Catching up with the royals (June 9, 2025 edition)
King in a carriage and the curious timing of that twerking video
HANGING UP HIS SPURS
The Times of London reports that King Charles will not ride a horse for Saturday's Trooping the Colour, which marks his official birthday in the U.K. Instead, he will travel to and from Horse Guards Parade in a carriage, as he did in 2024. Previously, he rode by horseback, including his first as monarch in 2023.
He’s working hard this year — my post “The undisputed leader of the pack” has more on that subject — yet he also has cancer and a chronic bad back after years of polo, so the thought of hours in the saddle must be too much. Also, he’s 76, well beyond the age of 60 when Queen Elizabeth II she stopped doing the same after her RCMP horse Burmese retired.
It's expected that Princess Anne will again ride the young and rambunctious RCMP horse Noble, along with Prince William and Prince Edward, both of whom usually ride older, more seasoned RCMP gifts. This will also mark Anne’s first appearance on horseback since suffering a bad concussion, likely after being kicked by one last year.
QUEEN CAMILLA AND A BEST-SELLING MYSTERY
She's a vocal champion for reading and books, especially through her Queen's Reading Room book club. Now, Queen Camilla is going to be a character in the next police procedural by best-selling crime author Peter James. It's about a crime that starts on the royal train, and which some think may be an assassination attempt on Camilla. The fictional detective, Roy Grace, goes to Buckingham Palace as part of his investigation.
It comes out in Canada and around the world in October.
Peter James’s books have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and Queen Camilla is a big fan, like his No. 1 fan, but not in the obsessive stalker way.
DAVID BECKHAM FINALLY GETS HIS KNIGHTHOOD
The Sun and other media organizations are reporting that soccer legend David Beckham will get a knighthood on the King's birthday honours list coming out this weekend, transforming him into Sir David Beckham and his wife into Lady Beckham (no, not Lady Victoria Beckham. Trust me)
He's been a stalwart promoter of many royal causes, including as an ambassador for the King's FoundationTrust, which has been helping youth establish themselves since 1976, and has been increasingly seen at royal events, including at least one state dinner. (charity corrected — sorry!)
Then there’s when he queued with tens of thousands of others to walk by the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as she lay in state at Westminster Hall. A lot of other famous folk got inside through the side door; David Beckham stood in that winding queue along the Thames for 12 hours.
BITS AND BOBS, FATHER AND SON EDITION:
The King took part in a training session for the Royal Regiment of Artillery and "nailed" his own firing of an artillery piece. The video is quite fun as he’s obviously enjoying himself.
Earlier that week, it was Prince William's turn to go to one of his own military affiliations, as he visited the Army Air Corps.
Then there was the sublime music and sights of the Queen’s Chapel, across from St. James’s Palace in London, where the King was joined by his mother’s cousin, Princess Alexandra of Kent, to mark its 400th anniversary. If you haven’t been inside the Inigo Jones-designed chapel, it’s well worth going to see it during one of its rare openings.
Last week, Prince William and his aunt, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, ate and drank their way through the Royal Cornwall Show. William is Duke of Cornwall and patron of the Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association while Sophie is a patron of the Association of Agricultural Show Organisations. They appeared to have a great time, especially when they got to the stalls selling booze. “We’ve gone from chutney straight to booze, I can see what today is going to be like, cheers!” William commented. “I’ve been caught out with whisky a few too many times.”
SAVING THE SEAS
On Sunday, Prince William gave a key-note speech at a "Blue Economy" forum in Monaco aimed at promoting a sustainable marine economy.
I was struck by two things when reading his powerful warning that humans are effectively reducing the seas to “barren desserts” through overfishing and pollution and his belief that a combination of efforts, including his Earthshot Prize will ameliorate the problems:
The heir to the throne is growing increasingly comfortable with the attention of being at the centre of attention on a world stage.
His environmental efforts follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, Prince Philip, and father, Charles, who used their own royal positions to push for environmental change.
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