The choirboys sang, the abbey bells bonged, and for a fleeting, final moment everything was just as it used to be. The “Fab Four” – William, Kate, Harry and Meghan – were back together in the presence of Queen Elizabeth for a service of splendour and pageantry that also provided a timely reminder of the monarchy’s enduring power.
Commonwealth Day, on March 9, is a precious one to the 93-year-old Queen, and she wasn’t going to have it spoiled by any unpleasantness over the decision by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to give up their official duties. Yet the abrupt departure of Harry and Meghan has forced the royal family to radically rethink its future plans and the roles of its senior members.
The key player in this reshaped order is Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, whose fast-rising profile is only partly down to the void left by the Sussexes. Never showy, and unflappable by nature, Kate has no desire to be a Meghan-style flashbulb magnet, but after almost a decade as William’s wife understands what is required of a queen-in-waiting.
A new, more outgoing and assertive Kate is emerging, buoyed by discreet Buckingham Palace briefings about her readiness to have a bigger public presence. Courtiers who once privately fretted that the 38-year-old commoner was “too bland” for the royal big league, are now full of praise. The signs of change are unmissable – from Kate opening up about her personal life to sporting a new hairdo on a trip to Ireland – and they certainly haven’t been missed by the Queen.
“While efforts have previously been ploughed into building up the status of William,” says royal author Camilla Tominey, “an even more compelling project is now in progress – the advent of Queen Catherine.”
Bu hikaye Australian Women’s Weekly NZ dergisinin April 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Australian Women’s Weekly NZ dergisinin April 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
PRETTY WOMAN
Dial up the joy with a mood-boosting self-care session done in the privacy of your own home. It’s a blissful way to banish the winter blues.
Hitting a nerve
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
The unseen Rovals
Candid, behind the scenes and neverbefore-seen images of the royal family have been released for a new exhibition.
Great read
In novels and life - there's power in the words left unsaid.
Winter dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of budget-concious recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the cold weather blues away.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Former ballerina'sBATTLE with BODY IMAGE
Auckland author Sacha Jones reveals how dancing led her to develop an eating disorder and why she's now on a mission to educate other women.
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO START
Responsible for keeping the likes of Jane Fonda and Jamie Lee Curtis in shape, Malin Svensson is on a mission to motivate those in midlife to move more.
