Catching up with the royals (April 14, 2025 edition)
The King declares, Camilla talks, Kate speaks, and Harry comments
THE KING DECLARES
The state visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla to Italy was a hit. There were some really big crowds during their four-day tour, especially in Ravenna on the last day. Perhaps the most important day was April 9, which was their 20th wedding anniversary. To mark that occasion, Camilla wore a modified version of her wedding outfit from 20 years ago, while the King got into the action by wearing the blue tie he wore 20 years ago.
In his speech later than evening at the state dinner, the King noted:
"Today marks, as you say, The Queen’s and my twentieth wedding anniversary. On that score, I must say it really is very good of you, Mr. President, to lay on this small romantic, candle-lit dinner for two...!
REGAL CANADIAN CONTENT
In his speech to the Italian Parliament (much in Italian, apparently with a pretty good accent), Charles made a notable inclusion:
Tomorrow in Ravenna, as King of the United Kingdom and of Canada, I will have the great honour of commemorating the eightieth anniversary of the liberation of that province, together with President Mattarella, in which British and Canadian Forces played a key role. And, as Head of the Commonwealth, it will be my signal privilege to recall the indispensable role played by many troops from the Commonwealth, as well as other Allied nations.
In Ravenna, the King met with both Canadian and British military officials.
VISITING THE POPE
Though their state visit to Vatican City was postponed due to Pope Francis’s poor health, the pontiff was well enough for a 20-minute visit. The official handout image came with this note: “A special moment for Their Majesties as they privately met His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican yesterday. The King and Queen were deeply touched by The Pope’s kind remarks about their 20th wedding anniversary and honoured to be able to share their best wishes to him in person.”
For those wondering, wearing black is protocol for such papal visits (The late Queen Elizabeth II always wore black except on her 2014 visit with Pope Francis when she wore lilac, which was reportedly approved in advance by the Vatican).
QUEEN CAMILLA TALKS
As is her custom, the Queen talked on the record to the print media during a foreign trip.
The King is "getting better" and "recovering" from cancer (he looked tired during parts of the Italian trip, and reportedly had a cancer treatment just before leaving the U.K.)
"Dream on!" was her response when asked if the King would slow down
Her secret to 20 years of marriage: “Friendship. Laughing at the same things, getting on with life … We are always going in different directions, like ships that pass in the night.”
THE WALESES ON VACATION
The kids are in the middle of their long Easter break. In early April the family went on a skiing holiday in the French Alps to an area they regularly frequent because they can be completely anonymous and aren't bothered by locals.
This time, someone got images of them skiing and at their chalet. While the international press (including the New York Post and Paris Match) published the images, the British press hasn't touched the story. (I'm not linking to the stories as they are paparazzi images.)
While on vacation, William and Prince George went to Paris to see a crucial game of his beloved Aston Villa soccer team against Paris St. Germain. William was asked by a pregame show about his thoughts on Aston Villa and the game. His analysis was so good that other shows want him to do football shows.
KATE SPEAKS
In her role as joint president of the Scouts, the Princess of Wales discussed the importance of the natural world and its ability to support health and wellbeing with Chief Scout Dwayne Fields on a visit to the Lake District. They spent time near Lake Windermere with a group of Scouts from Cumbria and Greater Manchester who are earning their Naturalist Badges.
As Kate says:
I find it a very spiritual and very intense emotional reconnection I suppose, these environments. Not everyone has that same relationship perhaps with nature, but it is so therefore meaningful for me as a place to balance and find a sort of sense of peace and reconnection in what is otherwise a very busy world.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to WRITE ROYALTY by Patricia Treble to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.