Prince Harry and Prince William have both maintained their connections to the Diana Award, which honors young people who make a difference in their communities. In fact, I think the Diana Award remains the sole charity which retains both brothers as patrons. In the past five years, Harry and William coordinate separate appearances in association with the Diana Award, even when Harry is appearing virtually. Think of how deranged that is, that everyone walks on eggshells (huevoshells) around William because he is incapable to sitting there and watching Harry zoom into the event at the same time. This is how People Magazine reported this year’s separate Diana Award stuff:

On Dec. 4 and 5, the Prince of Wales, 42, and the Duke of Sussex, 40, will be sending support to the latest recipients of the Diana Award. The cohort will be honored at a virtual ceremony on Thursday, with the princes issuing separate congratulatory messages.

The split strategy avoids any overlap between the royal brothers, as a strain remains amid a rift in their relationship. Sources previously told PEOPLE that Harry’s attempts to connect with his brother — through texts, calls, and messages — are ignored.

The rift with Prince William is “very bad,” said a royal insider, but it’s not “irreparable.”

[From People]

Apparently, Harry sent in a prerecorded video – he previously tried to speak live via video conference – while William handed up letters to the winners yesterday. What isn’t being mentioned in any of the coverage is that Harry did an in-person event with Diana Award recipients back in September, when he visited New York. Interesting. Anyway, this is how Tom Sykes at the Daily Beast reported it:

Prince William and Prince Harry are engaging in yet another very public display showing how toxic their relationship has become by refusing, once again, to appear together at an award ceremony honoring their mother’s legacy. While Harry will appear via pre-recorded video at the Diana Awards tomorrow, William will not attend and instead handed out letters to the winners on Wednesday.

It’s arguably a slightly less absurd solution than that employed at another awards ceremony for the charity in March this year, which saw William speak live at the event with Harry’s speech delayed till after he had left. Adding to the sense of bitterness back then, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, announced the launch of her American Riviera Orchard brand on Instagram minutes before William took to the stage.

Prince William’s new letter seemed to adopt some Sussex buzzwords, with the future king writing: “I am so proud of the impact every one of you has had on your communities and beyond. You are driven by kindness and compassion and through this you are all changing the world for the better.”

[From The Daily Beast]

“You are driven by kindness and compassion” – surprised he didn’t mention his latest buzzword, “empathy.” William and Kate never spoke about “impact” in the before-times either. Anyway, William and Harry’s relationship is absolutely toxic and virtually non-existent, but it is what it is. As William rage-shrieked last year, the next time he’ll speak to his brother is at their father’s funeral.

Photos courtesy of Archewell, Diana Award and Avalon Red.

Teri Hatcher is promoting her new Christmas movie, How to Fall in Love by Christmas, which premieres this week on Lifetime. She was on Sherri Shepherd’s show a little while ago when she talked about doing standup comedy, which I didn’t realize about her, about aging and about dating. A lot of women over 50 have opted out of dating due to the diminishing pool and general frustration, however we’re seeing more representation with shows like The Golden Bachelor/Bachelorette and Netflix’s The Later Dates. Teri made a joke about dating as an older woman that is relatable.

Teri Hatcher has offered her thoughts on dating now that she’s 59 years old, saying in a recent interview that it’s “just not that fun anymore.”

During a Tuesday appearance on the “Sherri” daytime talk show, the “Desperate Housewives” star shared how her dating experience has been.

Hatcher jokingly said, “I don’t date much anymore, because I used to date, and you’d look across the table at the guy and you’d think, ‘OK, I wonder if we’re going to end up in bed together,’ and now I look across the table and I just think, ‘When am I going to have to change this guy’s diapers?’”

In response, host Sherri Shepherd made a suggestion to spice things up for Hatcher: dating younger men.

“There are so many men on this set who have watched you throughout your career — and they have crushes on you,” Shepherd quipped.

Hatcher said she wouldn’t be open to it because she would have to worry about her appearance, adding, “I just don’t care.” After some back-and-forth, though, the actor agreed she would be open to giving it a try if she found the right guy.

“Girl, I’ve got about 10 of them I can introduce you to,” Shepherd replied.

Hatcher has been married twice: to Marcus Leithold from 1988-1989 and Jon Tenney from 1994-2003. She and Tenney share a daughter, Emerson Tenney.

Although Hatcher may be hesitant to date, a dating expert told HuffPost UK earlier this year that dating over 50 could be the most fun one has in their life.

According to relationship coach Dr. Marie Thouin, it’s a “common misconception that people are not likely to find meaningful love over 50.”

[From Huffpost]

On the topic of aging, Teri said that she’s “happy to still be here.” When Sherri asked her if there was a difference turning 60 vs. her thirties and forties, Terri said “there’s a lot of acceptance that comes with it. That is just grace. I feel like when we’re young we’re so hard on ourselves. The expectation of it to be something other than what it is, is lessened. For all the times that my shoulder hurts and I can’t party anymore… I just feel like it’s a lot of relief.” I can relate to that so much! Sh-t hurts more but I’m still here and I’m grateful.

Later in that segment with Sherri, Teri said that she has a cat who jumps on her when she’s learning French on Duolingo, probably because the cat likes the sounds of French. She called it “better than any date.” That’s adorable! Sherri also hilariously tried to convince Teri to date younger guys, emphasizing that you know what you like at this age and guys appreciate hearing it. Teri said she didn’t want to have to try to keep up with a younger guy, but that she was open to it. I checked Terri’s Instagram and I question whether she’s telling the truth about not having a boyfriend though. There’s a fit handsome dude in her pics from her latest vacation and a shadow photo of the two of them holding hands.

As for Teri’s reasons for not wanting to date, my mom told me her best friend said something similar – she didn’t want to divorce her sh-tty husband because if she was with another guy she would have just have his dirty underwear to wash and put away. Women are fed up and many womenno longer want that caretaker role. That’s part of reason we’re seeing a rise in “gay divorces.” That said, I think it’s possible to meet someone you can have fun and romance with at any age. I met a great guy I’m very happy with, but I’m not going to act like the process before I met him was easy. Also, the negative stories about dating and relationships always get magnified by social media because those are the stories that get attention. People sometimes ask me why we don’t run more positive stories and the answer is that no one will comment, like or share those. It’s the same with dating – the horror stories get elevated because of how shocking they are, but the happy endings just get a shrug. That said, it’s so cool that there are Christmas movies and dating shows about older people finding love.

Here’s the interview! Teri talks about dating around minute four and about aging around minute six. I know she’s not everyone’s favorite person but I like Terri.

photos credit: IMAGO/Frederic Kern/Avalon, Dave Starbuck/Future Image/Cover Images, PA Images/INSTARimages

Katy Perry is kind of over. Her 2024 album, 143, flopped hard. People are mad that she’s still working with Dr. Luke. People have outgrown her pseudo-feminist anthems. But! She’s still one of the most successful pop stars of the past 20 years. People still rock out to her old hits. Well, some interesting news. Katy is apparently the opening act for the Invictus Games next year. Katy and her husband Orlando Bloom are neighbors with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Harry and Meghan even went to see Katy’s final show of her Las Vegas residency last year (a Sussex appearance which enraged Prince William).

Prince Harry has secured the services of his neighbour Katy Perry to sing at the opening night of his Invictus Games. The Grammy nominated star will headline the opening of the event for disabled military veterans in Vancouver, Canada, in February. The 40-year-old is by far the biggest star to appear at the bi-annual event attended by Harry and his wife Meghan.

Perry and her partner actor British actor Orlando Bloom are close neighbours of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in Montecito, California. The couple were among the guests invited to the third birthday party for Harry and Meghan’s daughter Lilibet at their £20m mansion in the swanky Californian enclave favoured by many A-list stars.

The friendship between the two power couples was highlighted last year when Harry and Meghan attended the ‘Fireworks’ concert in Las Vegas sitting in VIP seats alongside Celine Dion. While Meghan appeared to enjoy the concert body language experts who watched Harry noted that he appeared uncomfortable.

[From The Daily Mail]

I hope Katy sings some of her old hits at Invictus. “Firework” or “Roar” or “Part of Me.” Like, I just hope that she doesn’t get up there and try to sing her flop single from this year, “Woman’s World.” It’s really funny that Katy is now tight with the Sussexes, because she also made a point of performing at King Charles’s coronation concert (and she did the most to rizz him up). She was also very critical of Meghan’s wedding gown back in 2018.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

This week, Queen Camilla pulled out of the welcome ceremony for the Qatari state visit, but she ended up attending the palace luncheon and the state dinner on Tuesday. On that same day, she told people that her “chest infection” was actually pneumonia, and that’s why she had been canceling so many appearances and events in the past month. The royal reporters are taking pains to talk around it, but I strongly suspect that Camilla’s pneumonia started out as Covid. Which would make this like the third or fourth time she’s had Covid. In any case, “sources close to Camilla” are mad as hell that Cam is sick and that everyone expects her to do royal work now that she’s fulfilled her lifelong goal of being queen. She left bodies in the street in her quest to be queen, but now she just wants to be left alone.

Friends of Queen Camilla have told The Daily Beast that they are “extremely concerned” by the 77-year-old contracting pneumonia. Palace aides had attempted to play down the severity of her illness in recent weeks, saying that she was suffering from a “nasty bug” and a “lingering chest infection” but Camilla herself revealed Tuesday, during a state visit to the U.K. by the Emir of Qatar, that she had in fact contracted pneumonia.

Camilla’s revelation raised new question marks about the only partially transparent way in which the palace typically handles health news about its two most elderly principals. King Charles is being treated for cancer but the palace has declined to specify the type. The palace has form in this area; when the late Queen Elizabeth II was dying of bone cancer her aides consistently briefed she was suffering from nothing more than “episodic mobility problems.”

Three separate friends expressed their concerns about Camilla to The Daily Beast. While all made it clear they understood Camilla was indeed recovering well and not in danger, they variously said they believed she was finding the demands of being queen “exhausting” and that a “brutal” year spent worrying about her husband’s health had left her “run down and vulnerable.”

One friend said: “People forget that Camilla never set out to be queen. She never signed up for the hamster wheel. She just happened to fall in love with a prince. She has risen to the demands of the job but she finds it exhausting.”

She is suspected to have contracted the disease during the recent state visit to Australia and Samoa or shortly thereafter. The friend said: “At 77, to be shipped off to the other side of the world to shake hands with thousands of people when your husband has cancer is, quite frankly, too much to ask. Camilla would never complain, and of course she wanted to support her husband, but she never should have been put in that situation. And she got pneumonia as a result. I hope this makes the mandarins sit up and take notice.”

Another friend of the couple told The Daily Beast, “We are all extremely concerned that this happened. Thank goodness she seems to have recovered. Camilla just needs to rest and recuperate now over Christmas and I only hope they drive her and the king to church on Christmas Day if it’s cold!”

A third friend of the queen’s told The Daily Beast: “Prince William said that his year had been ‘brutal’ and the ‘hardest’ of his life. I would humbly suggest that Camilla has had a brutal year too. To get pneumonia at her age is no small thing. She was run down and vulnerable and she needs to be cared for as well.”

[From The Daily Beast]

“People forget that Camilla never set out to be queen. She never signed up for the hamster wheel. She just happened to fall in love with a prince.” Camilla’s “friends” really shouldn’t go down this road. Camilla went out of her way to attach herself to the married heir to the throne, she went out of her way to destroy his marriage and gaslight his wife, and after Diana’s death, Camilla demanded to marry Charles and to have an official image makeover. She also demanded the title of queen – QEII never wanted this horse to be called “Queen Camilla” and they waited until QEII was close to death to force her into signing off on “queen consort Camilla.” Now that Camilla has gotten everything she ever wanted after decades of appalling behavior, Camilla has regrets! No, what this really is Camilla telling Charles that she’s not going to travel anymore. This has been the perfect excuse for her – no more international travel, she’s just going to stay in the UK from here. Preferably Ray Mill.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

While I’m not a Swiftie, I have a great deal of respect for many aspects of Taylor Swift. She has fundamentally changed the business of music, and she is one of the most important artists and businesswomen in the industry. She’s closing out her nearly two-year Eras Tour this coming weekend. It really is the end of an era – an epic concert tour which saw her criss-crossing the globe for 152 concerts which redefined arena-tours and altered local and national economies. Taylor has become a billionaire *just from the Eras Tour alone* separate from her incredible album sales and streams, separate from everything else she’s done in her career before this. So obviously, People Magazine gave Taylor their cover this week:

Taylor Swift has just three shows left on her record-shattering Eras Tour — and when she says goodbye it’ll mark the end of what the superstar has called “the most exhausting, all-encompassing, but most joyful, most rewarding, most wonderful thing that has ever happened” in her life.

Swift, 35, will play the last of her 152 tour dates in Vancouver on Dec. 8, and the impact of her tour has been nothing short of global phenomenon. From reintroducing the world to the joys of friendship bracelets to inspiring the highest-grossing concert film of all time, the Eras Tour certainly made its mark.

It also evolved with its star; since kicking things off in March 2023, Swift healed from heartbreak and settled into a new love with NFL star Travis Kelce, and even became a billionaire in August, the first musician ever to do so based solely on performing and songwriting, according to Forbes.

Journalist Rob Sheffield, whose book Heartbreak Is the National Anthem explores her massive influence, tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story that the “Fortnight” singer’s magic lies in the fact that her songs are “so personal” to her, yet relatable to those consuming her art.

“The Beatles are the closest thing to a Taylor Swift that we have in history,” says Sheffield. “She’s so completely transformed pop music.”

Though Swift has certainly earned all of her accolades — which included a record-setting fourth album of the year win at the Grammy Awards in February, for Midnights — she hasn’t done it alone. The star’s family and A-list friends have been fixtures at her Eras Tour shows since the beginning, with mom Andrea, dad Scott and brother Austin mingling with fans and holding down the fort in the VIP tent. Kansas City Chiefs star Kelce also attended 14 shows, and his family members have shown up to cheer on Swift, too.

[From People]

The Eras Tour might go down as one of the most important or significant tours of all time and it certainly redefined Taylor’s career and legend. My question is… after this crazy high, after this two year global phenomenon, how can she top it? What’s next for the girl who has done everything? Is a semi-retirement in the cards, perhaps a wedding and a baby? Or will she decide to just go even bigger, if that’s even possible?

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, cover courtesy of People.

Are we still dissecting the Princess of Wales’s public appearance on Tuesday? Apparently. Kate made a rare outing for the Qatari state visit. The photos of Kate and Prince William together did nothing to dispel the years-long gossip that their marriage is in shambles, but you’d be hard-pressed to find any royal reporter or commentator even suggesting that their body language and vibe is strained and closed off from one another. Instead of discussing any of that, we’re getting endless pieces about Kate’s burgundy ensemble, and look, here’s something about her Chanel purse.

Kate Middleton has no shortage of handbags, although the Chanel bag that she carried on Tuesday, December 3, in London is among her most prized – and pricey – designer bags. When the Princess of Wales, 42, welcomed the Emir of Qatar alongside Prince William and King Charles, she donned head-to-toe burgundy, right down to her gloves, boots and beloved Chanel handbag.

Like Middleton’s Alexander McQueen coat, the bag was a style that she’s been seen wearing before. The archival design is from Chanel’s Fall 2015 collection and originally had a price tag of approximately $5,000. Now it’s estimated to be worth double. However, as fashion expert Amber Graafland told The Sun earlier this year: “A Chanel handbag owned by the Princess of Wales is pretty much priceless.”

The royal is said to own approximately 110 bags consisting of 80 clutches, 15 top-handle bags, cross-bodies, totes and satchels in a collection that’s reportedly worth upwards of $315,000.

“For most mere mortals 110 bags sounds like a huge amount, but if you consider that the princess attends upwards of 100 public engagements a year, it’s not actually that ridiculous,” Graafland noted. “Having carefully chosen timeless designs, she wears them on repeat.”

While it may still seem excessive even by royal standards, Middleton’s penchant for investment dressing extends to her classic accessories, which many believe Princess Charlotte will inherit.

[From Us Weekly]

I agree that it doesn’t seem that extraordinary or even notable that a 40-something princess probably has a collection of 100-plus purses/clutches. If I had the money, I would also have a huge purse collection. In Kate’s case, it doesn’t register that she has 100-plus purses because I honestly don’t think she’s a purse person, and her purses usually suck? I said that even before Meghan came around too, although Kate has attempted to up her accessories game in the past six years. Kate just has no taste in purses or shoes – she has a lot of them, sure, but she has no eye for cute bags or cute shoes. It also feels like Kate is recycling older pieces a lot this year. I have a little theory that William has limited her clothing allowance now that he has all of the Duchy of Cornwall money.

Last thing – people were talking about Kate’s curtsy to King Charles on Saturday. Or rather, they were talking about how Charles and everyone else had already turned their backs on her when she curtsied. Kate curtsied too late, right?

The Princess of Wales arrives at Horse Guards Parade with Qatar’s Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani.
Prince William accompanied the Emir of Qatar.
They are welcome by King Charles at the Royal Pavillion. #qatarstatevisit pic.twitter.com/tc8V3Akemb

— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) December 3, 2024

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

I’m a capitalist – I’ve never believed that there’s something inherently wrong with CEOs or corporate executives in general. That being said, the healthcare/insurance industry in America is completely f–ked, with greedy, soulless executives raking in billions/millions from denying claims to people who simply want their insurance to cover their medical bills. Given all of that, it’s actually surprising that something like this hasn’t happened before. On Wednesday morning, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down in Manhattan. The shooter is still at large.

The CEO of UnitedHealthcare was fatally shot in what police said appears to be a “premeditated, preplanned targeted attack” outside the New York Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning. Brian Thompson, 50, was on his way to speak at UnitedHealth Group’s investor conference when the gunman approached from behind and “fired several rounds,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference.

He was struck at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf, Tisch said, adding that the gunman was “lying in wait for several minutes. Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” she said.

Security video shows Thompson, dressed in a blue suit, walking down the fairly quiet street. The gunman approaches him from behind and opens fire, it shows.Thompson stumbles forward as a witness runs to safety. The gunman continues to fire as Thompson falls to the ground, the video shows. Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said the shooter arrived at the scene about five minutes before the shooting and fired at Thompson’s back.

“The shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot. It appears that the gun malfunctions as he clears the jam and begins to fire again,” he said. Three live 9 mm rounds and three discharged 9 mm shell casings were found at the scene, as well as a cellphone near the scene.Kenny reiterated that the shooting appears to have been a targeted attack.

“The motive for this murder is currently unknown, but based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear the victim was specifically targeted,” he told reporters. “But at this point, we do not know why.”

Thompson, who lives in Minnesota, was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai West. His wife, Paulette Thompson, said he had been receiving threats. “There had been some threats,” she told NBC News. “Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”

[From NBC News]

Hours ago, the police released more information about the bullet casings – the shooter engraved the casings with three words: deny, defend, depose. So… it feels personal. My gut says that the shooter did not move around like a real hit man, but he did move around like a man with a cold-blooded plan. A plan involving a getaway on a bike (but not a Citibike). I’m including the wanted poster and the video below.

These are additional images of the suspect sought in connection to this morning’s homicide. If you have any information about this incident, the suspect, or his location please contact @NYPDTips at 1(800)577-TIPS. https://t.co/rtfVynljXa pic.twitter.com/kUJr7l0nxZ

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 4, 2024

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, UnitedHealthcare images.

Keira Knightley wore latex Chanel at the premiere of her new Netflix series, Black Doves, in London. She plays some kind of British spy. [Just Jared]
What’s up with these Aaron Taylor Johnson photos? [Socialite Life]
Jake Gyllenhaal quietly had a good year? [LaineyGossip]
A bad review of Disney’s Skeleton Crew. [Pajiba]
Julia Fox is unrecognizable these days. [Go Fug Yourself]
Photos proving that the ‘90s were pretty cool. [OMG Blog]
Oh, here’s Angelina Jolie’s dress at the Gothams. [RCFA]
Ariana Grande was shocked by Drew Barrymore’s surprise. [Seriously OMG]
Michelle Duggar chased down a criminal. [Starcasm]
Eminem’s mom Debbie Nelson passed away. [Hollywood Life]
Real stories of people with pretty privilege. [Buzzfeed]

While Queen Camilla skipped the official welcome ceremony for the Qatari royals yesterday, she did make it to Buckingham Palace for the lunch, and then she was front-and-center for the state dinner, obviously. For weeks now, palace officials have briefed reporters that Camilla had a “chest infection” and/or a “lingering cold,” and that doctors advised her to cancel many appearances in the past month. Then on Tuesday, Camilla told guests that her chest infection was a form of pneumonia, and she’s still experiencing “episodic symptoms of post-viral fatigue.” I have no doubt that Camilla was really ill. But I do think it’s bizarre that Camilla and the palace have been playing a bit fast and loose with what’s really going on. It’s also a little bit funny that she never has episodic fatigue when it comes time for an event in which she can raid the Royal Collection jewels.

So, here are photos from last night’s state dinner at Buckingham Palace. Camilla wore a dated, puffy-shouldered Fiona Clare gown which was not her color. She was dripping in diamonds though – she wore the diamond kokoshnik tiara (one of QEII’s favorites and most frequently worn), with a diamond necklace and diamond-and-ruby bracelet from the Royal Collection. Apparently, Camilla’s diamond earrings – probably my favorite piece of jewelry in this suite – are her own, from her own jewelry collection.

Are you guys curious about the menu? I am. According to Elle, the palace did a four-course halal selection featuring “a tartlet of Cornish Lobster and Quails Eggs, followed by Supreme of Windsor Pheasant wrapped in Savoy cabbage. A creative “Royal Mirage” mocktail, featuring smoked pomegranate and ginger with black lime garnish, was specifically crafted for non-drinking guests.” I bet Camilla asked someone to add a few dashes of gin to her mocktail. Honestly though, it’s very respectful to do a fully halal meal.

Charles and Camilla also exchanged gifts with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani. The emir gave the king: a model of a traditional sailboat used in pearl diving and “a limestone and blue sodalite side table with geometric shell and brass inlays, inspired by the decoration of the Amiri Diwan building.” Sheikha Jawaher gave Camilla a multi-stranded necklace of pearls, and Camilla (hilariously) gave Sheikha Jawaher a “silver and blue enamel round pill box.” Charles gave the emir a framed photo (of Charles and Camilla), plus a hand-knotted prayer rug woven by Afghan weavers and a handcrafted wooden stand for a Quran. Honestly, the men gave each other much better gifts, but I’d love to know the worth of Camilla’s new pearl necklace.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

One of my minor conspiracies is that the focus and emphasis on the Princess of Wales’s rare public appearances purposefully overshadows whatever is going on with Prince William. Just looking at the pair of them, you would think William is the one who has had health struggles in the past year. Here are more photos of William and Kate on Tuesday, as they did the daytime events together as part of the Qatari royals’ state visit. William was Lurch-ing out but no one noticed because all eyes were on Kate. Anyway, this is apparently the new normal for the Windsors, per Becky English at the Mail. She wrote a long-winded piece about how people should stop expecting so much from all of the Windsors.

After the year they have had, it was probably as close to the ‘new normal’ for the Royal Family that we are going to get, for the time being at least. Naturally all eyes were on the Princess of Wales as she returned to the public eye in her most significant official role since she effectively withdrew from royal life at the start of the year following her shock cancer diagnosis. Her warm smile and dazzling sense of style made us all realise how much Kate had been missed, even if this particular princess wasn’t quite up to going to ‘the ball’ (aka the State Banquet).

MailOnline understands that this is all part of her ‘gradual’ and measured return to work, balancing her commitments generally, but also specifically this week between the State Visit and her own annual carol service on Friday. It was still a tonic, however, to see her looking so happy and well, Prince William just once discreetly laying a comforting hand on her shoulder but otherwise happily letting his wife get on with what she does best – shine.

[These tweaks to the state visit protocol] might seem insignificant to the untrained eye, but in royal parlance it’s these tiny details that often paint the bigger picture. It’s important to stress that this is not a portrait of doom and gloom – far from it… it is utterly remarkable that within less than a year of these seismic – and potentially catastrophic – events that we have almost all members of our Royal Family on duty simultaneously at such a diplomatically crucial event.

But it does also go to emphasise that, for the time being at least, we may have to cut them a little slack. A source tells me: ‘It’s just a question of adaptions given the particular challenges of this year. I don’t think this is a sign of things to come but it is necessity of where we find ourselves at this moment in time.’

Indeed, at a time when recent discussions have focused more heavily than ever on both the function of our monarchy, as well as its funding, yesterday’s State Visit has emphasised more than ever why it is still, in diplomatic terms, our trump card. One senior Qatari diplomat told me recently that we should not underestimate the importance that their Emir, – was educated in the UK and commissioned at the Sandhurst military college, and could be seen beaming from ear-to-ear throughout the day – has placed upon it. Indeed, it is considered something of a coup for his country to be the first Middle Eastern state to be afforded the honour.

This is of no small significance in Whitehall where mandarins appreciate more than anyone the importance of the longevity of the Royal Family’s friendship with countries such as Qatar (which is currently heavily investing in British science and technology) particularly given the level of political instability we have seen in the UK in recent years.

[From The Daily Mail]

Yeah, from a larger diplomatic sense, the state visit was genuinely successful. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was very pleased with his reception, King Charles was genuinely a congenial host, and there were no major or minor diplomatic incidents. It also feels like the lack of diplomatic incidents was contingent on William and Kate both being seen and not heard. William was like the man who wasn’t there – ignored during the day because of Kate’s appearance, and ignored during the state banquet because no one gives a sh-t about him.

A lot of people are talking about this video too – William swaying a bit at the welcome ceremony/parade. Remember his swaying & butterfingers in February? Yeah. I suspect both William AND Kate took something or drank something to take the edge off.

The Princess of Wales joined Prince William and King Charles in welcoming the Emir of Qatar on a state visit to the UK.

Queen Camilla missed the welcome ceremony because of “lingering side effects” from a chest infection.https://t.co/dXAguBCarI pic.twitter.com/xYsuaqLntq

— Sky News (@SkyNews) December 3, 2024

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.