#kensington brooch
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Who Wore What Jewels Weekly
Who Wore What Jewels Weekly
We are rounding up the best jewels of the week. From Anne Hathaway wearing not one but two Bulgari high jewelry looks in Tokyo to Rihanna’s cheeky F*ck you Y/Project earring to the epic brooch moments spotted on the likes of Succession star Brian Cox and Emily In Paris cutie Lucas Bravo. Scroll down to see who wore what jewels and vote on your favorite! Enjoy! WHO: MJ Rodriguez WHERE: …
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#Anne Hathaway&039;s Bulgari jewelry at the opening of Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo#Brian Cox&039;s brooch at Season 4 premiere of HBO&039;s "Succession" in NYC#Callum Scott Howells brooch at The Olivier Awards 2023#Celebrity jewelry sightings#celebrity jewels#Christina Aguilera&039;s jewelry at 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards#Dita Von Teese&039;s earrings at "Crown To Couture" at Kensington Palace#Freddy Carter&039;s brooch at Netflix&039;s Shadow & Bone Season 2 Premiere#Geena Davis earrings at 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards#Ingrid Andress earrings at 2023 CMT Music Awards#Jennifer Lopez&039;s jewelry at Amazon Studios&039; World Premiere Of "AIR"#Lucas Bravo&039;s brooch at the 2023 Asian Film Awards#MJ Rodriguez jewelry at Variety&039;s 2023 Power of Women#Natasha Lyonne&039;s jewelry at Variety&039;s 2023 Power of Women#Rihanna&039;s Y/Project Fuck You earring jewelry out and about Los Angeles#Sharon Stone&039;s jewelry at National Women&039;s History Museum&039;s signature Women Making History Awards Gala#Zendaya&039;s jewelry at the launch of Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre
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19 May 1965: The Queen wore a gown designed by Hardy Amies for a state reception in Schloss Augustusburg, West Germany. The gown’s white and blue fabric were a nod to the hosts�� colors, and its bodice was inspired by the rococo designs found in the castle interior.
As for the jewelry, she wore the Vladimir tiara in pearl setting, the Duchess of Gloucester’s pendant earrings, the Kensington bow brooch, and her Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 101 watch.
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Anglo-Saxon Disk Brooch
Disk brooches are an important style of circular brooches from the late 6th century and well into the Carolingian dynasty.
This magnificent example shows many jewelry making techniques, such as the inlay of garnets, filigree and shell bosses with garnets on top. Note the very small garnets in the rim of the brooch.
This style of brooches was exclusively found in England and was worn either around the neck to close of a dress or tunic, or on the shoulder to clip a cloak in place. The rarity of these brooches makes it hard to pinpoint if they were worn by men or women.
Their lack of pagan imagery ensured disk brooches a long life, as it wouldn’t clash with the elite’s new Christian religion.
Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington, London - England
Museum nr M.109-1939
Found in Milton North Field, Abingdon, Oxfordshire - United Kingdom
#frankish#merovingian#viking archaeology#archaeology#carolingian#charlemagne#field archaeology#viking mythology#merovingian archaeology#germanic mythology#norse mythology#anglo saxon#field archaeologist#frisian#odin#viking#vikings#germanic#germanic folklore#germanic archaeology#wodan#anglo saxon archaeology#history#jewelry#norse#Basil Brown
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More cosplay of Catherine by u/Feisty_Energy_107
More cosplay of Catherine Catherine is very good at using her look to convey a message or to honour something/someone. When she went to Wales as The Princess of Wales, she wore a coat called "Spencer".
https://ift.tt/0AviYZ5
When she went to the first year memorial of the late Queen's death at St. David's Cathedral, she not only wore the late Queen's pearl earrings. But also a hat made by a milliner who had a connection the QEII. The designer had been awarded the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust, which was founded by Queen Elizabeth.
https://ift.tt/1vmGlw4
Meghan is learning. Her coat is called "Kensington." 🙄
https://ift.tt/hMreaQR, what's next for her? A "Sussex" brooch?
https://ift.tt/LM1CB4J post link: https://ift.tt/D8LwQxj author: Feisty_Energy_107 submitted: February 15, 2024 at 12:45PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit
#SaintMeghanMarkle#harry and meghan#meghan markle#prince harry#fucking grifters#Worldwide Privacy Tour#Instagram loving bitch wife#Backgrid#voetsek meghan#walmart wallis#markled#archewell#archewell foundation#megxit#duke and duchess of sussex#duke of sussex#duchess of sussex#doria ragland#rent a royal#clevr#clevr blends#lemonada media#archetypes#archetypes with meghan#invictus#invictus games#Sussex#Feisty_Energy_107
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Meghan Markle's wedding tiara
One of the perks of being the granddaughter of the British Queen is that you can wear a sparkling wedding tiara. The Duchess of Sussex wore the Queen Mary Bandeau Tiara, which was given to Queen Mary by the County of Lincoln in 1893. Queen Mary's Diamond Bandeau Tiara
The bride's jewels are a must for a royal wedding. Meghan Markle chose to wear the Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau Tiara for her big day. The classic Art Deco tiara was a big hit with fans, who saw it as an appropriate complement to the stunning Givenchy Haute Couture by Claire Waight Keller gown.
According to a book written by royal expert Omid Schobie, Meghan did not get her first choice for tiara on her wedding day. She was reportedly rejected for an emerald-colored tiara in the Queen's collection. Meghan Markle wedding tiara
The tiara, designed by Garrard, was made in 1932 for Princess Mary of Teck, Meghan's grandmother, who married Prince George, Duke York, later King George V. The center brooch was a gift from the County Lincoln to Princess Mary, and was given to her upon her marriage. The Story of the Tiara
Meghan Markle wore the Queen Mary's Bandeau Tiara on loan to Her Majesty when she married Prince Harry in 2018. The diamond piece, which was originally owned by Queen Mary's great-grandmother, is centered by an 1893 brooch. Meghan described her tiara-choosing day as "surreal" in an audio recording made for a Windsor Castle exhibit.
The Duchess' 16 foot-long silk veil included flora from each of the 53 Commonwealth countries, as well as two personal favorites - wintersweet (Chimonanthus Praecox), a flower that grows in front Kensington Palace at Nottingham Cottage, and California poppy Eschscholzia Californica, the state flower of her home.
The final look was stunning, and showed off Meghan's elegance. What's the story behind how Meghan chose her tiara, and why did she do so? According to a royal expert and a new book, there was drama around the process. Prince Harry was reportedly forced to intervene in the dispute between Meghan and Angela Kelly, the Queen's dresser. How the Tiara came to Meghan
Meghan Markle's big day was a memorable one, but it might have been even more so if there hadn't been a disagreement about her bridal headpiece. According to Robert Lacey of the Royal Historian, Markle wanted an emerald encrusted tiara for her wedding day, but Queen Elizabeth refused.
Lacey said that the former monarch was worried that the tiara could be associated with the Russian Revolution because it had been passed through "dodgy" channels. He also thought that Meghan wouldn't look good wearing the tiara at her wedding, as it would distract her from her role as the wife of Prince Harry.
The palace denied the claims and it appears that the Queen Mary Tiara was the one that Markle wore. Princess Eugenie chose a Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara for her wedding six months after Meghan, and the tiara has a clear history. The Final Look
Markle chose to finish her Givenchy wedding dress and 16-foot silk veil with the dazzling Diamond Bandeau Tiara of Queen Mary. The piece, which is made up of 11 flexible sections with interlaced ovals and was worn by Princess Margaret, was borrowed by Meghan to wear on her wedding day.
According to a book, Harry claims he and Angela Kelly, the Queen's dresser had a little argument over which tiara Meghan could borrow for her wedding. Harry claims that while the Queen offered a tiara to her daughter-in law with a Lincolnshire link, Kelly refused to lend it to her before her hair trial.
The Queen finally gave in and let Meghan borrow the heritage art-deco tiara that she paired with a stunning floral veil. The Duchess opened up in an audio recording of a royal exhibit that opens on Friday at Windsor Castle about her tiara-shopping experience.
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How to Choose The Best Tailor in london?
Tailoring has always been an art and it always requires creation in work. Caroline Andrew is one of the popular suit makers in London, more widely considered as a bespoke tailor in Kensington. Caroline has been honoured and praised by Vanity Fair, she was also named ‘The One To Watch’. She was awarded ‘The Bright Young Thing’ by Mayfair Times London 2020. Caroline has mastered flair-cutting London traditional suits. She always makes the perfect suit according to her client’s demands and details. Every minor to major detail is noticed and implied by her.
Choose a Purpose
Caroline Andrew, a Men’s Tailor London, is the only female tailor who has been awarded for her remarkable work and her craft in the suits. Her showroom includes a master tailor and professional cutters to crave different designs and flairs on suits and to create her signature house style. Caroline makes suits for both men and women. You can find wedding suits, business suits, modern suits, casual suits, formal suits, shirts, and other accessories for both men and women in Caroline Andrew’s shop. The shirt and accessories are to compliment the bespoke look given by her suits. Her bespoke suits flaunt your personality and physique.
Communication Skills & Experience
Caroline Andrew’s great responsibility of creating traditional suits with an elegant modern touch comprehensively shows her experience of work in the field of fabric and suits. Caroline always keeps in touch with her clients during work to get every detail of client’s demands. Her communication skills with her clients always give them enough space to ask for more. She makes semi-stitched suits in 2–3 weeks, and then she tries them on her client to give the final fitting after remarking. This tells a lot about her communication skills with her clients. Most importantly, she is always open to her client’s suggestions.
Seek Recommendations
At a such young age, Caroline has achieved much popularity for her work. The fabric, design, style, colour, and any other details they want in their suits are directly discussed with Caroline. She makes flawless and stunning customized suits that speak for the client’s personality. She gives her clients the best attires they want according to their demanded measurements. Besides the customize suits, clients also take ideas from Caroline to give suggestions for their suits to make them more stylish. Caroline is the only tailor that is widely recommended in Kennington for best-tailored shirts in Kensington.
Shop Around
Caroline Andrew not only specializes in bespoke suit-making but she offers many accessories. In her dope styling outfits and clothes, she offers safari jackets for women and men, sweaters, jackets, shirts, scarves, bows & ties, pocket squares, brooches, garment bags, masks, and gift cards. She prepares a bespoke suit within 6 to 8 weeks. And there is one more benefit unlike other shops and boutiques, Caroline has a wide range her accessories. There are unlimited options for fabric, buttons, and colours since she orders them from their respective makers.
Examine Their Work & Cost
Caroline has various professionals to perform various tasks that result in perfection. Caroline Andrew offers budget-oriented suits for her clients. The rich quality of her garments speaks for themselves and that does not cost too much. She provides the best quality possible at an affordable and rational price. Her suit’s fabric contains the finest quality, the designs are bespoke, the style is unique, and the price is rational. What else can you ask for? Caroline Andrew’s suits are long-lasting and reflect the passions of her work. The charm and elegance of the suits never fail to capture the attention.
Customer Satisfaction
London is known for its traditionally crafted British suits, and tuxedos, every kind of suit is stitched and worn widely in London. Among the great designers of Europe who flaunt your personality and physique with their designs, Caroline Andrew has carved her name also. Caroline Andrew, a female tailor in London, is accomplished and flaunts the excellence in her suits. She is the best bespoke tailor in London, proficient in the hand-made craft of traditional British suiting. Her bespoke suits are demanded all over the world. She never fails to satisfy her customers with her overwhelming suits. She graduated from the London College Of Fashion to serve better in the field of fashion, and satisfy her customers.
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♢♢♢ QEII June Jewelry Challenge ♢♢♢
Favorite Pearl Brooch
Kensington Bow Brooch
Greville Scroll Brooch
Women of Hampshire Brooch
Pearl Triangle Brooch
Queen Victoria’s 11 Pearl Brooch
Teck Corsage Brooch
#QEII june jewelry challenge 2018#queen elizabeth#queen elizabeth ii#princess elizabeth#royal jewels#british royal jewels#duchess of teck#teck corsage brooch#pearl jewelry#pearl brooch#Diamond Jewelry#diamond brooch#queen elizabeth personal property#queen elizabeth personal jewelry#kensington brooch#women of hampshire brooch#elfrida greville#greville jewelry#greville bequest#greville scroll brooch#british royal family#queen elizabeth brooches#queen elizabeth brooch
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Kensington Bow Brooch ♕ Queen Elizabeth II
#queen elizabeth#queen elizabeth ii#elizabeth bowes lyon#queen elizabeth the queen mother#the queen mother#queen mary#Kensington Bow Brooch#bow brooch#bow jewelry#diamond brooch#Diamond Jewelry#pearl brooch#pearl jewelry#personal property#personal jewelry#Queen Elizabeth Personal Property#Queen Elizabeth Personal Jewelry#Queen Elizabeth Brooch#Queen Elizabeth Brooches#british royal family#british royal jewels#Windsor#House of Windsor#windsors#windsor royal family#Windsor Royal Jewels#diamond jewels#royal jewels#King Charles III#inherited jewels
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Queen Mary when Duchess of York, 1895. She’s wearing the Kensington bow brooch. Photo found in Royal Collection Trust.
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The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester photographed in the garden of their Kensington Palace home to mark their Golden Wedding Anniversary on 8 July 2022.
The Duchess wears a brooch designed by the duke - an entwined “R” and “B” (Richard and Birgitte )
#THIS IS SO CUTE#i had to post#50 years married#the brooch 🥹#I swear if we don’t get a pic like this for anne and tim’s 30th I will sob#duke of gloucester#duchess of gloucester#british royal family#brf
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I think I found it! From the Telegraph: "The Duke and Duchess invited British artist Jamie Coreth to Kensington Palace for several live sittings, with the Duchess choosing jewellery which honours the Royal Family." So the brooch has been loaned in real life.
👐
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25 March 1958: The Queen wore a sky blue and yellow one-shoulder gown with a swath of sky blue fabric draped across the skirt, designed by Norman Hartnell, for a State Banquet held at the Royal Palace of Amsterdam. It was embroidered with ruched lace, and re-embroidered with aquamarines and pale topazes.
As for the jewelry, she wore the Vladimir tiara in pearl setting, the Gloucester pendant earrings, Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee necklace, the Kensington bow brooch, and the Edinburgh wedding bracelet.
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Portrait of a Ship's Steward, c. 1829, National Gallery of Art collection, by an American 19th century artist.
I have seen this smartly dressed fellow before, unattributed, and came across him by chance when looking for steamboat pictures. The free pdf linked on the US National Gallery of Art page (American Naive Paintings) calls this 'Portrait of a Black Man'. You can see the steamboat New Philadelphia in the background.
I was able to find quite a few references to the steamboat New Philadelphia online, but American Naive Paintings has a nice summary of both the ship and the man portrayed:
The New Philadelphia was built in 1826 at Kensington, Pennsylvania, and plied the Hudson River between New York and Albany from that date until about 1832. Built for Robert L. Stevens' North River Steamboat Line, the New Philadelphia was innovative in several ways. She was the first steamboat to have two boilers placed on her guards over the water instead of on deck (for passenger safety) and the first to eliminate the bowsprit. In 1826 she set a speed record of twelve hours and twenty three minutes from New York to Albany and in 1833 made record time for the run between Philadelphia and New York. She was also the first Hudson River steamboat to introduce "colored waiters."
The sitter may have been a steward or headwaiter aboard the New Philadelphia. The ship's reputation for innovation and speed was surely a source of great pride to both officers and crew and may explain why a crewman would want his portrait to include his vessel steaming north past the Palisades toward Albany, in what was probably record-setting time.
Placing the command ship in the background, the artist has used the convention commonly reserved for depicting a ship's captain. He also understood the dramatic possibilities of a figure dressed in the latest fashion, striking an elegant Napoleonic pose while casually sitting in a decorated Hitchcock-style chair. The attention devoted to details like the clothing, steamboat, landscape, and chair serves to document the man in a specific place and time and to project material success.
He wears a frock coat with a fashionably cinched waist and velvet collar, and several pieces of visible bijouterie including an impressive rectangular brooch on the concertinaed fabric of his shirt. The silhouette of his coat with puffed shoulders is characteristic of the late 1820s and early 1830s. His black stock or cravat is tied in a bow in front, with the ends tucked into his waistcoat, which is sporting gold buttons. At his waist, a watch key and seal are attached by a blue ribbon with another piece of jewellery (possibly another fob-seal).
Multiple pieces of fob jewellery were a thing, as shown in this detail of an 1826 fashion plate (which also has double rows of gold buttons on the jacket):
#1820s#1829#fashion history#men's fashion#historical men's fashion#black history#new philadelphia#age of steam#steamboat#steward#portrait#bijouterie#dress history#naive painting#his clothes <3#us history
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Submitted:
What do you think about Meghan leaking the email she wrote to KP asking them to deny the Kate crying story? Meghan only leaked her request. We don't know if there was a response. Is this part of the receipts her people say she has? An email she sent? To me, it's a desperate strategy and they are coming across as blackmailers especially as the BRF isn't doing tit for tat with them.
Another thing I feel that Meghan is failing to realise is that even though some people have come out in support of her, those who hold power in hollywood will be scared to do business with her. Corporations won't want to work with a person who keeps emails and texts for future blackmail purposes. She is sabotaging herself but doesn't realise it.
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It’s the first receipt. What I find interesting about it is that the palace did deny rumors. They denied the rumor that Kate scolded her for mistreating employees. This was widely described as a “rare statement.” It came out on December 3, 2019.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/7870884/furious-kate-middleton-meghan-markle/
https://people.com/royals/kate-middleton-meghan-markle-feud-rumors-denied-kensington-palace/
Kate had already “brushed-off” the rumors on November 28th, but I guess that wasn’t enough.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6439623/Kate-brushes-rumours-rift-Meghan.html
And the Queen had also showed her support regarding the tiara row by wearing a brooch on November 11.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/clever-way-people-think-queen-13571797
And Kate did the second “Fab 4″ walk on Christmas Day.
https://www.instyle.com/news/kate-middleton-meghan-markles-christmas-body-language
And here’s a Sussex source denying the staff bullying rumors in January 2019. So much for being silenced.
https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a25794510/meghan-markle-difficult-boss-rumors-explained/
After that the palace contacted media platforms and started the #HelloToKindness anti-bullying drive.
https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/health-and-fitness/2019012867058/kensington-palace-online-abuse-meghan-markle-kate-middleton-exclusive/
I’m going to try to dig some more up, My recollection is that the palace was denying stuff left and right during the time they were married. Here’s a denial about how Meghan supposedly banned Harry from shooting. That was December 2018
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/16/palace-denies-claims-prince-harry-banned-boxing-day-shoot-wife/
So I don’t think it’s accurate to say the palace didn’t support or defend her. They did. Maybe they didn’t do in the way she would've preferred since she likes official statements and lawsuits, but they did defend her. It just wasn’t enough for her.
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Re Queen's jewellery for Kate: the Kensington Bow brooch 😍 and the emerald finge earrings. As for the tiara, the kokoshin diamond one.
Yes please!!!
I really want more brooches..I have to admit, I didn't like the one she wore in Jamaica
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Stifling, Toxic and Racist—Duchess Meghan Never Had a Chance at The Palace
Royal editor-at-large Omid Scobie sounds off on the outdated practices and attitudes within the royal family that left the Duke and Duchess of Sussex forced to make a change.
BY OMID SCOBIE
MAR 10 2021, 3:20 PM EST
I remember the feeling of frustration well. My work on an extensive biography of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Finding Freedom, was coming to an end. After hearing countless stories from multiple people close to the couple about how they felt unsupported and unprotected by the institution of the monarchy, it was time to address the matter with the palace side. A chance for them to respond.
“This is nonsense. … We did absolutely everything [for Meghan],” the senior aide told me over the phone. I asked for examples. “Everybody welcomed her, and she was given all the support she needed,” they continued. I asked again. “They forget how accommodating we were when it came to navigating the duchess through her first steps [as a working royal],” the aide added, somewhat curtly. I had several conversations like this over the weeks that followed—each party, be they from Clarence House, Buckingham Palace, or Kensington Palace, for the most part seemingly baffled by the Sussexes’ grievances. Finally, I took what I had and moved on.
Well over a year has passed since these calls, and the full severity of Harry and Meghan’s situation has finally been laid bare. Sitting in front of Oprah Winfrey, the duchess tearfully opened up about her darkest days as a working member of the royal family. Unprotected, undefended, and left to face a near-daily barrage of hateful commentary and negative stories, Meghan revealed how her circumstances had, at times, seen her virtually stuck indoors for weeks on end. Lunch with friends could have momentarily lifted her spirits, but social outings were dismissed by royal family members and aides who said it would be better to lie low. Her image was “everywhere right now,” they told her. Her isolated existence stood out in particular to her worried mother, Doria Ragland, who during a summer 2019 visit to Frogmore Cottage was surprised to discover that neither she nor her daughter was able to go out into Windsor town to pick up coffees. “You’re stuck in here,” Doria told Meghan at the time, according to a source.
The Oprah interview was the world’s first time hearing Meghan describe the true toll of the palace’s “no comment” policy when it came to dealing with inaccurate press coverage. One report that caused Meghan particular upset was the November 2018 allegation that she’d made the Duchess of Cambridge cry during a children’s bridesmaid dress fitting for her Windsor Castle wedding. Though the palace knew the claims were untrue (and that it was, in fact, Kate who made Meghan cry), Meghan was repeatedly told that it would not be possible to set the record straight, despite it being a story that fed into a stereotype-laden narrative. Other royal family members were often afforded more sympathetic support when it came to dealing with inaccurate press (officials even issued a statement to deny Kate’s use of Botox in July 2019), but both Harry and Meghan felt they did not have access to this same privilege.
The couple’s exasperation came to a head in January 2020, when Kensington Palace urgently requested that Prince Harry cosign a statement against an “offensive” newspaper report stating Prince William “constantly bullied” the Sussexes before their decision to step away. “Well, if we’re just throwing any statement out there now, then perhaps KP can finally set the record straight about me [not making Kate cry],” Meghan emailed an aide, asking why side of the story public image was never considered important to anyone. But, as with many requests made by the couple, her suggestion was ignored. The Duchess of Cambridge, she was told, should never be dragged into idle gossip.
Meghan’s state of well-being deteriorated as the institution refused to defend or protect her during her toughest moments. Talking to Oprah, Meghan revealed that her mental health was so fragile during her pregnancy that she “didn’t want to be alive anymore.” She turned to senior staff—including the palace’s own HR department—but her plea for help in January 2019 was repeatedly shut down. It’s not a good look for the family, she was told. Even friends who wanted to help her or speak up in her defense were regularly reminded by palace aides to keep quiet. As the cruel commentary, racist attacks, death threats, and negative tabloid stories piled up—and the institution continued to ignore the problem—Meghan later likened the experience to a friend as “death by a thousand cuts.” Her reference to an ancient Chinese execution method was no coincidence.
For the millions around the world who watched Meghan share her story, some of the experiences shared were perhaps all too familiar. Princess Diana revealed in several interviews that she considered suicide during her marriage to Prince Charles and spoke candidly about her battles with bulimia and mental distress, both of which were ignored by the institution of the monarchy. Sarah, Duchess of York, was also open about how the pressures and loneliness that came with palace life led to her own struggle with eating disorders.
When Kate quickly found public adoration as the Duchess of Cambridge, the palace would proudly tell members of the press that lessons from the past had been learned. “There has been a concerted effort to ensure that history never repeats itself,” one senior staff member working for the Cambridges told me in 2014. Yet, here we are in 2021, with a very real image of Britain’s oldest and most revered establishment once again engaged in neglect and gaslighting, and dismissing mental health.
When Kate quickly found public adoration as the Duchess of Cambridge, the palace would proudly tell members of the press that lessons from the past had been learned. “There has been a concerted effort to ensure that history never repeats itself,” one senior staff member working for the Cambridges told me in 2014. Yet, here we are in 2021, with a very real image of Britain’s oldest and most revered establishment once again engaged in neglect and gaslighting, and dismissing mental health.
This time, however, race—or more specifically, racism—plays a major role. Harry and Meghan’s revelation that a member of the royal family (not the queen or Prince Philip) had expressed “concern” over how dark the skin of the queen’s great-grandson might be, left many, including Oprah herself, openmouthed. But for those familiar with the institution—which on Sunday celebrated the diversity of the Commonwealth realm’s population of 2.4 billion—it comes as less of a surprise. This is an establishment that only last week briefed The Times of London that Meghan wanted to be royal “the Beyoncé way,” and that the help offered to her included establishing the queen’s Black equerry (a senior attendant, if you will) as a “mentor.” Princess Michael of Kent’s ignorance regarding wearing a blackamoor brooch during her first encounter with Meghan is a reminder that even racial sensitivity can be lacking within the family. An establishment that, as Meghan herself explained, has yet to learn the difference between rude and racist press coverage. The stiff upper lip, no matter how painful the attacks, was expected to remain impossibly rigid at all times.
The palace has continually proven itself to be unable to empathize with any person who crumbles under the pressures of its outdated and unreasonable expectations.
But when does forced silence turn into abuse? Ignoring gossip and drama may fall under the royal family’s famed (but questionable) “never complain, never explain” mantra, but expecting the victim of racism to remain voiceless while sections of the press call her “ghetto,” “straight outta Compton,” and “un-royal” borders on complicit with the attacks. As does refusing to learn how to identify the existence of the very racism that fuels them.
If it’s not considered appropriate to acknowledge racism or racial ignorance when aimed at a mixed-raced senior royal, then how should the 54 countries of the Commonwealth and its predominantly Black, Brown, and mixed population feel about the realm’s figurehead belonging to an institution that claims to celebrate “diversity” but in practice appears to uphold white supremacy? And if the lack of awareness Harry described to Oprah is true, then were race-related public duties, including Prince William recently calling out racism in British soccer and Prince Charles speaking out about racism in architecture in 2000, simply performative? It’s hard to forget that across the full lineup of working royals, all failed to acknowledge last year’s Black Lives Matter movement, which saw just as much protesting across the United Kingdom as the United States.
A brief, 61-word statement shared on behalf of the queen by the palace on March 9 revealed that the family is “saddened” by how challenging recent years have been for the Sussexes. But with the note also admitting that the family are somehow only just learning of the “full extent” of the couple’s experiences, isn’t it all a bit late? With yet another “commoner” leaving the House of Windsor emotionally battered and bruised, the palace has continually proven itself to be unable to empathize with any person who crumbles under the pressures of its outdated and unreasonable expectations. A glass-half-full view is that recent events could perhaps serve as a catalyst for change (and I hope they are). But given Harry’s own admission that his family is trapped within a “system” so fearful of the British press and public that they’re often unable to live up to their own ideals, is it actually time for us to just finally set them free?
#royals#meghan markle#prince harry#brf#duchess of sussex#duke of sussex#kate middleton#prince william#british royal family#duchess of cambridge#duke of cambridge#omid scobie#princess diana#sarah ferguson
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