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Royal News Roundup: Prince Harry’s Surprise Appearance, a Major Anniversary & More

Here, all the royal news you need to know for the week of September 2, 2021.

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  • Since Prince George turned 8, Kate Middleton and Prince William have been considering whether to send him to boarding school or let him stay at Thomas’s Battersea. And this week, we learned that the Cambridges would only send George to boarding school if he wanted to go to one. “Kate and William are open to sending George to boarding school in the future and have already checked out a few, but they feel 8 is a little young and want to wait until he’s slightly older,” a source revealed.
  • Former royal chef Darren McGrady is setting the record straight about Her Majesty's drinking habits. After one of his interviews got misconstrued to say that the queen has four drinks a day, he clarified his statements and said, “She'd be pickled if she drank that much. All I said was she likes a gin and Dubonnet. That's her favorite drink.”
  • Earlier this week, it was revealed that Queen Elizabeth used Kate Middleton’s passion for photography to make the Duchess of Cambridge feel welcomed into the royal family during her first few visits to their summer estate. Turns out, Middleton paid a handful of visits to Her Majesty’s Scottish home, Balmoral, before marrying Prince William. And in order to calm her nerves and make her feel at home, the queen allowed the duchess to break one very important rule: no picture taking.
  • Queen Elizabeth recently celebrated the birthday of a very special family member: her cousin, Prince Richard. Last Thursday, the official Twitter account of the British Royal Family posted a handful of photos of the Duke of Gloucester in honor of his 77th birthday. “Wishing His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester a happy birthday today,” the caption read.

  • This week, a story resurfaced about Kate Middleton taking Prince George and Princess Charlotte shoe shopping a few years back. The royal was just trying to get some kicks for her kids when she made one mistake that almost all of us have done at some point in our shopping lives: She forgot to bring them socks.
  • A new Instagram post from Prince Charles revealed that he and his younger sister, Princess Anne, took up a special hobby when they were little kids: gardening. Apparently the royal siblings maintained a vegetable patch when they were little. The post teased an interview Prince Charles did for the BBC podcast The Poet Laureate Has Gone To His Shed, during which he revealed that their gardening efforts were unsuccessful.

Queen Elizabeth recently celebrated the birthday of a very special family member: her cousin, Prince Richard. Last Thursday, the official Twitter account of the British Royal Family posted a handful of photos of the Duke of Gloucester in honor of his 77th birthday. “Wishing His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester a happy birthday today,” the caption read.

A new Instagram post from Prince Charles revealed that he and his younger sister, Princess Anne, took up a special hobby when they were little kids: gardening. Apparently the royal siblings maintained a vegetable patch when they were little. The post teased an interview Prince Charles did for the BBC podcast The Poet Laureate Has Gone To His Shed, during which he revealed that their gardening efforts were unsuccessful.

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  • Tuesday was emotional because it marked the 24th anniversary of Princess Diana’s tragic death. While fans across the world shared heartfelt messages on social media, there’s one tribute that stood out. Author Allan Mallinson recently honored the late royal on Twitter by sharing a stunning black-and-white photo from their first meeting, which he says has never been seen by the public. To mark the tragic day, Kensington Palace also opened the new Diana statue to the public.

  • Matthew Dennison’s new book, The Queen, which delves into the monarch’s history-making reign, was officially published on September 1. Per a passage from the book, the royal has revealed on a handful of occasions that although she is getting older, she has no plans to abdicate the throne. In fact, the book says she told her cousin, Margaret Rhodes, that she would not leave her position “unless I get Alzheimer’s or have a stroke.”

  • Prince Harry made an unexpected (and rather formal) appearance at the 2021 British GQ Men of Year Awards on Wednesday. The Duke of Sussex spoke virtually from his home in California and presented an award to Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, Dr. Catherine Green and the rest of the Oxford Team who helped to develop the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Oh, and he even wore a velvet tuxedo.

Tuesday was emotional because it marked the 24th anniversary of Princess Diana’s tragic death. While fans across the world shared heartfelt messages on social media, there’s one tribute that stood out. Author Allan Mallinson recently honored the late royal on Twitter by sharing a stunning black-and-white photo from their first meeting, which he says has never been seen by the public. To mark the tragic day, Kensington Palace also opened the new Diana statue to the public.

Matthew Dennison’s new book, The Queen, which delves into the monarch’s history-making reign, was officially published on September 1. Per a passage from the book, the royal has revealed on a handful of occasions that although she is getting older, she has no plans to abdicate the throne. In fact, the book says she told her cousin, Margaret Rhodes, that she would not leave her position “unless I get Alzheimer’s or have a stroke.”

Prince Harry made an unexpected (and rather formal) appearance at the 2021 British GQ Men of Year Awards on Wednesday. The Duke of Sussex spoke virtually from his home in California and presented an award to Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, Dr. Catherine Green and the rest of the Oxford Team who helped to develop the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Oh, and he even wore a velvet tuxedo.

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