Bagshot Park, Social Life and Lifestyle

[Ella Kay]

I'm confident that Edward and Sophie are doing the best for Louise and James by keeping them from the spotlight. No doubt that desire to let them grow up away from the glare of the media was part of the reason that they chose not to have the children use the HRH/Prince(ss) titles they're legally entitled to have. I applaud them for it.

[Claire]

There is an interesting piece of news making the rounds these days around Fleet Street and the Houses of Westminister. It appears that if ever a debate about the royal family was to be brought forward - both leders of Labour and the Conservatives would now have to excuse themselves from the proceedings.

Over the last seven years, Sophie has become very good friends with Gordon Brown's wife, Sarah. Many are openly saying that Sophie's influence in her clothes and presentation is what has brought her to the fore as a first lady. The two women have much in common, both had tramatic and tragic pregnacies and both have a background in public relations. They even worked together before marrying their husbands. And now David Cameron's Samatha has also become friends with Sophie. They work together on many of her charities. Many might think that she is more up to it as the daughter of a Viscount.

But the most charming must be the relationship between John Brown and Lady Louise. The five year olds are a month apart in age, but have became firm friends. Louise is often taken to 10 Downing or Checkers for playdates and John comes over to Bagshot and Windsor. Louise attended John's birthday and last weekend John was among the guests at Louise's party.

[branchg]

The Queen pays for the upkeep and staffing at Bagshot Park, which is likely to be in the form of reimbursement to the Crown Estate for maintenance costs. There is no way Edward and Sophie could maintain such a large home and grounds with their own limited funds.

[Menarue]

The army said the house was small, I bet it was for the army, but for a family of four!
I really can´t see what advantage there could possible be for the Wessex children not to have HRH when their first cousins do. In fact I feel sure that Prince Edward had nothing to do with this, he just had to accept it. No fly on the wall for me, I read what I can and I definitely do not rely on magazines and the DM, and it has been said that Prince Edward can be as difficult as the Prince Charles, whose way of being difficult is always prefaced with a "Would you mind", impeccable manners, but of course no one minds.....they wouldn´t dare.

[Jo of Palatine]

Are there any?

[Charlotte1]

No recent ones, the ones from the past I can recall are:

summer holiday in Tuscany when Louise was about 18 months old. They looked like a typical British family on holiday.

ski holiday. Hello magazine had pictures of Louise then aged 3 and Sophie as they played in the snow.