The princess at Wimbledon on Saturday
It’s the hottest tournament in tennis – this year, quite literally, as temperatures reached around 30 degrees at Centre Court. But the Princess of Wales looked even hotter on Saturday, at the women’s final between Czechs Linda Noskova and Karolina Muchova. Kate, wearing a beautiful red dress by Roland Mouret, presented the trophy to Noskova and even received a wolf-whistle as she did so, which got a laugh from the crowd.
Catherine has been giving a masterclass in heatwave dressing this week, also appearing at the Royal Charity Polo Cup on Friday, in support of a Prince William on horseback. The princess wore a navy gingham sundress by Temperley and cheered on William as he rode to victory. He looked extremely hot (in both senses of the word).
Catherine and William at the polo. Pics: Prince and Princess of Wales
On Wednesday, Queen Camilla was also at Wimbledon, cheering on Britain’s Arthur Fery, as he beat Flavio Cobolli to make his way to a landmark semi-final, on Friday. That match, against Alexander Zverev was supported by fashion king and queen Anna Wintour, with Tom Ford, as well as actors Hugh Laurie and Damian Lewis in the Royal Box, as Fery’s glorious run came to an end. Catherine will return to Centre Court today (Sunday 12th July) for the men’s final between Jannik Sinner and Zverev.
The princess also made a visit to London’s Evelina Children’s Hospital on Monday, to hear its ambitious plans for the treatment and care for critically-ill children, as patron of the hospital. She posed for adorable photos with many of the young patients.
Prince Harry has had a drama-filled visit to the UK, losing his court case against the Daily Mail, then being denied accommodation at Buckingham Palace, according to reports. It’s understood his team didn’t confirm whether he wanted to stay, in time. However, things picked up in Birmingham for his Invictus Games launch, when he was all smiles, laughing and joking with host Alison Hammond, who even invited him home for dinner. After much speculation whether Meghan, Archie and Lili, would join him, on Friday, it was confirmed the family had been holidaying in Europe and flew to the UK, where they met the King and Queen at Highgrove, in a private reunion. It’s the first time since 2022, which is good news. We’re all for peace and harmony at The Royal List! And it seems Harry is too – his final public appearance on Saturday was doing a spot of goat yoga – yes you read that right – at Maxstoke Castle in Warwickshire. (We’re booking now…)
We love this! Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh made a special cameo in Ambridge for BBC Radio 4’s long-running drama, The Archers, which has been on air for 75 years. In the episode, Sophie is a surprise guest at the Borchester Show and gets very excited about cheese. She follows Queen Camilla, who appeared on the show in 2011 and Princess Margaret in 1984. Watch the video above to see Sophie’s flawless rehearsal.
The King and Queen at London Zoo. Pics: Royal Family
We couldn’t resist including this story. There are some jobs the Royal Family do less enthusiastically and some they absolutely adore. You can see the joy on Charles and Camilla’s face when they went to London Zoo on Thursday, to celebrate its 200th anniversary and got up close to penguins. They did a health check on a Humboldt penguin and fed watermelon cake to giant tortoises. Special mention to Camilla’s Fiona Clare summer dress with a wildlife Liberty print.
Camilla calls on Piglet. Pic: Royal Family
While William played mini golf in Hastings this week, Camilla was also in Kerry’s neighbourhood, when she visited Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, to celebrate Winnie-the-Pooh’s 100th anniversary. A.A. Milne lived nearby and Ashdown Forest is the real-life setting for 100 Acre Wood. Camilla stopped by Piglet’s house, above, and played Pooh Sticks on the same bridge the author did, with his son, Christopher Robin. She also unveiled a new trail called, Queen’s Walk. Subscribe to Kerry’s The British Travel List, for more on the walk.
Treasured friends and The Royal List’s Maria in New York
Meanwhile, following in the footsteps of Camilla’s visit in April, this week Maria was in New York where she said ‘Hello’ to Pooh and his friends, who have lived at The New York Public Library since 1987. For his first birthday, Christopher Robin Milne received a teddy bear bought from Harrods and called it Winnie-the-Pooh. Soon enough, the bear acquired several playmates: Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga and Roo. The wonderful collection inspired all the classic stories. Earlier this year, Camilla brought a replica of Roo – the original was lost in an orchard – as a gift for the library. Maria was gutted not to see Roo on display but has been assured he will be joining his companions within months.