As the festive season approaches, the royal household has decided to gift us the one thing they never run out of: drama. Glittering appearances, school gate tension, Montecito theatrics, and yet another Andrew headache. It is all feeling very much like The Crown Advent Edition. They may not always give us stability, but they never fail to give us entertainment.
The Wales’s shine at the Royal Variety performance
This year’s Royal Variety Performance, held at the Royal Albert Hall, marked the 93rd year of the show and featured a packed lineup including McFly, Beverley Knight, Hannah Waddingham, comedy from Tom Allen and medleys from the casts of Frozen and Wicked. It was the biggest and most high profile stage William and Catherine have stepped onto in months, and the atmosphere reflected that. Kate arrived in a midnight toned gown that immediately set social media alight, and her confidence was noticeably stronger than in her earliest public steps back. She stayed longer backstage chatting with performers like the Frozen cast and members of the military band, even sharing a laugh with Tom Allen about George and Charlotte watching his jokes online.
Inside the hall the couple looked relaxed and engaged, leaning toward each other throughout the show and reacting openly to the performances. William appeared especially energised during the West End numbers and spent the intermission congratulating Beverley Knight on her Olivier Award win. Their reception was strikingly warm, with a standing welcome that some said was louder than last year’s greeting for the King and Queen. For a couple emerging from a challenging period, the night felt like a deliberate reset. Familiar territory, familiar applause and a reminder that the Waleses still hold an enormous reservoir of public goodwill.
Prince George and The Great School Decision
Behind palace walls a different kind of drama is brewing. The Great George School Debate has become its own royal soap opera. Normally the decision would be neatly tied up by now, but the silence has only amplified the whispers.
Traditionalists are convinced William is still quietly leaning toward Eton. It is the family legacy. The familiar path. The “this is just what we do” option. You can almost hear the old school tie humming God Save the King. But Catherine is reportedly pushing back. Her priority is George’s emotional wellbeing and a childhood as normal as possible for a future monarch. Something less intense and less institutional than what William experienced.
Rumour has it the pair have toured more schools than anyone realised, including a few that would make the Kensington Palace comms team clutch their pearls. The hesitation says everything. This is no longer about tradition for tradition’s sake. It is about protecting a child who already carries the weight of a future coronation.
The longer the Wales’s delay, the louder the whispers that they may break with centuries of custom. And truthfully, it might be the most modern choice they ever make.
Meghan Markle: Please announce her entry before reading this paragraph
Now, in the spirit of recent rumours about her insisting on formal introductions at friends’ houses, please imagine this paragraph being announced by a herald …
“Ladies and gentlemen, the Duchess of Sussex.”
Meghan has re-entered the chat this week thanks to a fresh wave of coverage triggered by her new interview and public appearance in Beverly Hills. The interview itself made headlines for the way she revisited her early years in the United Kingdom. She repeated that she struggled with the restrictions placed on her, but the detail that sparked the most chatter was her comment about Nottingham Cottage. She described the residence as cramped and isolating, noting that the thin walls, low ceilings and lack of privacy made it feel “nothing like what she had been led to expect.” Royal insiders have pushed back on this, pointing out that the cottage was previously lived in by William and Catherine, and reportedly renovated before Meghan arrived.
The other major talking point was the resurfaced claim that Meghan disliked being placed in what she called “rural obscurity,” referring to the Queen’s decision to offer Frogmore Cottage as the couple’s long-term home. In the interview she hinted that moving from central London to Windsor felt like a demotion, telling friends at the time that the location left her cut off from the cultural life she expected to be part of. Critics have seized on this, especially given that Frogmore was a personal gift from the late Queen.
Her Beverly Hills event appearance added more fuel. Meghan presented a highly polished speech about female ambition and media narratives, and while she avoided direct references to the Royal Family, she spoke about being “mischaracterised” and “reduced to stereotypes” in ways that many interpreted as clear allusions. She also hinted at new media ventures in the works, telling the audience she was “in a period of creative renewal,” which Hollywood insiders are already connecting to rumours of a lifestyle brand relaunch set for next year.
The final layer came from commentators who criticised parts of her interview style as “childlike,” noting her tendency to dramatise memories and present herself as both vulnerable and visionary. Supporters argue she is simply telling her truth; detractors say she is rehearsing it. Either way, Meghan has once again achieved the thing she does more consistently than any other royal figure. She has made herself the story.
Prince Andrew’s Street Sign Saga
While Meghan brings glamour and controversy, Prince Andrew brings administrative chaos. The latest instalment involves street names. Residents in Windsor are debating whether they should still have roads named after him and the arguments have become surprisingly passionate.
It is a rare day when local infrastructure meetings become part of royal gossip yet somehow Andrew manages it. The very idea of telling someone you live on Prince Andrew Way has become its own social hazard. His legacy now extends into town planning misery. Even in total silence he finds a way to produce awkwardness.
Zara Tindall and Princess Anne: Competence, Calm and Zero Drama
Thank heavens for Princess Anne and Zara Tindall. Their joint appearance this week was everything fans love. Sincere, hardworking, meaningful and completely free of theatrics.
The event focused on horse welfare; a cause Anne has championed longer than some royals have been alive. Zara made a rare public statement praising her mother’s dedication and the admiration between them was unmistakable. In a family often overshadowed by spectacle, the Anne and Zara partnership feels like a deep breath. Solid, steady and reassuring.
If the monarchy were left to these two, the entire institution would probably run like a highly efficient logistics company.
With December gaining momentum the royal calendar is about to pick up speed. Expect festive walkabouts, carefully curated photo opportunities, strategic silences and the annual guessing game of who is spending Christmas where. The Wales’s have a few seasonal engagements planned; senior royals will begin their traditional December circuits and Meghan is unlikely to let a news cycle rest.
Another week of sparkle, scandal, strategy and the occasional street sign saga. If this is the warmup, then December is going to be delicious. The tea is steeping, the tiaras are tilted and as always, your columnist will be ready.
See you next week for another pour.