Catherine's very big campaign for little people
The Princess of Wales launches her early years roadshow
The Princess of Wales hit the road this week, on the campaign trail for her early years initiative. On Tuesday, she launched Shaping Us, to raise awareness of the life-changing effect of early years education. Calling it her “life’s work,” it’s a topic Catherine has long been passionate about and she posted a video of herself explaining the concept, on YouTube.
“Our early childhood, the time from pregnancy to the age of five, fundamentally shapes the rest of our lives,” she said. “But as a society, we currently spend much more of our time and energy on later life. Today the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood is launching a new campaign, Shaping Us, to raise awareness of the life-changing impact we can have when we build a supportive, nurturing world around children and those who care for them.
“Because by focusing our collective time, energy and resources on these most preventative years, we can make a huge difference to the physical and mental health and happiness of generations to come.”
Launching the campaign at the Bafta HQ in London, Catherine then went to Leeds to publicise the initiative. She also filmed a video with Roman Kemp.
Once again wearing her go-to brand Alexander McQueen, she looked – and sounded – the business. She wore a green McQueen coat in Leeds, with a cream Victoria Beckham dress and brown Gianvito Rossi boots. At the launch event, she chose a red trouser suit also by Alexander McQueen and Miu Miu clutch bag.
Sophie goes down to the farm
We love the Countess of Wessex here at The Royal List, because she’s so down-to-earth. And this week, she looked right at home when she headed to the farm for the farming charity Addington Fund, of which she is patron. Sophie went to Smerrill Dairy to meet farmers from across Gloucestershire to hear about the challenges they face and how the charity has helped them.
Naturally, she got stuck in, in her wellies and even fed a baby calf.
The King’s new plans
As King Charles heads towards his coronation in May, we are hearing more of his plans for the future. According to reports, the King will open Buckingham Palace to the public all year and continue to live in Clarence House. Buckingham Palace is undergoing extensive renovations and will become more of a working palace than a home. Similarly, it’s unlikely the Wales’s will move into Windsor Castle, which has long been open to the public all year round.
Meanwhile, it’s reported Charles is also asking the Archbishop of Canterbury to broker a deal with Prince Harry, so that he and Meghan can attend the coronation.
The bittersweet February week that was
It’s a momentous few days for the Royal Family, the nation and Commonwealth, as this Monday we mark 71 years since the late Queen acceded the throne, and other memorable dates.
On 6 February 1952, Princess Elizabeth was famously up a tree(house) at Treetops safari lodge, in Kenya when unbeknown to her and the rest of the royal party, she was now Her Majesty the Queen. Her father, King George VI had died in his sleep at Sandringham after finally succumbing to lung cancer. Although a heavy smoker from a young age, he was only 56. The new Queen landed back in Britain the following day, 7 Feb and was proclaimed Queen at St James’s Palace on 8 Feb.
Fifty years later (almost) to the day of the King’s death, his youngest daughter and the Queen’s beloved only sibling, Princess Margaret died, aged 72, at London’s King Edward VII Hospital on 9 Feb, 2002. Unusually for a royal, she was cremated and rests with her parents, her sister and Prince Philip in St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
Happily though, this day is now one of celebration, as it’s the birthday of August Philip Hawke Brooksbank – first child of Princess Eugenie and Jack. Happy 2nd birthday, August!
The Duchess and the Princess of Rock and Roll
When 54-year-old Lisa Marie Presley died last month, her deep and decades-long friendship with the Duchess of York came to light. Sarah Ferguson even attended the star-studded funeral at Graceland, in Memphis, delivering a eulogy in which she revealed they called each other “sissy”.
In fact, Sarah made public just how close they were only hours after Lisa Marie’s passing, with this Instagram post: “I say hello to you everyday and I love you my sissy and I will continue to say hello to you everyday. You were my sissy… You have been my devoted friend for many years... I am deeply saddened my sissy, you are in my heart.”
It was in 2009 that reports claim Sarah first met the only child of Elvis, the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, in the States. They became firm friends quickly, so much so that Lisa Marie apparently stayed in Sarah’s Marbella villa to grieve ex-husband and King of Pop, Michael Jackson. In 2010, the friends grew even tighter when Lisa Marie moved to Rotherfield, East Sussex, England for the next six years with a new husband, Michael Lockwood, and their young family.