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The queen: “Never complain, never explain” is no more
The queen has had enough of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal-related allegations—and the final straw has been the row over baby Lilibet’s name.
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In a tortuous saga of claim and counterclaim, Harry and Meghan first said they had sought permission from the queen on the use of her family nickname. Then the palace pushed back, via a palace source briefing the BBC, to say the queen’s permission had not been sought. Harry then threatened the BBC with legal action over their reporting. The couple’s call to the queen was a “telling, not an asking,” the insider told the Mail on Sunday, and the brouhaha has sent the queen “over the edge,” adding: “Friends of the Sussexes appear to have given misleading briefings to journalists about what the queen had said and that took the whole thing over the edge. The Palace couldn’t deny the story that this was a mistruth.”
While living her best life at the G7 in Cornwall (truly, she has been the week’s breakout star), the Mail on Sunday says, “Her Majesty has instructed courtiers to correct any statements which misrepresent her private conversations or those of other senior royals.”
The royal principle of “never complain, never explain” has been ditched, the paper says. It’s a great phrase, but slightly muddies the line between the queen and senior royals rarely griping in public with the years-old practice of royal aides briefing the media on their behalf. These loyal, nameless voices have never been slow in complaining or explaining.
Royal sources told the Mail on Sunday the palace’s pushback against Meghan and Harry will continue as and when the need arises with other breaking stories. “This is about whether or not what is being reported is an accurate version of what actually happened,” the insider told the paper.
The insider also said “no video call” had taken place between the queen and Lilibet, contrary to suggestions otherwise.
Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan reportedly have “no regrets” over the bombshell interviews they have conducted, which have generated so much publicity.
“It’s no secret that the last year Harry and Meghan have been at war with the royals,” another insider told Us Weekly. “All is not forgiven, but after all the backlash regarding their interviews—which, by the way, the pair have no regrets about—they’re trying their utmost to maintain a good relationship with the queen in order to keep the peace.”
A quiet royal birthday, with just 274 soldiers paying tribute
The queen’s official birthday, known as the Trooping of the Color, is usually one of the biggest days in the royal calendar, always taking place on the second Saturday in June and marking for many traditionalists the real beginning of the British summer.
This year, because of ongoing coronavirus restrictions, the festivities were a scaled-down production: rather than taking place at Buckingham Palace in London, with all of the major ceremonial streets festooned in purple and gold and rippling to the flashing of swords and clashing of cymbals, there was a military procession through Windsor Great Park, culminating at Windsor Castle, where the queen received her tribute inside the castle walls. Matters concluded with a 41-gun salute and a fly-past by the Royal Air Force’s acrobatic team, the Red Arrows.
Her Majesty smiled broadly in the summer sunshine, continuing a remarkable public performance of her duties, unaltered by the death of her husband in March.
The Telegraph quoted Lt Col Guy Stone, who oversaw the event, as saying: “Last year, we had 85 on parade; this year, we’ve got 274, plus 70 horses, so we’re really excited about the event having grown and getting us back to normal for next year, we hope. It’s been very challenging, but we like a challenge. COVID has got a lot to answer for in so many ways—it’s made this difficult. But what we want to do more than anything is give the queen a memorable and uplifting day.”
William sends good wishes to soccer player Christian Eriksen
Prince William, who is the president of the British Football Association, posted a supportive message on Twitter, after Danish footballer Christian Eriksen’s shock collapse Saturday in the opening Euro 2020 match between Denmark and Finland. William wrote: “Encouraging news about Christian Eriksen, we are all thinking about him and his family. Well done to the medical team and Anthony Taylor for their calm and swift action.” He signed the tweet “W” to show it was a personal message.
Referee Anthony Taylor instantly stopped play, ushered medics on the field, and his quick thinking has been credited with saving Eriksen’s life. The Daily Mail reports that Eriksen sent teammates a What’s App message saying, “I’m good,” late last night.
Doing one’s duty
How has the queen been keeping entertained during lockdown? By watching TV like the rest of us, of course.
The Sunday Times reports that Her Majesty has been watching British cop show Line of Duty, and discussing it with the master of her household, Vice-Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt.
The police procedural has become a massive hit in the U.K., despite famously hard-to-follow storylines.
Johnstone-Burt, 63, has been in charge of “HMS Bubble,” the hand-picked group of some 20 staff who have, on a revolving basis, served the queen at Windsor Castle during the past year-plus of the pandemic.
A royal source told The Sunday Times: “The queen was very into Line of Duty and enjoyed discussing the plot-lines with Tony.”
This week in royal history
The new royal superstars Prince Edward and his wife Sophie married on June 19, 1999—and so are celebrating their 22nd wedding anniversary this week. In recent months, they have become more present on screens and in newspaper pages, speaking about Prince Philip, and Harry and Meghan-related matters, with Edward noting, “That’s families for you.”
Unanswered questions
Has the kerfuffle over the naming of Lilibet abated, or will the saga of the queen knowing or not knowing the plans for the name of Harry and Meghan’s daughter never end?
