For those still concerned about the 95-year-old, Mahal has continued to say this week that she is in “good spirits”, with sources telling us she was doing “light duty” in Windsor. On Thursday, the palace released a snippet from a video call earlier in the day. In the clip, he joked with David Constantine, the 2020 winner of the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry, who was presented with his medal at Buckingham Palace. “I don’t know what you do with it… you put it in a cupboard?” He chuckled.
In the Queen’s absence, Princes Charles and William will take the main stage in Scotland. She will be accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, who have taken on higher profile and more important roles in recent years.
A great example of how comfortable Camilla has become about her place at the firm came this week with her biggest — and arguably most impressive — speech. The Duchess of Cornwall gave an impassioned address at a reception ahead of Shameless! Festival in London next month, which plans to bring together art and activism to combat attitudes toward sexual violence.
“The country is shocked and saddened by the death of women in violence this year. On average, a man kills a woman every three days,” Camilla said. “Sarah Everard, Sabina Nessa, Wenging Lin, Geetika Goel and Benylyn Burke are names that should never be forgotten, along with all others.”
She continued: “We do not, by any means, hold all men responsible for sexual violence. But we need all of them to deal with it. After all, rapists are not born, they are made. And in this It takes an entire community — men and women — to put an end to the lies, words and actions that promote a culture in which sexual harassment is considered normal, and in which it shames the victim.”
Kate has also been refining the causes she’s passionate about, whether it’s her childhood focus or her support of mental health campaigns, like the recent one she hopes will restart the addiction.
How has he done it? Well, in part, he’s shot while embracing that old World War II motivational mantra “keep calm and move on.” But they are also becoming experts in their chosen fields of interest.
Next week, the two women will face their biggest diplomatic test ever, the largest ever gathering of world leaders in Britain. It’s not about them, it’s about the big names that they will now host in His Majesty’s absence.
No one expects the Duchess to do anything other than Axel, but will they be able to demonstrate that the UK can still maintain its diplomatic power without the true star of the show?
Camilla and Kate don’t need to show they’re as good as the Queen (it’s on both their husbands as heirs to the throne and those next in line who need to show they have potential when the time comes). It’s the royal long game and COP26 is one of those moments where royalty proves their value to the UK – which is why all four are so committed to the event.
Announcements
The coming month has been a very busy one for Charles and Camilla.
The Prince of Wales and his wife are visiting Jordan and Egypt next month. The pair will undertake a four-day visit from November 16 at the request of the British government, Clarence House announced this week. “The tour will showcase these strong bilateral ties, with a particular focus on addressing the climate crisis,” Charles’ office said. It said the pair would figure out how to meet the commitments after the conclusion of UN climate talks in Glasgow.
The first stop on the foreign tour is Jordan, where King Abdullah II and Queen Rania will welcome him to mark the country’s centenary. Charles and Camilla have visited Jordan before (in 2015 and 2013 respectively). According to Clarence House, “The Prince will focus on environmental issues, inter-religious dialogue, heritage conservation and the creation of jobs and opportunities for youth. The Duchess will continue her commitment to supporting the education of women as well as girls.” “
He will then travel to Egypt where he will meet with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his wife, Antiser Amer al-Sisi and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar. Clarence House said the planned program in the country will allow the pair to “celebrate Egypt’s ancient culture and spiritual significance, as well as embrace a greener future, while looking to modern Egypt.”
Hey what’s up?
US judge sets deadline for evidence in Andrew sex assault case
Pic of the Week
Prince Charles is caught in deep conversation with Oscar-winning actor Judi Dench at a reception hosted by his wife Camilla for their online Reading Club initiative. During the pandemic, Camilla shares her favorite books in a series of lists. The recommendations were so popular that the Duchess launched “The Reading Room,” which continues to offer suggestions in addition to chats with authors and with an online community to connect book lovers.
did you know?
The UK government is rolling out the red carpet to welcome world leaders to Scotland and deploying several senior royals to give them a dose of their soft power and support the country’s interests.
But back in the day, one of the “best examples of soft power that Britain has” was the late Princess Diana, journalist Richard Kay said in CNN’s new series “Diana.” Watch a clip below and don’t miss the new episode airing Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Postcards from Royals Around the World
The years-long wait for Japanese royalty is over.
The Japanese emperor’s niece Princess Mako finally tied the knot with her usual boyfriend, Kei Komuro, on Tuesday. When a princess marries a non-royal, Japan’s strict imperial law states that she must relinquish her royal status. Mako’s departure from the family and plans to relocate to New York where her new husband works at a law firm has been compared by many to the Sussexes. But those comparisons are very hollow. We wrote about it in a special edition earlier this week. (Side note: If you have time, please let us know what you think about our occasional sent-in on big stories from other royal families. We want to make sure we keep that royal news developed.) What you want to read and really value your input. Hit us up at royalnews@cnn.com. And a big thank you to those who have already written!)
Beatrice and Eugenie attend the Greek royal wedding.
Looks like wedding bells are in the air because Japanese weddings weren’t the only royal celebration this week. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were seen in Athens at the ceremony of Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark and his bride Nina Flohr over the weekend. Beatrice was all smiles as she and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi stopped on the steps of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens to point to well-wishers. It was her first appearance since giving birth to daughter Sienna Elizabeth on September 18. European royals, including Queen Sofia of Spain, thronged the grand affair.
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