#jane buckingham

[thepastisalreadywritten]

The day Princess Anne was almost kidnapped on The Mall — 50 years on

On this day 50 years ago, 23-year-old Princess Anne found herself fighting off a gunman as her bodyguard and driver lay wounded beside her. Emma Loffhagen takes a deep dive into the disturbing day one of the most senior royals was almost kidnapped.

By Emma Loffhagen

20 March 2024

“Your daughter has been kidnapped. The following are conditions to be fulfilled for release.”

In March 1974, Ian Ball used a rented typewriter to haphazardly type a letter intended for the then-head of state, Queen Elizabeth II.

Ball, 26, a funeral home worker, demanded £3 million — to be paid in £5 notes — in exchange for the return of the Queen’s daughter, Princess Anne.

After becoming fixated with the 23-year-old princess, he spent two years hatching an elaborate plan to kidnap her.

Today, March 20, marks the 50th anniversary of Ball’s kidnap attempt — one of the most bizarre and disturbing episodes in British royal history.

A “loner,” Ball had been inspired to hatch his elaborate kidnap plot by the novel Day of the Jackal.

He wanted to follow in the footsteps of the book’s hero, the contracted assassin the Jackal.

“He was a very strange man,” Ball’s neighbour later said. “The only time he ever went out was when he went down to the launderette or went out for some food.”

It was thought that he had developed a “fixation” on the royal, whipped up by the widespread and lavish coverage of her wedding to Captain Mark Phillips the previous year.

As part of his plan, Ball had moved from his run-down flat in Bayswater to a lush rented house in Fleet, Hampshire.

It was only a few miles from Sandhurst, where Anne lived with her then-husband Phillips.

After a quick phone call to the Buckingham Palace press office, Ball knew which engagements and events Anne attended each week.

He rented a car under the alias John Williams, stocking the boot with Valium tranquilisers and two pairs of handcuffs.

On the evening of 20 March 1974, Anne was travelling back to Buckingham Palace in an Austin Princess limousine.

She had attended a screening of Riding Towards Freedom, a documentary by the charity Riding for the Disabled.

Captain Phillips, her bodyguard James Beaton, and her lady-in-waiting Rowena Jane Brassey, were also in the car driven by royal chauffeur Alexander Callender.

At around 8pm, as the group drove up The Mall, a white Ford Escort swerved in front of the limousine, forcing Callender to stop.

Then a 31-year-old inspector, Beaton, who had been Anne’s bodyguard for a year, got out to investigate.

“I thought it was somebody who wanted to be a pain in the neck,” he later said. “There was no hint of what was to happen.”

Suddenly, a bearded man with light red hair jumped out of the vehicle and pulled out two handguns, smashing the passenger window with the butt of one.

Beaton had not even had the chance to pull out his weapon when he was shot in the shoulder.

He then attempted to fire back at Ball — but missed. Upon a second attempt, his gun — a Walther PPK — jammed.

Ball turned to the passenger door behind the driver’s seat and started shaking it. Anne was sat on the other side. “Open, or I’ll shoot!” he shouted.

As the princess and Captain Phillips desperately tried to hold the door closed, Anne’s lady-in-waiting crawled out of the door on the passenger side.

Beaton got back in the car, placing himself between the couple and their assailant.

Ball shot into the car, and Beaton’s hand deflected the bullet.

He shot the bodyguard a third time, hitting Beaton in the abdomen and causing him to fall from the vehicle.

“I felt tired and very drunk, although I hadn’t been drinking,” Beaton later told police. “I just wanted to lie down.”

Callender stepped out to confront the gunman, but Ball shot him in the chest and he fell back into the car.

Pulling the door open, Ball grabbed Anne’s forearm as her husband held on to her waist.

“Please, come out,” Ball reportedly told the princess. “You’ve got to come.”

As the pair struggled over Anne, her dress ripped, splitting down the back, which she later recalled prompted her to “lose her rag.”

But, rather than panic, she had what she described as a “very irritating conversation” with her potential kidnapper.

Unbelievably calm despite the commotion, Anne famously replied: “Not bloody likely!”

In an interview with the late television presenter Michael Parkinson, she recalled:

“He [the gunman] opened the door and we had a discussion about where — or where not — we were going to go.

“I said I didn’t think I wanted to go. I was scrupulously polite because I thought it would be silly to be too rude at that stage.”

A nearby tabloid journalist, Brian McConnell, arrived on the scene.

Recognising the limo’s insignia, he realised the commotion must have involved a royal family member.

“Don’t be silly, old boy,” he told Ball. “Put the gun down.”

Ball responded by shooting him too and McConnell collapsed bleeding onto the road.

A man named Ronnie Russell drove past at this point.

He was on his way home to Strood, Kent, from working as an area manager for a cleaning company in London.

In a stroke of incredible luck, Russell happened to be a former boxer. He had cut his cloth at the Repton Club in east London, an infamous venue sponsored by the notorious Kray twins.

Jumping out of the car, Russell punched Ball twice in the head before leading Anne and her lady-in-waiting away from the attacker.

He later explained that he “did not like bullies,” which prompted his decision to intervene.

Despite being injured, Ball still shot the first police officer to arrive on the scene, Constable Michael Hills, 22, before running off.

Detective Constable Peter Edmonds, who answered Constable Hills’ radio request for backup, chased Ball down The Mall and through St James’s Park before tackling him on the ground.

At Ball’s Old Bailey trial in May 1974, more details came to light about the plot.

Ball kept his head lowered for most of the proceedings, only uttering the word “guilty” to confirm the charges of attempted murder and kidnapping.

In his pocket, detectives had discovered the kidnap note addressed to the Queen, which demanded the £3 million ransom (the equivalent of £26 million today), a free pardon, and a plane to fly him to Switzerland.

He had planned to take the princess to a central London property he had rented under an alias.

In a police interview, Ball also said he believed Anne would be an easy target after ascertaining her whereabouts by phoning the Buckingham Palace press office.

“I had thought about it for years,” he said. “She would have been the easiest. I have seen her riding with her husband.”

Ball also showed no remorse for having shot three men on the night of the attempted kidnap.

“They were getting in my way so I had to shoot them,” he said. “Well, the police, that's their job. They expect to be shot. I took a chance of getting shot so why shouldn't they?”

He added: “I suppose I’ll be locked up for the rest of my life. I am only sorry I frightened Princess Anne. There is one good thing coming out of this: you will have to improve on her protection.”

Ball was diagnosed with schizophrenia following the trial and sentenced to a mental health facility under the Mental Health Act, “without limit or time."

He remains in the Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire to this day.

The facility has been home to a series of notorious criminals, including serial killer Peter Sutcliffe and London gangster Ronnie Kray.

Immediately after the attack, the royals ceased having only one protection officer.

When Anne visited Beaton in hospital, “she turned up with two policemen,” her bodyguard said. “From then on, that’s what it was.”

“I had nothing…There was no back-up vehicle,” Beaton told The Times separately.

“The training was non-existent; but then again, [we thought] nothing was going to happen. They are highly specialised now, highly trained.”

Beaton continued to work for Anne for another five years — before the Queen employed him.

After Beaton’s weapon jammed, the type of guns used by bodyguards were also changed: “The Walthers were got rid of overnight.”

Beaton was honoured for his bravery, receiving the George Cross — the UK’s highest civilian honour for gallantry.

Russell also received the honour. In a 2006 interview, Russell recalled what Queen Elizabeth said as she presented his George Medal:

“The medal is from the Queen of England, the thank you is from Anne’s mother.”

[dirtyriver]

Those two and their games.

"My Fair Spidey" in Marvel Valentine Special #1, April 1997, written by Tom Peyer, art by Mark Buckingham (pencils) and Kev Sutherland (inks)

[astrangersummer]

Thank you to everyone who participated!

knocking me out with those american thighs by @ataliagold

tumblr | ao3 steddie, platonic stobin | T | 848 words

i'd much rather be jorting by @stellarspecter

tumblr | ao3 steddie | T | 978 words

blush sands by @yikes-em

tumblr | ao3 steddie | T | 1154 words

deep ocean blue by @sourw0lfs

tumblr | ao3 eddie&el | G | 617 words

who wears short shorts? by @thisapplepielife

tumblr steddie, platonic stobin | M | 1469 words

thick thighs and short shorts by ainsalaco

ao3 eddie munson | T | 100 words

roadtrip of '86 by @arelliann

tumblr steddie, buckingham, platonic stobin | G | art

a spot of color by @atimeofyourlife

tumblr platonic stobin | G | 361 words

ephiphany by @yesdangerpls

tumblr | ao3 steddie | T | 1141

divider by @/saradika this list will not be updated for any late entries

[balu8]

[houseofbrat]

All the way back on 20 May 2024, Rebecca English attempted to give proof of life for Kate, when she published a story about Kate & "The Early Years." The general public hasn't seen Kate since her CANCER! announcement video on 22 March 2024, but Rebecca has the inside scoop on how Kate is still the "driving force" behind her Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood! [archive link]

And wouldn't you know it, Rebecca's story, which was an attempt to quell rumors of "where is Kate?", has only increased in the scrutiny!

The next day, 21 May 2024, William hosted a garden party at Buckingham Palace with Peter Philips, Zara & Mike Tindall, Beatrice, and Eugenie, and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. As Rebecca English noted,

During the garden party William will meet guests from a number of both his own and his wife's patronages, military affiliations and passion projects including his Homewards initiative to combat homelessness, RAF Valley (the Welsh base where the prince worked as an RAF Search and rescue pilot), Swim England and tenants across the Duchy of Cornwall sites. The inclusion of those with links to the Princess of Wales suggests that when planning for the garden party began last year it had been expected that Kate would attend. [archive link]

On the 22 May 2024, Buckingham Palace announced to the press that there would be a reduction in royal engagements due to the election on 04 July 2024. William had to cancel an engagement previously scheduled for 23 May 2024 due to the now upcoming election.

Also on 22 May 2024, El Nacional in Spain, published an article stating that Kate is lonely, home alone with her "three children," and has marriage difficulties with William.

Cut to the next day, 23 May 2024, Richard Eden of the Daily Mail has suddenly gotten info from Kate's friends about her recovery! We won't see Kate "until the autumn."

She has not undertaken any public engagements this year and friends I spoke to in the past few days suggest we might not see Catherine again until the autumn – and only then if she has recovered fully. [archive link]

Continuing on, 24 May 2024, Tom Sykes of The Daily Beast, publishes that Kate "will probably 'not appear in public for the rest of the year.'"

One source said they do not expect to see Kate back in any kind of public-facing role in the medium term, adding it was possible she would remain absent from public life for the rest of the year. The source said: “Lots of people involved in planning need to know what all the principals are doing a long way in advance. I am told that Kate’s diary for this year is empty. There is nothing planned. She may not appear in public for the rest of the year.” [...] The friend said that Kate has preferred to lean on and confide in her family rather than her and William’s circle of friends, many of whom will be at the Duke of Westminster’s wedding next month (along with her husband, who is best man). [...] The Daily Beast has been told by fellow parents at the smart private school which Kate’s children attend that she has not been seen at the sports matches and the other school events she and her husband usually attend. However, she is understood to have done occasional school runs, one parent said, but while keeping a low profile. “There have been rumors she has done drop-off, but I haven’t seen her since the video,” said one. [archive link]

Subsequently, the next week, on Monday, 27 May 2024, Rebecca English published an EXCLUSIVE! in the Daily Mail about how Kate "has been inundated with ‘tens of thousands’ of get well soon cards and gifts."

But the outpouring of support for the princess continues- and palace staff have received thousands and thousands of cards, letters and gifts from members of the public offering their support and good-wishes. The sheer volume of correspondence has at times been difficult for the team to cope with. But staff do aim to reply to all the writers, eventually. [archive link]

Amazingly, the Kensington Palace communications team decided not to film a short video--or even a photo!--visually documenting Kate with said influx of "cards, letters and gifts." How hard would have been--at Kate's leisure!--to pose for a single photo or video documenting all the "support and good-wishes" she has received? Kate apparently is unable to pose for a single photo, even with the aid of photoshop.

Then the very next day, Tuesday, 28 May 2024, Tatler (UK) posts an article about Kate being seen "out and about" via Rebecca English's (27 May) article about Kate receiving "thousands and thousands of cards, letters and gifts."

US Weekly also posts an "exclusive" article on 28 May 2024 that Kate "has been seen out and about more with her family in recent weeks" by using Rebecca English's reporting on the "get well soon cards and gifts." [archive link]

Concurrently on 28 May 2024, Katie Nicholl posts in Vanity Fair that "reports claiming that Princess Kate is unlikely to be back at work until next year are inaccurate." Yet, her statement that "reports that Kate Middleton has been seen out and about with her family in recent days," comes straight from People magazine.

People magazine's EXCLUSIVE! reporting on Kate being "spotted out with family" seemingly originates from Rebecca English's article published one day earlier, on the 27th.

The Princess of Wales, 42, has remained out of the public eye since publicly announcing her cancer diagnosis in March as she undergoes chemotherapy. However, Kate has recently been spotted out with her family and solo running errands, sources tell PEOPLE. Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace has received "tens of thousands" of well-wishes for the royal via letters and gifts, the Daily Mail reports.

Not so EXCLUSIVE! was it, People?

Wednesday, 29 May 2024, Eastern Daily Press (UK), EXCLUSIVELY revealed that Will & Kate were seen shopping in Holt, England.

An eyewitness who was in the shop at the time said "it was nice to see the couple shopping together" and noted that William had purchased some chocolate.  [...] A spokeswoman from Bakers & Larners said: “We are always honoured to be visited by the Royal Family and Tuesday was no different- we look forward to seeing Their Royal Highnesses in Holt again soon." [archive link]

Oh, so Will & Kate were spotted on Tuesday?

The day after Becky English's EXCLUSIVE! story?

Convenient in that no one bothered to snap a photo of the two of them in Holt. At. All.

And where is Holt in relation to Anmer Hall, which is in Norfolk?

Continuing on, Thursday, 30 May 2024, Kensington Palace confirms Kate will not take part in the Colonel's Review on 08 June 2024.

Also on 30 May 2024, Newsweek reported:

The British royals have been urged to come up with a plan to manage press and public expectations about Princess Kate's health and return to duties if her absence continues beyond the summer and into the fall. "They're going to have to come back from the August break with a plan for how to manage public opinion," Newsweek's chief royal correspondent, Jack Royston, told a British news show on Wednesday. [archive link]

Richard Eden reports on 31 May 2024 that Kate "could" take a role at the Royal Thames Yacht club.

Just as hearteningly, they learned that its next most senior honorary position, that of Commodore, which Charles held for 12 years while Prince of Wales, would remain unfilled — fuelling hopes that it will be taken by the Princess of Wales when her own battle with cancer is safely behind her. [...] A friend of the Princess of Wales tells me: 'Decisions about her patronages are on hold until doctors give her the green light to return to public engagements.' [archive link]

How hard would it be to give a "no" if she's not interested in that patronage altogether? It could be done very easily privately, instead of letting the Daily Mail's pearl-clutcher-in-chief drone on about Kate following in King Charles's footsteps.

Finishing out the week, on 01 June 2024, Natasha Livingstone of the Daily Mail reports that Scotland Yard still is not investigating the alleged "breach" of Kate's medical records at The London Clinic.

Staff at the prestigious hospital at the centre of a data breach over the Princess of Wales's private medical records may have had to contend with a 'decoy' trap set by managers, experts believe. The MoS can reveal that, three months on, The London Clinic remains under investigation and the case has not yet been referred to Scotland Yard, despite Health Minister Maria Caulfield stating in March that police had been asked to look at it. Bosses at the hospital launched a probe after it was claimed at least one staff member had attempted to access personal details about Kate following her planned abdominal surgery in January. [...] Now several data specialists have told this newspaper that, if the breach occurred, staff could have been caught through a 'decoy' tactic used by private hospitals that often have high-profile clients. To protect the health data of VIP patients, hospitals often store it in a file under a fake name. A 'decoy' file is then created under the celebrity's real name. This contains false information and is regularly checked by bosses to see if any wayward staff have opened it without permission. If a breach is suspected, hospitals are required to launch their own inquiry while the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) investigates whether management did anything wrong. But this process is laboriously slow. [archive link]

Looks like another round of

Because The Mirror's Russell Myers conveniently published the EXCLUSIVE! scoop about the alleged "breach" of Kate's medical records on 19 March 2024, THREE DAYS before everyone watched the video of Kate sitting on a bench saying the word "CANCER!" on 22 March 2024.

And then there was that now missing Daily Mail story from 01 April 2024 about how Kate's CANCER! video announcement "rushed out" after her diagnosis was "leaked."

The Princess of Wales’s video announcement detailing her cancer treatment was rushed out by Kensington Palace aides after her diagnosis had been leaked, the Mail can reveal. Kate Middleton confirmed she had been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing 'preventative chemotherapy’ for the disease in a video message on March 22. However, a well-placed source has revealed the timing of the video nothing to do with the speculation that would have come from her missing church on Easter morning, but instead because someone had knowledge of her health condition. Kensington Palace had been contacted about Kate’s diagnosis, leaving no option but to hurry to get ahead of the story, the insider told the Daily Mail’s Ephraim Hardcastle column.  It is unclear as to whether the leak came from within The London Clinic, where the Princess underwent abdominal surgery in January, or from elsewhere.

However, given that Kate's records may not have been breached AT ALL--if the alleged violators didn't see her actual record but a fake record--then there was no real reason why KP & Kate had to "get ahead of the story." KP didn't "get ahead" of the medical records story; they leaked the story. To Russell Myers.

American media outlet, Forbes, had an article on 17 March 2024 with the headline, "Claims About BBC Being On-Alert For Kate Middleton News Remain Unconfirmed." (Kate's CANCER! announcement video was filmed by BBC Studios on 20 March 2024.) When rumors of a future announcement are circulating on social media days before a story is actually published, you aren't attempting to "get ahead" of the story. You're priming the audience and setting the stage for your announcement. That is a PR tactic. Plain and simple.

Which brings us back to this week, with US Weekly's cover story this week with this quote about Kate's future royaling career:

According to the second source, Kate’s team is “reevaluating what she’s going to be able to take on when she comes back,” noting, “She may never come back in the role that people saw her in before.”

And Will & Kate's marriage:

The reprieve is a welcome one for the couple. “The announcement that the royals won’t be able to work as much has been unexpected, but it will allow Kate and William to spend more time together,” says the second source. “They’ve been reconnecting and are closer than ever.”

But let's not forget that Tom Sykes pointed out KP's attempt to micromanage the press:

In remarks likely to displease the palace, which has sought a blackout on reporting about Kate’s health apart from official updates, the outlet added that Kate has been spotted out and about with family and on her own.

Which sounds like the press knows more than they've published so far. Wonder how long that is going to last? It probably isn't going to work out in the long run.

Everyone over at KP seems to be unaware of the phrase "Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus."

Looks like the BRF will be managing their "Charlene situation" for a long time. A "situation" that didn't begin in April or March, but early January 2024. As in, before 15 January 2024.

Or unless some other news clarifies the situation that KP has been hiding.

[indelen]

Since the universe of Lockwood and Co seems to have been extremely similar to our own prior to The Problem, I think its interesting that British government and other institutions, as well as London and it's surrounding areas and landmarks are all reasonably well described but absolutely no mention is ever made of the Royal Family and I think its reasonable to conclude they all got insta-killed by a MASSIVE wave of pissed off Visitors in the 50-60s. Either their own ancestors or those that came out of all the stolen stuff The Empire looted and surrounded it's royalty with on a daily basis. Like something very angry came out of the Koh-i-noor or the Stone of Scone and that was the end of House of Windsor and now Brits being Brits no one talks about it they just keep calm and carry on.

[demonofyork]

Immeasurably difficult to be an Anne/Catesby/Edward of Lancaster/Jeanne lover and fan in this Buckingham loving world...

[travellerthroughtime]

Hans Holbein, Holbein at the Tudor Court, Queen's Gallery, London, 2024

[natequarter]

people during edward vi's reign: oh no, what if the boy king is deposed 😦

literally anyone who might have had a claim to the throne: 💀

[blackmagicmarigold]

[world-of-wales]

HAPPY 42ND BIRTHDAY TO HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES, WILLIAM ARTHUR PHILIP LOUIS ♡

On 21 June 1982, Prince William was born to Diana and Charles, then known as Prince and Princess of Wales in St Mary's Hospital, London, at at 21:03 BST. He was born during the reign of his paternal grandmother Elizabeth II and was the first child born to a Prince and Princess of Wales since Prince John's birth in July 1905.

The little prince's name was announced on 28 June as William Arthur Philip Louis. Wills was christened in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, on 4 August.

William studied at Jane Mynors' nursery school and Wetherby School in London before joining Ludgrove. He was subsequently admitted to Eton College, studying geography, biology, and history at the A-level.

The Prince undertook a gap year taking part in British Army training exercises in Belize, working on English dairy farms, and as part of the Raleigh International programme in southern Chile, William worked for ten weeks on local construction projects and taught English.

In 2001, William enrolled at the University of St Andrews, initially to study Art History but then changed his field of study to Geography with the support of the love of his life Catherine Elizabeth Middleton who he met while at school.

Will and Cat fell in love during their time at uni, and married at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011. The couple have three adorable cupcakes Prince George (b.2013), Princess Charlotte (b.2015) and Prince Louis (b.2018). The family of five divide time between their official residence, Kensington Palace and their two private residences - Amner Hall & Adelaide Cottage.

After university, William trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. In 2008, he graduated from the Royal Air Force College Cranwell and joined the RAF Search and Rescue Force in early 2009. He transferred to RAF Valley, Anglesey, to receive training on the Sea King search and rescue helicopter, which made him the first member of the British royal family since Henry VII to live in Wales.

During his active career as a Search and Rescue Pilot, William conducted 156 search and rescue operations, which resulted in 149 people being rescued. He then served as a full-time pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance starting in July 2015, donating his full salary to the EAAA charity.

Working with all branches of the military, he holds the ranks of Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, Commander in the Navy and Wing Commander in the Air-Force

Upon their wedding, WillCat became HRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Earl and Countess of Strathearn and Baron and Lady Carrickfergus. He became the heir apparent on 8 September 2022, receiving the titles of the Duke of Cornwall & The Duke of Rothesay. William & Catherine were made The Prince and Princess of Wales by Kimg Charles on 9 September 2022. Additionally, William also became the Prince & High Steward of Scotland, Earl of Chester, Earl of Carrick, Lord of the Isles, and Baron Renfrew.

As well as undertaking royal duties in support of The King, both in the UK and overseas, The Prince devotes his time supporting a number of charitable causes and organisations with some of his key areas of interest being Mental health, Conservation, Homelessness, Sports and Emergency Workers.

He has undertaken several overseas trips representing the monarch, covering a wide array of countries like Australia, Canada, Namibia, Malaysia, South Africa, Tanzania, Pakistan Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, France, India, The Bahamas, Belize, Afghanistan etc ; He is also is also a founder of various initiatives like United For Wildlife, Heads Together, Earthshot and Homewards.

[billboard-hotties-tourney]

Kate Bush (1958-) solo Songs: "Wuthering Heights," "Hammer Horror" Defeated Opponents: Jane Birkin, Eileen Barton, Big Mama Thornton, Roberta Flack, Diahann Carroll, Tina Turner Propaganda: "Utterly stunning, ridiculously talented pianist, kinda kooky lyricist, and singer with an incredible vocal range. Kate Bush is a genre of her own...Okay now to the hotness: Have you seen her? Those big eyes, the ridiculous cheekbones, her mobile and expressive mouth? Fashionwise she's got that ethereal pseudo Edwardian thing with long floaty dresses and big hair happening in her first few videos, and then BOOM! She slays in a metal bikini and chainmail. Amazing. 10/10. A++++." "The hair. The cheekbones. She's everything to me your honor."

Stevie Nicks (1948-) Fleetwood Mac - vocals Songs: "Rhiannon," "Sisters of the Moon" Defeated Opponents: Michelle Phillips, Sheila Guyse, Mary Wilson, Joyce Bryant, Josephine Baker, Joan Jett Propaganda: "Made her exes sing songs about their relationships on stage. Also have you SEEN the cover of Bella Donna" "One of the best voices in rock, a powerhouse performer and songwriter, told Lindsey Buckingham to suck it pretty much to his face, she simply IS the moment the icon the legend etc."

Visual Propaganda for Kate Bush:

Visual Propaganda for Stevie Nicks:

[cuntyqueerleondraisaitl]

They're in love

And Alex’s heart doesn’t spread itself out in his chest, and he doesn’t have to grip the edge of the settee to steady himself. Because that’s what he would do if he were here in this palace to fall in love with Henry, and not just continuing this thing where they fly across the world to touch each other and don’t talk about it. That’s not why he’s here. It’s not.

And he does understand, really. He loves Henry, and it’s nothing new. He’s been falling in love with Henry for years, probably since he first saw him in glossy print on the pages of J14, almost definitely since Henry pinned Alex to the floor of a medical supply closet and told him to shut the hell up. That long. That much.

“I fucking love you, okay?” Alex half yells, finally, irreversibly. Henry goes very still against the mantelpiece. Alex watches him swallow, watches the muscle that keeps twitching in his jaw, and feels like he might shake out of his skin. “Fuck, I swear. You don’t make it fucking easy. But I’m in love with you.”

He’s cut off mid-sentence because Alex has stopped in the middle of the corridor and yanked him backward into a kiss.

“Hello,” Henry says when they break apart. “What was that for?” “I just, like.” Alex shrugs. “Really love you."

“Seriously,” he says. Henry’s looking back at him, beautiful and vital and heartsick and still, always, the person Alex is willing to risk ruining his life for. “I hate this so much. I know. But we’re gonna do it together. And we’re gonna make it work. You and me and history, remember? We’re just gonna fucking fight. Because you’re it, okay? I’m never gonna love anybody in the world like I love you. So, I promise you, one day we’ll be able to just be, and fuck everyone else."

All at once, Alex is in love all over again. He wraps the tie once around the back of his hand and reels Henry in and kisses him like he never has to stop. Which—he remembers, and laughs into Henry’s mouth—he doesn’t.

“Hi, love,” he hears Henry say quietly, privately, right into the hair above his ear, and Alex’s breath forgets how to do anything but laugh helplessly.

“You really are a complete idiot if you believe that,” Henry hisses, the note balled in his fist. “When have I ever, since the first instant I touched you, pretended to be anything less than in love with you? Are you so fucking self-absorbed as to think this is about you and whether or not I love you, rather than the fact I’m an heir to the fucking throne? You at least have the option to not choose a public life eventually, but I will live and die in these palaces and in this family, so don’t you dare come to me and question if I love you when it’s the thing that could bloody well ruin everything.”

“When I was younger,” Henry says, “I had this very elaborate idea of taking somebody I loved here and standing inside the chapel, that he’d love it as much as I did, and we’d slow dance right in front of the Blessed Mother. Just a ... daft pubescent fantasy.”

It is, indeed, bullshit. It’s all I can do not to pack a bag and be gone forever. Perhaps I could live in your room like a recluse. You could have food sent up for me, and I’ll be lurking in disguise in a shadowy corner when you answer the door. It’ll all be very dreadfully Jane Eyre. The Mail will write mad speculations about where I’ve gone, if I’ve offed myself or vanished to St. Kilda, but only you and I will know that I’m just sprawled in your bed, reading books and feeding myself profiteroles and making love to you endlessly until we both expire in a haze of chocolate sauce. It’s how I’d want to go.

Henry’s jaw is tight, but it’s not anger, only fear. Alex can see on his face an expression he recognizes: Henry wondering if it’s safe to accept the love offered to him, and wanting desperately to take it regardless. He puts his arm around her, lets her kiss his cheek.

In the corridor of Buckingham Palace, as soon as the door has shut behind them, they fall sideways into a tapestry on a wall, breathless and delirious and laughing, cheeks wet. Henry pulls Alex close and kisses him, whispers, “I love you I love you I love you,” and it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter if anyone sees.

[justforbooks]

Jeannette Charles

The Queen’s most famous lookalike, who enjoyed a long career in film and television thanks to their uncanny resemblance

In 1972, Jeannette Charles was in her mid-40s and settling down to life in an Essex village, having returned, with her husband, Ken, from Libya. They had been living there for some years, but left following the army coup led by Muammar Gaddafi.

On reading about the artist Jane Thornhill in a local newspaper, Charles decided to commission a painting of herself for her husband’s birthday. Thornhill asked whether she could submit it for the Royal Academy’s summer exhibition in London, but when she did, the venerable institution returned the picture, believing it to be a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and having been told by Buckingham Palace that the monarch had not sat for it.

The resulting publicity began a new chapter in the life of Charles, who would spend the next 40 years as the Queen’s most famous lookalike, and who has died aged 96. She appeared on British television and in Hollywood films, alongside stars such as Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley and Mike Myers, and also modelled for Spitting Image when the satirical TV show was making the Queen’s puppet.

Charles said of her uncanny resemblance to the monarch, whom she never met: “We both have the same bone structure, so the same style of makeup and hairdressing suits us best. But I’m 2 inches shorter than her, so my clothes wouldn’t always look well on her and vice versa.”

She also made personal appearances – opening shops, handing out gifts with the flamboyant piano virtuoso Liberace and presenting a silver disc to the rock group Queen – and Muhammad Ali put in a special request to have a photograph taken with her. Commercials kept her busy, too, but Charles insisted: “I am not an actress. I only do the one role.”

Her first job as the Queen was posing for a London Weekly Advertiser poster that featured her reading a paper, with a stuffed corgi at her feet. However, London Transport, which was due to display it on buses and Tube trains, objected and never used it. Charles said it was a lesson: “too real … a little vulgar”. She insisted she was a staunch royalist, and told the Guardian in 2022: “I would never do anything that reflected badly on the monarch or myself. Over the years, I’ve turned down large sums to pose for Page 3-type pictures and insisted I should never be introduced as the Queen when making appearances.”

Jeannette was born in London, 18 months after Princess Elizabeth, to Yetta (nee Wonsoff), who was Dutch, of Polish descent, and Alfred Clark, a chef, later restaurateur, and was brought up in Perivale, Middlesex. Her resemblance to the future monarch was spotted when she was still a child. She recalled: “On a trip to Greenwich when I was 11 or 12, a photographer asked if he could use me in some shots, saying, ‘She looks like Princess Elizabeth.’ Later, I’d draw crowds, especially abroad, and sometimes had to run away.”

After leaving Wembley high school, she took a job as a secretary and spent evenings acting with an amateur group in Acton. She dreamed of acting professionally, and passed an audition to train at Rada, but could not afford the fees. Instead, she emigrated to the US at the age of 24 and settled in Midland, Texas.

While working there as an au pair, she met Ken Charles, a British oil drilling engineer with BP. His work took him to Canada – where they married in Alberta in 1957 – and then to South America and Libya.

They returned to Britain in 1969 and, when regal fame came to Charles, she found herself travelling the world again. At home, her early screen appearances were in the sketch shows Rutland Weekend Television (1975), with Eric Idle and Neil Innes, Spike Milligan’s Q series (from 1976 to 1980), and Not the Nine O’Clock News (1980). She was also in sitcoms such as Mind Your Language (1978) and Never the Twain (1990), and jetted to the US for a 1977 appearance on Saturday Night Live.

When Hollywood came calling, she put on the royal tiara to appear in National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985). In The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), she was seen flat on her back with Nielsen on top of her as they slide down a royal banqueting table – when his inept detective believes the Queen is about to be assassinated and jumps to her rescue. For Charles, another highlight of filming that wacky movie was being invited to Presley’s trailer for lunch. “We became good friends,” she said.

She was back in Hollywood for The Parent Trap (1998), with Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson, and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), when she mistook its star, Myers, for a crew electrician on first meeting him.

Alongside chat shows, corporate events, fete openings and other appearances, she appeared in Motörhead’s music video promoting their version of the Sex Pistols song God Save the Queen in 2000.

Charles’s autobiography, The Queen & I, was published in 1986.

Her husband died in 1997. She is survived by their three children, David, Peter and Carol, and her sister, Delinda.

🔔 Jeannette Dorothea Louise Charles, lookalike, born 15 October 1927; died 2 June 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[sereinpetrichor]

weaving on our ends | Mature | 37.6K

Author: @sara-smiling | @sereinpetrichor | serein95 on Twitter/X

Artists: @strawberrysh0rk & @hawkinsleather | hawkinsleather on Twitter/X

Beta/Sensitivity Reader: @upallnightogetloki

Summary

In the era after Vecna and (hopefully) the end of Upside Down-related chaos, Steve Harrington picks up a hobby passed to him with love and care, honoring a found family tradition.

He finds peace in the art of crocheting: making things with his hands and sharing them with those he loves. From the adults who became the parental figures he never really had, to the kids who thrust themselves into his life and will likely never leave, along with the gang of misfits he calls his friends. Especially the one who is unexpectedly stealing his heart.

With each new crocheting project, Steve shows his love for them in all the ways he knows how and slowly learns how to receive it in return.

Or, the 5 crochet projects Steve gives to everyone + the 1 project he makes just for Eddie.

Project 287 | Fic on AO3

Digital Art & Photography/Crochet:

🖼 Prologue Comic: Learning to Crochet by @strawberrysh0rk

📷🧶 Steve's First Crochet, Eddie & Sue's Dishcloths, and Erica's Scarf by @hawkinsleather

📷🧶 Eddie's Dragonscale Gauntlets and Eddie's DM Dice Bag by @hawkinsleather

🖼 The Duality of Crochet by @hawkinsleather

📷🧶 Eddie's Sweater and Eddie's Bat & Blanket-in-progress by @hawkinsleather

🖼 The Steddie Blanket by @hawkinsleather

Bonus 🖼: Buckingham in Crochet by @hawkinsleather

Fic Information

Pairings: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson

Side Pairings: Robin Buckley/Chrissy Cunningham, Wayne Munson/Claudia Henderson

Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Sue Sinclair, Robin Buckley, Chrissy Cunningham, Nancy Wheeler, Wayne Munson, Erica Sinclair, Jane "El" Hopper, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Dustin Henderson, Jonathan Byers, Argyle, The Party, Hellfire Club, Barbara Holland

Trigger Warnings: none

Tags: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Post-Canon Fix-It, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Crochet, Steve Harrington Crochets, Steve Harrington Has a Crush on Eddie Munson, Chronic Pain, Idiots in Love, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington & Eddie Munson Are Best Friends, Steve Harrington Has Absent Parents, so the Sinclairs unofficially adopt him, Steve Harrington Deserves Love, Steve Harrington's Love Language is Gift Giving, and Gift Making, 5+1 Things, Eddie Munson Lives, Unintentional Hand Kink, Eddie Munson Has a Hand Kink, Minor Original Character(s), Minor Robin Buckley/Chrissy Cunningham, Single Nancy Wheeler, Moving In Together, Sharing a Room, Sharing a Bed, Coming Out