This week’s Royal Beat on True Royalty dives into the Thanksgiving Service for the Duke of Edinburgh on 29 March and the Platinum Jubilee tour of the Caribbean for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge currently underway.
Featuring discussions with Emily Nash, Royal Editor of Hello Magazine; Alan Jones, Royal Correspondent for the UK’s Press Association; and Russell Myers, Daily Mirror Royal Editor, the programme also discusses the raised profile of the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
Since its announcement, Buckingham Palace has stressed The Queen would attend Prince Philip’s Thanksgiving Service. She was forced to pull out of the Commonwealth Day Service earlier in the month, and Alan Jones said Her Majesty wanted to attend, but “she’s got mobility issues.” He then added that sources have stressed that The Queen’s comfort is the priority.
However, would she miss her late husband’s memorial service?
Myers thinks it is a possibility. “You have to be realistic. [She is] just weeks away from 96, she has accepted her own limitations. She’s having issues moving around, [and is] described by people at the Palace as having good days and less good days… I don’t think we’ll ever see her step back, but we probably will see her less and less. Will she make Prince Philip’s memorial service in a few days? That’s in the balance,” he said.
Regarding the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s ongoing tour of the Caribbean, Emily Nash said it is aimed at preventing other countries from going the way of Barbados. While Kensington Palace has said this tour is for the Platinum Jubilee, she said it is also a charm offensive.
“The official line is the Cambridges are going on tour to thank people for their support for the Queen over her 70-year reign, and they’ve always said any decision about becoming republics is for the people of whichever country it is. But it is a charm offensive, and it’s a way of re-establishing ties, particularly after this two-year hiatus in royal travel.”
Finally, the Earl and Countess of Wessex’s profile has continued to rise after the Sussexes stepped back from royal duties. Myers said: “Are the Instagram generation going to be as obsessed with Sophie and Edward Wessex as they are with the Sussexes? Obviously not. However, when you’re dealing with them… Sophie’s really across her subject matter. It’s not just for show. With the Sussexes not here, the Wessexes will undoubtedly benefit.”
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