Modern mums change the royal rules
As Princess Eugenie announces her second pregnancy, we look at how she and the other royal mums are doing things their way
A few royal mums gave an insight into parenting the next generation of Windsors, this week. With her second child due this summer, Princess Eugenie shared her happy baby news on Instagram, and also revealed her eco-mum credentials. Meanwhile, Zara Tindall opened up about her ‘guilt’ as a new mother juggling parenthood and a successful equestrian career. And Catherine, Princess of Wales revealed a sneak peek into her busy family life during a recent royal engagement.
Breaking with formal royal baby announcements, Princess Eugenie announced on Tuesday she is expecting her second child, by posting a cute pic of son, August, kissing her baby bump on a country walk. The pic, taken by husband Jack Brooksbank, was captioned: “We’re so excited to share that there will be a new addition to our family this summer.”
The baby will be the first royal born during King Charles’s reign – during coronation year - and will be 13th in line of succession. Buckingham Palace said the Royal Family was “delighted”. The baby news came days after she revealed her eco-friendly parenting style at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “My son’s going to be an activist from two years old,” she said. “At home we have no plastic… I’m trying to teach him that. But it’s a battle.”
Eugenie admitted that becoming a mother had made her more concerned about climate change. “Every decision we now make has to be for August, what he’s going to be able to look at and do and how he’s going to live his life,” she said in an interview with Reuters and Arctic Humanity. The couple have recently moved to Portugal, for Jack’s job and will reportedly divide their time between Britain and the CostaTerra Golf & Ocean Club resort.
This week also saw Zara Tindall talk about the pressures of being a working mum during a candid chat with her husband Mike. The Olympic equestrian silver medallist said that she “found it hard” to get back into riding professionally after having her first child Mia, now aged nine. In the debut instalment of Mike Drop, Zara said, “Mentally you feel guilty as a mother leaving your child to go and do something else.
“I felt guilty all the time, even going to go and ride, and I just thought, ‘That’s just an aspect of my life now’.” Zara also opened up about her struggle to “get her body back to where it was”. The 41-year-old confessed, “When you’ve been riding for 25 years and then your body is just completely not doing that… trying to get your body back to where it was. I found [that] hard work.”
The Princess of Wales also spoke about George, 9, Charlotte, 7 and four-year-old Louis recently. During last week’s reception for England’s World Cup-winning wheelchair rugby league squad, Catherine said, “They all love sport and Louis is mad about rugby. They’re at an age where they just love running around.”
Asked how she kept fit, Catherine replied, “It’s running around after the children! I do it all. Whenever I can squeeze in exercise, I do, even jumping on the trampoline with my children before school.”
What we know about the Coronation
This week, the palace released more details about the King’s Coronation. Here’s what we know so far:
When: The Coronation takes place Saturday May 6.
Where: It will be held at Westminster Abbey.
What: There will be a procession to the Abbey and a larger one afterwards. The King and Queen Consort will be crowned at Westminster Abbey, following a ceremony which has been used for 1000 years. It will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury who has overseen proceedings since 1066.
Changes: It has been reported the ceremony will be shorter than the Queen’s and with less guests – it’s estimated Charles will have 2-3,000 dignitaries in attendance, compared to 8,000 who came for the Queen.
Weekend: Similar to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, it has been announced there will be a weekend of celebration, including a concert at Windsor Castle. The BBC will be hosting a public ballot for tickets. There will also be Big Lunch street parties. Monday May 8 is a bank holiday, which is being dubbed The Big Help Out, encouraging people to volunteer.
Kate’s signature style
The Princess of Wales is living proof it’s worth investing in a quality piece you can bring out time and time again. This Wednesday, Catherine hosted a meeting with the Centre for Early Childhood Advisory Group at Windsor Castle.
She said she was excited about future developments. “An insightful first meeting with our Centre for Early Childhood Advisory Group, discussing a shared passion for the extraordinary impact of the first five years of life and its role in shaping us. Very exciting things ahead…” she said.
We love her work and her look – especially her old favourite Alexander McQueen tuxedo jacket (similar one here). She’s long been a fan of the label and has worn this jacket over and over. We’re saving now…
Charles and Camilla get out and about
The King and Queen Consort looked cheerful this week as they travelled around the country. Camilla was in Bath and Lacock on Wednesday. She visited the new offices of The Royal Osteoporosis Society in Bath and met well-wishers in Lacock.
The King, meanwhile, got his groove on in a visit to the new premises for The Africa Centre in Southwark, London, on Thursday. He particularly enjoyed the drumming, saying it was “impossible to keep still.”
Found! Diana’s adorable letter
Thanks to Alexandra Shulman, former editor of British Vogue, we have another reason to treasure the memory of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Posting the above pic of Diana’s letter on Instagram this week, Alexandra said: “I had forgotten all about this most charming of rejection letters I discovered today!” Back in June 1996, she had approached Diana to guest edit Vogue’s Christmas issue. The royal’s reply is a masterclass in how to say “no thanks” elegantly, politely and ever-so sweetly.
Dear Alexandra,
Thank you so much for inviting me to be the Guest Editor of the Christmas edition of British Vogue. I am enormously touched to have been asked but as I know I could never emulate your mastery of this job I think it would be best (for everybody!) if I decline.
Thank you again for taking what must have been a very brave decision to invite me!
With best wishes,
Yours sincerely,
Diana
However, the Princess did appear on British Vogue’s cover four times. The first cover, August 1981 (above, far left), was a wedding portrait by Lord Snowden of the recently-married Diana. The remaining three covers were shot by Patrick Demarchelier: the December 1991 issue; the black and white July 1994 cover and October 1997 (above, far right), published after her tragic death featuring an image taken in July 1994.