On Saturday, Prince Harry watched the New York team win the NBA championship in person. He was in San Antonio, Texas for the Warrior Games, his spokesperson said. He and a competitor were invited by the NBA commissioner, who sat next to the royal in the eighth row. The prince’s attendance at Saturday’s game came out of the blue to many as he’s not known to be a basketball fan but who would turn down a chance to see that game!
When it comes to the the biggest sporting event of the year, King Charles III is wearing a lot of hats. Not only is he technically a co-host of the World Cup in his head-of-state role as King of Canada but, in total, he is the head of state of five teams in the tournament.
Can you name all five teams?
I’ll put the answer further down this post.
FYI: Charles is not known to be a soccer fan like his son, William, and will be very neutral if the teams eventually have to compete against each other — in 2025, he sent a joint message of encouragement when England competed against Canada for the women’s rugby championship.
Trooping the Colour, the spectacular military parade marking the King’s official birthday was held on Saturday. It kicks off the most elaborate week of royal pomp and ceremony of the royal year.
As usual, all the working royals attended, along with William & Kate’s children and Princess Anne’s husband, Sir Tim Laurence. The complicated military manoeuvres change little from year to year, so one can differentiate the years by the height of the Wales children and the outfit worn by their mother.
For the 2026 edition, Kate wore a baby blue Catherine Walker coat trimmed with white that echoed a similar coat worn by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1987 that was also designed by Catherine Walker.
FYI: The three RCMP horses ridden by William, Anne, and Edward behaved this year, even young Noble who has caused some angst at previous events. (Royal colonels who travel to Horse Guards on horseback always ride mounts that were gifted to the sovereign by the RCMP.)
Interestingly, in addition to the usual videos released by the palace and the Wales’s communications department (which issued two videos – here and below), the royal family’s Instagram account released some behind-the-scenes images of the royals at Buckingham Palace.
The Monday service for the Order of the Garter was dominated by the knights and ladies of the oldest order of chivalry in the world wearing some truly spectacular velvet robes and equally elaborate hats. They walk down the hill inside Windsor Castle for the service at St. George’s Chapel and then take carriages back up for a reception in the castle itself.
This year, the Princess of Wales wore a custom coat by Patrick McDowell. As British Vogue explained:
The butter-yellow, tailored coat-dress features a sculpted silhouette that flares at the waist and an angular lapel. In keeping with McDowell’s commitment to sustainable and local practices, the garment is made from a bespoke English rose silk damask, in collaboration with Britain’s oldest silk mill, Stephen Walters, in Sudbury.
“It has been a wonderful collaboration, developing one of my existing pieces with Stephen Walters, for Her Royal Highness,” explained McDowell to Vogue. Last year, the princess presented the designer with the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design.
Named “The Wales Coat Dress,” it is available for pre-order, with delivery expected in August, according to the Patrick McDowell site. The limited edition dress is made of a linen-viscose damask and is available in white (not the yellow created for the princess). The cost is £1,990, though the site does state that the coat dress is versatile: “Perfect worn alone for a special occasion, wedding, or memorable event, it can also be worn open over jeans and a T-shirt for a more relaxed look.”
ANSWER: The five World Cup teams that have King Charles as head of state are:
Australia
Canada
England
New Zealand
Scotland
While millions of dollars will be bet on the horses running during the five days of Royal Ascot, a lot will also be gambled on the colours worn by the royals. That’s also a tradition at Royal Ascot – for decades, punters wagered a pound or two on Elizabeth II’s hat colour. Now, the betting has broadened to include the outfits of many senior royals, including the colour of the King’s waistcoat.
Kate is expected to attend one day this year. It will be her first Royal Ascot since 2023. She wasn’t there in 2024 due to cancer and suddenly cancelled last year because she wasn’t up for it.
So what colour will she wear?
I asked an expert, Susan Kelley of the encyclopedic What Kate Wore site, for help. She noted the colours of Kate’s previous Royal Ascot outfits:
2016: white lace by Dolce & Gabbana
2017: white lace by McQueen
2019: blue lace by Elie Saab
2022: white & brown polka dot by Alessandra Rici
2023: red by McQueen
Interestingly, both Susan and I opted for the same colour palette: we think the Princess of Wales will wear pink or red. Now, we’re often wrong as royals have a kaleidoscope of colours in their wardrobes, but it’s a fun wager.
Take this poll to see if you’re good at guessing royal colours!
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was going to invite the King for a state visit to Ukraine as early as this year. The political leader was in London last week for a series of meetings and, as always, dropped in to see King Charles III, this time at Windsor Castle.
Lots of foreign leaders pass through London but only Zelensky has what is, in effect, a standing invitation to meet with the King. Charles is an outspoken supporter of Ukraine, especially in its war against Russia.
The news of Zelensky’s desire to have the King visit Ukraine was contained in a rather good interview with the Guardian. Though the Ukrainian leader is clearly eager for the monarch to see his nation, he was also circumspect when it came to what he and King Charles discuss during their regular meetings.
The King issued a rare personal statement on the death of artist David Hockney. In particular, he noted the yellow Crocs that Hockney regularly wore to palace events:
David was one of life’s true originals; one who wore his genius as lightly as those beloved yellow Crocs of his that helped brighten Palace occasions. I trust they will see him tread safely into the hereafter …
Hockney’s royal connections include being a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour and designing the Queen’s Window at Westminster Abbey.
Ahead of Trooping the Colour, the Honours List for the King’s birthday was released by the government. The big news is that Helen Mirren has been made a Companion of Honour. Membership in that order is limited to 65 people from the Commonwealth who have made a “major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government.” Other companions include Dame Anna Wintour and Margaret Atwood.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source writeroyalty.substack.com ’
