The Importance of Being Ernest in the Royal Cousin Club
The newest Windsor baby joins the Next Gen Royals, who will do things their way
This week we welcomed the newest member of the Royal Family, as Princess Eugenie announced the birth of her second son, Ernest, on social media.
“Jack and I wanted to share the news that we had our little boy, Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank,” she posted on Instagram. “He is named after his great-great-great Grandfather George, his Grandpa George and my Grandpa Ronald. Augie is loving being a big brother already.”
Little Ernest is the latest member of the Royal Cousin Club and we have great hopes for this cohort, who hopefully won’t prove so distant, despite Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet being far away in the USA and Eugenie and family living between Portugal and the UK. Ernest takes his place as 13th in line to the throne, with brother August, 12th and mum Eugenie, 11th. He pushes Prince Edward down to 14th place.
So, what will the future be for this generation of royals? Born almost a century after the late Queen, they will certainly face a different – and freer – future. Kerry wrote an opinion piece on the subject for The Sunday Telegraph, this week. Here are some of her thoughts:
Is it a blessing or curse to be born on the fringes of the world’s most famous family and all its obligations? The answer very much depends on the person. But one thing is for sure - you can find a lot of support from those in the same situation.
Harry and Meghan are clearly some way from making peace with their old life, but there are many other royal relatives who live away from the lens. Princess Margaret – once the spare heir, remember, just like Harry – had two children, Lady Sarah Chatto and David Armstrong-Jones. They and their children – Lady Margarita and Charles Armstrong-Jones and Arthur and Sam Chatto, are all in the line of succession but so out of the limelight they are almost anonymous.
Similarly, the Phillips and Tindalls manage to combine a fairly normal life with occasional formal get-togethers and their offspring clearly all get on well. There’s a whole new generation of the youngest royal children – Ernest and August Brooksbank, Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, Isla and Savannah Phillips, Mia, Lena and Lucas Tindall – who will all forge their own way away from the palace restraints Harry hated so much. The Wales children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – will have different challenges, but we hope all the cousins hang out in the future, distance notwithstanding.
After all, there’s a special feeling that comes with an extended family – an innate knowledge there’s always someone who will catch you if you fall. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for the Next Gen Royals.
Harry has his day in court
Meanwhile, Prince Harry was in London this week, appearing in court as part of his case against the Mirror Group Newspapers.
In doing so, he was the first senior royal to give evidence in court for more than 130 years. Princess Anne pleaded guilty in 2002 after one of her dogs bit two children in Windsor, but the last time anyone was a witness was Edward VII, who, before he became King, gave evidence in a slander trial over a card game and before that, as part of a divorce case. The latter was in 1871, when Lady Mordaunt confessed she had had affairs with several men, including the Prince of Wales and her husband, Sir Charles Mordaunt, filed for divorce. Edward denied any ‘improper familiarity’ in court and the judge instead found Lady Mordaunt insane. She spent the rest of her life in an asylum.
This time, Harry spent two days in court, alleging reporters used illegal methods including hacking his voicemail to get stories. He said he took the action, which is part of a larger group case, to defend Meghan. “I think it was a discussion on how to somehow find a way to stop the abuse, intrusion and hate that was directed towards me and my wife,” he said. He questioned how reporters knew he was on holiday with ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy in 2004 and told the court he once found a tracking device on her car.
Harry stayed at Frogmore Cottage while he was in the UK, for what is thought to be the last time. It is understood he did not meet up with his father before flying back to California. The trial continues.
Kate tackles rugby training
It’s been a busy week for the Princess of Wales, from showing off her impressive ball skills at Maidenhead Rugby Club to sharing parenting tips at the Windsor Family Hub.
Catherine had a fun Wednesday morning with local and professional players, joining in rugby drills and talking about fatherhood, mental health and early childhood experiences as part of her Shaping Us campaign.
The day before, wearing a new £70 gingham blazer from Zara, she got all broody at the Hub. Witnessing how the centre provides access to early years services, she met parents on a stress management course and joked about how she needed to “pick up some tips”. After, Catherine looked delighted to hang out with some mums at a baby massage class before making a home visit, all the while cooing over their gorgeous babies and sharing tips. Go on Catherine, have baby #4!
Meanwhile, William opened a new cancer centre at Royal Marsden’s Sutton hospital on Thursday and was greeted by a patient saying “You’re a tall bugger aren’t you!” to which the Prince joked “I’m wearing heels”.
Rent Charles’s Romanian holiday home
“I cannot describe what a great pleasure it gives me to be visiting once again,” said King Charles to the country’s President Iohannis earlier this week.
Charles declared his “love” and “deep connection” to Romania as he made a speech at a reception held in Bucharest’s Cotroceni Palace, before decamping for a private holiday. The King, who has ancestral links with Romania, has been holidaying there every year since 1998, leaving Camilla back home in the UK while he recharges his batteries. The monarch is said to own at least ten properties in the country but stays in his private nature retreat in Transylvania’s Zalan Valley. He can really disconnect here as the guesthouse has no wifi, TV or radio (plenty of books, mind) and is surrounded by acres of meadows and hiking trails. And, when Charles is not there, you can rent it for less than £100 a night. Holiday like a king, literally, book here!
“Romania has retained, in its ancient forests, pristine countryside, and through some remarkable examples of sustainable farming, an incomparable richness of nature,” said our Eco King. “This is still home to many species of flora and fauna that have disappeared, or are threatened elsewhere in Europe and the world, which makes it all the more precious.” Marking his first private trip abroad since his Coronation, he also enthused: “So, if I may say so, I have always felt rather at home in Romania.”
Camilla’s inaugural literary festival begins
Looks like The Queen will be blessed with glorious weather today, as the first-ever The Queen’s Reading Room Festival is hosted at Hampton Court Palace. With famous authors, actors and presenters on the bill, such as Dame Judi Dench, Ben Miles, Kate Mosse and Robert Harris, we’d love to hear from you and see your pics if you’re one of the lucky ones with tickets. You never know, maybe Camilla and Charles will make an appearance.
William and Kate to the rescue
The Prince and Princess of Wales are offering to replace stolen items from a food bank they visited last year. St Thomas Church in Swansea had food, drinks, toys and bikes taken last Saturday. The Reverend Steve Bunting said Kensington Palace phoned him explaining the royal couple “were keen to make sure we could replace the items.”