Le contrast between the two parts of the front page of the tabloid DailyMail of this Thursday, April 21 is striking. Above, the official photo of the Queen with two of her favorite ponies, published on the occasion of her 96and anniversary. Below, the photo of his grandson Harry crossed out with the murderous mention: “the prince of illusion”.
The double headline follows the Duke of Sussex’s harsh new criticism of his father, brother and senior palace officials in his interview broadcast the day before on US television. “I hope Grannie is well surrounded… I am the only one she can really talk to,” said the person concerned about his relationship with the sovereign. Summing up the general opprobrium, the buckinghamologist Robert Lacey believes that “Harry suffers from a burnout like anyone who is forced to make provocative commentators at the end of his life in order to guarantee remunerative television fees”.
Ahead of The Queen’s 96th Birthday tomorrow, @windsorhorse have released a new photograph of Her Majesty.
Taken last month in the grounds of Windsor Castle, The Queen is pictured with two of her fell ponies, Bybeck Katie and Bybeck Nightingale.
Happy Birthday Your Majesty! pic.twitter.com/8m46e3SvpX
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 20, 2022
Another event to spoil the royal birthday celebration was Charles and William’s veto of Prince Andrew taking over his representative duties. After the recent conclusion of a financial agreement with her accuser in a child crime case – which Elizabeth II had settled out of her own pocket – her favorite son accompanied her during the religious service on March 29 in memory of her deceased husband, Prince Philip. In the crosshairs of the heir to the throne, his eldest son and the unanimous media, Andrew will remain the pariah of the Windsor clan.
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Despite family controversies, the queen celebrated her 96th birthday in peace at the Wood Farm, nestled in Sandringham Castle, which her late husband had occupied during his retirement. With the exception of a small staff, she was alone. One can imagine what internal heartbreaks she must have felt then, but no one could read anything on her face heavy with secrets, impassive in the face of trying events.
A quiet authority
Stone heart ? British restraint taken to the extreme? With the agreement of the palace, her stylist, Angela Kelly, revealed that after the burial of the Duke of Edinburgh, she had locked herself up alone, walled in her grief, in her living room-office at the castle. In the eyes of this modest and reserved personality, mourning must remain a private matter.
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Given her advanced age and mobility issues, Her Majesty now limits her official activities to infrequent video conferencing and a handful of poses for photographers. It is a question of preserving its health in anticipation of the celebrations, at the beginning of June, of its platinum jubilee. If the crown prince de facto exercises a regency, his mother continues to read and initial the official documents contained in the famous “red boxes” marked with his initials ER (Elizabeth Regina), transmitted six days a week.Elizabeth II seems fragile and easy to handle. At least that’s the impression it gives. The facts prove otherwise. Throughout her seventy-year reign, she demonstrated an indispensable character trait, determination. She has neither the severe chignon nor the austere principles of Queen Victoria, but she has the same hushed authority. Those who were convinced that they would manage to dominate it have always been at their expense.
Thus, it was on the initiative of the Head of State that Harry and Meghan were only invited to the family events of the jubilee (the appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, the Epsom derby or the service monk at Saint Paul’s Cathedral). On the other hand, there is no question of being present at sovereign events, like the military parade “Trooping the Color” organized on June 2. The highly publicized April 16 meeting at Windsor Castle between the Queen and the two lovebirds has drawn the deceptive curtain of a reconciliation. The occupant of the premises has a long and ruthless memory.
READ ALSOHarry and Meghan are now “personae gratae” at the palace
With formidable skill, Elizabeth has always neutralized the rebellion of members of the Windsor clan. Like a good politician, she knows how to “kill” the rebels who refuse the classic royal scheme. She has a strong sense of duty and a sense of sacrifice, values closely associated with the monarchy. Collective conveniences must always prevail over personal considerations. Yesterday like today…