Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are moving back across the pond six years after fleeing England for Montecito, California. This time around, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will choose a more private residence to live in for an extended period.

“Meghan is agreeing to try it, but she isn’t moving back to Britain. Six months is the test. She wants an exit strategy,” a source claimed to Rob Shutter.

Meghan and Harry’s representative also gave half a year as an estimated time. However, the rep also noted to The New York Times that the couple is flexible, saying, “It’ll be an extended period of time—it could be six months, it could be a year, it could be more—I don’t think even they know yet.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s move came together quickly: they reportedly got jump-started on planning their extended stay after a trip to England last month.

During their previous visit, the Sussexes reunited with King Charles and Queen Camilla. After four years, The King and Queen met with Meghan, Harry and their children at Highgrove House in the countryside of England.

Prior to her last trip to England, Meghan has made minimal visits to her husband’s home country since they both stepped back as working royals and moved to Montecito. Since announcing their exit in 2020, the duchess has been vocal about her reasons for leaving, which she has said included severe scrutiny from the British media and royal family.

Prince Harry hopes his children take something meaningful from their return to the U.K. The Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan Markle are returning to his home country., six years after stepping back from their royal duties. At the end of August, they will be relocating across the pond for an extended period with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Harry’s kids were just toddlers when they left England. Now, Archie and Lilibet are both at an age where they can attend schools in the U.K.

“It’s something Harry has been thinking about for a while,” a source said to People. “Harry never really stopped missing home. He’s missed that sense of connection and belonging. Britain is still home in many ways.”

The Duke of Sussex reportedly hopes his children will have more comprehension of his upbringing this time around. The source mentioned, “He wants them to understand the world he grew up in and where their family comes from.”

As for the Duchess of Sussex, she is in agreement, believing the children should equally experience their parents’ stomping grounds. The source shared, “Meghan feels very fortunate that they’re able to give Archie and Lilibet the opportunity to experience both worlds.”

They reportedly made plans to leave California weeks after their trip back to England, when the Sussexes reunited with King Charles and Queen Camilla. The occasion marked The King’s first meeting with his grandchildren in four years. Before their reunion, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet last saw King Charles in June 2022 during the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Two years before their last meeting, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as working royals and moved across the pond. Prince Archie was only 10 months old when he moved to America; Princess Lilibet was born in California, making her the first member of the British Royal Family to be born outside of Europe.

When it was announced that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be leaving the United States and making a shocking move to Britain, the first question many people asked was “why now?”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior working royals in 2020 and seemed to be thriving in sun-soaked Montecito, California. But on August 19, multiple outlets confirmed that the couple had enrolled Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, in a U.K. school and would be establishing a non-royal residence for an “extended period” of time.

After news broke that Meghan had been offered an acting role in the U.K., the picture became clearer, but royal experts tell Marie Claire that there could be numerous other factors at play behind the Sussex family’s big (temporary) move.

Meghan's Career

Whether Meghan is starring in the upcoming season of Netflix’s The Gentleman remains to be seen, although People reported on August 24 that the Duchess of Sussex “remains in talks” to take part in the U.K.-based show, “despite recent reports to the contrary.”

If the duchess does officially sign on, it makes perfect sense for the family to base themselves nearby while Meghan films. As King Charles’s former butler and frequent royal commentator Grant Harrold tells Marie Claire, “These jobs can take months, and Meghan won’t want to be apart from Harry.” Speaking on behalf of CanadaCasino, Harrold continues that the move “could be huge for her acting goals, so I think Harry will be supportive.”

It Forces the Issue with William

Rachel Bowie, royals expert for PureWow and the former co-host of the "Royally Obsessed" podcast, says that Harry’s move could help push a potential reconciliation with his older brother, Prince William.

“The brothers famously haven't spoken in years and William especially seems to have zero interest in mending their relationship,” Bowie says. “But with Prince Harry local again, how long can William avoid the issue? That was perhaps a motive in Harry’s decision to return home.”

Noting that Prince Harry has “been quite open about his interest” in reconciliation with his family, Bowie says, “The U.K. is only so big. If Harry’s goal is to mend things with his brother, their proximity will likely be a repeated headline until William decides to, at least publicly, nip it in the bud.”

The 2027 Invictus Games

Next summer, Prince Harry’s Invictus Games will be heading to Birmingham, England, and he carried out a number of U.K. engagements in July to celebrate one year until the event. The games for wounded, injured and sick military veterans and armed services personnel are one of the Duke of Sussex’s biggest passions, and Harrold noted that the 2027 games “would be a key reason for the return, as they are in the U.K. next year.”

“Maybe Harry needs to be on the ground and needs to be here for some of the planning,” Harrold says. “Perhaps he feels that being here would make things easier and allow him to be more involved. Again, it ties in very nicely if Meghan has got this acting deal, because it means he can then focus on that while she's doing what she needs to do.”

Archie and Lilibet’s Education

Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are growing up, and with Lilibet now of kindergarten age, they’re at a crossroads with their education.

“As any parent knows, the choice of school for our kids is not a decision that's entered into lightly,” Bowie tells Marie Claire. “The U.K. is also world-renowned for its options. We may not yet know where Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will attend school in Britain, but we can guess that this is a decision that Harry and Meghan considered at length.”

The royal expert continues that “the decision to be educated in the U.K. will help Archie and Lilibet better understand their modern roles within the monarchy, just as it has done for the royal family members who came before.”

As for timing, the children will start school in early September, and Bowie says that such a big decision can’t exactly be made on a whim. “We’d bet that news of their move had to come much sooner, at least privately, in order to ensure that security arrangements could be managed,” she shares, adding, “this had to be one of the bigger factors guiding their move.”

Missing Britain

Although Prince Harry has spoken positively about living in California, he often discusses his love for the U.K. in interviews—especially how he’d love to introduce his children to their roots. After spending six years in the United States, it might just feel like the right time for a change.

“He could, despite everything he's said, have suddenly thought, ‘Actually, I miss the U.K. I want to come back,’ and then started looking at the options and reasons for doing so,” Harrold says. “I think the last few trips to the U.K. may have reminded him just how much he misses being here.”

The former Highgrove House butler notes that after Prince Harry and his family spent time with his uncle Earl Spencer this summer, he might have felt some degree of homesickness. “Maybe it resonated with him and suddenly made him realize that he's given up his whole life to be in another country and it's a country that he didn't really know before,” Harrold shares.

Keeping the Memory of Diana Closer

As Harrold points out, Harry spent time at his mother’s childhood home, Althorp House, this summer while visiting his uncle, Earl Spencer. Keeping Princess Diana’s legacy alive is important to both Prince Harry and Prince William, and Bowie says that living in England again will give the Duke of Sussex the chance to “honor her memory more directly and in conjunction with his children, who are now older and better equipped to understand her impact on his life.”

“With the release of his memoir Spare, we know the effort Harry makes on a daily basis to keep the memory of his mother close,” she adds, pointing to the photos of the duke carrying flowers while walking with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet on the Althorp grounds, where Diana is buried.

More Time With King Charles

Harrold shares that he thinks being close to King Charles, who continues to battle cancer, “could be a very big part” of the move. “As the pair work to repair their relationship, I think Harry will want to spend as much time with his dad as possible,” he says.

Prince Harry recently reunited with his father and Queen Camilla at The King’s country estate, Highgrove House, and Harrold recalls fond memories of Charles and Harry interacting at the Gloucestershire home.

“Despite everything that's been said, Harry adores his dad,” Harrold shares. “When I was there, I witnessed the relationship between the two of them, and it was very fun and very comical. Harry used to do a lot of things to make his dad smile, and his dad used to do a lot of things to make Harry smile.”

“There's always been a strong bond between William and his dad as well, but William is the elder brother, so he's perhaps a little bit more able to take care of himself,” he adds. “I think Harry possibly got a little bit more of the extra love and attention.”

Prince William hasn’t been shy about his plans to modernize the monarchy when he eventually takes the throne. In October 2025, the Prince of Wales told actor Eugene Levy that “change for good” was on his “agenda,” and in his recent Substack, royal biographer Andrew Morton wondered if that might include removing titles of some of William’s family members.

Now that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be moving back to the U.K.—at least for the current school year, it seems—Morton wrote that King Charles’s “cautious embrace of his returning prodigal son” will likely ruffle feathers with Prince William.

The brothers haven’t spoken in several years following Prince Harry’s move to America and bombshell memoir, Spare. And with tensions still running high, Morton wrote that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are now “well on the way to getting what they wanted” of being “half-in, half-out” royals despite Queen Elizabeth’s wishes.

“The only way that Queen Elizabeth II’s decision can now be honoured is if their titles are stripped along with their children,” the Diana: Her True Story—In Her Own Words author wrote.

“Otherwise, they are working royals by proxy with all the freedom and earning power they wanted in the first place,” he added, referencing the couple’s commercial work that they plan to continue while living in the U.K. while also carrying out their private charity work.

Morton pointed to a controversial decision made by Denmark’s former monarch, Queen Margrethe, as an example of the path William might choose to take when he becomes King.

“It’s clear an ailing King Charles will not resolve this irreconcilable tension, but a future King William V may very well follow Queen Margrethe of Denmark, who stripped four of her grandchildren of their royal titles, and remove those of his brother and his cousins Beatrice and Eugenie,” Morton wrote.

Queen Margrethe has two sons, King Frederik and Prince Joachim, and in 2022, she announced that the titles of Joachim’s four children would be discontinued in an attempt to streamline the monarchy.

If Prince William took the same step and removed the titles of Prince Harry and Meghan, along with those of non-working royals Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, Morton says that he’d likely “find a public broadly supportive of such a measure.”

No matter what the Prince of Wales chooses to do in regards to his brother is anyone’s guess. But as Morton noted, “What happens next may surprise us, and it’s quite possible King William V will be all the better for a bit of sibling rivalry as he prepares for the job of a lifetime.”

After last week’s bombshell announcement that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are temporarily relocating to Britain, royal watchers have been wondering how this will change relations between the couple and the Royal Family, especially Prince William. But there’s another family member the Duke of Sussex has had a complicated relationship with over the years.

Queen Camilla has been married to King Charles since 2005, and although Harry publicly spoke out in support of their marriage at the time, he revealed his real feelings both in his 2023 memoir, Spare, and during a 60 Minutes interview with Anderson Cooper the same year.

In Spare, the Duke of Sussex wrote that Camilla “sacrificed” him “on her personal PR altar” in an attempt to improve her image with the British public, adding, “I even wanted Camilla to be happy. Maybe she'd be less dangerous if she was happy.”

When Cooper asked how Queen Camilla had been “dangerous” at the time, the Duke of Sussex explained it was “because of the connections that she was forging within the British press” as she tried to “rehabilitate her image.”

“And there was open willingness on both sides to trade information,” Prince Harry added, adding, “with a family built on hierarchy, and with her on the way to being queen consort, there was going to be people or bodies left in the street because of that.”

After Spare's release, The Queen was personally hurt, as one of her palace companions, Lady Lansdowne, told the Times.

“Of course it bothers her, of course it hurts,” Lady Lansdowne said. “But she doesn't let it get to her. Her philosophy is always, ‘Don't make a thing of it and it will settle down—least said, soonest mended.’”

It seems as if their relationship could be slowly on the way toward mending. Although The Queen wasn’t present when Prince Harry reunited with his father last fall, she took a major step by joining Harry, Meghan and their children at Highgrove House when the Sussexes visited the U.K. in July.

A source calls the meeting “polite with no recrimination,” per author Tom Bower in the Daily Mail, sharing that Queen Camilla allegedly offered Harry tea and that “the goodwill shown calmed the Sussexes' fear of returning.”

The Royal Family has once again gathered at Balmoral Castle for their annual summer vacation, and along with King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, Prince William and Princess Kate, one of the more low-key royals was photographed attending church in Crathie Kirk, Scotland on Sunday, August 23.

Duchess Sophie and Prince Edward’s daughter, Lady Louise, joined aunt Princess Anne and uncle Sir Tim Laurence, riding in the backseat next to her parents as they headed to Sunday services. The 22-year-old recently followed in William and Kate’s footsteps by graduating from the University of St Andrews, but unlike her cousins Harry and William in the early 2000s, Louise keeps a much lower profile, according to royal experts.

“Somehow the youngest royals have turned out to be the biggest homebodies and the least likely to make the headlines,” one royal source told the Telegraph. “You can hardly imagine Louise or her boyfriend falling out of nightclubs like her older cousins.”

Lady Louise was first pictured with fellow St Andrews alum Felix da Silva-Clamp in 2024, and he’s been a regular fixture at her carriage driving competitions over the years, even joining Duchess Sophie and Prince Edward for an August performance at the Edinburgh International Festival.

Insiders have told the Telegraph that Louise and Felix are very low-key and “normal,” and instead of hitting the London clubs like Prince William, Princess Kate and Prince Harry did in their younger days, the most “raucous” place you’re likely to find the young couple is on the Scottish dancing scene.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told the outlet that Lady Louise and her 18-year-old brother James, Earl of Wessex, “are clearly of conservative tendencies” and prefer a quieter existence.

As for Louise and Felix, “They look like a very normal, well-suited couple who have been able to lead normal university lives and develop common interests,” another expert shared.

It was exactly one year ago when Princess Kate shocked royal fans with her drastically lighter hair, and it seems blonde highlights have become part of her Balmoral vacation routine. Last summer, the Princess of Wales was spotted driving to church with a bright bronde hair color, and on Sunday, August 23, she repeated the tradition.

Princess Kate headed to the Sunday morning service in Crathie Kirk wearing a Princess Diana-esque piecrust collar blouse by Holland Cooper, topping off her blonde highlights with a chocolate brown Lock & Co pillbox hat.

The royal's new hair color appears lighter than the slightly sun-kissed brown shade the princess showed off during her last public appearance on August 1, but not as drastic as the blonde transformation Kate made last summer.

The Princess of Wales caused a social media frenzy when she made her first public appearance of fall 2025 with shockingly light, extra-long blonde hair. But four days later, Kate was back to brunette while attending an event to mark the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death.

This summer, Princess Kate went for a more subtle bronde shade—a look that hair color specialist Leslie Shores recently told Marie Claire is one of autumn’s hottest trends. “It adds exotic warmth, depth, and dimension to the hair that feels like a golden hour,” Shores says.

Whether the Princess of Wales returns to her deeper brunette tone once the temperatures drop remains to be seen, but until then, there's still plenty of summer days left to soak up before royal duties await.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle surprised royal fans when they announced their intention to move back to the U.K. immediately. Now, one of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's close friends has weighed in on the couple's decision to leave Montecito, California.

During an appearance on British TV show This Morning on August 21, author and journalist Bryony Gordon shared (via Hello! magazine), "What I understand is that they have decided to be more of an international family."

Gordon continued, "California is lovely. I've been to their house in Montecito. It's gorgeous. They're not letting go of it. It will remain somewhere that you can escape to."

As for why the Sussexes decided to move to the U.K. in 2026, the writer explained, "What I understand is that as lovely as California is, it's a long way away from lots of things."

The family's recent trip to the U.K. included spending time at Princess Diana's ancestral home, Althorp House, with her brother Earl Spencer. According to Gordon, Archie and Lilibet's positive experiences visiting England likely contributed to the family's decision to move.

"When they came in July, they had a really lovely time at Althorp…with [Harry's] uncle, Earl Spencer," Gordon said. "I think that was really lovely, and I think the kids really loved it, and I think they want to be closer to that."

When asked about the expenses required to keep homes in the U.S. and the U.K., Gordon replied, "I guess that they just have lots of money, don't they? I don't know."

The author continued, "I don't know how they're going to fund it, but what I do know is that the plan is, is that they're going to be...more international."

Basically, Meghan, Harry, Archie, and Lilibet are about to undergo a huge change when they leave Montecito to build a new life in England.

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It's been a huge week for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, who revealed their plans to move their family to the U.K. immediately. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are set to make England their home again. But according to multiple reports, some of the family's pets might not be making the transatlantic trip with them.

According to Hello! magazine, "[I]t's thought that the dogs will come with them." However, "the chickens are unlikely to be crossing the Atlantic." Royal fans can rest easy though as, according to the outlet, "this doesn't mean that the birds will be gotten rid of, as in the family's absence, staff will be tending to their Montecito home."

Meghan and Harry's two dogs, Pula and Mia, will move to the U.K. with the family, the publication suggested. Both dogs regularly feature on Meghan's Instagram account and also appeared in her Netflix lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan.

Footage of Meghan and Harry's chicken coop was shared during the couple's 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey. Adorably named "Archie's Chick Inn," the coop included a plethora of chickens the couple rescued from a factory farm. Understandably, it's likely not practical to move a chicken coop from the U.S. to the U.K., but the family will probably miss having the animals in their new backyard.

Meghan and Harry even adopted a bird from Ellen DeGeneres, who shared on social media, "Sinkie's leg is fixed but our chickens were still picking on her so she had to be re-homed. Luckily our friends Harry and Meghan's coop had room for one more. Not sure yet what her royal title will be."

For now, at least, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will sadly be separated from their beloved Montecito chicken coop.

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Princess Kate is currently staying in Balmoral with husband Prince William and their children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. The Royal Family spends time on the Balmoral estate every summer, with King Charles, Queen Camilla, and a plethora of relatives currently vacationing in Scotland.

On August 23, Princess Kate was photographed arriving at Crathie Kirk Church in Aberdeenshire with her family. For the church visit, the Princess of Wales opted for a vintage-inspired outfit, which included a classic pillbox hat with an accent bow on the front, and a white, high-neck, pie-crust collar blouse by Holland Cooper featuring subtle ruffles.

She completed her throwback look with a brown tweed blazer and a pair of past-season Ralph Lauren chandelier earrings. Notably, her hair was worn with very subtle waves and striking blonde highlights.

Prince George and Prince Louis were photographed arriving at Crathie Kirk Church alongside their parents. Although pictures of Princess Charlotte weren't available, she was reportedly also in attendance. Princess Anne, her husband Sir Timothy Laurence, Prince Edward, and Lady Louise were also seen traveling to the service.

The Royal Family's church visit follows news that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are set to move back to the U.K. imminently.

As Princess Kate is on vacation in Scotland, she is skipping a birthday party thrown by sister Pippa Middleton this weekend. According to Hello! magazine, Pippa is reportedly hosting a birthday celebration for her husband, James Matthews, at their home, Bucklebury Farm in Berkshire. It seems that, as the Princess of Wales is currently staying at the Balmoral estate, she'll be unable to attend her sister's event.

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The public doesn’t often see members of the Royal Family eating, and since the most visible display of a palace dinner would be the sumptuous state banquets at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, it’s no wonder that visions of lavish ballrooms come to mind. But according to former royal chef Visen Anenden, typical royal meals are hardly extravagant.

“I think the biggest misconception is that when you work for the Royal Family, everything is grand, spectacular, and bling,” Anenden says, speaking on behalf of Heart Bingo Slots. “You think of money being thrown at everything.”

However, the former chef to King Charles at Highgrove House says that typical royal meals were much more down to earth than you’d expect. Discussing their summers at Balmoral, Anenden says the family would often take part in picnics and barbecues. “Prince Philip was renowned for his BBQs, and Charles and Camilla would go up there on Saturdays to join him,” he shares.

Everything was locally sourced, and Anenden shares that they’d eat grouse or venison from shoots on the estate. “You’d set up different picnics for them to take out on the hills, and it was all homemade,” he shares.

Keeping in The King’s sustainable mindset, Anenden says there was “no such thing” as being wasteful. “If there were things left over, they were turned into a canapé for the next day. Nothing would be thrown away. They were huge on that.”

He also shares that members of staff “were always provided for when it came to food.” When asked if the kitchen employees were given leftovers from royal meals, Anenden says, “There was no such thing as eating leftovers. He treats his staff really well, and so does Camilla.”

The Middletons are, by all accounts, an incredibly close family. However, Princess Kate is reportedly skipping a party being hosted by her sister, Pippa Middleton, this weekend.

According to Hello! magazine, Pippa is currently "preparing for an intimate birthday celebration for her husband," James Matthews, who turned 51 on August 21. Pippa and James live at Bucklebury Farm in Berkshire with their three young children—Arthur, Grace, and Rose. The property is located near to the home of Kate and Pippa's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton.

Unfortunately, as Princess Kate is currently at the Royal Family's Balmoral residence in Scotland, she won't be in attendance at the birthday celebration, per Hello! magazine.

The outlet previously confirmed that Princess Kate and Prince William had arrived at Balmoral with their three kids—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. As a result, their trip to Scotland clashes with Pippa's husband's birthday party.

In 2021, Prince William shared just how much trips to Balmoral mean to his children. "George, Charlotte, and Louis are already aware of how dear Scotland is to both of us, and they're beginning to create their own cherished memories there, too," he said in a speech.

Kate, William, and their children join King Charles, Queen Camilla, Zara Tindall and her family, Peter Phillips, and new royal bride Harriet Sperling in Balmoral for the Royal Family's annual summer vacation.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to move back to the U.K. imminently with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Despite presumably being incredibly busy with their transatlantic plans, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have released an emotional message regarding an important topic.

In a statement shared on their official website, Meghan and Harry addressed the fact that 29 States have decided to take Facebook and Instagram owner Meta to court regarding child safety.

"An unprecedented bipartisan coalition of 29 state governments is coming together to demand accountability for privacy violations and unsafe design features putting young people at risk on Meta's apps, Facebook and Instagram," the statement explained.

They continued, "Meta's business model is not only leading to, but reliant on, the exploitation of young people's data and attention...This trial confirms what families and experts have been saying for years—Meta's harms were a financial choice, not an innovation accident."

Meghan and Harry's statement continued, "It's hard to fathom how Meta can withstand the facts highlighted in whistleblower testimony from father and former Meta employee Arturo Bejar's recollection of Meta's 'don't ask, don't tell' approach to child safety; the well-documented internal documentation showing Meta's active pursuit of their technology's addictive properties; or the power of countless stories from parents who have lost their children to suicide, and families who have witnessed irreparable harm to their children."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex concluded their message by writing, "We stand with [parents and advocates] as we wait to see what this trial will mean for children across the country and the world."

Following their move to the U.K., it seems clear Meghan and Harry will remain focused on the charities and issues they have always supported.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to move back to the U.K. with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Numerous reports have since discussed the logistics of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's transatlantic move, amidst the news that Meghan might return to acting. But according to one royal expert, some members of the Royal Family might be planning to "avoid" Meghan and Harry for the foreseeable future.

During an appearance on Hello! magazine's "A Right Royal Podcast," the publication's royal editor, Emily Nash, discussed how the Royal Family might be feeling about Meghan and Harry's news.

Nash shared, "I think this is going to be very much one step at a time, and from people I've been speaking to who know [Meghan and Harry], I think they're very much working on the basis of let's get the children settled, let's get started on what we want to do, and then the rest is something to consider down the line."

The royal expert continued, "But crucial to them is the relationship with The King. You can't go any higher than him. And if you have him on side and you are spending time with him, then that does half of the work for you."

However, according to Nash, it's possible that some Royal Family members won't want to spend time with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex upon their return.

"There is a risk, I think, that other members of the family continue to avoid them, it might make them look petty or unforgiving," Nash shared. "Now, there's a lot that would need to be forgiven. Let's be honest about this. And you can absolutely understand why William and Kate might never want to go there."

Nash continued, "You know, their decision to leave affected that whole generation of the Royal Family."

Hopefully Meghan and Harry's move to the U.K. will go as smoothly as possible, in spite of any possible family disagreements.

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Members of the Royal Family often have untrue stories written about them, and with the advent of social media, it’s even harder to keep rumors in check. But back in 1957, one story about Prince Philip caused him to be “deeply hurt,” according to his longtime friend and one-time private secretary Mike Parker.

In Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, author Gyles Brandreth detailed the infidelity rumors that plagued Prince Philip throughout his lifetime, but particularly in the earlier days of his marriage to Queen Elizabeth. In 1957, Prince Philip, accompanied by Parker, embarked on a four-month long tour of the Commonwealth, and Brandreth wrote that the unusual length of his absence caused the rumor mill to go into overdrive.

The former private secretary told Brandreth that the solo tour—and his own very public divorce that year—caused Prince Philip to end up in a position where he was viewed as guilty by association. Parker noted that “innuendos about Prince Philip’s private life” quickly began circulating.

As Brandreth wrote, “eventually the dam burst” and the Baltimore Sun ran a story titled Report Queen, Duke in Rift Over Party Girl. The newspaper piece alleged that Philip “was romantically involved with an unnamed woman whom he met on a regular basis in the West End apartment of a society photographer.”

“The Duke was incandescent,” Parker told Brandreth. “He was very, very angry. And deeply hurt. There was no truth in the story whatsoever.”

Queen Elizabeth “was equally dismayed,” per Brandreth, and took the unusual step of breaking her usual “never complain, never explain” rule. Buckingham Palace issued “an official and complete denial” on the story, per Brandreth, with the statement reading, “It is quite untrue that there is any rift between the Queen and the Duke.”

As for Philip's thoughts on the matter, Brandreth—who was a longtime friend of the late Duke of Edinburgh—wrote that he never would “have dared” to ask him about the infidelity rumors. However, Prince Philip “raised it himself and did so repeatedly.”

Brandreth wrote that Prince Philip sometimes laughed reports off, but at the end of the day, they did hurt him. The royal himself told the author that those types of stories “damage your reputation” and “chip away at it insidiously.”

On August 18, Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, announced he’s releasing Swan Song, a new book about his late sister’s life, and there’s still time to explore Diana’s childhood home ahead of the tell-all’s publication in September. Although Althorp House is typically closed to the public, the 9th Earl Spencer opens his doors for two months each year, and the historic Northamptonshire estate will welcome guests through August 31.

Althorp is where Diana was raised alongside her younger brother and two older sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, but the history of the property dates all the way back to the 1500s. Charles Spencer inherited the roughly 13,000-acre estate when his father, the 8th Earl Spencer, died in 1992, and it remains a family home for the earl and his new wife, Cat Jaman.

Notably, it's also where Princess Diana was buried. Although Diana's grave sits on a small island that's inaccessible to the public, visitors can explore the nearby grounds and a temple set up in her memory.

The property was purchased by the Spencer family in 1508 and extensively remodelled in the 18th century by renowned English architect Henry Holland. During Althorp’s rare tours, visitors are invited to view 17 of the home’s rooms housing an extraordinary private collection of artwork and furniture, including works by van Dyck, Stubbs, Reynolds, Rubens and Gainsborough.

Nestled among the priceless works of art are portraits of the Spencers themselves, including one of Diana that sits next to a painting of her brother, Earl Spencer.

Highlights include Wootton Hall with its striking black-and-white checkered floor, which Princess Diana was fond of tap dancing on in her youth, and the impressive library, which at one point, held up to 100,000 books collected by the 2nd Earl Spencer.

Although it's down to 10,000 titles on its shelves today, the room is frequently used by the current earl as he works on his various projects, including Spencer's upcoming Diana book.

In addition to exploring the house, Althorp guests can book an afternoon tea picnic to enjoy on the grounds—but time is running out before the estate closes its doors for another year.

After devastating heatwaves swept across Europe this summer, Denmark is enjoying some fall-like temperatures, and Queen Mary took advantage of the crisp late summer weather with one of autumn’s hero pieces. The Danish queen has long been a fan of British brand Me+Em, and she debuted a chocolate brown blazer by the label in one of her best polished casual looks yet.

Blazers can be hard to pull off in late August, but Queen Mary’s linen piece straddles seasons effortlessly, as she showed during a visited to the Deaconess Foundation-Momentet on Wednesday, August 19. The Danish queen’s Me+Em blazer—currently 30 percent off in the brand’s sale—is crafted from an Italian linen and cotton blend and comes in the aptly named “summer chocolate” colorway, as well as a sky blue shade.

Mary rolled up the sleeves of her suit jacket, showing off the ruffled cuffs of her new windowpane-check blouse by M.A.B.E Apparel.

Instead of wearing traditional suit pants with her jacket, the queen brought back a more casual pair of wide-legged Britt Sisseck denim trousers for her visit to the group home, which provides young people with social and mental health support.

The Danish queen has worn her '70s-inspired pants multiple times since 2022, per fashion blog UFO No More, and Mary leaned into one of fall's trends by adding a pop of leopard to her outfit with printed ballet flats. She finished off the look with her Louise Grønlykke Marrakech necklace and a pair of gold hoop earrings with beaded accents by Copenhagen jeweler Dulong.

Queen Mary's event marked her first royal engagement since the summer break, and the royal, who serves as patron of the Deaconess Foundation, told the waiting press, “I have been looking forward to being back at work and I have been incredibly happy to visit the children here at Momentet.”

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s upcoming move to the U.K. sent shockwaves around the world when it was announced earlier this week, with many wondering about the motivations behind the family leaving California. But a surprising new twist in the situation emerged on August 21 when multiple outlets reported that the Duchess of Sussex has been offered a new acting role in Britain.

Bronte Coy of News.com.au broke the story on Friday, telling BBC Radio 4’s “Today” Show that the Duchess of Sussex will be returning to acting while the family temporarily lives in England. “I’m told it’s significant, and she’s very excited about it,” Coy said.

Representatives for the Duchess of Sussex declined to comment on Meghan’s potential acting role when Marie Claire reached out for clarification, but did not deny the report.

The Telegraph reported that Meghan is “poised to accept” the unknown job, adding, “It is understood the offer of the role, which was only made recently, formed part of the decision-making process in the family relocating to the U.K. but was not the sole reason.”

Meghan starred as Rachel Zane in the legal drama Suits before marrying Prince Harry in 2018, and she stepped away from TV once she became a senior working royal. However, she dipped her toe back into acting last fall when she filmed a cameo role as herself in the upcoming movie Close Personal Friends.

On August 19, multiple outlets confirmed that the couple will be leaving their Montecito, California home to set up a non-royal residence somewhere in Britain for an “extended period.” Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, have been enrolled in a U.K. school and King Charles was made aware of their plans just three days before the news broke.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shocked royal fans when it was confirmed on Wednesday, August 19 that the couple will be moving back to Britain ahead of the new school year. The couple’s children, 7-year-old Prince Archie and 5-year-old Princess Lilibet, have already been enrolled at a British school, and the family will be setting up a non-royal residence in an undisclosed location. For the Duchess of Sussex, leaving her home state of California likely comes with extremely mixed emotions, as former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told Sky News.

“'I think we should beware a pile-on on Meghan in particular, and I can see that already happening,” Bond told the network. “This is the decision they've made probably for the sake of their children, as much as for Harry.”

Meghan was born and raised in California, and she noted that starting over in England was a hard transition when she fell in love with Prince Harry. The couple made the move to Montecito, California in 2020 after they stepped down as senior working royals, and Bond noted that “Perhaps Meghan is sort of taking one for the team here, because I'm not sure this is her life's desire to live back in the U.K.”

The Duchess of Sussex has been vocal about how she struggled with her mental health while she was a working royal, and Bond cautioned the public not to place blame on Meghan for the couple's decisions.

“We have to remember that this is a woman who said that she was driven to suicidal thoughts by the way she felt she was treated when she lived here as a member of the Royal Family,” Bond said. “And that's why I say, we must beware a pile-on.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will continue their business activities, such as Meghan's As Ever brand, and will carry out any charity work in a private capacity, rather than on behalf of The King. “The only word we're getting from the palace is that Harry and Meghan are not going to be working royals at all, and certainly not whilst they carry on with their commercial activity, or particularly Meghan's, which I completely see she needs to do, and why shouldn't she?” Bond said. “She's an independent, relatively successful woman.”

At the end of the day, Tom Garcia-Bridgeman, PR consultant at Rhizome Media Group told the Daily Mail, “Britain may not offer them as much vitamin D as California, but a U.K. return immediately puts them at the center of a story, rather than competing for attention among LA's crowded celebrity class.”

As Prince William and Princess Kate enjoy their summer break on the Balmoral estate with King Charles and other members of the Royal Family, no doubt the biggest conversation around the dinner table is Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s upcoming move. The couple, who have lived in Montecito, California for the past six years, are making a surprise relocation to Britain this month—and for William especially, it creates a sticky situation.

The Princes of Wales has not been on speaking terms with his brother in years, and the two avoided each other at their uncle Lord Fellowes’s 2024 funeral, the last time they were seen in public together. William also did not head to Highgrove House this July when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children reunited with King Charles and Queen Camilla for the first time in four years.

But now that Harry and Meghan will be living nearby, it opens the door for them to attend Royal Family events like vacations at Balmoral and Christmas at Sandringham once again. It’s a situation that royal author and journalist Robert Jobson says must “be difficult” for the Prince of Wales.

“Are they really going to have William and Harry sitting round a table with all that’s gone on?” Jobson told Hello! magazine, adding, “I feel that William must be slightly aghast by the whole thing.”

The royal biographer pointed out that King Charles might be “hoping that it will be a chance for reconciliation,” but noted the move will likely prove to “be very difficult for The King.”

“On one level he will reconnect. On another level it will make things complicated for him,” Jobson continued. “It will muddy the waters.”

An ocean has separated the brothers for the past six years, but with the Sussexes set to establish a non-royal residence in the U.K. this month, former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt pointed out that Harry’s “presence back home will make it harder for his brother to duck a reconciliation.”

“The surprise return of Harry and Meghan is likely to have left William apoplectic,” Hunt added, per the Daily Mail.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have enrolled their children Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, at a British school, but any details about where they'll be living are being kept tightly under wraps—at least for now.

King Charles arrived for his annual stay at Balmoral on Tuesday, August 18, just a day before the news broke that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be moving back to Britain. As royal circles processed the surprise relocation, Prince William and Princess Kate quietly joined the Royal Family in Scotland on Thursday—and according to one editor, the Waleses are likely “not delighted.”

Princess Anne’s children Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips are already at the castle with their families—including new royal wife Harriet Sperling—and Hello! magazine confirmed that the Prince and Princess of Wales arrived with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis at the Balmoral estate on August 20.

Speaking on Hello!’s “A Right Royal Podcast,” the magazine’s royal editor, Emily Nash, noted there’s been “complete radio silence” coming from William and Kate’s side. “I imagine they're not delighted about this,” she added.

The Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales remain estranged, and with the couples not on speaking terms, the Sussex family's move to Britain will open a can of worms for both.

“It's going to be a very, very difficult hill to climb, having them suddenly back in the U.K., popping up, doing things publicly, if that's where they go with this,” Nash says of Harry and Meghan. “So much has been said and done that has damaged that relationship, almost beyond repair.”

A reconciliation seems unlikely to happen anytime soon, and Nash noted that when it comes to William and Kate, “I can't see a world in which they would be welcoming them back with open arms.”

King Charles was reportedly told about Harry and Meghan’s plans on Sunday, August 16, and Nash shared that the family has “had time to process this” ahead of their Balmoral break.

“We believe the Waleses were made aware beforehand,” she said. “They didn't find out at the same time as the rest of the world.”

The Royal Family’s annual break at Balmoral Castle has official begun, and King Charles kicked off his summer stay with a traditional ceremony at the castle gates on Tuesday, August 18. The King traveled solo to Scotland as Queen Camilla took on royal duties back home, including a trip to York Racecourse on Wednesday, and one royal expert says that Charles “is at his most happy” in the Highlands.

The King, dressed in a classic tartan kilt with a vest and suit jacket, arrived to inspect the Royal Regiment of Scotland’s Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion, along with their adorable Shetland pony mascot, Corporal Cruachan IV. While greeting members of the public gathered doutside the gates, a relaxed King Charles was seen sharing jokes with fans, and body language expert Darren Stanton noted the monarch appeared “totally at home.”

Speaking to Betfair Casino, Stanton shared that like Queen Elizabeth, Balmoral is where King Charles is at his happiest—but King Charles has also had a shift in his behavior overall since taking the throne.

“In terms of his body language, years ago you would have never seen him this happy to do walkabouts greeting the crowds—especially when he is on holiday,” Stanton said. “He used to do them but now you can see he really enjoys them.”

During his visit, King Charles chatted with soldiers and nearly got bit by the mischievous pony, who had several similar run-ins with Queen Elizabeth in her day.

Stanton said The King showed “genuine” contentedness with his expressions while exchanging banter with soldiers and the crowd. “He seems incredibly confident, there are no pacifying gestures, he isn’t fiddling with his cufflinks, or covering his torso,” the body language expert continued. “This confidence comes from feeling totally at home—the enjoyment he gets from being at Balmoral is evident in every movement.”

Noting how the crowd mirrored King Charles’s upbeat mood, Stanton added, “I genuinely don’t think he has ever been so popular.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shocked the world by announcing their impending move back to the U.K. on Wednesday, August 19. The couple will be relocating to Britain for an extended period and have enrolled Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, in a British school, but where they’ll be living is being kept under wraps at the moment. As rumors swirl about where the couple will chose to set up their British home base, King Charles’s former butler, Grant Harrold, says that Princess Diana’s brother could have helped in the transition.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be establishing a non-royal residence at an undisclosed location in the U.K., as confirmed by multiple media outlets, and will not be returning to full-time royal duties. King Charles was made aware of their move on Sunday—three days prior to the announcement—making it unlikely he assisted by offering up one of his private properties to the family.

However, it's possible that Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, could have helped Harry and Meghan secure a home. Speaking to CasinoHawks, Harrold—who served The King at Highgrove House—suggests a “strong option is the Spencer family, who Harry has always been very close to.”

“Even when things were at their worst with the royals, Harry was always supported by his late mother’s brother Earl Spencer,” Harrold continues. “We know Meghan and Harry stayed at the Spencer family home earlier in the summer, so maybe conversations happened then.”

Meghan shared a carousel of photos from her family's summer abroad on July 23, including an image of Princess Lilibet walking behind Prince Harry and Prince Archie, who are carrying bouquets of flowers, on Earl Spencer's Althorp estate, where Princess Diana is buried.

When they were working royals, Harry and Meghan lived at Kensington Palace, then briefly moved into an estate in the Cotswolds before they relocated to Windsor's Frogmore Cottage. As for their next home, it's anyone's guess right now, but Harrold says the move provides the Sussex family the opportunity to be closer to loved ones.

“I think Harry wants to focus on family,” he says. “I think he wants to be near his father and his mother’s family, the Spencers.”

After Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took their “freedom flight” out of London in 2020, it seemed like, by all accounts, they were leaving Britain permanently to raise their young children in California. But on August 19, it was announced that Harry and Meghan were moving back to the U.K. for an extended period and had enrolled Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in a local school. It’s a decision that has raised a number of questions, but as the Telegraph’s royal editor, Hannah Furness, wrote in the publication’s latest newsletter, the move hints that Harry “may have finally got what he wanted all along.”

In late 2019, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent roughly six weeks living on Vancouver Island, Canada, before returning to London in January 2020. As Furness noted, Prince Harry wrote in his memoir, Spare, “Brief as it was, that taste of freedom had got us thinking. What if like could be like that...all the time? What if we could spend at least part of each year somewhere far away, still doing work for the Queen, but beyond the reach of the press?”

After Queen Elizabeth denied the plan, stating that Harry and Meghan had to be in or out, they left for California. But now that six years have passed, much has changed for the Royal Family. Queen Elizabeth has died, and with King Charles living with cancer at age 77, perhaps the Duke of Sussex has realized that it’s time to be closer to his family while he still can.

Harry and Meghan's royal status is not changing, and they'll be establishing a non-royal residence at an undisclosed location in the U.K. while carrying out private charitable endeavors and commercial work. But as Furness pointed out, their working situation isn't quite straightforward, especially as Meghan continues to build her lifestyle brand, As Ever.

“Prince Harry and his family will, if they choose, be photographed with the King, placing them visually back at the heart of the Royal family in the public eye,” Furness wrote. “And they will continue their commercial activities, the strawberry jam in yesterday’s As Ever marketing email perhaps replaced with a seasonal British blackberry.”

They won't technically be half-in like their original plan, since the couple's charitable work will be carried out on their own and not on behalf of the monarch. But the optics could be confusing.

“The Sussexes will look, to those who don’t know or care about the nuances of working royal life, exactly half-in, half-out,” Furness added. “The King’s reign is their only chance to be so and establish that foothold.”

Now that Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, will be living closer to their grandfather, it would come as no surprise to see the Sussexes at Sandringham for Christmas or visiting Balmoral in the summer. But when it comes to Prince William and his younger brother, a thaw seems unlikely—at least right now.

As Furness wrote, “To use Meghan’s favourite word, they are not back in the Royal family fold... ‘yet.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving back to the United Kingdom for “an extended period,” six years after stepping down as senior members of the Royal Family and relocating to California.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s return was confirmed by People magazine on August 19, with the outlet reporting that King Charles was informed of the couple’s plans just three days prior on Sunday, August 16. 

The duke and duchess's children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will attend a local school in Britain, but the location of their home and school will be kept under wraps. Harry and Meghan will remain non-working members of the Royal Family. 

The surprise decision comes shortly after the Sussexes reunited with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House during their visit to the U.K. this summer. The meeting was seen as an important step in improving relations between Prince Harry and his father, and it was the first time Archie and Lilibet have seen their grandfather since 2022. 

However, the Sun reported that the Sussex family’s move was not discussed during the private meeting. 

Harry and Meghan moved to Montecito, California, in 2020 after stepping back from royal duties and have since built independent lives and careers in the United States. People reported that the couple will continue to maintain their Montecito home as well as their vacation house in Portugal. 

Security is likely to remain a key issue. Prince Harry no longer receives taxpayer-funded security, a long-running point of contention for the duke, and it remains unclear what arrangements will be in place for the family at their new U.K. home. 

Summer weather might not be going anywhere in New York City, but Queen Camilla dressed for some fall-like temps in York, England, on August 19. The Queen braved the rain on the first day of the Ebor Festival at York Racecourse on Wednesday, turning to one of Princess Kate’s favorite accessories for her equestrian day out.

Queen Camilla, who serves as patron of York Racecourse, stayed dry in a classic tan trench coat over her collared blue dress, carrying one of Queen Elizabeth’s beloved clear birdcage umbrellas by Fulton.

The Queen once again chose her sparkling diamond and sapphire butterfly brooch— a piece that once belonged to Queen Elizabeth—but it was Camilla's hat that stole the show during the racing festival. Her feather-trimmed, cornflower blue style was a custom creation by milliner Philip Treacy, and it brings to mind several of the hats the Princess of Wales has worn in recent years.

No one loves a good feather-trimmed hat like Princess Kate, and she's experimented with both wide-brimmed styles and smaller, more classic fedoras by brands like Philip Treacy and Hicks & Brown.

Queen Camilla's hat featured an intricate fabric band with lace detail and a dramatic plume similar to the green Philip Treacy design the Princess of Wales wore for a Christmas morning service in 2022. Although The Queen's band wasn't created from feathers like the brown Philip Treacy design Kate wore for Christmas 2021, it gives off a similar style.

Camilla finished off her outfit with her ever-present blue agate Van Cleef & Arpels Vintage Alhambra bracelet, pearl drop earrings, nude heels and her go-to Lady Dior bag.

Although it might not be time to break out the "Balmoral Look" just yet, it's never too early to get some autumn hat inspiration with these picks below.

Duchess Sophie has served as patron of England Hockey, the country’s national field hockey team, for the past two decades, and it seems nothing would stop her from watching the women win gold at the Olympics—even a formal dinner at Balmoral Castle.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live to mark a decade since the team’s exciting win, the Duchess of Edinburgh recalled the hilarious moment when Queen Elizabeth excused her from a meal in Scotland. The gold medal game during the 2016 Rio Olympics happened to be on during dinner, and Sophie had no choice but to stop watching and eat with Queen Elizabeth and the rest of the family.

“Actually, somebody who was helping at the table who’s an avid hockey fan kept on coming in and whispering the score to me,” she shared with a laugh. “I was twitching, and eventually Her Majesty sat there and said, ‘Oh, for goodness’ sake, just go!’”

The duchess said she “ran through to the library” to catch the rest of the game, sharing that Prince Philip—”who loved good sport” ended up joining her. “I think he was watching my reaction more than he was watching the television because I was literally living and breathing every moment,” Sophie shared.

Admitting that she was “leaping up and screaming and everything,” despite the drawing room being right next to the library, Duchess Sophie said she realized the late Queen had “come through and she was standing in the doorway watching.”

However, when the gold medal game went into penalties, Queen Elizabeth had to leave. “She couldn’t cope with pressure,” the duchess said. “She had to take herself away again. She couldn’t cope with it.”

England eventually won against the Netherlands, and Sophie said her reaction amused her late father-in-law. The duchess got so excited that she shared Prince Philip “was laughing at me,” explaining she was “in floods of tears, leaping up and down, screeching” over England’s win.

Queen Camilla has served as president of Maggie’s cancer centers since 2008, and on August 18, The Queen appeared in a deeply personal video to mark the 30th anniversary of the organization. Speaking to Maggie’s chief executive Dame Laura Lee, Camilla admitted that she struggled with keeping the news of King Charles’s own cancer diagnosis a secret when attending an event for the charity in 2024.

Maggie’s centers are located at NHS hospitals and support cancer patients and their families with everything from mental health counseling to financial advising, all free of charge. Queen Camilla recalls visiting one center in early 2024, just a week before the public became aware of The King’s cancer diagnosis.

“Nobody could say anything at the time, that was quite difficult,” Camilla shared, admitting that while speaking with patients and her families, she almost slipped. “I almost said something but, you know, I felt that it wasn’t the time to say.”

“I was just longing to let it out, but obviously I couldn’t,” Queen Camilla continued.

Lee praised The Queen for her “courage” in attending the event during what was a difficult time for the Royal Family, and also shared the direct impact The King has had on their charity. She shared that Maggie’s has seen more people—notably “a 12 percent increase in men” coming to their centers “because of The King being so open about his diagnosis and having a productive life.”

“Look at my husband. Nothing stopped him. He just said, ‘This is my way. I’m going to cope with it,’” she said.

She shared that walking through her husband’s illness with him gave her a new perspective when meeting families at Maggie’s. “Now I’m the one whose relation...whose got to help to look after my poor husband and try and understand it all,” she said.

While King Charles's cancer is not in remission like Princess Kate's, Buckingham Palace announced in December 2025 that his treatments would be “reduced” this year.

“His Majesty has responded exceptionally well to treatment, and his doctors advise that ongoing measures will now move into a precautionary phase,” a palace spokesperson said. “This position will be continuously monitored and reviewed to protect and prioritize his continued recovery.”

When Princess Anne isn’t carrying out one of her 470-plus royal engagements each year, she’s living a quiet life on her Gatcombe Park estate. Situated in Gloucestershire not far from King Charles’s country retreat, Highgrove House, the historic home dates back to the late 1700s and gives the Princess Royal hundreds of acres of peace and privacy. Although she has access to travel like a VIP from her private estate, one Cotswolds neighbor recently told the Daily Express that Anne prefers a more low-key method of transportation.

British TV personality Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, who lives in the nearby village of Siddington, told the media outlet that he’s spotted Princess Anne at their local train station on numerous occasions.

"I've met her on the train quite often, yeah we're on kind of nodding terms,” Llewelyn-Bowen said. “She travels with a few burly but super smart military types, all very very unfussy. No one bats an eyelid, we're all used to her.”

It should come as no surprise that the no-nonsense Princess Royal prefers to take public transportation rather than make a fuss traveling by chauffeur, but Llewelyn-Bowen revealed that Anne wasn't the only royal he's seen taking the commuter train.

The interior designer and Changing Rooms star shared that King Charles also “used to do it lots as well, at our local station Kemble.”

Since there are frequent trains to London from Kemble, where Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, married Harriet Sperling in June, Llewelyn-Bowen shared that many celebrities end up on the rail line. “There are moments where the train to Paddington is more star-studded than the Expresso Bar at The Ivy,” he quipped.

As for Phillips and his sister, Zara Tindall, Llewelyn-Bowen said he runs into them “quite a lot,” adding, “Peter is someone we know quite well and again, this is one of them things about our end of the Cotswolds, is that everyone sort of gets on well with each other in a very informal way.”

The next three weeks will be bittersweet for Prince William and Princess Kate as they soak up the remaining days of summer with Prince George, who will head to boarding school for the first time in September. The 13-year-old heir to the throne is following in his father’s footsteps by attending Eton College, and according to psychologist and school admissions strategist Sarah Suria, the challenge for George will be finding his own path.

“I think what makes this such an interesting moment is that George is entering an age when children begin asking who they are outside of their parents, while becoming increasingly aware of what they have inherited from their family,” Suria tells Marie Claire.

For the past two years, royal circles have buzzed about whether the Prince and Princess of Wales would choose a new educational path for their son, perhaps sending him to Kate's alma mater, Marlborough College. The choice for George to attend the same school as his father presents both benefits and challenges, Suria says.

“Going to Eton, as William did, could offer familiarity and continuity, but the real opportunity is for George to walk into a place associated with his father and still find a way to make the experience his own,” she shares.

Unlike Prince Harry, who also attended Eton College, Prince George is going into secondary school with his path entirely set out in front of him at the age of 13. George also has the challenge of knowing that his father will likely become King at a much younger age than his grandfather King Charles did.

“Adolescence is really about beginning to separate what you’ve inherited from who you are becoming,” Suria notes. “For George, that’s happening within an extraordinary legacy, where parts of his future have been mapped out long before he could have a say in them.”

The Waleses are a famously close family, with Prince William and Princess Kate making it clear that their three children will always come first. Although living away from home at age 13 would challenge any child, Suria says that for George, leaving his family “can offer a different kind of growth.”

“A close-knit home may give a child a secure base; being away asks them to build a larger toolbox for navigating friendships, homesickness, academic demands and everyday setbacks,” she shares.

Prince George already boarded occasionally at Lambrook School, where he was a day student, preparing him for the realities of living away from home full-time. But as journalist Jack Malvern recently told Hello! magazine's "A Right Royal Podcast," even though the Wales family lives geographically close to Eton, “emotionally, there's going to be a cut, because Eton sucks you in.”

However, Suria says that living away will serve George well as he continues in both his academic and royal careers.

“Independence is rarely built in one grand moment,” she shares. “It develops through small experiences of realizing, ‘I can handle this myself.’ For George, learning to stand on his own while maintaining a strong connection to home and family could be particularly meaningful as he grows into a life that will ask him to carry both his family legacy and a strong sense of who he is.”

Prince Charles’s life took a dramatic turn when Queen Elizabeth died in 2022, and along with a whole new set of responsibilities as monarch, he gained a new title as King Charles III. Ahead of the fourth anniversary of the late Queen’s death next month, former royal gardener Jack Stooks reveals one run-in he had with The King shortly after his ascension that truly showed the monarch’s personality.

Speaking to CasinoHawks, Stooks recalls one incident at Highgrove House, where he served as head gardener for more than 20 years. “We had a call about a leak in the irrigation system,” he shares. “The King hates any sort of waste, and losing water like this is a big no-no, so the gardeners rushed to fix it.”

As he was in a bush attempting to fix the problem, Stooks heard someone walking towards him and was surprised to find The King. “I was a bit thrown, so I said ‘Good evening, Your Highness,’” Stooks shares. “However this was just after he had become King, so this was the wrong greeting.”

“As soon as I said it I realized my mistake and panicked, and in the moment ended up swearing,” Stooks admits. After apologizing and calling King Charles “Your Majesty,” the gardener was relieved that the new King took the embarrassing moment in stride.

“He was completely fine about it,” Stooks shares. “He just told me it was okay and not to worry. He said he was still getting used to the change in title as well. He’s a very kind man, and this is just one example of how understanding he is.”

Stooks says he assumed that once Queen Elizabeth died, life would change greatly at the estate for King Charles, who had always taken on an extremely hands-on role in his gardens. The King has always enjoyed spending his free time at Highgrove House, and Stooks says that to his surprise, this tradition has continued.

“I remember thinking that when Charles became King we wouldn’t see him as much,” he shares. “I thought his relaxed approach to life at home would change, but it didn’t. He still spent a lot of time with the gardeners and was very hands on. That didn’t change even when he took the crown.”

When it comes to changing the public’s views on the Royal Family, it’s often an uphill battle. The Team Meghan vs. Team Kate debate continues on social media (albeit slightly quieter than it used to), and there’s always going to be royal watchers who have strong feelings on various members of the family. But for Queen Camilla, the slow shift in public opinion about Her Majesty might just be the most successful royal PR coup yet.

In the latest episode of ITV’s “Talking Royals” podcast, royal editor Chris Ship and presenter Charlene White discussed the roles of the various wives of Windsor, and Ship noted that The Queen “has gone from being the most hated woman in Britain” to one of the most respected members of the Royal Family.

After carrying on a longtime affair with King Charles (then Prince Charles), Camilla’s reputation couldn’t have been worse in the 1990s and early 2000s. Ship recalled Queen Camilla being regularly “driven out of her home in the back of a car hiding under a blanket” to escape the paparazzi, a time her son Tom Parker Bowles recently called “incredibly dangerous” in an interview with Hello! magazine.

Through decades of dedicated charity work—specifically raising awareness for domestic violence causes and literacy—and her quiet support for The King, Ship says Camilla has become “the linchpin holding the entire institution together.”

The Queen is often named as one of the favorite members of the Royal Family for many journalists and palace staffers, and when discussing her rise, White said, “I would say that it’s one of the greatest PR campaigns we’ve seen in recent history, because that turnaround in terms of how the public feel about her has been remarkable.”

Royal author Simon Vigar agreed that there’s been “a softening” in how people view Queen Camilla, even though the public “used to blame her for the whole mess” with Princess Diana and Prince Charles’s divorce.

“Time’s a great healer,” he added. Although Ship pointed out The Queen knows “she’s never going to be right at the very top” of the popularity polls, Vigar says that’s just fine with Camilla. “She’s completely relaxed with that,” he said.

Duchess Sophie is one of the hardest working members of the Royal Family, and she’s now taken on a patronage with a very personal meaning. On August 17, Buckingham Palace announced that the Duchess of Edinburgh has been named the new patron of Visualise Scotland, a charity that helps adults living with visual impairment and other disabilities in the Edinburgh region.

To mark the occasion, Sophie posed for a new portrait snapped by Millie Pilkington, a photographer that often takes pictures for Prince William, Princess Kate and their children. In another tie to the Princess of Wales, Duchess Sophie wore an elegant ivory dress by Beulah London, one of their shared favorite brands.

The duchess chose a trumpet-sleeved ivory design she’s worn previously, with the dress featuring long, flared sleeves and button detail marching down the skirt. Princess Kate has worn a similar green version of the dress, but hers included slimmer long sleeves.

Sophie accessorized the dress with her Chopard diamond circle pendant and a pair of gold hoops, but it was her nail polish that stood out in the photo.

Members of the Royal Family often go without polish or choose barely-there colors, but the Duchess of Edinburgh wore a dark, plummy brown shade in her portrait that's perfect for fall.

Visualise Scotland's mission is deeply personal to the duchess. When Sophie's eldest child, Lady Louise, was born, she was diagnosed with an eye condition called esotropia, which was corrected with surgery when she was a child. The Duchess of Edinburgh has made preventable blindness one of the causes she's championed over the years, and she holds a role as global ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.

As for her new manicure, fingers crossed for more bold shades from Sophie this fall.

As Princess Diana’s former bodyguard, Ken Wharfe witnessed the ups and downs of the late royal’s life in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. When reflecting on Diana’s legacy, he tells Marie Claire that fans didn’t get to see some of the sides of the princess he remembers the most—and that she shared one big thing in common with King Charles.

The King is an obsessive letter writer, and in 2022, it was revealed by the palace that he writes more than 2,400 letters a year, including notes to members of the public. Speaking on behalf of Casino.org, Wharfe says that although Diana’s marriage was falling apart, she always took time to recognize others, just like her husband.

“Diana was a prolific letter writer,” he shares. “I used to encourage her not to write quite so many letters, but I think it was part of her aristocratic upbringing. She'd been brought up to believe that if somebody showed you kindness or hospitality, you always wrote to say thank you.”

“She wrote constantly, and her letters were wonderfully warm and often very funny,” Wharfe adds.

Several of Diana's cards and letters have gone up for auction in recent years. In 2025, a touching note she sent to a footman at Buckingham Palace went on the auction block, with the royal thanking him for his support in the days leading up to her 1981 wedding.

In addition to her writing hobby, Wharfe says that Diana “was also very interested in current affairs,” adding that “she always wanted to know what was happening in the world and what was going on in politics.”

Along with constantly sending thank you notes, Wharfe says that she’d frequently give small gifts to people she met in her travels, calling her "incredibly generous.”

The former royal protection officer recalls one detective who Diana “was very fond of” who'd been targeted by the IRA. “Whenever we traveled over, she'd ask me, ‘What shall we get your friend? He's such a nice man,’” Wharfe shares. “I said, ‘Well, he likes his Irish whiskey.’”

He notes that every time they headed to Northern Ireland after that, Diana would make sure they had a bottle to bring for the detective.

Wharfe also recalls a time when a Secret Service agent helped Diana walk down some stairs when she was blinded by photographers’ flashes at a fundraising gala in Washington, D.C. “She said, ‘Oh, he was very nice, Ken. Perhaps I should give him a present tomorrow for being so helpful.’”

The next day, Diana brought a signed photograph to give to the agent, but he’d “hidden himself behind one of the bushes outside the White House.”

It turns out Wharfe had mentioned to the man that people don’t typically touch members of the Royal Family, and he was too embarrassed to show his face. ”In the end I had to persuade him to come out so she could give him the signed photograph,” Wharfe shares. “It's perhaps a slightly unusual story, but it perfectly sums up the way she treated people.”

“Whether it was a police officer in Northern Ireland, a Secret Service agent in Washington or someone she'd only just met, she wanted them to leave with a happy memory,” Wharfe says.

Although she’s not a member of the Royal Family, India Hicks has grown up in royal circles her entire life as a goddaughter of King Charles and the daughter of Lady Pamela Hicks, one of Queen Elizabeth’s ladies-in-waiting. India, who lost her mother in June, recently sat down with the Telegraph to discuss her new book, but she also revealed some of her touching memories of royal events.

“I do feel we are saying goodbye to an amazing generation,” Hicks said of her mother and the late Queen. “They lived through a war and were so much tougher than us and much less spoilt. There’s so much to admire in them.”

Reflecting on Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, Hicks said one thing that stands out the most is how the public’s floral tributes were included in the event. “As my mother and I descended the coach that took us from the Westminster Abbey service to Windsor, we were both hit by the most extraordinary smell of the floral tributes,” she told the publication. “It’s something I will never forget.”

Bouquets left to honor the late Queen were moved to line the Long Walk in Windsor as her casket traveled by car along the route to Windsor Castle, and Hicks noted, “It was such a wonderful touch that the flowers sent by her people were moved so they were there at the centre of everything.”

Another royal memory the author shared was a souvenir she received from King Charles and Queen Camilla’s 2005 wedding. “It was just this little memento that was incredibly moving,” she said, explaining she received a slice of wedding cake in a beautifully designed tin.

On the topic of design, Hicks—who served as a bridesmaid at Princess Diana and Prince Charles's wedding—is launching her latest book, India Hicks: Entertaining, With a Side of Chaos, this September. Focused on hosting in a busy world, the title aims to be less “perfection-oriented” than her last entertaining book, released seven years ago.

India says that “in the intervening years” since her last book, “life has got more chaotic and frantic—for me and everyone else, I think—and I’ve realised that with entertaining, it doesn’t have to be perfect. I want people to look at this and breathe a sigh of relief and realise this is manageable.”

Princess Eugenie gave birth to her third child on August 3, and royal fans have been eagerly awaiting to hear what Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank have named their little girl. On Monday, August 17, the princess revealed her daughter’s name and three sweet photos in a touching Instagram post.

“We are so happy to share Adelaide Elizabeth Annina Brooksbank,” Eugenie wrote in her caption, explaining that her daughter was “named after three people we love and admire past and present.”

Adelaide’s first middle name, Elizabeth, was of course inspired by Princess Eugenie’s beloved grandmother, the late Queen. She wrote that Adelaide’s great-grandmother is someone “who we hold close in our hearts.”

“Her name is part of English and Portuguese history, two places we love and call home,” the princess continued, referring to their two properties in London and Portugal where they split their time during the year. She didn't elaborate on the family connection to the name Adelaide, although Queen Adelaide was the consort of King William IV in the 1800s.

As for Annina, Princess Eugenie is close friends with Countess Annina Bruges von Pfuel, as pointed out by royal expert Marlene Koenig in her blog, Royal Musings.

Eugenie shared three new pictures of her daughter, including a close-up of Adelaide wrapped up in a blanket and one of her tiny hand holding on to her family. Big brothers August, 5, and Ernest, 3, also star in one of the pictures, with the boys sweetly cradling their little sister. “Augie and Ernie are already the best big brothers,” Eugenie wrote.

In her post, she reflected on the first weeks of Adelaide's life, writing, “2 weeks ago today we welcomed our girl to the world. And since then we've had the most special, cosy and love-filled time.”

Princess Kate has seemingly never encountered a sporty activity she’s can't do—and it seems her only daughter is taking after her athletic mom. Although Princess Charlotte loves to dance, just like her late grandmother Princess Diana, it’s now been revealed that she plays netball on a national level.

According to the Daily Mail, 11-year-old Charlotte has joined a netball team outside of Lambrook School and “competes at a high level all over the country.”

“All of the parents of the girls on the opposing teams are wondering whether or not they're going to run into William and Kate,” a source told the publication. “It's all very hands on and it would be funny to see them in such a down-to-earth environment, doing the early starts and long drives that everyone else has to do.”

Princess Charlotte also plays netball for Lambrook, as revealed by a rival prep school on Instagram earlier this year. In April, Notting Hill & Ealing High’s junior netball team shared that they experienced “a memorable quarter-final win (10–5) against Lambrook, where the girls enjoyed playing against Princess Charlotte!”

Princess Kate played netball herself in school, and the royal revealed that Charlotte was interested in the sport three years ago when she met England netball player Ama Agbez at a SportsAid event.

“Kate has played netball before, she knows the sport,” Agbez told People at the time. “She said she had been teaching her daughter how to shoot in netball, but younger people have the net lower, so it's actually very different—she's still got it.”

More recently, the Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte watched the sport at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, joining Prince William, Prince George and Prince Louis in Glasgow, Scotland on August 1.

The first thing that comes to mind when most people picture Princess Diana going to the gym is her iconic biker shorts and sweatshirts, but former royal chef Darren McGrady said that she had a lesser-known morning routine.

According to McGrady, Diana, who was frequently photographed at London gym the Chelsea Harbour Club in scrunchy socks and lycra, had a slightly odd favorite breakfast that helped fuel her workouts.

“I used to cook beans for breakfast at Buckingham Palace and Princess Diana loved them,” the chef said in a video on his YouTube Channel. “She'd actually eat a whole tin of beans for breakfast.”

“Sounds crazy, but when you think about it, there's only seven grams of sugar in the English-style baked beans, they're rich in protein, high in fiber, very low in fat,” McGrady explained.

He continued that beans were “perfect” for the late princess to get “that really big carb boost ready for going to the gym and doing a workout.”

Another fiber-packed favorite of Diana's was overnight oats, and McGrady noted that his former boss was way ahead of the trend. “She actually went to a Swiss health clinic, and there she had these overnight oats,” McGrady said on YouTube, adding that they "were actually called bircher muesli, they were invented by a Swiss nutritionist.”

“She stole the recipe, came back, and said Darren, I want these for breakfast every day,” he recalled.

As King Charles's long-time love interest, Queen Camilla's private life has been the subject of a plethora of negative news reports and tabloid stories. But according to one royal author, Charles's wife is very strong and knows exactly who she is as an individual.

Author Catherine Mayer—who recently released her latest book, Divide and Rule: Royal Women and Their Battles—spoke to Marie Claire in an exclusive interview.

Discussing Queen Camilla, Mayer explains, "She is extraordinarily certain of who she is and what is important to her: Charles and her family. That gives her a strength that can at times be ruthless but is always impressive."

Mayer continues, "Hers is not a story of change but of changing views of her. It is extraordinary. What other woman can you think of in public life who has managed to go from being classed as a public enemy to being a stalwart of the establishment?"

As Mayer notes, "The only ways [Camilla] has changed are in adapting, with ease, to the royal role. This is surprising only because she was not a woman who sought a career or prominence."

According to the royal author, Queen Camilla is "warm and funny and entertaining if you meet her," and she also "visibly lifts Charles," making her a crucial asset to the Royal Family.

Divide and Rule: Royal Women and Their Battles by Catherine Mayer is available now.

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Both Princess Kate and Meghan Markle have faced unduly negative press as members of the British Royal Family. In fact, racist tabloid coverage is one of the reasons the Duchess of Sussex left the U.K. and moved back to the U.S. with husband Prince Harry. And according to one royal author, all women lose when royal women are unfairly vilified by the media.

In an exclusive interview with Marie Claire, royal author Catherine Mayer—who recently released her book, Divide and Rule: Royal Women and Their Battles—discussed the persecution Duchess Meghan dealt with as a senior royal.

"My fear is that the world has learned very little indeed from Meghan's experience and that's another reason I wrote the book," Mayer shares. "As I say in it, you don't have to like her or watch her shows, but what on earth has she done to earn the hatred meted out to her?"

Elaborating on why it's important to discuss this difficult topic, Mayer says, "Telling these negative stories about royal women, whipping up hostility towards them, has a long pedigree as my book shows, and it always goes badly not only for the women in question but for all women."

The author continues, "It's a way of promoting reductive views of women as scheming seductresses or witches. In that respect, some stories about Meghan resemble those circulated about Anne Boleyn."

Divide and Rule: Royal Women and Their Battles by Catherine Mayer is available now.

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Princess Anne is celebrating her 76th birthday on August 15, 2026. The Princess Royal has been married to her second husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, since December 12, 1992. And according to one expert, Anne's husband is the "perfect mixture" of two other royal relatives.

Speaking to Betfair Casino, body language expert Darren Stanton shared, "With Anne's brother King Charles, his wife Camilla is very similar to his character and they are both confident and outspoken. But Anne is a strong character who is better suited with someone like Sir Tim—who is quiet and reserved."

Stanton continued, "She needs someone who can stand back and let her shine. She also needs someone who understands the dynamics of being a working royal, and Tim gets that completely."

The body language expert also suggested that Laurence is "the perfect mixture" of two other Royal Family members: Anne's late parents.

As Stanton further explained, "Like [Prince] Philip, he's able to stand to the side and let his wife take center stage. And just like [Queen Elizabeth II], he has a lot of respect for royal tradition and following a sense of duty."

Basically, it seems that Princess Anne's marriage to Laurence continues to stand the test of time as the two royals complement each other so well.

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As the former head chef to King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House, Visen Anenden knows the ins and outs of the Royal Family’s sometimes peculiar eating habits. Anenden, who worked for The King for just under a decade, says that while Charles is heavily into seasonal and organic foods, his wife is more willing to try new dishes than the rest of the family.

When asked who the most adventurous eater was out of the Royal Family, the former palace employee shares that “Charles is adventurous in terms of British, Italian and Spanish—all very European foods. But when it came to trying different things, I would say Camilla was more open minded.”

Speaking on behalf of Heart Bingo Online, Anenden says that Queen Camilla “was quite open when it came to food,” especially when traveling abroad, but that The King also tried regional specialties. “On tour, they would be happy to try the local dishes that were cooked by a local chef, who was guided by us,” Anenden says.

Although he says that King Charles is “not at all” a fan of spicy food, and neither is Camilla, they both like kedgeree, a rice dish featuring fish, eggs and curry powder. “I used to make it how my gran used to make it for me,” Anenden shares.

Although King Charles doesn’t like spicy food, Anenden says the monarch was always courteous of local customs.

“I always remember when we went to India, and one of the chefs in the hotels wanted to cook for him,” he shares. “Charles was really open-minded about it and let him cook for them. He had Indian food there, tasted it, and thanked the chef. He was willing to accommodate, which is quite amazing.”

However, one thing both Charles and Camilla avoid is carbonated beverages. When asked if they ever indulge in fizzy drinks, Anenden says, “No, never! It was a no-go. Only the staff had fizzy drinks, but for them, no way.”

Prince William often worried Queen Elizabeth when he flew his family in helicopters, ignoring an old royal travel rule of not flying with his heir, Prince George. Although the idea of not having two heirs on the same flight has been done away with, there’s another, lesser-known travel regulation that the Royal Family reportedly follows on commercial airlines—and it’s been revealed by a surprising source.

Former Love Island star Helena Ford, who appeared on season 12 of the U.K. reality show as well as Love Island: All Stars 2026, worked as a British Airways flight attendant before heading into the villa. She recently told the “Private Parts” podcast that Prince William, Princess Kate and their kids flew on BA during her time in the skies, and they were actually not permitted to sit in the best section of the plane.

“I think there is a thing in place where they can't fly in the highest cabin, so if there's a first class, they have to sit in business, and if there isn't a first class, they have to sit in Traveller Plus,” Ford said, adding that the Prince and Princess of Wales flew in business class since their plane also had a pricier first-class option.

Members of the Royal Family frequently travel on official government aircraft, but Prince William and Princess Kate have chosen commercial flights for several trips, like their 2016 India tour and their Earthshot Prize visit to Boston. The Princess of Wales even flew in economy with her three children when heading on a short flight to Balmoral in the summer of 2022.

Ford says the Waleses were “coming back from St. Lucia” at the time she served them, likely during one of their trips to Mustique, as commercial flights land there before boarding a private flight to the island.

The ex-Love Islander continued that although the Prince and Princess of Wales flew commercial when she was working, they weren’t seated with average travelers.

The reality star explained that “the whole of business was security, but they were dressed as normal people so you wouldn't know.” Ford also said she wasn’t sure why William and Kate couldn’t fly in the highest class, but revealed “you couldn't call them their own name, they had like, fake names and stuff.”

Queen Elizabeth was raised in a much different world than the current members of the Royal Family, but her more traditional British upbringing is still reflected in her only daughter, Princess Anne. Ahead of the Princess Royal’s 76th birthday on August 15, body language expert Darren Stanton says that Anne inspires respect from everyone she meets, making her “unmistakably her mother’s daughter.”

Stanton shares that Princess Anne, who was taught by a private governess at Buckingham Palace until the age of 13, was “raised under traditional royal protocols” like Queen Elizabeth, carrying “forward both the discipline and the demeanor expected of her role.”

Speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino, the body language expert notes that the Princess Royal “is unmistakably her mother’s daughter, not just in background, but in the way her nonverbal cues mirror Queen Elizabeth’s.” He points to the way Anne “often walks with her hands clasped behind her back” like the late Queen, calling it “a gesture that communicates composure, control, and quiet authority.”

Princess Anne racked up an impressive 478 royal engagements in 2025, and her hard-working personality has consistently made her one of the most popular members of the Royal Family. “In public engagements, she mirrors the late monarch’s grounded presence,” Stanton says, adding that Anne “radiates a quiet confidence that draws people in.”

“She is never arrogant, but her stance signals someone entirely confident in her position,” he continues. “She commands respect naturally, and when necessary, she can also demand it.”

Although she’s known for having a “no-nonsense side,” Stanton points out that Anne inherited the same “sharp, dry sense of humor” as her mother and an ability to make the people she meets feel like the only one in the room.

The Princess Royal shares a close bond with her older brother, King Charles, often taking on overseas tour and attending major events on behalf of the monarch. Speaking of their warm relationship, Stanton says that The King “appears to look up to her, and their exchanges often reveal a shared wit.”

Having been a working royal since age 18, Princess Anne has more than five decades of experience under her belt, making her a role model for the younger generation. Stanton notes that because of her wisdom, the Princess Royal is “one of the more dominant figures within the Royal Family, not in an overbearing way, but through the respect she inspires.”

Sarah Ferguson hasn’t been seen in public since she attended the Duchess of Kent’s funeral in September 2025, and the death of her close friend wasn’t enough to bring her out of hiding. Although she’s been reported to be staying at her her ex-boyfriend and longtime friend Paddy McNally’s Swiss villa, the former royal skipped his funeral on August 14—but Princess Beatrice was there for the service.

Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s eldest daughter, 38, was pictured attending McNally’s funeral in photos shared by Hello! on Friday morning. The princess, who attended without husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, wore a short-sleeved black dress as she stood outside St James's Church in Sevenhampton, England, bowing her head in one of the photos.

Ferguson dated McNally, who died at the age of 88 last month, for three years in the early 1980s. Their relationship ended after McNally refused to propose, and Ferguson became involved with the former Duke of York shortly after.

Former racing driver and businessman McNally was heavily involved in Formula One and amassed a massive fortune, allowing Ferguson and her children to stay at his various European properties over the years and maintaining a close friendship with her family.

According to the Daily Mail's Richard Kay, Ferguson benefited from McNally's hospitality right up until his death. “I understand that Sarah has been spending time at Paddy’s place in Verbier over the summer,” Kay said, sharing that insiders revealed to him that Ferguson has been hiding out in the Swiss ski resort during its off season.

However, Kay rejected reports that Ferguson was a beneficiary of McNally's will. “I am not sure that's actually going to happen,” he said, adding that Paddy “took the view that he had provided for her a great deal throughout her life” already.

Prince Philip once told royal author Gyles Brandreth that Queen Elizabeth had “the patience of a saint.” She rarely lost her temper—certainly never in public—and as Brandreth wrote in his bestselling biography, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, the late Queen never did “anything that could for a moment be described as undignified.” Perhaps that’s why it was so upsetting to Queen Elizabeth when she was accused of storming out of a photo shoot with legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz.

In 2007, the late Queen posed for Leibovitz at Buckingham Palace, and as Brandreth noted, Elizabeth “occasionally, but very rarely” got annoyed “with photographers and film crews if she felt they were being intrusive or making an unnecessary fuss.”

Vogue, who spoke with Leibovitz after Queen Elizabeth’s death, reported that Her Majesty “arrived late, not in a terribly good mood, and was wearing a tiara, which wasn't in Leibovitz's plan.” However, according to Brandreth, wearing a crown and her Order of the Garter robes had been “agreed in advance.”

The session was filmed for the documentary A Year With The Queen, and in a clip, the photographer suggests that Queen Elizabeth remove her crown to make the look “less dressy.”

“Less dressy? What do you think this is?” the monarch exclaimed. In a scene from a trailer for the documentary that was showed to journalists, Queen Elizabeth was then seen briskly walking down a palace hallway saying, “I’m not changing anything. I’ve had enough dressing like this, thank you very much.”

The implication was that the late Queen had left the session in anger, but actually, the footage was taken as she was walking to the photo shoot. “She did not storm out at all,” Brandreth wrote.

The BBC issued an apology to Queen Elizabeth and as a result, the controller “who had told journalists the trailer showed the Queen ‘walking out in a huff’ resigned,” the author continued.

As for Leibovitz’s account of the day, she told Vogue that one comment from Queen Elizabeth took her by surprise.

“At one point when things had calmed down—after the misunderstanding about her wearing the tiara or not wearing the tiara—she settled into the shoot and became quiet,” the photographer recalled.

“She then said, ‘I think Princess Margaret would have been a much better subject.’ That moment of vulnerability—it makes me cry right now to think of it…that there was this moment in the middle of the session when she thought that maybe she was not a good enough subject, that she kind of questions herself. We got to see all sides of her that day.”

Prince William and Princess Kate celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary in April, and although they’ve weathered many storms together, one royal expert says there’s a key reason to why their marriage has stayed strong.

“The secret to the Prince and Princess of Wales’s marriage is support for one another throughout their roles as working royals and as parents to their three young children,” said the Daily Mirror’s royal editor, Russell Myers.

The couple has long prided themselves on putting family above everything else, and Princess Kate is a strong source of support for the future King. “Everything they do is in tandem and this includes Catherine being the catalyst for William launching the Earthshot Prize, when he doubted it could become the global success it has,” Myers, who authored recent bestseller William and Catherine, added.

Speaking of the Earthshot Prize, Myers says that the Princess of Wales intends to travel to India with Prince William for this November's ceremony, set to take place in Mumbai.

Princess Kate hadn’t taken on any international tours since her 2024 cancer diagnosis until this May, when she visited Reggio Emilia, Italy to do research for the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. Myers says that now that she’s fully back to work, “Catherine is very much looking forward to attending the Earthshot Awards in India alongside her husband.”

For William and Kate, the trip marks “a huge milestone,” the royal editor said. “It will be almost four years since they traveled to Boston together to attend the Earthshot Awards, and even longer since they took on their major royal tour of the Caribbean, which was fraught with controversy,” he added. “This is a chance of renewal for both of them and when they are together on the international stage, there is no doubt they have a far bigger impact.”

More often than not, Duchess Sophie sticks to a reliable formula when it comes to summer workwear, leaning into patterned midi dresses with espadrilles. It’s a uniform that works for both casual and more formal royal events, and on Thursday, August 13, she braved temperatures in the high nineties to attend the 2026 European Athletics Championships with Prince Edward in Birmingham, England.

What do you wear to an outdoor event when it’s pushing 100 degrees? For Sophie, it’s a pair of her tried-and-true Penelope Chilvers espadrille wedges and a loose cotton shirt dress by one of her favorite brands, Lexy London.

The small, woman-owned British label focuses on slow fashion and ethical production, with their pieces featuring bespoke, hand-block-printed patterns. Sophie’s dress showed off one of Lexy London’s unique designs, with her blue, white and green paisley midi dress topped off with slightly puffed sleeves and a belted waist.

The Duchess of Edinburgh carried the same Strathberry raffia Mosaic Nano bag owned by Zara Tindall, but Sophie's featured brown leather trim instead of Zara's white version. The duchess previously carried the summery style twice in July, and if it looks familiar, it's because Princess Kate owns the same bag in an ivory shade and Princess Beatrice has carried it in black.

Sophie and Edward’s appearance at the championships comes on a big day for their family. This morning, Buckingham Palace announced that their son James, the Earl of Wessex, will be continuing his studies at the Royal Agricultural University.

The 18-year-old recently graduated from high school and will not be taking a gap year, choosing to head straight to university to study rural land and property management.

Duchess Sophie and Prince Edward’s son James, the Earl of Wessex, recently graduated high school, and after Buckingham Palace announced his future plans, his hands-on summer job explains a lot. The Sun recently revealed that James, 18, was secretly working as a farmhand on King Charles’s Sandringham estate this summer driving tractors, much to the shock of fellow workers. But it turns out that his gig has everything to do with his college major.

“Having achieved the grades he needed, The Earl of Wessex will be going to the Royal Agricultural University to study Rural Land & Property Management,” a statement from the palace read.

While many royals take a gap year between high school and university, the palace noted that James “will head straight there without taking a year out.”

The soon-to-be college freshman chose not to follow in his big sister Lady Louise’s footsteps by attending the University of St Andrews, but James is taking on an interest shared by St Andrews alumnus Prince William.

In 2014, William completed an agricultural and land management course at the University of Cambridge to prepare for his roles as the Prince of Wales and King. Currently, he manages the Duchy of Cornwall estate, which spans more than 130,000 acres, and when he becomes King, he’ll be in charge of the Duchy of Lancaster.

However, unlike Prince William, James is not a working royal and is not expected to be in the future, meaning he’s free to pursue his own career path once he graduates from university.

As for his summer job, a Sandringham estate worker told the Sun that they were impressed by James's drive. “He might be The King’s nephew but he is more than happy to get his hands dirty and muck in,” the staffer said. “Driving tractors around Sandringham is not an easy task and it can mean long hours. But it doesn’t matter how rich you are, learning a good work ethic at a young age can always help.”

Before Instagram and TikTok analyzed every detail of the Royal Family’s lives, the public had to rely on daily newspapers to get their royal fix. For Princess Diana, the news coverage was “relentless,” per her former bodyguard Ken Wharfe, and he tells Marie Claire how the late royal was able to handle the level of interest in her life.

Wharfe, who protected Prince William and Prince Harry before becoming Diana’s protection officer in 1987, shares that the princess “was constantly pursued by the media.”

“I always remember Diana would go down to the kitchens at Kensington Palace, where the chef would lay out the morning's newspapers across the deep freezer,” he says, speaking on behalf of Casino.org. “Inevitably, if she wasn't on the front page, she'd be on pages three, four or five. There would always be a story about Diana—hopefully, and thankfully, about her work—but just as often about the state of her marriage, what her children were doing, and so forth.”

Wharfe shares that even though Diana read all of the stories about her deteriorating marriage, “she lived with it” and “understood it was part and parcel of her job.”

“To read those headlines first thing in the morning, then get into a car or a helicopter, fly somewhere like Manchester, Nottingham, or anywhere else in the world, and immediately perform, that takes a remarkable level of professionalism,” he adds.

Diana kept up a steady stream of royal engagements every week when she was married to Prince Charles, and Wharfe says he “often wondered” about the “toll that constant barrage of newspaper coverage took on her.”

Wharfe recalls traveling with the late princess and wondering if she was “really going to be able to pull this off?” when Diana was going through a tough time, noting that officials “all want their part in the occasion, and if the star of the show isn't performing, the whole thing falls apart.”

However, for Princess Diana, the show needed to go on, even after a tough day.

“The Royal Family is a bit like a traveling theater,” Wharfe shares. “You move from one place to the next, and the moment that door opens, you're on stage. You're only as good as your performance. The more professional your performance, the more popular you become. And in that respect, Diana was exceptional.”

One driving motivation for Diana was not disappointing Queen Elizabeth. “At that particular time, despite the unhappiness of her marriage, her commitment was to Her Majesty the Queen,” Wharfe shares, adding that Diana “was loyal to the workings of the British Royal Family and would never let them down, despite her personal unhappiness.”