Catherine's red letter day!
One year on from her cancer announcement, the princess is better than ever
Beaming in her red Catherine Walker coat dress, hat and shoes, the Princess of Wales looked like she was all business, earlier this week, when she attended the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, with Prince William. And tomorrow, Catherine will attend the Irish Guards St Patrick’s Day parade at Wellington Barracks in London.
She has much to celebrate, as this week also marks one year since the Princess of Wales made her shocking cancer announcement.
On March 22 2024, she posted a video saying she was undergoing chemotherapy and asking for time and privacy. “William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” she said.
Thankfully, one year on, Catherine, and the world, have come a long way. The truly awful social media conspiracy theories about her finally stopped. It was a shameful period, frankly, when people thought it good sport to make all kinds of speculations about the princess’ absence.
By September, we were delighted to see another video confirming she’d completed her chemotherapy. “The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family,” she said. “Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown. The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you. With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything.”
Clearly, her new perspective is all about love, acceptance and family life. In a letter to guests at her carol concert in December, she wrote, “Love is the light that can shine bright, even in our darkest times,” dedicating the service to, “those who have shown love, kindness and empathy to others in their communities. They have inspired, counselled, comforted, and highlighted how love unites and connects us all.”
There’s more to celebrate, too, including Prince Louis’ seventh birthday on April 23, Princess Charlotte’s 10th on May 2 and George’s 12th in July, a year in which it’s expected his new school will be confirmed.
William ‘spends hours’ in footie chatrooms
The Prince of Wales had plenty to celebrate as his footie team, Aston Villa, qualified for the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday, He was at the match to celebrate with his fellow fans. Yet it seems he has a lot more in common with them.
William said he he fell in love with the club after being taken to matches by family friends. “With the camaraderie among the fans and the chanting and the singing, I just felt like I belonged there,” he said, adding that he posts anonymously on fan forums. “I like going on the forums, I can be on there for ages. I listen to what other fans have to say and give them my opinions. I get quite into it, definitely. It’s important to have that debate.”
William also revealed his at-home footie game rituals: “If I’m home alone with the children, I probably don’t have the pre-match pint but I do have a bit of superstition about where I sit when I’m watching them. If we’re not doing very well, I start moving round the house quite quickly and I put the children in different positions hoping that’s going to change our luck.”
Meghan’s new podcast
The Duchess of Sussex launches another franchise into the world next month, her latest podcast: Confessions of a Female Founder. The eight-part programme aims, she says, to ‘unpack the twists and turns of building a business’. Something Megsy knows all too well, after With Love, Meghan, was widely criticised, and her first podcast for Spotify, Archetypes, was panned and the company parted ways with Meghan and Harry.
“I’ve been having candid conversations with amazing women who have turned dreams into realities, and scaled small ideas into massively successful businesses,” she said on Instagram. “They’re opening up, sharing their tips, tricks (and tumbles), and letting me pick their brains as I build out my own business, As Ever. It has been absolutely eye-opening, inspiring…and fun! (Because what’s the point if we can’t have some fun on this wild adventure?)”
A trailer will be released on March 25, followed by the first episode on April 8 – the day before the King and Queen’s 20th wedding anniversary.
The King gets the giggles
We love it when we see Charles laugh and he couldn’t help it when he had a go at resuscitating a dummy, with nursing cadets at the Royal College of Nursing HQ in London on Tuesday. “At least I haven’t broken it,” he quipped. The King has had a refresher course in first-aid training in the last few years and was also trained during his time in the military. He’d be the ultimate first-responder.
This week in royal history: Anne escapes a kidnapping
This Thursday, 51 years ago, saw a kidnap attempt made on our most unflappable royal, Princess Anne, in The Mall near Buckingham Palace.
It was late in the evening on March 20, 1974, when the then 23-year-old Princess was travelling back to the Palace with first husband, Captain Mark Phillips. A car blocked their way, and its driver, Ian Ball, got out shooting Anne’s chauffeur, security officer, as well as a passerby, a journalist and a policeman. All survived.
Ball was planning to kidnap Anne for a £2 million ransom, and tried to get her out of the car. She famously replied: ‘Not bloody likely.’ A passing boxer, Ronnie Russell, punched Ball, who was caught by police as he tried running away.