Just know this, I probably could have done twenty stories about JUST royalty today. There was so much news spread out over the course of five days, Thanksgiving Eve to Sunday. I realize that the royals don’t really care about American holidays and American newscycles, but even for them, there was a weirdly large volume of royal news and gossip. This piece of news might have fallen through some cracks: the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are going out of their way to host some Christmas parties for British military personnel.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be following in the Queen’s footsteps this year to deliver their own special Christmas message. The royal couple will be sending a message of support for military personnel and their families over the festive period. According to Kensington Palace, Prince William and Kate wanted to “acknowledge and honour the fact that many Serving personnel are away from their families at this time of the year”.
Around 7,500 military personnel will miss Christmas at home while serving overseas or on exercise, meaning that their children will also have a parent away over the festive holiday. As such, Prince William and Kate will also host a Christmas party on Tuesday 4 December for all of the families and children of deployed personally from with RAF Coningsby and RAF Marham. On the following day, the pair are flying to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus in order to meet with Serving personnel.
You know what this made me think of? In 2016, when Kate refused to attend the annual St. Patrick’s Day passing-out-shamrocks event with the Irish Guards. Days later, the only excuse Kensington Palace could come up with for Kate’s absence was that she didn’t want the Irish Guards to expect her to do it every year. But they’ve learned a lot from their past mistakes, I guess, and now they’re very keen to host Christmas parties for British military peeps. Good for them.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
These seem like very thoughtful and important events, so glad to see them doing this.
They seem to be settling in to their roles. This is a very important and meaningful thing for them to do. Hopefully it does become a tradition. I feel like when you have a lot of kids in a short amount of time you get really focused on that one thing. Maybe she feels like she has had her kids and the pressure if off in that respect and she is starting to see herself as the future “Queen”. In 2016 during the St Pat’s day debacle had Kate just had a baby?
The actual reason was to spend time with the kids before their trip to Bhutan. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes in the build up to the tour. So, she was likely quite busy at the time.
I think she was spotted getting her hair done. She also did an event the next day.
She got her hair done which is what caused the outrage.
I received an Easy Bake Oven at a party for military dependents & was ECSTATIC. One of the most thrilling gifts ever, distracting me from hardships. So yup, I’m in favor of this!
That is such a meaningful event, I am glad they are doing this. For the families that are in the UK and for those that are outside (in Cyprus in this case), this will be very special, knowing that someone is aware of how difficult this period can be without your loved ones around.
And this is another proof of their settlement into their roles. This is something the Queen would do.
I’m confused why they weren’t doing this from the start….I find it trifling AF how they’ve REALLY not taken their public responsibilities more seriously….I mean….Harry and Meghan should be FOLLOWING in their well worn footsteps regarding public service…
NOT…the other way around….
Harry became a full time Royal when he quit the army. The Royals expected him to stay in well into his 40’s and he ended up taking on full time duties purely because they didn’t have any other ideas. William didn’t become full time until 2017. So, it actually makes perfect sense.
Huh? They are now full-time Royals. Charles is taking over the Queen’s duties so it’s natural for Will&Kate to finally step up. It has nothing to do with H&M. From now on, W&K will do the most important events in the UK & in Europe while H&M focus is the Commonwealth. Moving out of London completely shows they are being slowly sidelined with the Cambridge family taking centre stage. This is how the Royal ranking thing works.
It feels like Harry&Meghan are being pushed out of Royal central in London! I don’t believe they will move back into KP in the future.
The rumor is that Harry & Meghan will move into Clarence House when Charles becomes king. The Sussexes are definitely not being sidelined.
@Josie – That rumor is totally false. Charles adores Clarence House and will set up a semblance of offices and official residence in BP, but no one really wants to live there, and the stronger rumor is that he will retain his private residence there. If anyone would get CH, it would be William and Kate. It’s one of the grandest private homes in London, and if anyone gets it, it is the next step up for a Prince and Princess of Wales. The Sussexes are not now or ever going to “get” Clarence House. Harry is sixth in line, people have to accept that. And they are being sidelined – virtually kicked out of London to a dull market town under the Queen’s eye, in a house smaller than the Cambridge’s. People are in denial if they are missing the message here.
@Guest – ITA. This is entirely about W&K and the idea that everything that concerns them has something to do with H&M is ridiculous. Kate’s done with childbearing, the Queen is now really old, William is being schooled in how to manage the Duchy of Cornwall, which is his next inheritance, and it is being made clear to everyone who comes first and who has to do the important stuff. W&K may stay in KP for quite some time, especially as everyone knows Charles loves Clarence House, his beloved grandmother’s home for so many years. I think the chess pieces are being moved around behind the scenes to prepare for the inevitable.
This is a wonderful event for W&K to do, and tbh it sounds much more high level than the shamrock appearance, which Kate has attended more than once already.
Have to agree with @violet above. H&M are being somewhat sidelined with these moves, for whatever reason remains to be seen. I’m not saying its justified or not, just that the message is pretty clear.
Anyone who participates in royal talk knows that these people may claim to be all fair and democratic in how they run things in the Family, but in reality they have real and direct ways to rope the ‘juniors’ in line, and keep them there. I think the Queen and everyone around her learned harsh lessons with Diana and Fergie years ago, and aren’t willing to see a replay anytime soon. I think there’s more fallout to come, unfortunately (hope I’m wrong).
Windsor is now a dull market town?
The rumor about Clarence House was sourced by Richard Palmer to a senior palace official in a published article (not internet, a print article) this week. I’m sure the royal residence plans are in relatively constant flux, but Palmer is as well sourced as they come (on par with Emily Andrews and the rest of the old style royal reporters).
George, Charlotte, and Louis won’t be ready to take on royal duties for 20-25 years. The Sussexes are at the heart of Charles’s plans for his reign. No matter where they live, they aren’t being sidelined any time soon.
Richard Palmer……………. The man who said what he said about Meghan on his Twitter. Soo, if you feel Palmer is as well sourced as they come, you believe what he said? I’m not being snarky.
These are exactly the sort of events they should be doing…in fact they should be doing a lot more of them. I’d also like to see them supporting vets who have fallen by the wayside – there are a lot of stories here in the UK about veterans ending up homeless and on the streets suffering with PTSD – I’m sure William and Kate wouldn’t need to look far to find a veterans charity to support.
Seven years to “settle in” and start doing things they could’ve and should’ve done ages ago…
And before Kate didn’t even want to join in with the other RAF wives at Anglesey. Gosh, I wonder what sparked this welcome change?