Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

 

Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Princess of Wales, Countess of Wessex

Queen’s Ladies-in-Waiting Arriving at Westminster Abbey

Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Princess of Wales

Catherine, Princess of Wales

Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Princess of Wales, Queen Consort

Princess of Wales, PrincessCharlotte

Princess Charlotte 

Princess Charlotte

The Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince George

Westminster Abbey

William, Prince of Wales, King Charles III

King Charles III and Queen Camilla (Consort)

Lament “Sleep, Dearie, Sleep,” played by Queen’s Piper

King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Wales

 

 

Completing their tour of the UK, King Charles and Queen Camilla visited Wales today. 

Llandaff Cathedral

They attended a prayer service for the life of the late Queen Elizabeth II, at the Llandaff Cathedral, constructed in the 12th century. This is on my list of places to visit!

They also visited Senedd—the Welsh Parliament, to receive condolences from the members. During their tour, they were serenaded with the gentle, angelic musical sounds by The King’s Royal Harpist, Alis Huws. (The harp is an important National musical instrument in Wales and the classical, music-loving King promotes raising the profile of the instrument). 

Alis Huws, Royal Harpist

Cardiff Castle

The King and his Queen Consort also attended a reception at Cardiff Castle to visit with members of Royal patronages and faith communities.

Watching the BBC continuously and sipping a LOT of tea, I’m experiencing a range of emotions this week…in awe of the pageantry for the events leading up to the State funeral, tearful at all the tributes and remembrances to the late Queen, and reserved excitement over the new King and Queen consort. 

The Prince and Princess of Wales

 

William, Prince of Wales

Catherine, Princess of Wales

Prince William and his wife Catherine have been named the new Prince and Princess of Wales by King Charles III.

The couple will also take the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall titles—previously held by the King and Camilla, the new Queen Consort. William also inherited the title of Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. Catherine will also receive the title of Duchess of Rothesay.

William and Catherine recently left their London home at Kensington Palace to live at Adelaide Cottage at Windsor.

Adelaide Cottage

Moving away from central London to the quiet area of Windsor was aimed to give their young children as close to a normal life as possible. Due to the small size of the cottage, their Nanny Maria Borrallo is not living with them. She resides with other household staff at a nearby property.

Adelaide Cottage

The 4-bedroom Adelaide Cottage was built in 1831 as a summer retreat for Queen Adelaide, the wife of King William IV. One of the early occupants of the cottage was Peter Townsend, the onetime great love of Princess Margaret.

Since they are now the Prince and Princess of Wales, they are set to move to Windsor Castle, but are expected to delay this move to prevent more upheaval for their children. The couple will keep the 20-room home at Kensington Palace as their office working base and also their Anmer Hall manor in Norfolk.

I look forward to following the lifestyle of the Prince and a Princess and, of course, Catherine’s fabulous fashion!

The Queen Leaves Balmoral for the Last Time

 

I believe one is never prepared to view the coffin of a loved one. All those around the world who loved Queen Elizabeth II surely shed at tear at the first sight of the hearse carrying her coffin as it left Balmoral yesterday.

The cortège headed to Edinburgh to carry the Queen to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Queen’s Coffin Arrives at Holyroodhouse

The coffin was met by the Duke of York,The Earl and Countess of Wessex, The Princess Royal, and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. The coffin rested in the Throne Room until this afternoon when it was conveyed to St. Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh.

King Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward stood guard over the Queen’s coffin in a moving 15-minute vigil. The Queen will lie in state until tomorrow evening, when her coffin will be flown back to London.

I have been sipping the Queen’s favorite tea, Earl Grey, and browsing through the latest issue of Victoria Magazine—the British issue. As it turns out, this issue features a romantic tour of Scotland, with stunning photos and interesting stories of Balmoral and Holyroodhouse. It’s a must read!

Teatime while mourning the Queen

Camilla

 

Her Majesty, Queen Camilla (Consort)

At the beginning of 2022, in a statement marking the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne, Queen Elizabeth II announced: “When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife, Camilla, the same support that you have given me. It is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.” 

So, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022, we now have Camilla, Queen Consort. What does this title mean? A Queen Consort is the female partner, spouse, or companion to the King. Camilla will take the title of Queen Consort, which indicates that she is the spouse of a King, instead of the title of Queen, because members that marry into the royal family can’t inherit the throne. The title doesn’t come with any powers and is ceremonial, with the consort of a monarch expected to “provide companionship and moral practical support.”

As Queen Consort, Camilla will be crowned and anointed during King Charles’ coronation. However, Camilla’s ceremony will be much simpler.

In practice, Camilla will probably not be called Queen Consort, but simply Queen Camilla. 

I, of course, will be following Queen Camilla…her fashion and lifestyle.

King Charles III

 

At the moment Queen Elizabeth II died, Charles became the King. He could have been known as any of his four names—Charles Philip Arthur George. He chose to be known as King Charles III.

He was officially proclaimed King today at St. James’s Palace in London. Charles will be formally crowned at the coronation (state occasion), which will happen at a later date.

King Charles is now head of the Commonwealth, an association of 56 independent countries and 2.4 billion people! In 14 of these countries, as well as the U.K., Charles will be head of the state.

Yesterday, from the blue room at Buckingham Palace, King Charles gave his first speech as monarch. He vowed to serve ‘with loyalty, respect, and love’. He also pledged to uphold the Constitutional principles at the heart of the nation throughout the remaining time God grants him. 

He was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history. King Charles has big shoes to fill and hopefully he will reign with the same dignity, grace, and compassion as his beloved Mother.