Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2024 i Woman's Weekly Living Series

As we go to press, Buckingham Palace has released news of the King’s cancer diagnosis. It will be a blow for His Majesty, who has always been keen to stablise the monarchy after recent dramas, but also worrying for his heir Prince William, who has his own concerns closer to home. The pressure on the Prince of Wales – husband, son, father and first in line to the throne – must be immense. He also has an estranged brother back on the scene. At times of family crisis, blood is often thicker than water so hopefully this could prove a turning point for them all. In the meantime, we wish His Majesty a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him carrying out public duties again very soon.…

She is widely recognised as one of the most empathetic members of the Royal Family – and perhaps that is because Queen Camilla has lived through her fair share of tragedies, from the death of her mother to osteoporosis to the loss of her brother after an accident. As she’s faced life’s challenges, she’s used the experiences to shape her work with charities and causes, often taking on little-known, lesser-publicised issues. ‘[Camilla] is happy to be edgy but not controversial,’ says royal biographer Robert Hardman, adding she is a ‘hands-on patron too….’ We take a look at some of the hurdles life has thrown at Her Majesty. The loss of her mother and grandmother Camilla champions a variety of causes as patron of more than 90 organisations worldwide – all…

SENDING ALL GOOD WISHES TO THE KING Only days after he left a London hospital looking so well, we learned that His Majesty has been diagnosed with a form of cancer. The Palace has not revealed which type, but confirmed that the King would be stepping back from his public duties while he receives treatment. In January, Charles underwent a successful ‘corrective procedure’ for an enlarged prostate and it was during that surgery that tests uncovered a new health concern. The King phoned his immediate family to deliver the news, telling his siblings and sons of his diagnosis. Prince Harry left California within hours to be reunited with his father in London, while Prince William returned to work to share the job of monarch with his stepmother Queen Camilla. The…

ROYAL RECYCLER Denmark’s new Queen Consort likes to champion Danish designers and often rewears her favourite gowns. This beautiful velvet dress, by Birgit Hallstein, has appeared at no fewer than five New Year celebrations – the first time back in 2007. This year, just days before being crowned, she wore it again for the 1 January reception at the Amalienborg Palace. LET IT FLOW Mary obviously adores this spectacular ice-blue gown, wearing it for one of the three New Year galas in January this year, and for the State banquet at the Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen in November to welcome Spain’s royalty. The dress was created by Lasse Spangenberg for Mary to wear in official portraits to mark her 50th birthday in February 2022. PRETTY IN PINK Another dress to…

King Charles has a long-held love affair with Australia, visiting the Antipodean nation 16 times in his role as Prince of Wales. But if his health allows him to take his proposed trip in October, he would be only the second sitting monarch to go Down Under. Queen Elizabeth II was the first to tour Australia 70 years ago, and her two-month-long visit, during which she travelled all over the country, was the biggest thing to happen to the Commonwealth nation at that time. ‘It is the third of February 1954, a day of high summer and of high history for Australia,’ said the narrator of the 1954 documentary The Queen in Australia. ‘There will be no work done today in Sydney. A million of us are on the move,…

1 NAILS MUST BE NEAT AND NEUTRAL The late Queen Elizabeth was known for her aversion to long, bright nails, favouring a short, neat manicure in her favourite pale pink polish, Essie’s Ballet Slippers. It’s a beauty rule that the Princess of Wales has continued to obey, committing to a meticulously manicured bare nail rather than showy or trend-led shades. If you want to follow her lead then a glossy finish is key to making a nude nail look deliberate and not simply that you ran out of time to paint them. Manucurist Active Glow, £16, cultbeauty.co.uk, will nourish your nails and glaze them with a rosy sheen. 2 NO MAKE-UP TOUCH-UPS IN PUBLIC Royal engagements can last for hours, during which the Windsors won’t get a chance to pause…

Adored by the British public and a beacon of light in the gloom of World War Two, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was once described by Adolf Hitler as ‘the most dangerous woman in Europe’. For many, it’s hard to think of the late Queen Mother as anything other than a harmless grandmama. But there was a side to Elizabeth that few knew about. The Queen Mother died 22 years ago this month aged 101. She is remembered as the smiling granny with the pastel hats, but beneath this exterior was a woman of ambition, determined to secure the hand of the King of England. She would succeed – but not in the way she imagined. Elizabeth Angela Marguerite entered the world on 4 August 1900, the ninth of 10 children born to…

Chocolate and almond cake A rich and indulgent chocolate cake perfect for dessert. SERVES 12 PREP 20 minsCOOK 1 hr, plus chilling overnight and cooling ✱ 400g milk chocolate, broken up✱ 200ml double cream FOR THE CAKE ✱ 170g dark chocolate, broken up✱ 170g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease✱ 225g caster sugar✱ 4 medium free-range eggs, separated✱ 200g self-raising flour✱ 1tbsp cocoa powder, sifted✱ 170g ground almonds✱ 2tbsp almond liqueur such as amaretto✱ Crystallised flowers, to decorate✱ Icing sugar, to dust YOU WILL NEED ✱ Deep 20cm round cake tin, greased and base-lined with baking paper 1 Gently warm the milk chocolate and cream in a pan, stir until melted and smooth. Transfer to a bowl and chill overnight until spreadable. 2 The next day, heat the oven…

FIT FOR A KING Available in shades of deep purple and blue, the towering delphinium looks incredibly regal, so it makes sense that it’s King Charles’ preferred bloom. A mainstay in the gardens at Highgrove in Gloucestershire, His Majesty’s country seat, the bloom attracts high praise from the King. ‘For me, the magnificent, gloriously apparelled delphinium, with its impeccable bearing and massed in platoons, holds pride of place in my botanical affections,’ he said during 2020’s virtual Chelsea Flower Show. Perfect for adding height to your borders, these regal blooms prefer sunny spots. THE LATE QUEEN’S FAVOURITE FLOWER A permanent feature in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, the favourite flower of the late Queen was the delicate lily of the valley. It was long treasured by the monarch and was…

1 William and Kate were hitched, like most royal couples, at Westminster Abbey. Where did the Prince’s parents tie the knot? A St George’s Chapel, WindsorB St Paul’s CathedralC St James’ Palace 2 The late Queen’s 1947 wedding dress was designed by Norman Hartnell but in post-war Britain the exquisite duchesse satin material was in short supply. How did she afford it? A The Queen saved up her clothing ration couponsB The Queen Mother sold a tiaraC There was a national whip-round to collect the money 3 Australian Mary Donaldson has just become Queen of Denmark, alongside husband King Frederik. What was Mary’s job when she met her husband-to-be in a bar during the Sydney Olympics in 2000? A She was a synchronised swimmerB A journalist broadcasting for Australian TVC…

The mother of all roles It was interesting to see the reaction to Kensington Palace’s briefing that Prince William had cleared his diary to look after his wife and children. While the Princess of Wales was recuperating in hospital for two weeks after major abdominal surgery, and while she’s recovering at home in Windsor, William suspended work and public engagements. Prior to his father’s cancer diagnosis, the heir to the throne, 41, made it clear that family came before royal duties. The universal newspaper reaction to William stepping back (while his father was also off work due to his enlarged prostate operation) was one of huge praise. He was called a ‘devoted’ parent and husband and praised for putting his family first and, as the Palace expressly briefed, trying to…

When Queen Elizabeth II gave birth to her fourth and final child on 10 March 1964, she was delighted with her new son. ‘Goodness, what fun it is to have a baby in the house again!’ she is reported to have said, clearly relishing the prospect of enjoying a more relaxed relationship with Edward and her second youngest, Andrew. When her eldest two children, Charles and Anne, were born, the Queen was in her early 20s and was coming to terms with the knowledge she would inherit the throne from her father. By the time of Prince Edward’s birth, however, much had changed: she was just a month shy of her 38th birthday and had been on the throne for over a decade. For the first and only time, the…