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Royal News Roundup: Charles's Bday Tribute to William, Harry & Meghan's Secret Domain Names & More

Here, all the royal news you need to know for the week of June 24, 2021.

  • Last week, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry revealed that Markle's book, The Bench, has become a #1 New York Times Bestseller. And during her interview with NPR, the Duchess of Sussex revealed that Archie, her 2-year-old son, is a big fan. She said, "Archie loves the book. He has a voracious appetite for books... When we read him a book, he goes 'Again, again.'"
  • This week, we learned that Kate Middleton is launching the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, an organization that is “working to change the way we think and act on the early years so that together we can build a happier, healthier, more nurturing world.” The announcement was shared in a video on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's official Instagram account.

  • Princess Eugenie celebrated Father’s Day by sharing four—we repeat, four—new photos of her husband, Jack Brooksbank, and her son, August. The 31-year-old royal posted a slideshow of pictures on her personal Instagram account. Not only does it include never-before-seen images, but it also offers a rare glimpse into their new lives as a family of three.

This week, we learned that Kate Middleton is launching the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, an organization that is “working to change the way we think and act on the early years so that together we can build a happier, healthier, more nurturing world.” The announcement was shared in a video on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's official Instagram account.

Princess Eugenie celebrated Father’s Day by sharing four—we repeat, four—new photos of her husband, Jack Brooksbank, and her son, August. The 31-year-old royal posted a slideshow of pictures on her personal Instagram account. Not only does it include never-before-seen images, but it also offers a rare glimpse into their new lives as a family of three.

  • On Monday, Prince William officially turned 39 years old and made sure to thank fans for all of the love he received on his special day. “Thank you for all the birthday wishes and kind messages,” William captioned an image of himself on his shared IG account with Kate Middleton. His grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, even gave her grandson a shoutout on social media. In addition, Charles marked the occasion by sharing a rare black-and-white throwback photo to honor his eldest son.
  • In honor of Father’s Day weekend, Queen Elizabeth shared a sweet tribute to her dad, King George VI, and her late husband, Prince Philip. Her Majesty shared a black-and-white image on Instagram featuring a young Prince Charles riding an animal statue while his parents and grandfather smile and observe.
  • Queen Elizabeth’s puppy love has been extended into the Royal Collection Shop, where they have introduced a brand-new line of summer pet products. The line was announced with a statement that says, “We have lovingly curated our edit of magnificent gift ideas for our furry friends; from gilded, earthenware dog bowls and charming dog bandanas, to engraved, leather leads and collars.
  • This week, the royal family announced that Her Majesty is looking for designers to create her new emblem for next year's Platinum Jubilee, which will mark the 70th anniversary of the queen's accession. Run by the Victoria and Albert Museum on behalf of the royal matriarch, the contest is open to artists across the U.K. who are between 13 and 25 years old, and they have until July 16 to submit original emblem designs fit for a queen.
  • We also learned that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry registered several domains in their daughter’s name before her birth. According to a public registry of domain names, these domains were purchased at the end of May. (However, they are not yet active.) No further details have been revealed on what—if anything—the sites will be used for.
  • On Tuesday, the Duchess of Cambridge paid a visit to the Natural History Museum in London to explore its new Urban Nature Project. Per Kensington Palace, the project is designed to inspire the next generation to care for nature and aims to transform the museum's Wildlife Garden into an urban biodiversity hub. While sitting with the children, she offered them fresh honey from her Norfolk country home of Anmer Hall.
  • On Wednesday, it was revealed that back in eighth grade, Markle wrote a sweet story about embracing her freckles in a piece called A Face without Freckles... Is a Night Without Stars. So, where is the book now? It apparently resides in the Library of Congress, according to librarian Carla Hayden.
  • The same day, Prince William shared a video on the Kensington Palace Instagram page featuring himself looking out into the distance as he controls a drone hovering in the sky. The clip was shared to tease his current Earthsot prize endeavor. “@earthshotprize news coming later this week…” he captioned the post.
  • On Thursday, the Duchess of Cambridge revealed that she is now Patron of The Forward Trust, an organization that empowers individuals to break the cycles of addiction or crime to move forward with their lives. The trust recently merged with one of Middleton’s other patronages, Action on Addiction.
  • Queen Elizabeth pulled back the curtain on the finances of the British royal family. On Thursday, Buckingham Palace published its annual financial statement, called the Sovereign Grant Report, for 2020-21. The in-depth statement includes a £2.4 million (about $2.8 million) payment from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to reimburse the Sovereign Grant for “expenditure incurred on the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, most of which was recognized as income in the year.”

Queen Elizabeth pulled back the curtain on the finances of the British royal family. On Thursday, Buckingham Palace published its annual financial statement, called the Sovereign Grant Report, for 2020-21. The in-depth statement includes a £2.4 million (about $2.8 million) payment from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to reimburse the Sovereign Grant for “expenditure incurred on the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, most of which was recognized as income in the year.”

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