Latest news with #Elizabeth:AnIntimatePortrait
Edinburgh Live
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
The Queen's unexpected household habit that used to leave dinner guests 'in awe'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Being part of the Royal family comes with its perks, but it appears no one is exempt from mundane household chores. While the royals have a team of Palace staff to maintain their homes, some tasks require a personal touch. For the late Queen, one domestic duty proved therapeutic. According to a Royal expert, Her Majesty would often charm her house guests by donning a pair of yellow gloves and doing the washing up. Gyles Brandreth's biography, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, reveals this wholesome habit. Former Prime Minister David Cameron recalled trying to lend a hand with the dishes during a visit to Balmoral. READ MORE - Noel Gallagher confirms 'true reason for Oasis reunion' ahead of Edinburgh gigs READ MORE - Fan buys £35 restricted view Oasis ticket and can't get over how good it is Cameron shared with Gyles: "I'm not making this up, you sat down and Prince Philip and Her Majesty The Queen served your dinner and cleared it away and washed it up while you sat talking with the other guests. "I remember thinking it was sort of year five, I thought: 'Well, I now surely can help' and got up and got on the Marigolds and started doing the washing-up. And I remember Her Majesty saying: 'What on earth is the Prime Minister doing?' I'd broken with the protocol and rapidly sat back down and did what I was told.", reports the Mirror. (Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage via Getty Images) (Image: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images) David Cameron wasn't the only one taken aback by Her Majesty's insistence on tidying up after herself and her guests, as another close friend of the Royal Family shared a similar experience during a small luncheon. Dickie Arbiter, who worked closely with the Queen for many years as her Press Secretary, was invited to a small private lunch with the late Monarch and her husband, Prince Philip, which ended up with the two of them carrying out the unexpected domestic chore. Speaking to True Royalty TV, Dickie explained that he had volunteered to clean up from the lunch and ventured to the kitchen to begin the process of washing dishes when he heard a "very familiar voice" behind him. He said: "When I arrived at Buckingham Palace, my boss said to me, 'you've been invited to Balmoral for a dine and sleep to meet the Queen'. "There were only four of us at this lunch: The Queen, her lady-in-waiting, Prince Philip and myself. It lasted about 45 minutes, with china plates, silver cutlery and Tupperware that we helped ourselves from. "And at the end of it, the Queen said, 'We've got to clear up' and I took it as my cue as the junior flunky to do the washing up. So I went into the kitchen and started washing up. I heard this footfall behind me and assumed it was the lady-in-waiting coming to give me a hand. "I said over my shoulder without even turning, 'Okay, I'll wash you dry'. This very familiar voice behind me said, 'No, I'll wash, you dry'. It was the Queen. So she plunged her hands into the fairy liquid - no gloves - and I did the drying up. It was quite an experience to actually do a bit of domesticity with a head of state."
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Unexpected household habit late Queen loved leaving dinner guests astonished
A royal insider has revealed the simple household job that the late Queen would take great delight in accomplishing, often charming her guests with the down-to-earth habit Despite the huge list of privileges that come with being a member of the royal family, there is one thing that not all of us are immune to: household chores. While it's safe to assume that the royals have an army of Palace staff that keep their homes in pristine condition, there are always some things you just have to do yourself. For the late Queen, one household chore was actually very therapeutic, with the monarch often charming her house guests by taking up the humble habit, as a royal expert claims Her Majesty revelled in donning a pair of yellow gloves and doing the washing up. In his biography Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, Gyles Brandreth revealed the Queen's wholesome habit, with former Prime Minister David Cameron recalling the moment he tried to help with the dirty dishes during one of his trips to Balmoral. The former Prime Minister told Gyles: "I'm not making this up, you sat down and Prince Philip and Her Majesty The Queen served your dinner and cleared it away and washed it up while you sat talking with the other guests. "I remember thinking it was sort of year five, I thought: 'Well, I now surely can help' and got up and got on the Marigolds and started doing the washing-up. And I remember Her Majesty saying: 'What on earth is the Prime Minister doing?' I'd broken with the protocol and rapidly sat back down and did what I was told." Mr Cameron wasn't the only person charmed by the Queen's insistence to clean up after herself and her guests, as another close friend of the Firm recounted a similar experience during a small luncheon. Dickie Arbiter, who worked closely with the Queen for many years as her Press Secretary, was invited to a small private lunch with the late Monarch and her husband, Prince Philip, which ended up with the two of them carrying out the unexpected domestic chore. Speaking to True Royalty TV, Dickie explained that he had volunteered to clean up from the lunch and ventured to the kitchen to begin the process of washing dishes when he heard a 'very familiar voice' behind him. He said: "When I arrived at Buckingham Palace, my boss said to me, 'you've been invited to Balmoral for a dine and sleep to meet the Queen'. "There were only four of us at this lunch: The Queen, her lady-in-waiting, Prince Philip and myself. It lasted about 45 minutes, with china plates, silver cutlery and Tupperware that we helped ourselves from. "And at the end of it, the Queen said, 'We've got to clear up' and I took it as my cue as the junior flunky to do the washing up. So I went into the kitchen and started washing up. I heard this footfall behind me and assumed it was the lady-in-waiting coming to give me a hand. "I said over my shoulder without even turning, 'Okay, I'll wash you dry'. This very familiar voice behind me said, 'No, I'll wash, you dry'. It was the Queen. So she plunged her hands into the fairy liquid - no gloves - and I did the drying up. It was quite an experience to actually do a bit of domesticity with a head of state."
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Meghans 'telling reason for snubbing key royal's help' when joining the Firm
When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in 2018 and became part of the Firm, it is claimed the late Queen appointed one key royal to show her the ropes - but it seems the union did not go to plan When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in 2018 and became part of the Firm, she opened herself up to learning all about royal life. And it was the late Queen who took Meghan on her first solo royal engagement after her wedding, with the pair taking a trip to Cheshire. While much of the royal outing became a masterclass from the late Queen for Meghan Markle on how to carry oneself when on such official occasions, one book claimed that Her Majesty soon decided Meghan would be better suited to be mentored by another senior royal family member as she found her footing in the demands on royal life. It was reported that it was decided that Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, would be the perfect person to take on the role of mentor to Meghan. And royal expert Gyles Brandreth told the Daily Mail: "The Queen wanted Meghan to make a success of the marriage and of her new role, and indeed did everything that she could to encourage that. "I think she suggested to her that Sophie Wessex, who certainly was a favourite with her, and had been through it because she had married into the Royal Family, and married Prince Edward, might help her, be a sort of mentor." Sophie and Meghan seemed to be a perfect match, with both women marrying into the Firm from upper-middle class families, and their husbands both being third in line to the throne when they were born. However, despite the late Queen being eager to see their mentorship flourish, Meghan '"made it clear" she didn't need Sophie's help when it came to learning the rules of royal life and would instead rely on her new husband Harry, as Mr Brandreth wrote in his book, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait. Mr Brandreth, who is a friend of the royals, wrote: "The Queen (who, of course, had seen it all before) understood that Harry's girl might find adjusting to Royal life 'challenging to begin with' (as she put it). 'It is very jolty, but you soon get used to it'. That was Her Majesty's experience going back many years. "To help Meghan, the Queen suggested that her daughter-in-law, Sophie Wessex, would be an ideal mentor. 'Sophie can help show you the ropes,' said the Queen. " Meghan made it clear that she did not feel she needed Sophie's help. She had Harry." Sophie has long acted as a mentor for new members of the royal family, as she is also said to have stepped in to help Princess Kate find her royal footing after her 2011 wedding to Prince William, with the pair becoming great friends and confidants at the same time. Sophie has previously been honest about how it 'took a while to find her feet' when she married Prince Edward in 1999, becoming a full-time working member of the monarchy and leaving behind a successful career in PR. Sophie is believed to have tried to maintain a close relationship with Harry and Meghan, as according to The Times, Sophie was the first member of the royal family to visit the Sussexes following the birth of Archie in 2019, going to the couple's Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. Speaking about the Sussexes' exit from the firm, Sophie candidly said: "I just hope they will be happy." But possibly more pointedly, she said that the royal family does all they can to assist new members in adjusting to royal life, adding: "We all try to help any new members of the family."
Daily Mirror
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Meghan Markle shares pointed advice for parents on naming babies after 'row'
On the last episode in the series of her podcast, Meghan Markle talked about the pressure of naming a business - and ended up issuing advice to parents on naming the children, years after a row over one of her children's names Meghan Markle has shared pointed advice for parents when it comes to naming their babies. In the final episode of her podcast series, Confessions Of A Female Founder, the Duchess of Sussex described the difficulties of trying to start a successful company while caring for young children. She made the comments while expressing her admiration for podcast guest Sara Blakely, founder of the shapewear clothing company Spanx and a mother of four. During the chat, the pair discussed the pressure of choosing a name for their business, with Meghan opting for the name As Ever for her lifestyle brand. And she shared her own advice for those expecting children when it comes to names saying "Don't ask anyone's opinion". Meghan talked about the pressure to get "everyone's approval" for a brand name and added: "You're like, 'What do you think?" And she added: "It's no different — I will say this to every woman in the world or every person in the world who's going to have a child — if you have an idea about what you are going to name that baby, you keep it so close to your heart until that baby is born and it's named. Don't ask anyone's opinion." Prince Harry and Meghan, of course, chose the names Archie and Lilibet for their children, with their daughter's name, a tribute to the late Queen, raising eyebrows at the time. The name Lilibet was first used when Harry's late grandmother was just a toddler and unable to pronounce her own name, Elizabeth, properly. Her grandfather King George V would affectionately call her Lilibet imitating her own attempts to say Elizabeth. The sweet nickname stuck, and she became Lilibet to her family from then on. When Harry and Meghan's daughter was born almost four years ago, a spokesperson for the couple insisted that the duke spoke to his grandmother in advance and would not have used the name had the monarch not been supportive. However, a palace source told the BBC that the couple had asked the late Queen about the naming of their daughter. Later, in a biography of King Charles, respected royal author Robert Hardman claimed that the late Queen was "as angry as I'd ever seen her" after the Sussexes said they had her blessing to call their daughter Lilibet. However, in his book Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, fellow royal writer Gyles Brandreth writes: "According to the Queen, Harry told her the Sussexes wanted to call the baby 'Lilibet' in her honour, and she accepted their choice with good grace, taking it as the compliment it was intended to be. "Others in the family found the choice 'bewildering' and 'rather presumptuous', given that 'Lilibet' as a name had always been intimately and exclusively the Queen's. Later, the Queen said: 'I hear they're calling her Lili, which is very pretty and seems just right.'" When it comes to their son, the Sussexes reportedly chose the name because, according to the sympathetic Finding Freedom biography of the pair, they wanted "something traditional, a name that was powerful even without a title in front of it." His middle name is Harrison, a tribute to Harry as it means 'son of Henry' or 'son of Harry.' Lilibet's middle name is Diana, in tribute to her late grandmother, Princess Diana.
Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Meghan Markle's 'curt reaction' to having Sophie as personal mentor
When Prince Harry married Meghan Markle, the late Queen Elizabeth II was keen for Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, to act as her mentor, a book claims - but it seems things didn't go quite to plan The Duchess of Edinburgh is often regarded as the Royal Family's 'secret weapon' and a hard-working member of the Firm who is a safe pair of hands. But it seems it wasn't always the case. Sophie, the wife of the late Queen's youngest son Prince Edward, has previously been honest about how it "took her a while to find her feet" when she became a full-time member of the working monarchy after leaving behind her successful career in PR. But more more than 25 years since she became a royal, she has carved out a role highlighting causes such as violence against women and sightloss. So when it was announced that actress Meghan Markle would be marrying Sophie's nephew, Prince Harry, it seemed natural that the late Queen suggested the then Countess of Wessex could mentor the royal newcomer. However, as claimed by Gyles Brandreth in his book, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, Meghan "made it clear" she didn't need Sophie's help and would instead rely on her new husband. The Duchess of Sussex quit her acting career upon marrying Harry in 2018 and pledged to "hit the ground running" on becoming a working royal. Author Brandreth, who is a friend of the royals, wrote: "The Queen (who, of course, had seen it all before) understood that Harry's girl might find adjusting to Royal life 'challenging to begin with' (as she put it). 'It is very jolty, but you soon get used to it' . That was Her Majesty's experience going back many years. "To help Meghan, the Queen suggested that her daughter-in-law, Sophie Wessex, would be an ideal mentor. 'Sophie can help show you the ropes,' said the Queen. "Meghan made it clear that she did not feel she needed Sophie's help. She had Harry." Meghan and Sophie's bond came under focus in September when they travelled together in the same car during the Queen's state funeral and her coffin procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall in 2022. Sophie, who grew up in a middle-class family and founded a PR firm before joining the Royal Family, has been compared with Meghan, as they both underwent a huge transition upon joining the family. The former monarch also invited Sophie to several church services, and they enjoyed watching old movies together. Her late Majesty was also extremely close to Sophie's children, her youngest grandchildren - Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex. According to The Times, Sophie was the first member of the royal family to visit the Sussexes following the birth of Archie in 2019, going to the couple's Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. In a rare interview with The Sunday Times, Sophie compared her experiences to Meghan's. Speaking to the paper, she compared Meghan and Harry's experience to hers with Edward, commenting: "Remember I'd had five years to adjust [to royal life]. And for our six-month engagement, I was even staying at Buckingham Palace. Not that you necessarily know how it will pan out." Speaking about the Sussexes' exit from the firm, she added, "I just hope they will be happy." But possibly more pointedly, she said that the royal family does all they can to assist new members in adjusting to royal life, adding, "We all try to help any new members of the family."
