<\/a> If ever you needed proof how pivotal William and Catherine are to the future of the, let\u2019s face it, embattled Royal Family, it came this week, as the pair visited Wales, ahead of St David\u2019s Day, today.<\/p>\n The Prince and Princess of Wales on Instagram: “Thank you for t\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWalesmania\u201d hit Llanidloes, according to The Telegraph, who reported The Prince and Princess of Wales abandoned their schedule on Thursday and stopped to greet the many well-wishers who had lined up in the rain just to see them pass by. They \u201cplayed rock, paper, scissors with school children, posed for selfies with teenagers and received warm words from older people who said they wanted to show their support for the Royal Family\u201d, the <\/span>newspaper reported<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n The pair were a huge hit during their visit \u2013 Catherine received a hug and a necklace from a little girl at an art gallery and they stopped their cars to walk amongst the crowds who came out to support them. The pair happily posed for photos and looked delighted at the reception they received.<\/p>\n It\u2019s little wonder \u2013 William and Kate must have been thankful for the brief break in the storm clouds surrounding the Royal Family at the moment, as the fall-out over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor continues. In fact, when the couple attended the Baftas last Sunday, William admitted he was, \u201cnot in a very calm state\u201d currently, explaining why he hasn\u2019t yet watched award-winning Hamnet.<\/p>\n The Prince and Princess of Wales on Instagram: “BAFTA Film Awar\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n William has not spoken publicly about his uncle, but <\/span>royal commentator Phil Dampier told Hello!<\/a> he thinks the prince wants it all resolved, as well as being, \u201cvery concerned for his uncle\u2019s mental well-being\u2026 and mindful of the effect all this is having on the King and his health.\u201d William has a good relationship with his cousins Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, but he has never been close with his uncle, according to reports and is considered to be one of the driving forces regarding Andrew\u2019s future.<\/span><\/p>\n Quite frankly, to borrow Shakespeare\u2019s famous quote, now really does seem to be \u201cthe winter of our discontent.\u201d It\u2019s been a miserable time, as we battle relentless rain and bad news and while we\u2019re not suggesting we stick any princes in the tower, like Richard III, we\u2019re just happy for a brief blast of sunshine. And maybe, hopefully, one which is an omen of brighter days to come.<\/p>\n <\/a> We were glad to hear Charles spent time having tea with his beloved former nanny, Mrs Mabel Anderson, last week to celebrate her 100<\/span>th<\/sup> birthday. <\/span><\/p>\n Mabel or \u201cMipsy\u201d as she is lovingly called by Charles, now lives in a grace and favour home on the Windsor estate, and he has previously said how she was a \u201chaven of security\u201d when he was a boy and \u201cwarm, loving, sympathetic and caring\u201d. For Mabel\u2019s 90th, Charles held a dinner party at Clarence House and, according to <\/span>reports<\/a>, was said to have sent a chauffeur-driven car to take her to Sandringham each Christmas.<\/span><\/p>\n Marvellous Mabel is a \u201cfirm favourite\u201d with the rest of the Royal Family, not only did she go on to look after Anne, Andrew and Edward; but after 30 years of loyal service, she would often would watch TV with the late Queen and enjoy holidays at Balmoral. <\/p>\n The Royal Family on Instagram: “\ud83d\udcda Finalists arrived at Windsor\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Ah, this is the kind of news we are here for. Our favourite bear, Paddington, has met his second queen, as Camilla hosted the finalists of the BBC\u2019s 500 Words story competition at Windsor Castle on Wednesday. Paddington curtsied and Camilla thanked him for travelling all the way to Windsor, then said, \u201cAnd you\u2019re going to give all your marmalade sandwiches to all these children, and perhaps I can have one too, thank you very much.\u201d She also worried he \u201cmust be a little hot,\u201d in his trademark duffle coat. Paddington then treated guests to a special performance from the sell-out show, <\/span>Paddington The Musical<\/a>. The last time our furry friend was entertaining royalty, was, of course, when he was <\/span>taking tea with the late Queen<\/a> for the Platinum Jubilee, in 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n Oh dear, could this be another bombshell book to rock Buckingham Palace? The Duke of Edinburgh\u2019s ex-girlfriend and West End star, Ruthie Henshall, announced this week that her memoir, <\/span>The Showgirl And The Prince<\/a>, will be in all good bookshops and supermarkets on 16 July. <\/span><\/p>\n The Olivier Award winner, had an on-off relationship with Edward from 1988 to 1993, and said she was inspired to write her \u201cCinderella\u201d true life story after finding her old diaries and letters to the prince. <\/p>\n \u201cI was on the West End stage, my dream since I was a girl, and shared a love with a man very few people even know,\u201d she said. \u201cIf this was someone else\u2019s story, I would think they had made it up. So here it is, a look behind the curtain of a crazy life in musical theatre and what happens next when a showgirl falls in love with a prince.\u201d<\/p>\n Given that Ruthie remained friends with the royal couple, she was a guest at their 1999 wedding, we\u2019re crossing all fingers this isn\u2019t a cringe-filled kiss and tell. Quite what Sophie thinks, who knows! The Duchess was too busy on <\/span>her tour of Somalia and Kenya<\/a> this week. Again proving Sophie is one of the family\u2019s greatest assets, she was, among other issues, raising awareness about sexual violence against women in conflict zones.<\/span><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!RMae!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe785b212-4757-404f-bc9e-48a5dc5f08e2_876x566.jpeg\")
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