New Idea Royals 2311

You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family. There aren’t many people who never embarrass their relatives – but some missteps might be deemed unforgivable. That’s the conundrum for the new King and his family – how to handle ‘beleaguered Prince Andrew’ in the wake of his parents’ deaths, the illness of his ex-wife, and his upcoming – presumably very unflattering – portrayals on the small screen. Kind and forgiving, or stern and uncompromising? It’s a tricky path for Charles, Anne and Edward to tread – one that’s torn other siblings apart. Elsewhere it’s been a month of joy and triumph... Harry’s Invictus Games in Germany were a huge success – how wonderful to see him smiling again; the Swedes and Dutch celebrated in full colour, and…

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A CHANCE TO REFLECT The 12-month anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September was always going to be an emotional occasion for her family, and for Britain at large. It was a chance to mourn, and also pay tribute to England’s longest-serving monarch. Marking a full year since this poignant occasion – which is also his Accession Day – King Charles, accompanied by Queen Camilla, attended a service at Crathie Kirk. This small church is famously used by the royals whenever they stay at the late Queen’s most beloved residence, nearby Balmoral Castle. Also within the grounds is a cairn marking Elizabeth’s 60 year jubilee, where flowers were left. Others who attended the service included Charles’ cousins, Lady Sarah Chatto and David Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon,…

Chief among the challenges were the two rogue princes: Harry and Andrew. One, Charles’ son; the other, his brother. The former had comprehensively thrown the royal family under the bus; the latter had shown horribly poor judgement at best – and, at worst, was accused of sexual assault (which he denied). How will the King manage this duo? ‘The tide is slowly turning for the troubled duke’ Just over a year later it’s increasingly clear that Charles, Camilla and their advisors have adopted a front-foot strategy. A detach-and-deflect approach has been applied to Harry, as evidenced by his and Meghan’s eviction from their UK home at Frogmore Cottage, no known contact, and a notable absence of any social media message to mark the recent 39th birthday of the fifth in…

It should have been the happiest day of her life. Former Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock, clad in a stunning couture Armani Privé gown, was heading down the aisle of the Prince’s palace at her 2011 wedding – rumoured to be costing upwards of AU$100 million – to Prince Albert II of Monaco. But she was in tears. While she would later claim that her emotional state was due to the tension of the day, many are now wondering whether the union between Charlene and Albert, the playboy son of Hollywood-star-turned-European-royal Grace Kelly, has ever had a sunny moment. Flash forward to 2023, when Charlene, now Her Serene Highness, was snapped alongside her husband at a reception for the new French ambassador to the region. She smiled wanly as rumours swirled…

Royal son-in-law and former England rugby champ Mike Tindall, 44, has a knack for getting his family to laugh uproariously – while they spill the beans! In September he persuaded mother-in-law Princess Anne, and the Prince and Princess of Wales, to drop in for a chat on a surprise episode of his podcast, ‘The Good, The Bad and The Rugby’. Amid much high-spirited joking, family secrets were also revealed. During the get-together in Windsor Castle’s Green Drawing Room, Prince William told Mike the ‘only time he’s ever cried when watching sport’ was when his cousin Zara – Mike’s wife – triumphed in equestrian eventing at the European Championships. ‘I was down in Exmoor at the time, camping. We were all huddling around the phone watching it. She was blubbing away;…