Kate wows at Wimbledon
It’s love, love, love all, as the Princess of Wales takes centre court
You might have noticed this newsletter is a little late today, but we were waiting to see Kate take centre court at Wimbledon. And what a treat it was to see her beaming with happiness. So much so, she received a standing ovation.
It’s a huge weekend for tennis lovers – and football fans, with England in the Euro 24 finals against Spain tonight – but all eyes were on the stands at Wimbledon today, as the Princess of Wales walked in, with Princess Charlotte. She looked divine in her purple Safiyaa dress.
For the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, the finals weekend is always a highlight, so clearly, the princess has made every effort to be there, during her cancer treatment. And what a glorious sight she was. Looking absolutely radiant, as always, Catherine looked so happy to be there, as the world was, to see her.
Following her appearance at Trooping the Colour in June, we sincerely hope it marks an uplift in her health journey. She will no doubt be wishing the Wimbledon finals hadn’t coincided with the Euros 24 final, which Prince William is attending in Berlin, but we imagine the sports-mad couple will understand why each other had to commit to their events.
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Prince William is a devoted England fan and doesn’t hold back in the stands, pictured screaming at the quarter-finals. He apologised for his hoarse voice at a homeless engagement in Brixton on Thursday, saying he had been enthusing over “a hell of a goal.”
His enthusiasm has obviously rubbed off on the King, who sent a message to the England team, after their win. “My wife and I join all our family in wishing you the warmest congratulations on reaching the final of the U.E.F.A. European Championship – and in sending our very best wishes for Sunday’s match,” he wrote. “If I may encourage you to secure victory before the need for any last minute wonder-goals or another penalties drama, I am sure the stresses on the nation’s collective heart rate and blood pressure would be greatly alleviated! Good luck, England.”
Meanwhile, Charles showed his love of cricket last weekend, when he hosted the West Indies cricket team at Buckingham Palace and was filmed fist-bumping Mikyle Louis.
Anne’s back in the saddle!
Seems you can’t keep a convalescing royal down for too long, as our hardest-working one made a ‘phased return’ to public duty with a visit to the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA). Welcome back, Anne, we’ve missed you! And we love that William and Catherine feel the same too, they posted on X: ‘Super trooper! So great to see you back so soon! W & C x’
It’s almost three weeks since the Princess Royal spent five nights in hospital after suffering head injuries and concussion, as a result of apparently being kicked by a horse while walking in her Gatcombe Park estate, Gloucestershire. The exact details of the June 23 accident remain unknown as Anne is unable to recall what had happened and there were no witnesses. “I can’t remember a single thing about it,” she told dignitaries at Friday’s engagement.
Fortunately, despite noticeable bruising on her face, Anne was back on top form while visiting the Association, of which she is patron, and which was hosting its annual national championships.
Charles gets his first postbox
Confession time! The Royal List’s Maria loves a bit of postbox cypher spotting while out walking. So, you can imagine how excited she was to read the Royal Mail has installed the first postbox bearing King Charles’ cypher, in Great Cambourne, Cambridgeshire. It’s one to add to her wishlist. Fun fact: royal cyphers on postboxes were introduced during Queen Victoria’s reign, but it’s Edward VIII and George VI ones which are the rare spots.
Harry accepts his ‘controversial’ award
Facing a backlash head on, Harry stood his ground and on Thursday night he strode on to the stage at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles to accept the Pat Tillman Award for Service.
The mother of the fallen soldier, Mary Tillman, said there were others who were “far more fitting” to receive the prestigious award. She was backed by military chiefs and other critics urging Harry to think ‘long and hard’ about accepting the honour, plus a petition signed by 70,000 people. To be fair, a nervous Harry, supported by Meghan in the audience, graciously faced up to the backlash, while citing all the great work done by the Invictus Games since its launch in 2014.
Harry opened his speech, acknowledging Mrs Tillman: “Her advocacy for Pat’s legacy is deeply personal, and one that I respect. The bond between a mother and son is eternal and transcends even the greatest losses.” He went on to describe the Invictus Games as a unifying force. “The beauty of the Invictus Games lies in how it brings people together, no matter one’s nationality, background or personal struggles.”
Happy 77th birthday, Camilla!
The Queen celebrates her big day this Wednesday and we hope she a fabulous time. Appropriately enough, given that Camilla has helped keep the House of Windsor ticking along these last seven months, she shares her birthday - July 17 - with the same day back in 1917 when George V changed the German-derived family name from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to a rather more English sounding, Windsor.