Weekly Royal Roundup

I’m not going to sugar coat it: this year has been an absolute trash fire so far. And we’re only nine days in! The acts of domestic terrorism at the United States Capitol shook me. I didn’t know if I could/should write on this blog for a given amount of time, and I didn’t know what the appropriate amount of time to stay quiet was. There isn’t a manual for how to handle what’s happening in the world right now. I’m going to get back into blogging because I think it’s a nice vacation from reality and that’s something that people want/need right now. I will keep you posted if things change. Stay safe out there.

Megxit turned 1

Harry and Meghan announced their plans to “step away” from their roles as senior members of the BRF one year ago yesterday (January 8, 2021). Little did they know the journey they would go on over the next 365 days. Three moves, two of them international. Flying on Tyler Perry’s private jet! Wearing a wool coat to a blazingly hot Los Angeles cemetery! Vegan coffee endorsements! It’s the stuff of fairy tales.

Megxit announcement having been announced, no one could have foreseen the s***storm that was coming in the rest of 2020. Harry and Meghan certainly weren’t planning to leave the British Royal Family just before a worldwide health catastrophe closed all the borders and flipped most of their moneymaking ventures oh their heads. However, almost all of the professional and familial turbulence encountered by Harry and Meghan last year could be traced back to their own shortsightedness and inability to put together a PR team or strategy that would earn a third year university communications student a passing grade. They really are very bad at strategy, which makes my (nonpaying, hobby) job talking about them a lot of fun.

The Sussexes dealt with tragedy in the last year as well. Meghan’s pregnancy loss was heartbreaking. Her decision to make this loss public helped countless people feel less alone. It helped people grieve. I can’t credit her enough for that.

So all in all, a very mixed bag. I’m excited to see what 2021 brings to Montecito. I’m sure this year will be many things, but I do not expect one of those things to be quiet.

Kate turned 39

Happy Birthday to Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge. Because she’s a QIT (queen in training), she made sure that the traditional birthday picture on the Kensington Palace social media channels mentioned the hard times the UK are going through. She’s also modelling good behaviour by wearing a mask in the photo. Well done.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip received COVID-19 vaccinations

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip received COVID-19 vaccinations today (January 9, 2021). BuckPal did not reveal which vaccine Her Majesty and His Royal Highness received (Oxford/Astra Zeneca, Pfizer, or Moderna). And, because the first vaccinations to be given to residents of the United Kingdom happened in early December and BuckPal didn’t clarify, it’s entirely possible that the Queen and Prince Philip were administered their first doses then (in December) and that this is the second and final dose. I don’t think we’ll ever know. But good for them!

Related to this and also today’s case of egg on her face, royal biographer Angela Levin argued just two days ago on the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential podcast that she felt that Prince Philip would forego the vaccine entirely. Her reasons included the sentences “The Duke is coming up to be 100 in the summer and perhaps he doesn’t want it because he feels his life should ease out naturally” and “If you’re 99 and a half, how much longer have you got to live? Do you want even the most minor side effect from the vaccination? I quite understand that he wants to just step back from that, stay in self-isolation, away from people…I quite understand that.”

So, just to sum up, Angela Levin did the following with her comments:

• implied that she had it on good authority that Prince Philip did reject being vaccinated;
• attributed it to 1) being a few steps from death and 2) Philip wanting to “ease out naturally”; and
• created unnecessary fear around the (extremely rare and minimal) allergy-related reactions from COVID vaccines when it’s SO important to convince as many people as possible to get vaccinated so COVID-19 will eventually die out and we can go back to our normal lives.

Good job, Angela.

People Magazine doesn’t know the difference between a style and a title

That’s it for now! Stay safe and wear a mask. Please subscribe to my email newsletter. Let’s be real here. I want a book deal, lol! And the minimum number that bloggers need to pitch a book is 1000 email newsletter subscribers (or 10,000 Twitter or Instagram followers). I’m being honest with you! Signing up/following is an easy and free way to support my work. Thanks!