Welcome to The Royalist—all the latest royal news and gossip with Tom Sykes and Tim Teeman. For Beast Inside members only.
In Private
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have always insisted that as they are not in the direct line of succession and neither they nor their children will ever sit upon the throne, they don’t have the same obligation to share their life with the public as William and Kate do.
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The announcement this week that they won’t be publicizing their choice of birth location, won’t be doing a mass media photocall on any hospital steps and will instead release photos taken by a handpicked snapper a few days later is of a part with this. You may recall, in a similar vein, that the British public were not granted a public holiday for their wedding either.
The British media are trying to whip up a sense of outrage about this but the public don’t seem ready to bite. After what Kate had to endure outside the Lindo Wing, there is a general sense that if Harry and Meghan can manage to do things without a big fuss and a gross invasion of their basic human rights, then good luck to them.
The question is: when?
Although Meghan and Harry don’t want a fuss, the media most definitely do. They will not be denied their outside broadcast and to that end the palace has decided to corral them in press pens at Windsor Great Park, near the Long Walk, where Harry and Meghan made the wedding day carriage ride.
Harry and Meghan have reluctantly agreed to allow a press release to be issued when Meghan is in labor, which will give the media the chance to fly down the M4 to Windsor in time for the announcement of the birth and the throwing of hats in the air etc.
But when will this announcement be made? Courtiers are declining to specify, saying only that Harry and Meghan “look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family.”
Officials will not be drawn on how long after the birth Harry and Meghan will consent to make the news public, however, rumors that the child has already been born are nonsense; sources tell us the interval won’t be more than a couple of hours.
Playing The Game
A fabulous long read on the BBC website focuses on the tale of Prince Abdullah bin Nasser (a grandson of the founder of Saudi Arabia and son of the ex-governor of Riyadh) and Eamonn O’Keefe, a professional footballer from Manchester who in 1976 multiplied his salary by a factor of six by becoming the first European to sign for Abdullah’s brand new Saudi football team, Al-Hilal.
Life was sweet until the prince propositioned him in an elevator in a Paris hotel. O’Keefe turned him down, but, on his return to Saudi grew paranoid that the prince might seek to silence him; gay sex was (and still is) illegal in the kingdom. So, O’Keefe decided to go back to the UK. Only one problem; the prince had to sign his exit visa to enable him to leave.
Food Glorious Food
If you are share The Royalist’s twin obsessions of royalty and food, be sure to pick up a copy of the newest royal cookbook, The Royal Touch, Simply Stunning Home Cooking from a Royal Chef, whose author Carolyn Robb dishes (sorry) in today’s Sunday Times on her life as chef for Charles and Diana.
Robb says Diana loved “simple things” such as “cold minted lamb, soufflés and stuffed aubergine,” which, I think we can all agree, are super-easy to whip up.
Charles, we are told, “loved sweet things but he didn’t like coffee, chocolate, nuts or garlic. Everything was based on what was in season in the garden. In asparagus season, I might serve it three or four times a week. You wouldn’t dare serve asparagus or strawberries in December.”
Charles sent Robb to train with the Roux brothers at Le Gavroche and Roger Vergé in Provence, because, you know, he could. Charles, she notes, “had his staples that travelled with him: breakfast stuff, boxes of special honey, sultanas, linseed, bottled Highgrove plums.” Harry loved mini treacle tarts which he sometimes ate for breakfast (!) and Prince William was a fan of chocolate biscuit cake.
Space Invaders
Royal staff and household servants based in Windsor have for many years enjoyed a nice perk of being able to play golf, cricket and bowls at the Royal Club in Home Park. Home Park is a massive chunk of land adjoining Windsor Castle which also contains the entirety of the Frogmore estate, including Harry and Meghan’s home, Frogmore Cottage.
Now, however, access has been significantly reduced; staff have been banned from using a car park because it overlooks the Sussexes' new abode.
One source told The Sun: “It’s one thing to want privacy, but this seems selfish and won’t endear Harry and Meghan to the staff. Everyone’s calling them NIMBYs, meaning not in Meghan’s back yard!” Staffers have been urged to use the King Edward VII public car park, which is on the other side of Home Park and means a lengthy walk for many, and a £10 fee.
A royal staffer told The Sun: “To say we’re upset and annoyed is a massive understatement. We can only assume Harry and Meghan don’t want to look out of their window and see cars coming and going and members of staff walking into the club.”
Royal fashion watch
Prince Harry is the smartest male royal. He made a pre-baby appearance on Thursday in natty grey jacket, white shirt and black slacks while visiting young people at the Barking & Dagenham Future Youth Zone in Dagenham. Two-tone dressing is never easy (and can be very aging), but handsome Harry aces it—and he was all smiles after a stern statement was published on his and Meghan’s behalf making it very clear they wanted the birth of their first child to be as private as possible.
This week in royal history
In April 2014, William, Kate and Prince George, then 9 months old, embarked on a tour of New Zealand and after that Australia. It was their first official tour as a family. On April 16, Australia’s Governor-General Peter Cosgrove presented Prince George with a toy wombat. Dad Prince William proffered the giant cuddly toy, while Kate held George.
Coming next
Duh... All eyes and ears of royal fans are waiting for the arrival of Meghan and Harry’s baby.
