief changes who you are. Grief, if you let it, will reveal who you are. It can reveal depths that you did not know you had.

“The startling weight of grief can burst any bubble of complacency in how you live your life, and help you to live up to the values you espouse.”

It was an excellent speech, with shades of one of the Queen’s most touching declarations: “Grief is the price we pay for love.”

Notifications On

It wasn’t all heartbreak, however. On a walkabout, according to Town & Country, a royal fan asked the prince, “Any sign of the royal baby?”

William replied: “I haven’t got my phone on me, I have no idea. You guys will find out before I do at this rate.”

The Sun on Sunday, incidentally, reports that the baby is due today, Sunday. That maybe so, but Harry’s appearance at the London marathon this morning suggest the birth is not imminent.

Poor Kate

A friend of Meghan’s has told the New York Post that she “felt sorry” for her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, having to face the world’s media while wearing a dress, heels and impeccable hair and makeup, just hours after giving birth.

All Friends

Perhaps stung by all the reports of feuding—especially the latest idea that the beef is between Harry and William—sources have let it be known that things are just dandy between the young royal superstars.

Sources told Harpers Bazaar that William and Kate visited Harry and Meghan at their new home at Frogmore Cottage last Sunday, April 21, after going to the Easter Church Service with the queen at Windsor Castle.

“William and Catherine visited because Meghan was unable to attend the service,” a close source told the magazine. “They wanted to be supportive and see how she is doing. It was a lovely afternoon.”

“Meg and Harry are really settled in now,” a friend of the couple told Bazaar. “It’s truly a lovely home and they have done such a great job with the space. So much light and positive energy. I couldn’t think of a better place to start a family.”

Royal Fashion Watch

Although all the hype is around Meghan’s baby, and the alleged feud between William and Harry, Kate Middleton stunned in this Catherine Walker teal-colored wool crepe coat dress at the Anzac Day service at Westminster Abbey on Thursday. The feathered hat is by Rosie Olivia and the necklace by Kiki McDonough. Kate was also with a dapper, besuited Prince Harry, and the two were laughing and smiling; a reminder of happier ‘Fab Four days’ past.

This week in royal history

Tomorrow, April 29, marks the eighth wedding anniversary of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The couple were married in 2011 in Westminster Abbey, and have three children. The last year has been particularly challenging, with reports of a rift between the couple and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle; as well as the Palace seeking to suppress rumors that William had an affair with the couple’s Norfolk neighbor Rose Hanbury.

This week

As well as awaiting/celebrating Baby Sussex, Kate will be out and about on Wednesday, officially opening a new Center of Excellence for young people’s mental health charity Anna Freud National Centre For Children and Families.

On Thursday, Prince Edward’s wife Sophie will be in New Delhi, highlighting a charity that seeks to tackle avoidable blindness in babies born prematurely. She supports several sight-loss charities as her daughter Lady Louise Windsor, 15, was born with a severe squint that affected her vision.