GB News’ Royal Correspondent Cameron Walker has provided his exclusive insight into engagements undertaken by the Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Sussex and King Charles this week.
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THE REAL REASON RARE PORTRAITS WERE RELEASED BY THE PRINCESS OF WALES
This week, Kensington Palace released four rare portraits created by members of the Royal Family.
The Princess of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis sat down together and got creative, marking the launch of The Bobeam Tree Trail at the National Gallery, which Catherine visited earlier this month.
The Princess wanted to encourage families to spend time together while being creative and having fun, to develop social and emotional skills that begin in early childhood.
Kensington Palace has remained silent over which royal was responsible for which portrait, but we can take an educated guess that The Princess of Wales drew Prince Louis.
The other three portraits appeared to be of The Princess, and we know she didn’t draw a self-portrait.
Her eldest child, Prince George, is known to be a talented artist – having painted an “impressive” reindeer Christmas card in 2022.
My guess would be Prince George drew The Princess of Wales sitting in an armchair because the skill set of the artist appeared to be more advanced.
I suspect it was Prince Louis who painted his mother with red hair and a spot above her lips; he’s certainly known for being expressive!
As for Princess Charlotte, I would suggest she drew the other picture of her mother, depicting Her Royal Highness with yellow eyeshadow.
Of course, this is all just a bit of fun, but the royal activity does have an important message.
The trail at the National Portrait Gallery, where The Princess of Wales is Patron, aims to support young children in the development of social and emotional skills – the gallery is working in partnership with Catherine’s Centre for Early Childhood.
The Centre aims to highlight the importance of early childhood development, and how it can affect future adult prospects.
The portraits activity is just one of the home-based activities related to The Bobeam Tree Trail, which is available on the National Portrait Gallery website.
The real reason rare portraits were released by the Princess of Wales
Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and The Princess of Wales
THE ‘BIG MISTAKE’ IN MEGHAN MARKLE’S BRAND RE-LAUNCH
Meghan Markle’s relaunch of her lifestyle brand ‘As Ever’ has already hit several hurdles.
Not only was her original ‘Amercian Riviera Orchard’ brand canned due to trademark issues, and a reported struggle to find a CEO, but a small town in Spain is now up in arms about the new logo.
Meghan’s logo for ‘As Ever’, consisting of a palm tree and two hummingbirds, appears almost identical to the historical coat of arms used by the town of Porreres on the Spanish island of Majorca.
The town has been using the emblem since at least 1370, meaning it has been a symbol of the town for over 650 years.
Francisca Mora Veny, Porreres’ mayor, told The Sun: “We don’t want our coat of arms to be perverted because it belongs exclusively to Porreres.”
Despite her strong statement, Veny has invited The Duchess of Sussex to visit the Spanish town and experience their culture.
Meghan’s spokesperson has remained silent, and there is no suggestion Meghan and her team deliberately copied the logo.
However, branding experts have suggested a lack of research by Meghan’s team could have led to this unintentional error, a big mistake when launching a global brand.
The controversy comes just weeks before Meghan’s lifestyle show ‘With Love, Meghan’ begins streaming on Netflix.
Will the logo row be over by then? Watch this space…
Meghan Markle made ‘big mistake’ in her brand relaunch
Instagram / @meghan
KING HIGHLIGHTS BRITAIN-UKRAINE COLLABORATION, DESPITE US-RUSSIA TALKS
Just a day after US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia for talks on ending the war in Ukraine, which excluded European officials, The King highlighted Britain’s “invaluable” commitment to Ukraine.
President Trump has since branded President Zelenskyy a “dictator”, despite Ukraine currently being unable to hold national elections under martial law – sparked by Russia’s invasion.
The King seems set to continue highlighting the collaboration between Britain and Ukraine and, on Wednesday, visited Imperial College London’s Centre for Injury Studies.
The college is developing a technology to protect soldiers on the battlefield, working with Ukraine’s National Rehabilitation Centre ‘Unbroken’ to develop prosthetic limbs and rehab techniques.
The centre supports both soldiers and civilians injured by Russian munitions.
The King spoke to Dr Hnat Herych, chief of general surgery at Unbroken, via video link.
Dr Herych told King Charles: “Your Majesty, on behalf of my colleagues and my country I wish to express my deepest gratitude for the United Kingdom’s unwavering support for Ukraine, in these turbulent times.
“Britain has not only remained our steadfast ally but has also demonstrated true global leadership in defending Ukraine and standing up for freedom.
“The commitment of Your Majesty and the British people has been invaluable to us and we…hope for Europe’s support in these critical times.”
The King said he was “glad” a British university had developed a “very effective relationship with Unbroken” – signalling Britain’s continued support for Ukraine almost three years on from Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Of course, this engagement would have been in the diary for months, and it is just a coincidence it took place the same week as the talks in Saudi Arabia.
The King’s role is also not political; it is up to the Prime Minister and the UK Government to decide what path the country should take.
This week, Sir Keir Starmer signalled he would deploy British peacekeeping troops to Ukraine if needed, once a peace deal is reached.
HOW LONG IT TAKES TO ORGANISE A ROYAL ENGAGEMENT
Ever wondered how long it takes to organise a royal visit?
In the case of The Queen’s recent engagement at a women’s centre, three years from the initial invitation, according to one staff member.
Queen Camilla was invited to visit the Asian Women’s Resource Centre (AWRC) in Brent to celebrate its 45th anniversary and see how they support Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) women affected by forced marriage, domestic, honour-based or faith-based abuse.
Her Majesty has long been a champion of the prevention of domestic violence and has worked for more than a decade supporting charities helping the cause.
Speaking to survivors and case workers, The Queen learned how perpetrators often use their victim’s immigration status against them – leaving them incredibly vulnerable to several forms of abuse and coercive control.
Three years ago, Her Majesty was still Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall.
Since then, Queen Elizabeth II has died, Camilla became Queen and was crowned in Westminster Abbey.
Her diary, understandably, has been incredibly full for the last three years – she has also supported her husband, King Charles, through a tough cancer diagnosis.
Still, The Queen found time to visit and highlight a centre supporting a portion of society, often overlooked.
During the visit, The Queen said it was “so wonderful talking to those survivors and hearing what a difference [AWRC] makes to their lives.”
