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Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Princess Diana's Royal Family ‘Lookalike' Duchess Sophie Revealed What She Really Thought of Her: ‘I'm Not…'
Duchess Sophie has made her mark in the royal family as one of the most active members and her devotion to charities. However, once upon a time, Prince Edward's wife was relentlessly compared to another royal: Princess Diana. The topic was talked about in True Royalty TV's The Royal Beat—Book Club. British TV personality Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen noted the similarities in their appearances in the 1990s. 'There were a lot of very unfair comparisons made between the way that Sophie looked and the way that Diana was and Diana looked,' he said, via Marie Claire. More from StyleCaster The Eerie Meaning Behind Princess Diana's Funeral Dress Revealed Decades After Her Death The Truth Behind Princess Diana & JFK Jr.'s Secret Night Together After Her Divorce From Charles During the mid-90s, Diana and Sophie were indistinguishable by their blonde bob. 'I mean, it didn't help that the vogue, fashionable hairstyle of the time was identical. They both had it. And the bob or whatever it was called in those days,' Sean Smith, author of Sophie: Saving the Royal Family said. Despite the hairstyle dopplegangers, there was one difference that the public could see. 'Diana was about a foot taller than Sophie.' Their backgrounds could not be more different. Smith recalled that Diana's upbringing was 'very front-rank aristocracy,' but she was 'crucially from a very broken home and a very unhappy home,' he said. Sophie, in comparison, 'grew up in this very warm, suburban, middle-class, comforting, very supportive environment.' 'Diana grew up within the ranks of the royal family—she was so young—whereas Sophie had, to a certain extent, had a life before she walked down the aisle at St. George's [Chapel], and boyfriends,' Smith continued. However, the relationship between the senior working royal and Edward's girlfriend at the time was pretty shake. Diana reportedly 'so intensely' stared at Sophie at a family function that Sophie was left in tears. Royal biographer Judy Wade claimed that Prince Charles's then-wife 'would often mutter, 'Oh look, here comes my double,'' referring to also acknowledged the strong resemblance when she told The Daily Mail, 'I don't deny that we do look alike. But I couldn't ever compete with Diana's image. I'm not Diana.' Even behind the scenes, there seemed to be hidden tensions between the women. 'Every time an animated Sophie started to say something, Diana would begin speaking, which meant that Sophie had to stop,' Smith wrote. 'It is a tradition that if a more senior royal starts talking, the junior royal has to keep quiet.' 'After what seemed like an age of being silenced by Diana, Sophie could stand no more and, having obtained the Queen's permission to leave, strode back to Edward's apartment seething with rage,' he continued. 'On another occasion, she ran back to the apartment in floods of tears after a dinner at which Diana spent the whole time blatantly and intently staring at her. Sophie would do her utmost to avoid Diana if she possibly could.' Nearly three decades since their marriage, experts are coining their own new term for Duchess Sophie and Prince Edward as the 'royal family's secret weapon.' According to royal commentator Afua Hagan, Duchess Sophie, 59, has reached this status because of her ability to connect with people during her numerous engagements since King Charles's cancer diagnosis. She often works behind the scenes, while her husband, Prince Edward, has started stepping into the spotlight in his own way. Hagan told Us Weekly that Prince Edward, now 61, feels 'really privileged' to attend public-facing royal events 'on behalf' of King Charles III and Prince William. Sophie: Saving the Royal Family On Sale 9% off Buy Now On Amazon $32 Best of StyleCaster The 26 Best Romantic Comedies to Watch if You Want to Know What Love Feels Like These 'Bachelor' Secrets & Rules Prove What Happens Behind the Scenes Is So Much Juicier BTS's 7 Members Were Discovered in the Most Unconventional Ways Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mirror
06-07-2025
- 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
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Meghan challenged over claim she was 'silenced' by Palace amid royal 'swipe'
Royal expert Robert Hardman has taken aim at Meghan Markle's long-standing belief that she was 'silenced' by the royal family, calling out her various media and business ventures that keep her in the spotlight A royal expert has hit back at Meghan Markle 's eyebrow-raising claims that she was ever 'silenced' by the Palace, claiming that we never stop hearing from her and her newest projects. Esteemed royal author Robert Hardman, who has a long history writing about the Royal Family, believes that the Duchess of Sussex was overplaying her belief that she was kept quiet during her time as a working royal, given her regular TV and social media presence. Meghan first made the declaration that she was 'silenced' by the Firm during her bombshell interview with Oprah in 2021, as she recounted her two years as a senior working royal between her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, and stepping back from royal life in 2020. During the explosive interview, Oprah questioned if Meghan was "silent or silenced", to which Meghan replied that it was the latter. She was also quick to comment on how it was a sad irony, given she had advocated for so long that women had to use their voice. Meanwhile, just last week, Meghan also appeared on the Emma Grede podcast, where she telling said she would 'ask people to tell the truth' if she was able to rewrite her public narrative from scratch. In her 2021 Oprah interview, Meghan said she could not be expected to stay silent if 'the Firm' 'is playing a part in perpetuating falsehoods' about her and Harry. But despite her claims that she was silenced by the Firm, royal author Robert Hardman believes that even if Meghan had been instructed to be silent, both within the Firm and to the media, she never has been. Speaking candidly on True Royalty TV's The Royal Beat, Hardman shared that ever since Harry and Meghan quit their roles as working royals and relocated to California in 2020, the couple have hardly kept out of the spotlight. He went on to point out the extensive range of television and PR opportunities that they have advertised since their departure from the Firm, even those that came at difficult times for the royal family at large. Hardman said: 'The idea that [Meghan] has ever been silenced, I mean, I just sort of think back to, you know, the end of 2022, just after the death of the late Queen, and within weeks we had the first trailers for the six-part Harry and Meghan [ Netflix series], and then as it all came out… followed by Harry's book and all the interviews and other stuff. I don't really feel there's been a time when we haven't been hearing from Meghan.' He further clarified that: 'If she wanted to say something, she could,' and has not truly been held back from speaking her mind on the royal family, and from advertising her own business ventures. Elsewhere in the show, royal expert Katie Nicholl commented on Meghan's newfound sense of toughness and confidence as she continues to speak her mind, which was most recently demonstrated on the Emma Grede podcast, as she spoke candidly about her business, her family and 'telling the truth'. Nicholl remarked that Meghan has been leaning into an edgier attitude, and has perhaps come to terms with the fact that she will never please everyone, choosing to embrace her nonchalant approach to popularity. Nicholl said: '[Meghan], for so long, has been painting that narrative as a victim. And I was thinking… about this sort of new direction that she's taking. She was privately, amongst the family, nicknamed Teflon because of her toughness and I think that's what we're seeing in her now.' 'I think it's almost like she's just putting up a bit of a shield, and she actually has got to the point where she doesn't care. She knows she's divisive, she courts controversy. You might love her podcast, you might hate it. She is Marmite, and I think this new direction is like, she just doesn't care.' The Royal Beat is available on True Royalty TV.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How a Prince William Monarchy Will Be a 'Radical Departure' from King Charles's Time on the Throne
When Prince William becomes King in due course, he'll be keen to do it his own way—less ribbon-cutting and more action, sources say. William may also eschew his father King Charles' 'slimmed-down monarchy,' adding other family members into the mix that weren't working royals before. The Prince of Wales is reportedly looking to increase the royal role of cousins like Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, and Zara Tindall when he takes the the role of a monarch remains largely the same from person to person, each King or Queen puts their own spin on the role. When Prince William becomes King someday—whenever that day may be—he is reportedly planning this 'radical departure' from the way his father King Charles has done business heretofore. Speaking on the May 23 episode of True Royalty TV's The Royal Beat, royal editor for The Times Kate Mansey said that William has changes afoot when he takes on the top job, including veering away from 'shaking some hands' in favor of making a real 'difference' (via Marie Claire). 'I think what's really interesting about this is I wrote a profile about William recently, and someone very close to him was saying that this is a move away from these classic kinds of patronages where you would go and support an existing charity to actual projects,' Mansey said. William 'wants to come away and think, 'I've made a difference there, there's money that's gone into that community center or there's something that's happened because I went there,' rather than just showing up and shaking some hands,' she continued. Mansey added that this is 'quite a radical departure, really, from what the King does or what the late Queen [Elizabeth] did.' In Mansey's aforementioned piece for The Times, William Hague—who works with William at the Royal Foundation's United for Wildlife initiative—said, 'He's not one for long meetings or going around the same thing again. I've often heard him say, 'There's been too much talk about that. We need to see some action.'' In addition to steering away from 'ribbon-cutting representation' a la monarchs before him, William may also eschew Charles' famous 'slimmed-down monarchy' approach and expand his cousins' role in the royal family, namely Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, and Zara Tindall. 'Although Prince William still believes in a 'slimmed-down monarchy,' he is increasingly aware of the hard work of his extended family,' royal correspondent Richard Eden wrote, via Hello!. Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond said, via Hello!, that 'Clearly, William is doing something very right. His informal, approachable way of going about his work is resonating with the public.' 'Even the way he talks is different to previous generations,' Bond continued. 'He's well spoken, of course, but not overly posh. He dresses well, of course, but is quite often wearing jeans and trainers.' She added, 'He'll pose for selfies with the crowds—he'll even work the camera for them if they get flustered.' Bond called out praise William's mother, Princess Diana, once gave him and his natural charm, remembering that the late Princess of Wales once said, 'William's alright. The country is very lucky to have William.' 'I think she was bang on,' Bond said. Read the original article on InStyle
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Prince William Reportedly Has a 'Radical' Change Planned After Hiring Divorce Lawyers Used by Princess Diana
Prince William is reportedly planning for a 'radical' new era just a few months after hiring Princess Diana's divorce lawyers in a headline-making move. Kate Mansey, royal editor for the Times, revealed during a May 23 episode of True Royalty TV's The Royal Beat that a palace insider claims William is working towards some major changes that could change the monarchy as we know it. According to Mansey, William wants plans for the future of the Royal Family will be 'quite a radical departure, really, from what The King does, or what the late Queen did.' More from SheKnows 8 Royals Who Were Accused of Having Affairs — And Some Even Admitted It While discussing some of William's recent royal appearances, Mansey said, 'I think what's really interesting about this is, I wrote a profile about William recently, and someone very close to him was saying that this is a move away from these classic kinds of patronages, where you would go and support an existing charity, to actual projects.' William is beginning to make moves to prepare for his time as King and, according to Mansey, 'wants to come away and think, 'I've made a difference there, there's money that's gone into that community centre or there's something that's happened because I went there,' rather than just showing up and shaking some hands.' So, what does this have to do with William hiring the legal team Princess Diana worked with in her divorce from King Charles? The move is reportedly one of William's many efforts to separate himself from his father. In April, William dropped King Charles' longtime legal team, Harbottle & Lewis, and its partner, Gerrard Tyrrell, with whom he had worked since becoming an adult. He is now represented by Mishcon de Reya, the legal firm his mother used in her 1996 divorce from his father. William's alleged new vision has been much-talked-about in recent months. In April, William Hague, who works with the Prince of Wales at the Royal Foundation's United for Wildlife initiative, told Mansey for the Times, '[William's] not one for long meetings or going around the same thing again. I've often heard him say, 'There's been too much talk about that. We need to see some action.'' William reportedly isn't interested in 'ribbon-cutting representation' from the Royal Family and wants to enact real of SheKnows All the Celebrities Who Have Struggled With Drug or Alcohol Addiction 23 Famous Women Over 40 Who Have Posed For Gorgeous Nude Photoshoots Gabrielle Union, Olivia Munn & 44 More Celebrities Who Keep It Refreshingly Real on Social Media
