Note: This is a day late because Monday was the last day of the Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. The weather was beautiful, the pumpkin pie was yummy, and the trees are starting to turn colour.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/a> On Tuesday, the Prince and Princess of Wales spent the day in Northern Ireland \u201cvisiting innovative organizations that showcase growth and investment in rural areas and demonstrate entrepreneurial and creative opportunities for young people.\u201d<\/p>\n They visited a huge new training centre for fire and rescue workers that includes a flood water rescue simulator; went to Mallon Farm in County Tyrone that aims to produce linen \u201cfrom field to fibre to fabric\u201d by reviving the area\u2019s linen heritage through the growing of flax, restoring heritage machines, and producing products for sale; and then finished the day with a bit of apple picking at Long Meadow Cider, a farm in County Armagh that stayed family farm by diversifying and adopting a forward-thinking approach to sustainability (for the record, Prince William is really bad at rolling an apple pie crust).<\/p>\n Prince William didn\u2019t hide his emotions<\/span> in a video<\/a> released for World Mental Health Day. He was discussing the impact of suicide and the need for support for those at risk and those affected by such tragedies with Rhian Mannings, whose husband died by suicide a few days after their child suddenly died. Rhian is a strong advocate of the need to talk when trauma hits, especially the sudden death of a young person.<\/span><\/p>\n The video coincides with the launch of the <\/span>National Suicide Prevention Network<\/a>, an initiative of the Royal Foundation, which wants to link charities across the United Kingdom and ensure their efforts are accessible and evidence-based. The foundation is providing $2 million in funding.<\/span><\/p>\n Share<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/a> The Princess of Wales <\/span>wrote a powerful essay<\/a> with a Harvard professor in which she warned of the \u201cepidemic of disconnection\u201d caused by the constant distraction of mobile phones and other digital devices. It is the latest effort of her Shaping Up initiative aimed at improving the lives of young people.<\/span><\/p>\n We sit together in the same room while our minds are scattered across dozens of apps, notifications, and feeds. We\u2019re physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In particular, she urged parents to put them down during family meal times and give their children their undivided attention \u2014 which research shows are crucial to forming strong family bonds. (Prince William revealed that none of their kids have phones in his chat with Eugene Levy.)<\/p>\n The day the essay was released, <\/span>Kate reinforced the need for face-to-face communication by going to an early years centre, <\/a>which is part of a big network in the United Kingdom using training developed by the Royal Foundation.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a> King Charles III and Prince William <\/span>attended a countdown <\/a>to COP30 event in London last week. The Prince of Wales will represent his father at the international climate change summit in Brazil, which will be held in early November ahead of William\u2019s Earthshot Prize ceremony, which is also in Brazil this year. The joint appearance is a reminder that father and son may have their differences but they are united in their environmental advocacy.<\/span><\/p>\n You will be shocked to hear that a newly released email alleges that the Duke of York retained his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein well after he said he\u2019d cut off relationship in his big BBC interview on the topic in 2019. <\/span>The Sun reports that Prince Andrew<\/a> sent a jokey email \u2014 \u201cWe are in this together\u201d and \u201cWe\u2019ll play some more soon\u201d \u2014 the day after the photo of him with Virginia Giuffre was published in late February 2011. And that is three months after he visited Epstein in New York City, which is when he told the BBC he\u2019d cut relations with the convicted pedophile.<\/span><\/p>\n The drip-drip of bad news comes a few weeks after an email was published showing that his ex-wife, Sarah, continued her relationship with Epstein after telling the public that she\u2019d broken off ties.<\/p>\n The latest York-Epstein news comes after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted of recruiting and grooming girls for Epstein. She has to continue serving her 20 year sentence.<\/p>\n In the aftermath of this latest news, one royal reporter suggested sending Andrew into exile but I ask, \u201cWhat country would accept him?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack Royston of Newsweek has an <\/span>interesting episode of his podcast <\/a>this week: \u201cPrince Andrew is caught lying about Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Harry and Meghan win a humanitarian award, and William cries when talking to a grieving mother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Tiara lovers rejoice: There will be a third state visit in the U.K. this year.<\/p>\n The president of Germany gets all the bells and whistles at Windsor Castle from December 3-5. This follows the state visit of the president of France in July and that of the United States in September.<\/p>\n It\u2019s rare to have a third state visit but this grand event helps make up for the lack of a fall tour abroad. (While the King and Queen go for a few days to the Vatican later this month, they haven\u2019t undertaken a big foreign visit, which is usual for the autumn work season.)<\/p>\n The <\/span>King and Queen giggled <\/a>as they received Lego figures of themselves<\/span> <\/strong>at a local event near Balmoral Castle \u2014 the figure of the King even shows him wearing a kilt!<\/span><\/p>\n After worrying that they didn\u2019t have enough \u201clarge competition-standard\u201d chestnuts due to bad weather, the <\/span>World Conker Championship received<\/a> 300 chestnuts from the Windsor Castle estate. Phew!<\/span><\/p>\n In the fashion world, there is a huge difference between being invited or asking to attend a runway show. One shows that you\u2019re an A-list celebrity, while the other puts you much, much further down the pecking order.<\/p>\n While there\u2019s no doubt that Meghan\u2019s appearance at the Balenciaga show in Paris garnered a huge amount of attention, the invited\/asked question hasn\u2019t been settled.<\/p>\n The <\/span>statement by Meghan\u2019s spokesperson<\/a> stresses that they \u201cworked closely together collaborating on design for key moments on the world stage,\u201d which left the impression that she was invited by the couture house and its new designer:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOver the years, the duchess has worn a number of designs by Pierpaolo [Piccioli]. They have worked closely together collaborating on design for key moments on the world stage. She has long admired his craftsmanship and modern elegance, and tonight was no different. This evening reflects the culmination of many years of artistry and friendship, reflected in her support for his new creative chapter at Balenciaga.\u201d<\/p>\n In an interview with <\/span>The Cut <\/em>(part of <\/span>New York<\/em> magazine), Pierpaolo Piccioli appears to suggest that Meghan invited herself to Paris. As there is a different in the wording between the online\/print version and the Instagram video, I\u2019m presenting both versions: <\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!YPEg!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3844b4c7-02f4-4112-97b5-635119387899_799x527.jpeg\")
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