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libertybele:
King Charles: At last some cautious optimism after the royal gloom
This is the first time that Buckingham Palace has said anything officially about the King's condition since revealing his cancer diagnosis.
So it's a significant moment, breaking the silence with a positive message about his treatment and announcing, if not a complete return to good health, then at least the first green shoots of recovery.
There has been so much terrible news for the royals this year - the Princess of Wales as well as the King facing cancer - that this must feel like a badly needed change.
Like the picture of the King and Queen in Buckingham Palace's gardens, there's a touch of summer after a long bleak winter.
The dramatic Buckingham Palace statement, which more or less came with its own drum roll, has created a much more optimistic mood.
King Charles is going to resume the type of big engagements that he's had to cancel all year.
Anyone who has gone on a royal visit will have seen how much encounters with the public cheer him up, he's often shaking hands and swapping jokes with those he meets. He does literally seem to want to be a hands-on monarch........
..............The latest news suggests the King is well enough to host a state visit too, with the Emperor and Empress of Japan arriving in late June - an event which would usually involve the full royal red carpet treatment. These are the soft power moments where the King, as head of state, plays a pivotal role.
The last state visit was by the South Korean president and it showed the King's willingness to be creative with diplomacy, including having the band outside Buckingham Palace play 'Gangnam Style'. That was only before Christmas but it seems like a lifetime ago in royal news.
Royal commentator Richard Palmer, who has followed Charles's visits for many years, thinks the King will be keen to get his reign back on course.
"The King got off to a tremendous start in the new reign, much better than many royal watchers expected, but his and Kate's health problems have knocked the monarchy off course. He is a workaholic so I'm sure he has missed public-facing duties," said Mr Palmer.
He'll now have a second chance to start his reign.......................
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68906426
Gefn:
Duchess of Edinburgh: Sophie becomes first member of Royal Family to visit Ukraine since Russia's invasion
--- Quote ---
The Duchess of Edinburgh has become the first member of the Royal Family to visit Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Sophie's trip was to "demonstrate solidarity with the women, men and children impacted by the war", said Buckingham Palace.
The palace also said it was a continuation of her work to champion survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
The duchess, 59, met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the first lady Olena Zelenska.
--- End quote ---
https://news.sky.com/story/duchess-of-edinburgh-sophie-becomes-first-member-of-royal-family-to-visit-ukraine-since-russias-invasion-13125922
Gefn:
--- Quote from: Gefn on April 29, 2024, 07:34:08 pm ---Duchess of Edinburgh: Sophie becomes first member of Royal Family to visit Ukraine since Russia's invasion
https://news.sky.com/story/duchess-of-edinburgh-sophie-becomes-first-member-of-royal-family-to-visit-ukraine-since-russias-invasion-13125922
--- End quote ---
We don't mention Sophie enough here, but she seems really nice and genuine.
Right_in_Virginia:
--- Quote from: Gefn on April 29, 2024, 07:34:47 pm ---
We don't mention Sophie enough here, but she seems really nice and genuine.
--- End quote ---
Agree @Gefn --- and the Queen is said to have 'trusted' and 'relied' on Sophie Wessex to a greater extent than many in her inner circle, including even the then Duchess of Cornwall. Some royal experts claimed she saw Sophie as 'more like a daughter' than a daughter-in-law.
Right_in_Virginia:
@Gefn
The special bond between The Queen and the Countess of Wessex
Good Housekeeping/UK, Sep 2022
In the last week, Sophie, The Countess of Wessex, has been called Queen Elizabeth’s "second daughter"; and indeed, the depth of her clearly felt grief has been striking. According to royal expert Jennie Bond, who knew her before she married The Queen’s youngest son Prince Edward, the relationship between mother and daughter-in-law became stronger and stronger as the years passed.
“They genuinely liked one another, and they spent a lot of time together,” says Bond, who was the BBC’s royal correspondent for 14 years, and who has been reporting on The Royal Family for three decades. “They seemed to very much enjoy one another’s company. I think it was very much a two-way relationship. It wasn’t just about an adoration of the queen by Sophie; it was a mutual friendship.”
More: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/lifestyle/a41225371/sophie-wessex-royal-family/
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