#Royal Visits to Samoa

[oakappleday]

Arriving in Apia, October 23

[andiatas]

It's disappointing to see that the media, even here in Sweden, are focusing on the few protesters in Australia against Charles rather than focusing on everything that seems to have gone well during Charles & Camilla's tour.

I get that they have to report about it but from the coverage (at least what I've personally seen) I feel like it's a repeat of William & Catherine's Caribbean tour, that the media coverage paints this false picture of a disaster tour & that they weren't wanted there & the entire country hates them etc. etc.

Had that truly been the case then of course international media should cover it that way but yeah, this feels like British media trying to create more drama than there actually was & then international media jumping on the bandwagon.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Okay, so I'm seeing a lot of rumors in other places of the internet speculating that Charles is hiding a huge medical problem because he's traveling with his own doctors and his own blood supply to Australia and Samoa. I wanted to address this, so:

This is normal, standard operating procedure for the monarch. Travelling with their own blood supply and doctors is more applicable for tours/visits to areas where local hospitals may not be as readily equipped for significant emergencies, which it sounds like the hospitals in Samoa may not be prepared for, just in case.

Here's an article from February 2023, citing a 2016 interview that discusses Queen Elizabeth traveling with her own doctors and blood supply:

And as well, a 2019 article discussing how Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, and Prince William travel with a blood supply:

And it's not just the BRF who does this. The POTUS also does this, according to this 2018 NBC News story:

Now Charles could still have other issues, but the presence of physicians and his own blood supply isn't a harbinger of secret medical concerns or that he's in the middle of a huge health crisis. Everyone is absolutely free to worry if they want to, but please, don't get worked up to the point of sleeplessness and anxiety attacks over something that's standard procedure and perfectly normal for heads of state all over the world.

[aimeedaisies]

Aimee’s 2024 royal family engagement count: The final results!

Disclaimer; everyone’s counts will be different, people have different rules to their method of counting the Court Circular. It isn’t a definitive count and is done just for fun 💗

The court circular doesn’t record any work behind the scenes, only public engagements, official meetings and luncheons/dinners. It’s more a gauge of their public facing roles.

This year has been in no way easy in 2024, with health problems with HM The King and HRH The Princess of Wales, to the concussion accident with HRH The Princess Royal. Everyone banded together and the show went on! I cannot wait to see Catherine return to her duties next year 💗

👑 Princess Anne 👑

This year started off like any other year for the Princess Royal. She was the first royal to get back to work, on the 4th January. She and her husband, Sir Tim, were also the first royals to go on a royal tour in 2024, to Sri Lanka. Once she got back, the BRF as we knew it took a slight turn, the sad health announcements of the King and the Princess of Wales. HRH took it on the chin and did amazingly well, carrying on her royal duties being the true backbone of the British Monarchy.

Another blow to the royal family came in the last week of June. Buckingham Palace announced that Princess Anne suffered concussion after a blow to the head by a horse during a walk around the grounds of her home, Gatcombe Park. She was hospitalised for a week. She returned to work two weeks after her release from hospital, her first engagement back was equestrian related (very on brand imo). Shortly afterwards she left the UK and headed to Paris for the 2024 games, she spent 10 days in Paris attending IOC meetings and watching various games. The rest of the year went smoothly for the Princess Royal. She returned better and stronger than ever and has basically fulfilled her yearly quota of engagement 💪

Once again Princess Anne tops the chart as the hardest working royal, completing 437 engagements.

She has done 362 engagements in the UK.

She travelled to 10 different countries this year and did 75 engagements there. 🇱🇰🇳🇦🇦🇪🇨🇦🇳🇴🇫🇷🇫🇷🇳🇱🇫🇷🇮🇲

Dubbed by some as the unofficial Queen of Scots she did 56 in Scotland. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Out of a total of 40 investiture ceremonies held, Princess Anne held 27 🎖️

King Charles III

This has been a tough year for King Charles, but he has still managed to pull off a staggering number of engagements! In the second year of his reign King Charles did a grand total of 345

In the UK he did 294 engagements.

He travelled to different countries where he completed … engagements and did 5 full royal tours in Australia and Samoa. He also hosted a state visits for Japan and Qatar at Buckingham Palace. 🇫🇷🇯🇪🇬🇬🇦🇺🇼🇸

What is also worth mentioning is that he has Red Boxes that he has to go through every single day, except Christmas Day and Easter Sunday as well as a lot of work behind the scenes.

Out of a total of 40 investiture ceremonies held, King Charles held 5🎖️

Prince Edward, The Duke of Edinburgh

This year the Duke of Edinburgh turned 60 years old and he was bestowed the highest order in Scotland, the Order of the Thistle! He carried on his brilliant work with the Duke of Edinburgh award and travelling to visit international sections of the award. Prince Edward also visited a lot of theatre related organisations and youth centres and charities.

He completed 280 engagements this year and visited 9 countries on solo tours and with his wife. 🇿🇦🌋🏝️🇺🇬🇫🇷🇲🇨🇲🇹🇧🇭🇰🇼

Sophie, The Duchess of Edinburgh

In 2024 Sophie carried on her hard work in areas like women’s rights in disadvantaged areas, avoidable blindness, hygiene and agriculture. She did marvellous confidential visits to Ukraine and Chad, focusing her attention on women’s rights and the children’s safety of these war torn countries. She also maintained her strong work in the UK by visiting children’s charities, meeting mothers and standing for what is right.

She completed 232 engagements this year in the UK and the commonwealth and visited 10 countries on solo tours and with her husband. 🇫🇷🇺🇦🇮🇹🇩🇪🇯🇪🇫🇷🇹🇿🇲🇹🇹🇩

Prince Richard, The Duke of Gloucester

The Duke of Gloucester has this year completed 197 engagements in the UK.

He continued his long lasting work in heritage, architecture, the St John’s Ambulance and military organisations.

Hopefully next year we will see him do some overseas engagements. 🕯️

Queen Camilla

In the second year of her husbands reign, Queen Camilla carried out 171 engagements.

She visited 6 countries this year including accompanying her husband on official tours of Australia and Samoa where she did 40 engagements whilst on official tours. 🇮🇲🇫🇷🇯🇪🇬🇬🇦🇺🇼🇸

She focused a lot of her engagements this year on sectors close to her heart like women’s & children’s charities, osteoporosis care and animal welfare.

Prince William, The Prince of Wales

This year the Prince of Wales’ engagements slightly reduced due to his wife illnesses, understandably. He continued to carry out his important duties in areas like homelessness, mental health and conservation with Earthshot. In 2024 Prince William carried out 137 engagements in the UK and the Commonwealth.

Prince William travelled to 3 countries (France x2, Germany x3) where he did 21 engagements 🇫🇷🇿🇦🇩🇪

Out of a total of 40 investiture ceremonies held, Prince William held 8🎖️

Birgitte, The Duchess of Gloucester

The Duchess of Gloucester has this year completed 102 engagements in the UK. She continued her long lasting work in sports, the arts (Opera, Ballet, Acting etc…) and accompanying her husband to official engagements.

Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence

Although not an official working royal, Sir Tim often attends as a great support to his wife’s engagements as well as having his own non-royal patronages and interests. In 2024 he became the Chair of the Science Museum, the new patron of the Oban War and Peace Museum and will become the new President of Kent Cricket Club in January 2025.

He accompanied his wife to a total of 95 engagements, represented her 3 times and remembrance services and accompanied her to 48 engagements abroad in 4 countries. 🇱🇰🇨🇦🇫🇷🇳🇱

When we see Sir Tim carry out his own solo engagements, they aren’t included on the Court Circular as he’s not an official working royal, so if they were to be his engagement count would be a lot higher

(Operation working royal Tim) 👏

Prince Edward, The Duke of Kent.

Despite being 89, Prince Edward, the late Queens cousin, has carried out 89 engagements even with his ailing mobility.

He continued his valued hard work with organisations like the RNLI, the Royal Scots Guards and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which he recently passed on the presidency to the Princess Royal.

Catherine, The Princess of Wales

This year has not been easy for the Princess of Wales with her diagnosis, she significantly reduced her schedule and only attended the most important engagements like Trooping the Colour, Remembrance Day, visiting Southport and taking part in the Qatari State Visit. I really do hope that 2025 treats Catherine kindly and we can see her more often, doing what she does best 🥰

Hopefully we will see her and the Prince of Wales go on a couple of overseas tours next year now that their children are older.

In 2024 the Princess of Wales carried out 13 engagements.

Princess Alexandra of Kent

Princess Alexandra is more than likely unofficially retired from her royal duties now due to her age, health and ailing mobility.

We have only seen Her Royal Highness twice (once officially) this year, firstly accompanying her daughter Marina, at King Constantine’s service of thanksgiving at Windsor Castle, and secondly attending the Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace.

I hope she is doing well and is taking things slowly. She began her royal duties in the 1950s, so at least 70 years of representing the monarchy. She has truly deserved her retirement and we will miss seeing her at engagements. I hope we will see her occasionally, health permitting of course 💖

In conclusion

This year the British Royal Family completed a grand total of 2099 in the UK and 25 different countries across the world.

🇱🇰🇳🇦🇦🇪🇨🇦🇳🇴🇫🇷🇳🇱🇮🇲🇯🇪🇬🇬🇦🇺🇼🇸🇩🇪🇿🇦🐢🏝️🇺🇬🇲🇨🇲🇹🇧🇭🇰🇼🇺🇦🇮🇹🇹🇿🇹🇩

See below for engagements from the past decade and the types of engagements carried out in 2024

[charlotte-of-wales]

As our visits to Australia and Samoa come to a close, my wife and I would like to thank both nations for the warmest of welcomes and for the countless fond memories we will carry in our hearts for many years to come.

Even when we are far apart in distance, the many close connections that unite us across the globe and through our Commonwealth family have been renewed, and will remain as profound as they are enduring.

- Charles R. & Camilla R

via The Royal Family

[thewomenofwindsor]

CONFIRMED: The King and Queen’s royal visit to Australia 🇦🇺(his first realm visit as monarch), their state visit to the Independent State of Samoa 🇼🇸 and attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa will take place between 18th and 26th 0ctober.

[celticcrossanon]

Australian Tour

Tuesday the 22nd of October

The King and Queen were in Sydney today.

Under a cut again due to length

The King went to the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence in Redfern (a suburb known for its poor indigenous inhabitants), where the event began with a traditional Welcome to Country and Smoking ceremony before The King meet a range of community representatives and local Elders.

While The King was in Redfern, The Queen visited  Refettorio OzHarvest in nearby Surry Hills (OzHarvest is a charity that collects food from restaurants etc that would otherwise throw it out and delivers it to charities that feed people - https://www.ozharvest.org/). She helped prepare the lunch being served in the restaurant and then spoke to the people who had gathered outside to see her.

After visiting OzHarvest, the Queen  visited the Green Square Library in the suburb of Zetland for a writing workshop, where she met schoolchildren taking part in workshops with local authors. She also met past participants of The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition and presented 4 certificates, and met with authors Liane Moriarty and Thomas Keneally.

The King and Queen then attended a BBQ at Parramatta Park, hosted by the NSW Premier. The BBQ was by invitation only and guests included  around 500 community leaders, volunteers and sports officials. There was a variety of entertainment on offer, including sheepdog trials and backyard cricket. While they took the tongs at the BBQ, it was only for a few seconds, as they spent most of the time meeting people.

Following the community barbecue, His Majesty attended The King’s Foundation Reception at Admiralty House in Kirribilli, where he met Hillview Foundation Australia chair Dominic Richards and The King’s Foundation chief executive officer Mrs Kristina Murrin and unveiled a plaque.

In the afternoon, The King toured the Melanoma Institute Australia in Wollstonecraft and met current patients. He also met Australians of the Year, Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer and heard about their cancer research and treatment.

The last event was at the Sydney Opera house. The King and Queen waved as they drove slowly through the crowds up to the Opera House, with the Queen wearing a new outfit. They were greeted by the NSW Premier and his wife and met 6 special guests, British actor Dame Joanna Lumley, actor Heather Mitchell, acrobat and dancer Lucia Richardson, singer Jin Tea Kim, artistic director of Bangarra Dance Theatre Francis Rings and Sydney Symphony orchestra principal bass clarinet player Alexander Morris. They signed the guest book and posed for photos before walking through the crowd before leaving for the fleet review.

The King and Queen boarded Admiral Hudson, a Kingfisher 54 cruiser, to watch Fleet Review of the Royal Australian Navy and a flypast by the Royal Australian Air Force, The Royal Australian Army was also involved. It was the fourth fleet review in Australian history.

The King and Queen now leave Australia for CHOGM in Samoa, which runs from the 21st ro the 26th of October.

Edit: The King is going to CHOGM; I'm not sure what The Queen is doing.

[thehouseofwindsor]

Charles III King of the United Kingdom

King Charles III speaks during a farewell ceremony, on the final day of the royal visit to Australia and Samoa before waving farewell marking the official end of Their Majesties State Visit to Samoa.

Looking down at his shoes as he prepares to board the plane bring one thought to mind. I need some feet pics of His Majesty.

[camillasgirl]

The King and Queen will visit Australia and Samoa

Their Majesties The King and Queen will undertake an Autumn Tour from Friday 18th – Saturday 26th October 2024. This will include a Royal Visit to Australia, State Visit to The Independent State of Samoa and attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2024. 

The King’s visit to Australia will be His Majesty’s first to a Realm as Monarch, whilst the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa is the first The King will attend as Head of the Commonwealth. In both countries, Their Majesties’ engagements will focus on themes designed to celebrate the best of Australia and Samoa, as well as reflecting aspects of The King and Queen’s work.  

Australia 

In Australia, His Majesty, as Head of State, accompanied by Her Majesty The Queen, will visit Parliament House, in Canberra, where Their Majesties will be welcomed by the Prime Minister, Mr Anthony Albanese. His Majesty will address a reception attended by political and community leaders, and prominent Australians who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in a variety of fields, including health, arts, culture and sports. Their Majesties will pay their respects to the Fallen, laying a wreath at the Australian War Memorial and visiting the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander memorial, ‘For Our Country’. The King and Queen will conduct a Fleet Review of the Royal Australian Navy, in Sydney Harbour. 

On the theme of sustainability, The King will visit CSIRO, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, meeting firefighters and learning more about the centre’s work to combat the bush fires which devastate millions of hectares of Australian land each year. Their Majesties will tour the National Botanic Gardens, home to the largest living collection of Australian native plants in the world, where they will learn about Indigenous plant use. They will also hear from staff and volunteers about how climate change is affecting biodiversity.

The King, who has this year been receiving treatment for cancer, will meet Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer, both Australians of the Year, and will hear about the work they do to help those affected by melanoma, one of Australia’s most common cancers. 

Meanwhile, Her Majesty’s programme will also reflect the themes of her wider work, including her passion for encouraging reading and literacy and her desire to raise awareness of domestic and family violence. At a library in Sydney, Her Majesty will meet children participating in a Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition workshop. In Canberra, The Queen will join a discussion on domestic and family violence, with some of those whose lives been affected by it, and experts who work in the field. Her Majesty will also meet representatives of GIVIT, a charity which matches donors with those in need, of which she is Patron.

Their Majesties will attend a community BBQ in Western Sydney, sampling a range of produce from across New South Wales, experiencing the cultural diversity of Australian communities and meeting local residents. The King will also meet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives and groups to learn about their work in supporting local community and strengthening culture. 

Samoa

Their Majesties’ State Visit to Samoa will celebrate the warm bilateral relationship between the two countries, which has been further strengthened by Samoa’s hosting of CHOGM 2024. The King and Queen will receive a formal welcome to the country, in the form of an ‘Ava Fa’atupu ceremony, before meeting Samoans at an engagement to highlight aspects of Samoan traditions and culture. His Majesty will also spend time with young people and community and faith leaders. 

The King’s programme will, in addition, reflect the theme of sustainability and biodiversity, in support of one of the key themes of CHOGM – ‘A Resilient Environment’, and the meeting’s focus on oceans. His Majesty will visit both a mangrove forest and a National Park, witnessing the work which is carried out by local communities to restore and protect both these vital ecosystems. He will also plant a tree in Samoa’s Botanical Garden, marking the opening of a new area within the site, which will be called ‘The King’s Garden’.  Meanwhile Her Majesty’s engagements will again focus on the wider themes of her work. The Queen will visit an aoga faifeau (traditional Samoan Pastor’s School) to see first-hand how pupils are taught to read and write. Her Majesty will also visit the Samoa Victim Support Group, an organisation which assists survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse, where she will learn more about the services the group provides to those in crisis.

CHOGM 2024

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa will bring together delegations from 56 countries across Africa, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. The overall theme of this year’s meeting is: ‘One Resilient Common Future: Transforming Our Common Wealth’.

In His Majesty’s first Commonwealth Day message as Sovereign, in March 2023, The King said of the Commonwealth: ‘Its near-boundless potential as a force for good in the world demands our highest ambition; its sheer scale challenges us to unite and be bold.’ CHOGM 2024 will see some of that ambition and unity on display with an emphasis on resilience across 4 key areas – resilient societies and peoples, resilient democratic institutions, a resilient environment and resilient economies. 

As Head of the Commonwealth, The King, accompanied by The Queen, will attend the CHOGM Opening Ceremony and will host a Dinner for Commonwealth Heads of Government. The King will also host a Reception for New Heads of Government and will attend the CHOGM Business Forum to hear about progress on sustainable urbanisation and investment in solutions to tackle climate change. 

Gender Equality and Women’s empowerment is one of CHOGM’s key themes, and Her Majesty will attend a side event to the Women’s Forum on the subject of ‘Advocating for Women and Girls in the Commonwealth’, with a focus on eliminating violence against women and improving health. 

[sussex-newswire]

"Never forget this: the Royal Family had a chance to look like it was changing for the better – even if it wasn’t.

"That chance arrived in May 2018 when Prince Harry married Meghan Markle, a popular American actress. No, she didn’t fit the mould: Meghan is biracial, progressive, outspoken, and crucially, not part of the establishment. That, of course, was the point. The perception that her presence alone was enough to somehow modernise the institution was widespread. For a while, as part of the 'Fab Four', that is exactly how it seemed.

"She was greeted around the UK like a star. More importantly, Meghan’s reception in former commonwealth countries, particularly nations with large black populations, was always positive, not just because of the assumed kinship between her and members of the African diaspora, but because of the ease with which she embraces official visits. While Harry may not share that ancestry, his relaxed, more human-seeming demeanour complemented hers, staving off – at least for a short time – focus on the Royal Family’s bloody legacy.

"Royals tours headed by Harry and Meghan were not, in fact, any less problematic with a biracial ambassador, but through a cynical lens, their presence certainly made the spectacle more palatable.

"None of this is now open to the Royal Family – and I find it strange that they didn’t have the foresight to capitalise on this opportunity. Perhaps they assumed debates about colonialism would fade into the background. How wrong they were.

"For this brave new world soon shattered, as rumours of ructions between the princes and their wives emerged. Desperate to protect his family, and fearing a repeat of the press hounding of his mother, Harry took his family to Canada and then California, from where he and Meghan mounted a defence. But it is worth repeating again and again that before Spare, before the Netflix documentary, before Harry and Meghan’s battle with the British media had reached ugly new heights, the Royal Family had a unique chance to utilise the couple’s relatability.

"Instead, the Royal Family chose to hasten its own decline. With 15 realms left in its dwindling roster of territories and ongoing threats towards its very existence, it’s not surprising that the royals are throwing everything they have at retaining some sense of relevance and reverence on the global stage. The problem – at least for them – is that they’re not doing a very good job.

"While King Charles and Queen Camilla’s royal tour to Australia and Samoa largely received positive press compared with poorly received visits to the Caribbean in 2022, for example, both were haunted by the very thing tours like these are designed to paper over: the devastating impact of the British Empire’s legacy on the UK’s former colonies – and the inevitability of the consequences the royals are facing as a result of that legacy.

...

"In truth, the Royal Family no longer represents much practical use to the public. If only they had grasped the opportunity to change – it didn’t need to be like this."

[houseofbrat]

Submission: Cripes, can it get any worse?

Is there ANYONE in the KP organization who doesn’t have shit for brains? We’ve just seen her make a big fucking deal out of her “treatment,” to the point that she takes an entire year off from her schedule. Okay. Whatevs. But there is no mention of cancer support for her Christmas event AND, more tellingly, no mention of her FIL’s cancer diagnosis, that they are partners in their struggle with this disease. I’m starting to edge over into Team Fraud here. Google on how to treat pre-cancerous cells. What do you do? You exorcise them. In the worse case scenario, you do surgery. I didn’t see ANYTHING about an eight-month long chemo regimen. Again, I’ve said this before. Chemo kills cells. There is a reason who hold off on chemo unless it’s absolutely necessary. The very act of undergoiing chemo may cause cancer down the line.

I’m beginning to wonder if William isn’t caught between his father and his wife, hence the massive weight loss. Catherine flexes first by making Cancer Video #1 by not naming the BRF at all and then highlights HER family as her *only* means of support. Charles hits back with that piddly ass Order of the Companion–a total diss if ever there was one, she is the Princess of Wales for heaven’s sake. She retaliates with Cancer Video #2 by frolicking through the trees and pointedly DOES NOT mention her FIL. That video was a total mistake because if she’s able to romp on the sand dunes with the kids (and play paint ball, apparently), then why isn’t she back at her desk? Charles doesn’t have the time to frolick through the trees and sanddunes. He’s off DOING HIS JOB by visiting Australia and Samoa, looking like shit but still getting out there. He’s not playing painball, suffice it to say. He’s royaling. She’s doing what every upperclass matron who is a stay-at-home mom might be doing on a lazy Friday afternoon. Except she’s not you’re everyday uppermiddle class matron, now is she?

The Wales have done an excellent job in painting themselves as your everyday family, except they wear tiaras on the odd occasion, and yet they are royals. This allows them to spin the fantasy and endear us to them because they are just like you and me! Except their are not, and it’s clear to me that their entitlement is off the charts. When I was working, I wish I had something like 20 weeks of vacation a year. They can spin at least seven different stories about serious events and people say, oh, look, she’s so brave. If I were in a job and I told my employer why I’d decided not to work for a year and yet I wanted them to pay me my full salary, and told them seven different versions of why my pre-cancerous cells needed chemo when the HR head says emphatically there’s NO doctor’s validation that I’d had chemo, I’d be fired. Maybe she has been fired. Maybe she’s sick of being a royal. Maybe that’s the REAL illness. I actually don’t have a problem with that. Quit, Catherine, no one is holding your feet to the flames. What is unacceptable is this onslaught of PR rubbish that is making you out to be either a liar or plain stupid. As the Queen said, no half in and half out. 

How long can she milk this non-cancer/cancer thing? Another year? I think there is a real problem with someone like her because she appears to me to be a perfectionist and her public persona is very important to her (hair, make-up, etc. flawless), but she appears to be quite healthy (unlike her FIL, who does look like he’s undergoing chemo!), which starts to undermine her current PR message. Also, have you noticed that there is no comment from anyone other than the ass-kissing royal rota on William’s weight loss? If the tables were turned and William had announced he was undergoing chemo, I would damn well believe it. He looks like total shit. Nothing from Catherine about how William has been so worried about her, how she’s heaping his plate at night with a double helping of potatoes. Nothing. Nada. Zip. She’s letting him twist in the wind. As is the BRF, interestingly enough.

I am at the point where I don’t believe Camilla is really ill. I think she is sick of this sideshow and is doing her own flex. Perhaps I’m wrong. The person to watch is Anne, because that woman is her father’s daughter. ‘Nuff said.

--------------------------------

Yup! I was stunned last night when I saw the “theme” of her Christmas concert.

But when you think of Kate’s work history--or lack thereof--it’s not that surprising. 

Kate worked part-time at Jigsaw, a clothing store, and worked for her parents’ company, Party Pieces. Never did she work full time for someone where she wasn’t cut slack. 

She reportedly got a week off of work at Jigsaw after she and William broke up one time, allegedly due to media intrusion. Allegedly, of course. I don’t know of anyone else I’ve known who has gotten a week off because their boyfriend broke up with them. But Kate did. When she worked with her parents, she could arrange her schedule how she liked and went on vacation with her parents to Mystique, with William in tow. 

How does Kate’s pre-royal work stack up against Maxima? Or Letizia? Or Masako? Or Mary of Denmark? Or Daniel? 

It doesn’t. 

She is a rich party girl whose only dream in life was to be a stay-at-home mom with an Aga. 

Are we really surprised that she’s too dumb to have the KP head of communications fired? Based on her work history, why should we surprised that she’s made moves that will tank her reputation permanently? What in her work life demonstrates that she knows the difference between valuable employees who need to be retained versus firing those who are incompetent and dangerous to the organization? Nothing!

Apparently everyone has forgotten how she was flashing people in India at outdoor engagements when it was windy! And that was when she had been a royal for FIVE YEARS!

Everyone in the Wales fandom needs to admit that Harry & Meghan were such a low bar that they made their faves--Will & Kate--look good even when their faves have always been problematic. 

As for Camilla, she was a heavy smoker for decades and was able to give it up from much pressure & encouragement from Charles. She is legit elderly at 77, and I am never surprised when a former heavy smoker comes down with lung issues or infections when they’re elderly. 

[princesscatherinemiddleton]

2024 ROYAL PREDICTIONS

I am greatly lowering my expectations for this year...

- King Charles and Queen Camilla undertake a tour of Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Samoa, alongside attending the 2024 CHOGM

- The Prince and Princess of Wales go on one joint tour

- The Prince and Princess of Wales go on one solo working visit each

- The 2024 Earthshot Prize ceremony is hosted in Africa

- Peter Phillips gets engaged and married

- One of the York girls announces another pregnancy

- There is an Edinburgh PR push

- A monarch dies

- A Norwegian royal death (sorry!)

- Princess Martha Louise's wedding is the highlight of the year

- Princess Ingrid Alexandra takes on her first patronages

- Baby Luxembourg is a girl

- Prince Sebastien of Luxembourg announces an engagement

- Princess Elisabeth of Belgium takes on her first patronages

- Mary and Frederik do something to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary

- There is a Greek/Danish party for Princess Benedikte's 80th birthday

- Princess Madeleine and her family return to Sweden

- Princess Sofia of Sweden announces a pregnancy

- Crown Princess Amalia and Princess Alexia have a joint engagement

- A Jordanian Princess has a baby

- We see lots of royals at the Summer Olympics

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

If Harry needs to wine, dine, and schmooze a bunch of corporate sponsors to pay for Birmingham 2027 - I wonder if that is connected with the news he wants to come back for a month to see the RF. Meaning he'll badger the King/William/Anne etc.. for money either for himself (his inheritance) or directly for the games.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1926720/anxious-prince-harry-planning-month-long?utm_source=daily_express_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=lunch_royal_newsletter&utm_content=&utm_term=&ruid=218955f3-1f63-4494-b8cc-6736ae65518d

Harry's return to the UK in September is nothing more than a grift to be available as Counsellor of State when Charles and Camilla go to Australia.

They've already announced that Charles and Camilla will tour Australia in October as part of their travel for the 2024 CHOGM, which is taking place in Samoa. CHOGM is October 21 - 25, 2024, so:

Give a 2-3 day break between the tour and CHOGM so they can rest, the Aussie tour will probably end around October 16.

Official royal tours of Australia are about 8-10 days. It's probably safe to assume a longer tour since a) this is probably going to be King Charles's only official tour/visit to Australia (given the distance, his age, and his health) and b) he can't work the same packed agenda he used to (given his health) so it may be a bit slower-paced. So if the tour ends around October 16, then they'll probably leave the UK around October 6th.

Meaning the Counsellors of State notice will be around October 5th.

And also the article (which is actually quoting/sourcing The Closer, a known gossip rag who's recently become a Sussex mouthpiece) cleverly doesn't say when Harry plans to go to the UK, just that he wants to be there for a longer trip, about a month long, and wants it to overlap with his birthday, which is September 15th.

We're assuming that Harry will go September 1 to October 1 because when we think "month", "first to the first" is the usual convention. But for all we know, Harry could be thinking about going, say, September 8th to October 8th, and oh, what do you know, Charles is out of the country so Harry could be called up for Counsellor of State duties because he just so happens to be in the UK.

So bingo-bango, presto-whammo: the royal shine is back on the Duke of Sussex because he has a new fancy letters patent listing him alongside The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Edinburgh, and The Princess Royal.

But sure, he's going to see his father and his aunt who recently suffered a scary accident because he misses them soooooooo much.

[scotianostra]

November 13th 1850 saw the birth of Robert Louis Stevenson in Edinburgh.

As the author of such classics as Treasure Island, Kidnapped and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Stevenson is known the world over, instead of reeling off the usual facts about the life of the man I thought I would dig up some facts that are not so well known.

When Stevenson first wrote Treasure Island, he submitted his stories under nom-de-plume of Captain George North to a children's periodical called Young Folks.

He may have invented the sleeping bag; according to the Stevenson House website: "R.L.S. has a good claim to be the inventor of the Sleeping Bag, taking a large fleece-lined sack with him to sleep in on the journey through France described in his book Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes." For the record, his six-foot square sleeping sack was made of "green waterproof cart-cloth without and blue sheep's fur within".

Stevenson collected corselets (a sort of protective girdle) and was particularly proud of his ones from the Gilbert Island, which were designed to offer effective protection against sharks’ teeth weapons, throwing spears and European knives and bayonets. They were made of coconut fibre and decorated with human hair. They were given to him by King Tembinoka, the Tyrant of the Island of Apemama.

He had wooden teeth, when he was living in America in 1878 and pursuing the unhappily married Fanny Vandegrift Osbourne - a woman 11 years his senior - Stevenson lived in San Francisco's Chinatown. He was lonely and in poor health and while in Tubbs Hotel he had trouble with a bleeding mouth and rotten teeth. A local dentist removed all his teeth and fitted him with false wooden replacements. He married Fanny shortly afterwards.

As well as a writer, he was also a keen musician and composer, Stevenson played the piano and flageolet and wrote more than 100 original musical compositions and arrangements, including solos, duets, trios and quartet. His works include ten songs written to his own poetry.

He burnt the first draft of Jekyll & Hyde, the story was promoted by a dream he had while in Bournemouth of a "fine bogey tale", was written around the same time as Kidnapped and was partly based on Deacon Brodie, the 18th-century Edinburgh cabinetmaker. His wife Fanny complained that he had not made the allegory strong enough and he tossed the 30,000 word manuscript into the fire. Then in "a white heat", using a quill pen and ink pot, he stayed in bed for three days and wrote a new version. He would later claim that it was the worst thing he ever wrote but The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sold 40,000 copies in its first six months on sale in 1886.

Long John Silver stayed at the Royal Infirmary. Treasure Island character Long John Silver was based on poet WE Henley, who RLS frequently visited at the Royal Infirmary. Henley suffered from tuberculosis of the bone and acquired a wooden leg after having his left leg amputated in 1868.

He left a number of books unfinished before his untimely death in Samoa on December 3rd 1894. Reports at the time said he had died of "apoplexy" due to the heat. It was also described as a stroke and a cerebral haemorrhage brought on by straining to opening a jar of mayonnaise. Or a bottle of wine. No one is sure. He was only 44.

Stevenson was buried in a grand ceremony on Mount Vaea, Upolu and his tomb is inscribed with the words: “Home is the sailor, home from the sea,/And the hunter home from the hill.” On the day he died he had been dictating words for his unfinished novel The Chief Justice's Clerk. He also left behind an uncompleted novel called St Ives (the story of a French prisoner who made his escape from Edinburgh Castle), The Young Chevalier, Heathercat and Weir of Hermiston.

Stevenson wrote his own inscription on his grave, the full verse reads...

Under the wide and starry sky,

Dig the grave and let me lie.

Glad did I live and gladly die

,And I laid me down with a will.

This be the verse you grave for me:

Here he lies where he longed to be;

Home is the sailor, home from sea,

And the hunter home from the hill.