Anyone out there nursing fond memories of Barbenheimer? That was the inspired portmanteau for the cultural phenomenon of 2023, when cinemagoers gained kudos for watching bubblegum movie Barbie the selfsame day as the nuclear weapons endurance test that is Oppenheimer.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t manage it for sound medical reasons; namely I would have run the very real risk of Revels poisoning. But all credit to those who were rewarded with a thought-provoking examination of a brilliant yet conflicted character and also got to see Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer.<\/p>\n
I thought of that highly entertaining mismatch when both the Duchess of Sussex<\/a> and the Princess of Wales<\/a> released blockbusting sequels<\/a> on the very same day this week.<\/p>\n What were the chances? Quite high I suppose, given neither of them are on speaking terms but still, what a moment to be alive!<\/p>\n Surely, the least I could do is have a quick squint at them both. So I did. And, Dear Readers, it was quite the rollercoaster, especially because Kate\u2019s ode to Mother Nature<\/a> featured a beekeeper and everyone knows that Meghan<\/a> bagsied all the bees. Awkward.<\/p>\n Credit: KensingtonRoyal\/Will Warr<\/span><\/p>\n Earlier this year, in the first promo for her Netflix lifestyle show With Love, Meghan<\/a> we saw the Duchess of Montecito<\/a>, 44, stocking up on honey from someone else\u2019s garden (don\u2019t ask) with a view to flogging it at \u00a35,000 (or whatever) for a royal \u2013 or at least royal-adjacent \u2013 jar.<\/p>\n So imagine my surprise that Kate\u2019s only gone and pointedly filmed loads of British bees collecting patriotic pollen in Britain. Uh-oh. I expect Harry\u2019s lawyers are already onto it. That man lives to litigate, bless his huffy heart.<\/p>\n He doesn\u2019t make an appearance in the new With Love trailer<\/a>, although his missus cheekily blows the gaff on her bozo prince by confiding that he doesn\u2019t like eating lobster. Cue wild laughter. Such a shame the director cut the next scene of him tucking into a swan, but that\u2019s showbiz.<\/p>\n As a promo, Meghan\u2019s reel works well in an unapologetic does-what-it-says-on-the-tin sort of way. Yes, I feel quite sad she still can\u2019t seem to summon up any of those bewildered famous acquaintances she invited to her wedding to share in the joy of making cheesy crackers, but I have to hand it to her: self-advertising is her forte.<\/p>\n Kate\u2019s new offering, entitled Summer, on the other hand is far from obvious. In truth, it\u2019s so nuanced, it\u2019s (whisper it) initially hard to see the point, which is really rather lovely \u2013 that we should reach out to others and enjoy our beautiful landscape and coastline in the height of summer. \u201cIt has never been more important to appreciate the value of one another, and of Mother Nature,\u201d she writes at the end. \u201cHere\u2019s to Summer. C.\u201d<\/p>\n It follows on from Spring, filmed on the Isle of Mull, in which she spoke of the way nature had provided a sanctuary during her cancer journey<\/a> and how it nourishes, revives and renews the human spirit.<\/p>\n In recent times, the Princess of Wales has become the de facto ambassador of Britain\u2019s countryside and in many ways Summer is the perfect party (un) political broadcast for the Royal family<\/a>, summing up the quiet yet essential values of continuity and community against a sylvan backdrop that may indeed heal the soul, but doesn\u2019t really exist anymore.<\/p>\n But she doesn\u2019t make an appearance, which frankly is a big mistake. Huge. I have the feeling that she didn\u2019t want to make it about her, which is admirable and indeed on brand.<\/p>\n Now, cards on the table, I could watch bees all day but I lost interest when it came to the picnicking families and little ballerinas in pale dresses and pumps skipping carefree in the grass. Maybe in Sandringham. Out here in broken Britain, they\u2019d get dog muck on their shoes and a telling-off from the illegal immigrants who live in that tree.<\/p>\n Kate doesn\u2019t feature in \u2018Summer\u2019; instead we are treated to scenes of \u2018little ballerinas in pale dresses skipping carefree in the grass\u2019<\/p>\n This paean to cherishing \u201cthe bonds of love and friendship\u201d presents such a soft-focus view of Britain, I was expecting the sound of leather against willow. I can only assume old maids bicycling to Holy Communion through the mists of the autumn mornings will be in the follow-up. But next time can we have Kate gathering windfalls? Treading grapes? Driving a 16-ton combine harvester? Please?<\/p>\n Yes, a great deal of Kate\u2019s charisma derives from her instinctive ability to let those about her shine, whether they are charity bosses or little children. Facilitating connection and community is the unique power of the House of Windsor at its best. But we need an intervention by some venerable retainer who can kindly, authoritatively reassure her that her calm, collected presence could never be construed as showboating.<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n