The Queen, the Royal Family and the Commonwealth


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Anyone know why the the Kents, the Earl of Wessex, the Duke of Gloucester and Commander Sir Tim Lawrence did not attend Today ?

The Earl of Wessex will attend the launch of the Merseyside and Cheshire Commonwealth Association and The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Exporting Programme, Chester Racecourse, Chester.

No idea about the rest of them, but I expect they either had engagements or it was decided they didn’t all need to come. This is the biggest turnout for the service yet I think.

P.S.
The Duke of Gloucester is in Malawi.
 
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Sometimes the way you word things, Dman, it does sound like you're telling people what's what and how they should look at things as if they're facts and not your own personal opinion. Just as stating "there's nothing rude here folks" is your own personal opinion that there is nothing rude to be seen.

You do make some really good points but I can see where it might serve you better to express an opinion as an opinion rather than telling folks what's what. State your opinion and leave what other people should do or think out of it. This bit of advice has served me well over the years. :flowers:

I’m sorry, but it’s just get to me when folks get bent out of shape over a slight giggle or smile. If this was a state funeral, it’s all very understandable, but a smile and giggle at a joyous celebration is “rude.” C’mon now!
 
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Another little tweak on precedence. The Princess Royal and Princess Alexandra sat ahead of Sophie and Duchess of Gloucester
As noted the precedence of the unaccompanied Princesses was perfectly correct. What interested me was that Meghan, who is still a Miss or Ms, was seated where she will be in the order of precedence after her marriage. To me, that is a nice move by the BRF and the royal ladies who are not preceded by a fiancee.

As to all the angst about Meghan's reciprocal smile or even giggle, hey folks it's supposed to be a happy inter-faith gathering, not a funeral.
 
I might be alone in not caring too much about Meghan’s presence here - what’s struck me more is the Duke of Edinburgh’s absence. I know he’s retired, but this picture of the Queen and her family really struck me without the DoE by her side.

Interestingly, I think had Meghan not been with Harry, he would have ended up seated in the front row, beside Kate, instead of in the second row - there’s a space beside Kate that looks like it’s supposed to have a chair.




Isn’t that in line with the general precedence the last decade or so? The wives of British Princes come after the British Princesses when not accompanied by their husband’s?

Exactly Ish! Who really cares if Meghan is able to behave herself church or not? After all, she's not a child, and I'm sure we've all had a smile or giggle in church now and again, if we care to admit it!
But rather like the Diamond Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving, I think the DoE was conspicuous by his absence today. I know he's retired, but HM really does seem to miss him by her side - I noticed the same look of sadness on her face (which we rarely do) today, after the singing of the National Anthem, and before her procession through the cathedral. At least this time, hopefully she know he is well and content at home.
 
Some media took it as Harry was making fun of her "fangirling" and than shared a laugh. It seems overall the moment was seen as being lighthearted. It is not a big deal.

The precedence was interesting to me as well. I guess there is also some confusion if Meghan was standing on the correct side or something? Charlie Procter made a comment on his twitter about it. Can someone clarify?
 
As noted the precedence of the unaccompanied Princesses was perfectly correct. What interested me was that Meghan, who is still a Miss or Ms, was seated where she will be in the order of precedence after her marriage. To me, that is a nice move by the BRF and the royal ladies who are not preceded by a fiancee.

If i'm not mistaken it has happened before with Sophie at the decommissioning of the "Britannia"back in 1997.

I don't care about the giggle either. She will learn, i guess sometimes the hard way, to be more neutral during such ceremonies.
Kate was panned for a smile at the Cenotaph once ...
 
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The giggle moment could be a private moment that was caught on camera. The press was looking for anything to get outrage clicks. As for rude, rude happened last year when William and Kate, the future King and queen, ditched this event for personal reasons, one being a boys' ski trip and getting caught on camera getting flirty with a couple of blondes. That led to embarrassing headlines and most likely an embarrassed wife. Given that, giggling at a joyous interfaith service seems like no big deal.
 
I’m not sure where you see Harry doing “boom.” He looks at Meghan and raises his eyebrows and then she giggles. It seemed to me that they were laughing at the performance (which is what the tweet stated). I think it’s fine to laugh, sing and giggle, but I don’t think it’s okay to laugh at a performer. Hence why I called it rude.

No one is staying it’s a big deal...it’s not. But it happened and now it’s being discussed.

Seriously? For goodness sake. It's all speculation. But I agree with @Osipi, there's so much OTT scrutiny and unfounded criticism when it comes to Meghan Markle and the fact that she is fully accepted by the royals and she will soon be marrying into the family. We have no idea what message was passing between H&M. It could have been a moment referencing any number of past memories or feelings. It's none of our business.

We are on the outside looking in. Meghan is on the inside taking part in all of the current realities, behind palace walls dramas, celebrations, private interactions including dinner at Althorp with Earl Spencer (Diana's brother), and many other private occasions which we will never be privy to. So we can observe from afar and admire, and offer reasonable critiques, or simply take it all in by examining why we are sparked by different emotions. I think constructive critical commentary can be offered without the pettiness of so many of the negative slants.

There often seems to be trolling for negative things to say. The person who posted that clip said it was her favorite moment of the day. It did not seem to be posted as any kind of criticism. I saw a ridiculous comment on DF (which is known for negativity of course) about Meghan's collar being turned up on her coat, as some kind of faux pas. Actually, that's how the coat is designed.

No matter what Meghan does, she will be criticized in some quarters. So it's just best for her to continue being herself and to enjoy every moment. Life is too short. I believe Meghan is where she is today, partly due to fate, but mostly because of her genuine love of life, her striving to succeed, and her generosity in sharing her success with others. And then, above all, her genuine thankfulness for all her blessings. No matter the downsides of her life, Meghan strikes me as someone who has learned to be upbeat and positive. Her fiance, her mother, her dear friends, and her new family-to-be have her back, and in the end, that's all that matters. Meghan Markle is now part of the historic drama of the British royal family. It's curious to me why that seems to irk some observers.
 
Part of Meghan’s job is to be seen and criticised. Like all royals she’s a public servant.

Whether it clothes, jewellery, hair etc, it’s all fair game for comment. She really should consider herself lucky. Back in the day it was no holds barred.

And really I have no sympathy for some of Meghan’s followers. Just a few comments back one of Meghan’s more vocal supporters on here just ripped into the Cambridges in order to ‘defend’ Meghan.
 
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Supposedly but it’s rarely ever actually seen. Catherine was at the Remembrance concert without William and she kept her precedence.

If we assume a blood princess outranks a wife and William wasn’t there today Catherine, as future Queen would be stuck in back middle row.

But I haven’t seen it applied to Camilla or Catherine. They both seem to retain their precedence.

Precedence is precedence until the Queen decides there will be an exception. Which she has seems to do a bit more as the family has grown/grown up. This has all been discussed on that thread.
 
It's all speculation
If I had a dollar for every speculative remark due to a facial expression, hand gesture, posture, etc..:whistling: In all honesty I believe I've seen them written about every adult royal.

The tabloids LOVE these unguarded moments and thanks to modern technology they'll live on and on as the next gifs. I'm sorry that Harry and Meghan are the latest ones caught out, but I do believe that it was just a moment in time.
 
Some media took it as Harry was making fun of her "fangirling" and than shared a laugh. It seems overall the moment was seen as being lighthearted. It is not a big deal.

The precedence was interesting to me as well. I guess there is also some confusion if Meghan was standing on the correct side or something? Charlie Procter made a comment on his twitter about it. Can someone clarify?

The line exiting the Abbey (as you look at the screen) is HMQ on the left (DoE used to be on the right) and then Charles (senior) behind HMQ with Camilla, behind Charles is William then H behind William - only he wasnt. There was a discussion on twitter whether this was right or wrong. European way of doing things says H is in the correct place, but BRF do it differently.
To continue - looking at the screen - on the left should be W, H(but it was Meghan] DoY, PAlex, DssG.
Hope this makes sense!! Not important IMO. H should have known but he is also getting used to having a partner at this sort of event.
The precedence of the Royal Princesses more interesting as we dont see this very often.
 
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The precedence of the Royal Princesses more interesting as we dont see this very often.

But with the precedence of the Princesses I don't get it because if blood princesses do take precedence in the absence of males, than shouldn't Princess Beatrice have taken precedence over Catherine at the Fashion Reception?
 
But with the precedence of the Princesses I don't get it because if blood princesses do take precedence in the absence of males, than shouldn't Princess Beatrice have taken precedence over Catherine at the Fashion Reception?

Catherine was a hostess of the event along with Sophie, Beatrice was not.

I’m sorry, but it’s just get to me when folks get bent out of shape over a slight giggle or smile. If this was a state funeral, it’s all very understandable, but a smile and giggle at a joyous celebration is “rude.” C’mon now!

Even at a funeral, sometimes there are smiles and a little laughter. Someone could share a story about the deceased that brings smiles to the mourners faces. Criticism would not be warranted, but some would be outraged anyway.
 
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Even at a funeral, sometimes there are smiles and a little laughter. Someone could share a story about the deceased that brings smiles to the mourners faces. Criticism would not be warranted, but some would be outraged anyway.

Folks are just too harsh on these young royal women. It’s like people are enforcing some made up strict protocol on them. The performances was very enjoyable at the service and it all made some folks smile or even giggle.

I think Liam did a good job today. He’s an artist. Artists are suppose to be flexible with their art.
 
I just want to make two observations. Firstly as a practising Anglican and having attended a school where hymns were sung every day, Williams "Guide Me O Thy Great Redeemer" is a wonderful hymn but if you are unfamiliar with it as obviously Meghan 'was', there is a refrain on the second-to-last line of each verse. Looking at the couple front on, it was clear Harry sang refrain and that took Meghan aback so she turned and looked at him a bit confused. He looked back with a "What?" look and she smiled and perhaps either laughed or said something. Perfectly natural I should think.


I love that HM showed that while there is precedence, while there is protocol, it is not carved in stone. Seating Meghan next to Harry made it much easier and more relaxed for her. I expected her to be down the end as a mere Ms fiancee, but once again HM used her good old-fashioned common sense and put her where she would feel most comfortable and confident just like any other grandmother would.
 
This evening The Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and The Duke of Cambridge will attend a reception on behalf of The Queen at Marlborough House – which is the home of @commonwealthsec #CommonwealthDay

Via Royal Family Twitter
Any pictures from the evening event?
 
The Queen looked very elegant, but did anyone notice how uneasy The Queen appeared on her feet? First time I notice some frailty in her walk.

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I noticed that too - she has definitely slowed down. Hope she's well otherwise.
 
Yes, watching the Queen arrive, I was struck by how much she has slowed down and lost some bone density. However, her smile is as bright as ever.

Here's a link to the royal's Commonwealth Day site:
https://www.royal.uk/commonwealth-day-2018

There's a clip of the spoken word artist, Jaspreet Kaur, giving her presentation which is quite resonant and thought-provoking. Here's what she said in the clip:

"The moment that you are more concerned about learning to love than to be loved, positive emotions of oceanic depths will engulf you. And the moment that you are more concerned about understanding others than to always be understood, that's when your mind will truly begin to learn. And the moment that we realize that our enemies are not physical flesh & blood, yet they are our own thoughts, peace will begin to conquer. And the moment that we overcome those inner enemies rather than deflecting them onto others, merriment will come find you. And the moment that you are more concerned about learning to listen rather than to always be heard, you will hear languages that you thought your mind could never fathom."

More on Jaspreet Kaur:
Behind the Netra
 
Mystery of Commonwealth Day service's raised eyebrow and giggle solved! :lol:

Yesterday I was listening to On Heir, Omid Scobie's and Emily Andrew's new weekly podcast on I-Tunes. It's the second episode and it was recorded prior to Commonwealth Day services on Monday. The hosts discuss anticipation for the day, and they laughingly wonder why Liam Payne was selected as a guest performer. Apparently, neither Scobie nor Andrews knew that Payne was planning to sing John Mayer's Waiting on the World to Change. :D Scobie and Andrews were scratching their heads about Payne's inclusion since he's known for performing songs with such titles as, Strip That Down; On The Bedroom Floor; and Get Low. Payne also smolderingly performs For You with Rita Ora on the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack. The video is on Youtube.

Possibly Harry and Meghan have some familiarity with Payne's ouevre and so Harry's raised eyebrow likely contained a mix of meanings, if indeed his interaction with Meghan was related to the fact they too had been wondering what song Payne was planning to sing! ? The fact that the clip of Harry's raised eyebrow and Meghan's spontaneous reaction made it to Huffington Post as news is all kinds of 'raised eyebrows' ridiculous. ?
 
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Thanks for filling me in a little bit about Liam Payne. To be honest, I'd never heard of the man before the Commonwealth Day service and the raised eyebrows with resulting giggles hit the threads here.

Then again, I'm most likely to prefer to listen to Gordon Lightfoot over anything recent and I'm seriously behind the times when it comes to the music industry.
 
This stands as my favorite picture of Harry and Meghan for a whole raft of reasons: The Royal Family Celebrate 2018 Commonwealth Day | Newmyroyals & Hollywood Fashion [Oh shoot - the picture I chose to showcase does not come up - oh well! The picture is the one where Harry and Meghan are emerging from the church with her arm linked with his - they are just stepping down the steps before greeting the children.]

They are very natural here and very naturally she is taking his arm (which he was always at the ready with during this event - so charming). The more I see them the more I am aware of how 'real' this is for them both. They are in it for the long haul, no matter the naysayers, and I think they both view themselves as lucky, and determined to go the distance. I am very happy for them both, equally, for different reasons. Genuine match made in heaven. :flowers:

I loved this whole service and the Royal Family as they presented themselves. Looking forward to the wedding! ❤️
 
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The Queen and senior members of the Royal Family will attend a Commonwealth Concert to help celebrate The Queen’s Birthday-
Queen's Commonwealth concert will feature Shaggy and Craig David

The Concert will be at the Royal Albert Hall on April 21st. The Concert will air live on BBC One, BBC Radio Two and BBC World Service English.
 
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