News about the British royals in the GALA ticker: Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have arrived in London +++ Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are more unpopular than ever +++ Queen Elizabeth: man penetrates the grounds of Buckingham Palace.
Royal News 2022 in the GALA ticker
June 2, 2022
Prince Harry + Duchess Meghan: Bulletproof cars picked them up from the private jet
The Sussexes have apparently ended up in London. There, Prince Harry, 37, Duchess Meghan, 40, and their two children Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 11 months, will attend the platinum jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth, 96. As “The Sun” reports, after their 12-hour journey from Los Angeles in a private jet, the family was received by three Queen’s protection officers. From Farnborough Airport in Hants, the four traveled to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor in bulletproof cars sent by the Queen. The family will stay in their old home for the weekend.
On June 2, 2022, the Sussexes are expected to take part in the “Trooping the Color” parade. However, they will not be standing with the other working family members on the balcony of Buckinham Palace, but as spectators on the exit above the “Horse Guards Parade” parade ground. Due to their safety, which Prince Harry has repeatedly questioned in the past, the royal emigrants are only expected to attend two events. Because they are only under permanent protection at events related to the throne jubilee and in their homes. According to one expert, they cannot do anything outside of the main events.
June 1, 2022
Survey reveals: Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are among the most unpopular royals
Shortly before the throne jubilee of Queen Elizabeth, 96, new poll values stir up the ranks of the royal family. As the “Daily Mail” reports, the popularity of some royals has fallen to an all-time low. Including those of Prince Harry, 37, and Duchess Meghan, 40, who travel all the way from America for the Queen’s celebrations.
For the survey by the YouGov portal, around 1,692 adults were asked about their perception of popularity of members of the British royal family. The values show: 58 percent of those surveyed currently see Prince Harry in a negative light, while 32 percent still find the 37-year-old sympathetic. The Duchess is also sobering: only 23 percent of the participants still have a positive opinion of the 40-year-old, while 63 percent find her unsympathetic. Only Prince Andrew, 62, did even worse in the survey, who recently drew negative attention to himself with his involvement in the Epstein case.
Queen Elizabeth emerged as the happy winner of the survey. Shortly before her throne jubilee, she is enthroned in first place on the popularity list.
June 1, 2022
Queen Elizabeth: Man invades Buckingham Palace grounds
Excitement in Buckingham Palace, shortly before the start of the celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the throne: Last Sunday, May 29, according to “People”, a man gained unauthorized access to the premises. When a palace worker tried to stop him, he just said, “I want to come in. I want to see the Queen.” He was then taken off the premises and arrested. Queen Elizabeth, 96, was not there at the time but was on a short holiday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Since 2020, the Queen has also been living mostly at Windsor Castle.
The intruder was released on conditional bail and placed under curfew. He is not allowed to travel to London except to appear in court. His attorney said his client suffered from mental health issues and had “no motive or desire to go any further than he did.”
May 31, 2022
Prince Harry: This snapshot shows him happier than he has in a long time
In early May, it was announced that Prince Harry, 37, had joined a new polo team at the Santa Barbara Polo Club. As “The Sun” reported, Queen Elizabeth’s grandson, 96, is part of the “Los Padres” team – alongside his longtime friend Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras, 45. Spending time with his buddy and pursuing his passion seems to be to do Duchess Meghan’s husband, 40, good. Because in a photo that Figueras shares on his Instagram account, the 37-year-old is beaming.
In the snap, Figueras puts his arm around Harry while they both laugh heartily. “What a pleasure to see you smiling and so happy. I love being your teammate,” the Argentinian polo player wrote. Seems like the two men’s friendship has intensified since they’ve been on the field together. One thing is certain: the public has not seen Prince Harry so happy in a long time.
Prince William and Duchess Kate celebrate the start of the anniversary week on Twitter
This week is a very special one for Great Britain: Queen Elizabeth, 96, is celebrating her 70th anniversary of the throne and not only doing so with the royal family, but with the whole country. For four days, various events in London, some of which also involve ordinary citizens, will be toasted to the Queen and her long reign. Prince William, 39, and Duchess Catherine, 40, took this special week as an opportunity to ceremonially herald them online.
“This is the start of a special week of celebrations! Oh, and did you see that #PlatinumJubilee now has its own emoji too?” reads the Cambridges’ official Twitter account William and Kate not only have a hooting emoji wearing a party hat, but also a cute corgi wearing a crown, and with this post, William and Kate are already setting the mood for the upcoming festive season.
May 30, 2022
Queen Elizabeth mourns longtime companions
Just a few days before the celebrations for the throne jubilee begin, Queen Elizabeth, 96, has to cope with a sad loss. Her longtime boyfriend, legendary jockey Lester Piggott, has died in a Geneva hospital at the age of 86. This was confirmed by his son-in-law William Haggas. “Lester passed away peacefully this morning,” he explained.
Lester Piggott was considered the most successful jockey in the history of so-called “Turf”, the horse racing sport. “The tall guy”, as he was known because of his unusual height of 1.73 meters for horse racing, can look back on 47 years of an unparalleled career, galloping around 5000 victories in Great Britain and more than 850 internationally. At the age of twelve he won his first tournament, the “Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe” in Paris in 1948, at the age of 58 in 1994 his last at the same racetrack. His fans also included Queen Elizabeth, who regularly met the athlete at events and derbies. In 1975 she awarded him the OBE (Order of the British Empire), which he lost again in 1987 after serving a three-year prison sentence for tax evasion. After 366 days in prison, Piggott made his comeback in the saddle in 1990 at the age of 54. The Queen seems to have forgiven him for this slip-up. In 2019 she unveiled his statue in Epsom, UK.
Is Queen Elizabeth canceling the Epsom Derby?
Queen Elizabeth, 96, has been struggling with mobility problems for months, and more and more appointments have to be canceled. According to British media reports, the monarch will also step down more and more on her throne anniversary. As the “Sunday Times” reports, the Epsom Derby has now been removed from the Queen’s calendar. The horse race will take place on Saturday 4th June 2022. The 96-year-old is to be represented by her daughter Princess Anne, 71, on the racetrack, the newspaper continues.
So far, Buckingham Palace has not commented on the speculation, but it was only recently announced that the Queen is also expected to meet her great-granddaughter Lilibet, 11 months, for the first time that Saturday. The daughter of Duchess Meghan, 40, and Prince Harry, 37, celebrates her first birthday on June 4th. It is possible that the Queen forgoes horse racing for this reason as well – after all, visits from her grandson and his family in England are pretty rare.
Royal news of the past few weeks
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Sources used: thetimes.co.uk, theguardian.com, hellomagazine.com, thesun.co.uk, instagram.com, people.com, yougov.de, dailymail.co/uk