Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2023 i Woman's Weekly Living Series

The 12 months since the passing of Her Majesty the Queen have flown. And since that sad day of 8 September 2022, there has been much change at the Palace. We’re only just getting used to hearing God Save the King, and, to many, the ‘Queen’ will always only conjure up thoughts of Elizabeth II. So we wanted to take this chance to look back on her amazing, record-breaking reign, with fond memories, rarely-seen pictures and an exclusive feature from Jennie Bond, who was our link to the Royal Family for so many years. I hope you enjoy this special tribute to our greatest-ever monarch. Perhaps only now we are understanding her true worth to the country and the Commonwealth – and we will miss her for a long time…

Born royal Queen of hearts – royal baby fever begins Almost a century has passed since the late Queen was born, on 21 April 1926, but, surprisingly, it wasn’t so different for the little Princess then, as it is for the youngest royals today. The future Queen was always in the public eye, even before her destiny was unveiled. Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born at 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London, before her family’s future changed direction, following the abdication of Edward VIII in December 1936. ‘Queen of Hearts today. She may one day be Queen of England,’ the Empire News Bulletin declared prophetically, following her birth to Elizabeth, Duchess of York and Prince Albert. As the news reel played in cinemas, Elizabeth was more famous than any Hollywood star…

Princess Elizabeth and Prince William ripped up the rule book with their choice of future royal consort; Philip, an exiled and relatively penniless prince, and Catherine Middleton, the first ‘commoner’ to wed an heir to the throne in over 350 years. Whether they realised it at the time or not, their marriages revitalised the House of Windsor, enchanting fans across the globe. During the late 1940s and 50s, Elizabeth and Philip circumnavigated the world on tours of the Commonwealth and beyond. The couple brought royal glamour to millions who had never seen a British monarch before, let alone a beautiful queen in haute couture with a dashing husband by her side. The pair were a winning combination and the effect, wherever they went, was electrifying. On their epic coronation tour,…

Join the palace book club During the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, many of us coped with the strictures in place by turning to books. Queen Camilla was no different. A lifelong lover of books, she devoted much of her charity work while Duchess of Cornwall to adult literacy, and promoting literature to adults and children in the UK and around the world. I remember being on tour with her in New Zealand in 2019 and seeing the delight on her face as she heard children read to her in Tūranga library in Christchurch. It was lovely to watch. And so, because we were all lacking friendly company during the pandemic, Camilla wanted to do something to help. Her solution was an Instagram page where she gave book recommendations. The…

REMEMBERING GAN-GAN It seems extraordinary that this month marks one year since the passing of the late Queen, who died at the age of 96 on 8 September 2022 at Balmoral. There will be no official public event for the anniversary – a day that also signalled King Charles’ accession to the throne – but it’s thought the Prince and Princess of Wales will lead tributes and honour the legacy of William’s beloved grandmother. The King is expected to spend the day ‘quietly and privately’ in Scotland, leaving it to the younger royals to look to the future of the monarchy. And centre stage of that future is second-in-line to the throne Prince George, who celebrated his 10th birthday in July. William and Catherine marked the occasion with the release…

1 WHAT WAS THE QUEEN’S FULL NAME? a) Elizabeth Alice Louiseb) Elizabeth Alexandra Maryc) Elizabeth Charlotte Rose 2 WHERE WAS SHE BORN? a) Bruton Streetb) Buckingham Palacec) St James’s Palace 3 WHAT WAS THE NAME OF HER FIRST HORSE? a) Peggyb) Smokeyc) Betsy 4 WHICH CHILDREN’S BOOK WAS SHE FAMOUSLY FOND OF? a) The Chronicles of Narnia b) The Wind in the Willows c) Winnie-the-Pooh 5 IN 1940, WHICH BBC RADIO BROADCAST PROGRAMME PLAYED THE 14-YEAR-OLD PRINCESS’ DEBUT BROADCAST? a) Sunday Half Hour b) Children’s Hour c) The World At One 6 WHICH OF THESE ORGANISATIONS HAS THE QUEEN NOT BELONGED TO? a) The Women’s Instituteb) The Sea Rangersc) The Scouts 7 WHICH WERE THE ONLY TWO COMMONWEALTH NATIONS THE QUEEN NEVER VISITED? a)…

QUEEN OF CHIC Just a few weeks after her coronation at Westminster Abbey, Her Majesty toured Scotland to meet her new subjects north of the border. Still a young woman at the age of 27, she managed to balance her regal style with that of the fashions of the time. Pictured here in Glasgow, she wears a chic swing coat that would look perfectly at home on the catwalk. GREEN GODDESS To continue their coronation tour of the Commonwealth, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh travelled to Australia where her wardrobe won rave reviews. Seen here at an event in Canberra, Her Majesty looks elegant in a green belted silk blouse and flared skirt. She’s already displaying a preference to match and colour block her outfit with her hat…

DIANA’S SLICK STYLE Diana is a style icon and was never afraid to take risks with her hair. This style is the perfect example, with its deep side parting, slick finish and flicked-out ends – proof that short hair can be versatile too. Wash hair then add a blob of Arkive The Body Hybrid Mousse, £13, Boots, to help hold the style. Part hair on the side then blow-dry smooth, using a small round brush to curl the ends up. The mousse should hold everything in place but if you need more control, add Vo5 Mega Hold 24-Hour Frizz Control Gel Spray, £3.85, Boots, a little at a time. SOPHIE’S NATURAL WAVES When it comes to hair, a change is as good as a rest. And after regularly seeing the…

Photo album In 1933, Prince Albert, Duke of York, bought a Pembroke Welsh corgi called Dookie for his daughters, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. Dookie’s arrival turned out to be the start of the Windsors’ long royal love affair with the breed, and with dorgis, a dachshund-corgi cross. When Elizabeth turned 18 in 1944, her father, now King George VI, bought her another corgi, Susan, as a birthday present. The two quickly became inseparable and Susan was even snuck into Elizabeth’s carriage as she and Philip made their way to their honeymoon in 1947. In total, Queen Elizabeth owned over 30 corgis all descended from Susan, who lived until she was almost 15, passing away in 1959. It’s often been said that the monarch’s beloved dogs acted as a buffer…

Looking like everyone’s beloved grandma, blue eyes twinkling over her glasses, a trademark handbag on her arm, the Queen was beaming in these final photographs taken at Balmoral. Undoubtedly, she looked frail and her mobility was limited, but warmth shone from the frame. Sadly, within hours, Her Majesty’s health deteriorated and her death was announced two days later. The Queen received 15 UK prime ministers over the course of her 70-year reign – from Winston Churchill, the incumbent in 1952, to her final premier Liz Truss. Traditionally, the first meeting took place at Buckingham Palace, but on 6 September, 2022, health concerns forced her to break with tradition and the new – short lived – Conservative leader travelled instead to the monarch’s castle in Aberdeen. The picture was taken in…

On this day: 9 September 2015 Her Majesty was reluctant to mark the moment she overtook her great-great-grandmother, Victoria, as Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, but the country celebrated nonetheless. On the day, a flotilla of ships processed along the Thames, while the House of Commons paused its daily business so MPs could pay their tributes. Church bells rang out across the country and in London the BT Tower scrolled the message ‘Long may she reign’. Meanwhile, the Queen travelled by train in Scotland, where people gathered along railway banks to catch a glimpse of the record-breaking ruler. Her response was understated, as she thanked crowds for their kindness, adding, ‘Inevitably a long life can pass by many milestones – my own is no exception.’ Victoria’s previous record of 63 years and…