Such meetings between prime minister and monarch may be famously private yet it isn’t hard to discern some of the top items on their agenda:
Impact of the Gulf war on Canada and its allies.
Indigenous-Crown relations and their concerns regarding the threat of an Alberta separation referendum: The meeting between Mark Carney and King Charles III comes nearly a week after Indigenous leaders from the Treaty 6 First Nations in Alberta and Saskatchewan met with King Charles to talk about issues of concern, including the possibility of Alberta separation which they consider a threat to their 150-year-old treaty. “He [the King] expressed his concern and committed to learning more,” the leaders said after the meeting, which suggests the King knew his every word would be under a microscope.
Removing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession (all 15 realms have to be in agreement).
The next Governor General of Canada: Mary Simon has been in the position since July 2021, which means she’s nearing the end of her time at Rideau Hall.
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In a short statement published on social media along with video of him meeting King Charles III, Carney stated:
Our Sovereign and the Commonwealth remain an enduring part of our national story — pillars of continuity in a changing world.
An honour to meet with His Majesty King Charles III today in London.
Scottish rugby captain Sione Tuipulotu finally got his hug from Princess Anne, patron of the Scottish Rugby Union for the past 40 years.
She’s a formal woman, not given to the warm embraces in public of some of the younger members of the royal family. Yet after two previous attempt (a hug turned into a pat on the back, then a humorous distant version, Tuipulotu got the embrace for which he’s famous. The Scotland Team video of all the attempts is worth watching.
On Sunday, which is Mothering Day in the U.K., Prince William released a private photo of him as a two year old with his mother Diana, in a field of wildflowers at their old country home of Highgrove, with a personal note: “Remembering my mother, today and every day. Thinking of all those who are remembering someone they love today. Happy Mother’s Day. W”
Diana, Princess of Wales would have turned 65 this year.
Most engagements are announced in advance, giving people time to scope out a vantage point from which to see and perhaps interact with the royals. But some are kept under embargo, known only to a small group, including the royal rota of journalists, until the actual public appearance. Often it’s done because the location is small or would quickly become overwhelmed by onlookers.
Such was the case last week when the Prince and Princess of Wales spent the day in South London, shocking shoppers and surprising tourists in Borough Market and the Bermondsey Beer Mile as they cut cheese at one vendor, served fruit crumbles at another, made a latte, and poured perfect pints of beer (which is something royals do a lot, and of which they are quite proficient).
Then, the couple took to the Thames with volunteers from the Royal National Lifeboat Institute, who regularly rescue people from the river.
Along the way, they offered some insights into their lives:
Kate has cut down on her drinking following her cancer diagnosis
William doesn’t drink coffee (lots of tea, and he loves his cider)
Kate sent a bouquet of yellow narcissi to the patients and staff of the Royal Marsden, where she was treated for cancer, with a note: “As spring arrives, these narcissi from the Isles of Scilly are to say I am thinking of you all. Catherine.” (The Isles of Scilly are part of the Duchy of Cornwall, the ancient estate that funds the Prince of Wales.)
On Saturday, William was in Wales watching a rugby in his role as patron of the Welsh Rugby Union. He could be seen singing the Welsh national anthem. Wales beat Italy 31-17.
The Lady is the fictionalized drama of the life of Jane Andrews, who spent nine years as dresser to Sarah Ferguson during her heyday, including her marriage and divorce to Prince Andrew. The Lady offers a peek into an era of Sarah’s life when she was always scrambling for money and opportunities. It’s a four- part fictionalized series from the producers of The Crown — I binge watched the series during one weekend.
It begins on Britbox Canada on Wednesday.
Though the millions of pages of documents now known as the Epstein files were released by the U.S. Department of Justice on January 30, revelations are still coming to light. Last week, ITV News discovered a previously unseen photo of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, British politician Peter Mandelson, and Jeffrey Epstein that appears to be taken at a North American seaside or lakeside cottage. It was the first image of the three men had been seen.
Author Tom Bower is back with another book on the royals. And like Revenge, which came out in 2024, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex appear to be the main focus of his censure in his new book, Betrayal.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source writeroyalty.substack.com ’
