Kate’s tartan turn
The Princess of Wales gets weaving for Burns Night
“Should auld acquaintance be forgot,” wrote Robbie Burns, in one of his most famous poems and certainly nobody will forget the visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales this week, as they headed up to Scotland, fittingly just before Burns Night, tonight. Burns Night, on January 25, is the celebration of the birthday of Scotland’s national poet, Rabbie Burns and Auld Lang Syne is traditionally sung at it, as well as on New Year’s Eve.
Catherine was spreading her cup o’ kindness in Stirling on Tuesday, as she and William visited the Radical Weavers’ studio and had a go at weaving tartan on a loom. The charity offers support to those affected by trauma and loss and aims to bring people together through the craft.
The pair began their day at The Kelpies, the 30-meter-tall steel horse-head sculptures in The Helix, Falkirk, learning about the remarkable craftsmanship behind these sculptures. Aren’t they beautiful! They also kept it real, enjoying a pint at The Goth, a community-run pub, where profits are reinvested into local initiatives, such as food banks and hospices.
William and Kate also visited the National Curling Academy in Stirling and had a go at the winter sport, ahead of the Winter Olympics in February in Italy. Catherine sported a bespoke blue coat by tailor Chris Kerr – in tartan, naturally.
The Wales’ weren’t the only royals in Scotland, as the King and Queen were also there this week. We think Burns would approve of Camilla launching the Year of Reading at the National Library of Scotland, in conjunction with the National Literacy Trust, to address the steep decline in reading in children. She was joined by authors including Val McDermid, Ian Rankin and Jackie Kay. Charles also hosted a Scottish investment reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Let’s hope someone invested in tartan.
Ant and Dec’s late night run-in with the King
Talking about Scotland, TV legends and lifelong BFFs’ Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly were reminiscing about their sleepover at Dumfries House, the King’s much cherished country home in Ayrshire, admitting they got a bit too rowdy and were told off.
On BBC1’s Graham Norton Show on Friday night, Dec admitted: “We had wine in the room and got a bit noisy. We took it a bit far and were asked to be quiet.” Ant then revealed he was only wearing a robe when he bumped into Charles, the-then Prince of Wales, in the corridor. “I tried on the robe that was in my room and ran out into the corridor to find Dec and there was the Prince. He said ‘hello’ and started talking to me about pruning roses. I was so embarrassed.”
At the time, the pair were working on the 2016 documentary When Ant and Dec Met The Prince: 40 Years of The Prince’s Trust, in which they followed Charles for a year to make the ITV special. Ant and Dec have worked with the Trust (now The King’s Trust) for more than 20 years and in 2021, they were appointed Goodwill Ambassadors.
Royal nostalgia for 2016
So, When Ant and Dec Met The Prince was made in 2016, and coincidentally EVERYONE is kicking off 2026 having the nostalgic feels for 2016. According to TikTok, searches for “2016” surged by 452 per cent, and more than 55 million videos have been created using the app’s filter named after the year. Which is why we couldn’t help loving Tatler’s timely Instagram lookback at the Royal Family in 2016.
The society magazine posted: “William, Kate and Harry were a three-headed dream team; no one had uttered the word ‘Megxit’; and Queen Elizabeth II was marking her 90th birthday with Prince Philip proudly by her side. That summer a young Prince George greeted Barack Obama, the 44th US President, whilst wearing his pyjamas, and the Trooping the Colour was particularly glorious as the nation toasted Her Majesty’s milestone year. The year was not without its heartbreaks, with Princess Beatrice announcing her break-up from her long-term boyfriend. And, of course, 2016 was the year Prince Harry went on a first date at Soho House with a Californian actress from a US legal drama.”
Harry’s testy court action
Back to 2026 and the Duke of Sussex was in London’s Royal Court of Justice on the Strand last week, this time taking to the stand for two hours in his crusade against the press invading his privacy. Harry has already won against the Mirror Group and settled with News Group Newspapers and now his final case against Associated Newspapers, owners of the Mail and Mail on Sunday is underway.
As part of a bigger prosecution with other famous claimants, such as Sir Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, Harry’s claim is that 14 articles, published between 2001 and 2013, were obtained by unlawful information gathering, such as private investigators and phone hacking. The publisher denies any wrongdoing.
As Celia Walden wrote in the Telegraph: “Mired in resentment, choked up with blame, the Duke of Sussex is taking on the publishers of the Daily Mail, this time, over alleged “unlawful information gathering” dating back 30 years. This case is about the unlawful and the illegal – about justice for wrongdoings, if any are indeed found to have taken place.”
By all accounts, Harry was on the verge of tears as he was being cross examined, which is why The Royal List couldn’t agree more with Celia who said: “Whatever the outcome of the £38m trial I would hope it provides Harry with ‘closure’. I’d go so far as to say that it must.”
The King creates a garden at new RHS Sandringham flower show
The King famously loves gardening and he’s announced he’s joined forces with the RHS to design a garden at the new RHS Sandringham Flower Show. The RHS Royal Legacy Garden will be created by designer, Catherine MacDonald and His Majesty, including his favourite plants. RHS Sandringham will be the first RHS Show at a royal residence and will feature show gardens as well as the traditional fruit and vegetable competition, floristry displays and floral marquee. RHS Sandringham Flower Show is on July 22 - 26 and we predict tickets will sell fast. Visit rhs.org.uk
Great coverage of the Scotland visit. The Radical Weavers studio is such a clever choice for demonstrating how traditional crafts can become therapeutic tools for trauma recovery. The symbolism of Kate weaving tartan right before Burns Night hits diffrently when you consider the Burns poem about auld acquaintance. That visit to the community pub reinvesting profits locally is the kind of thing that actualy matters.