Tea, Titles & Tiaras: the ex-wife sat in the pews, Andrew has an unexplained bruise and the York princesses are getting a very good deal on their rent

Tea, Titles & Tiaras with Emily Darlow

Pour yourself something strong this week because it has been an extraordinary few days in royal world. We have the wedding gossip nobody else is leading with, a farewell to a woman who walked in the 1947 royal wedding, Kate doing something rather remarkable in Manchester, a bruise on Andrew’s face that nobody will explain, and a National Audit Office report that has made the York family’s finances very public indeed.

The Gossip From the Pews

Since you’ve already read the full Cotswolds wedding account published over the weekend, I’ll skip the ceremony recap and go straight to the bits that had royal watchers buzzing.

First: Autumn Kelly was there. Peter’s ex-wife, the Canadian management consultant who married him at St George’s Chapel in 2008 in front of 300 guests including the late Queen, attended his second wedding. She arrived with her new partner, Irish property developer Donal Mulryan. Their daughters were bridesmaids. By all accounts it was completely fine. It is still, objectively, a situation. The composure with which everyone managed it says a great deal about the Gloucestershire set.

Also there was Captain Mark Phillips, Peter’s father, who separated from Princess Anne in 1989 and has rarely appeared at family events of this size in recent years. Anne beamed throughout in vintage yellow. Mark stood politely in morning dress.

On the fashion front: Kate wore a cream Roland Mouret bouclé dress with a Jane Taylor boater hat, and on her wrist, Diana’s three-strand pearl bracelet, designed in 1988 with proceeds raised for Diana’s women’s health charity. Zara was a vision in cornflower blue Rebecca Vallance and Harriet wore an ivory Emilia Wickstead column gown with a ten-foot train, a Pragnell tiara, and a bouquet containing myrtle,  the sprig included in every royal wedding bouquet since Queen Victoria’s daughter married in 1858. She understood the occasion completely.

The King and Queen attended before heading straight to the Epsom Derby, missing the Gatcombe reception entirely. Princess Beatrice and Eugenie made their first joint public outing in months and were warmly received. Lady Sarah Chatto attended with her husband Daniel, while her brother David Armstrong-Jones arrived with his partner Isabelle de la Bruyère and daughter Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones.

The detail attracting the most attention among royal watchers was Samuel Chatto, Princess Margaret’s grandson, attending with his girlfriend Eleanor Ekserdjian. Invitations to private family weddings can sometimes signal a relationship is becoming more serious. One to watch.

Goodbye to the Last of Her Kind

This week brought the sad news that Lady Pamela Hicks died peacefully on 5 June, aged 97.

She was the daughter of Lord Mountbatten, first cousin of Prince Philip, great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and a bridesmaid at Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding in 1947. She later served as lady-in-waiting to the Queen and became one of the last living links to a very different royal era.

Her daughter India Hicks announced her death on Instagram, writing: “My mother maintained right up to the end the impeccable style, sharp mind and effortless charm that made her not only a cherished institution, but truly the last of her kind.”

King Charles said he was “greatly saddened”, calling her “a wonderful friend to my mother and to so many others across a long and remarkable life.”

Few people witnessed as much royal history first hand as Lady Pamela. Hers was a remarkable life.

Kate, a Bell and a Very Big Hug

On 4 June, Kate visited The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, one of Europe’s leading cancer centres.

The moment that has been shared thousands of times since came when Kate stood alongside Claire Lorente, a 30-year-old mother completing her final chemotherapy session, as she prepared to ring the end-of-treatment bell. Kate hugged her. When Claire became emotional, Kate turned to Claire’s partner and said: “It’s just as hard for the family and loved ones. I know how that feels.”

Kate also spoke candidly about how cancer changes people physically and emotionally.

It was one of the most personal public appearances we have seen from the Princess of Wales since her own diagnosis and treatment, and a reminder that some of her strongest moments happen away from the grand royal stages.

What on Earth Happened to Andrew’s Face?

On 5 June, Prince Andrew was photographed driving near his Marsh Farm home on the Sandringham estate with a large purple bruise stretching from his right temple, around his eye and down his cheek.

He had not been seen in public for two weeks prior, at which point there was nothing on his face. Something happened in between. What, exactly, nobody will say.

A source told the Daily Mail it was “not a cause for concern” and linked to a non-serious medical condition. The Times suggested it may be related to blood-thinning medication.

The palace has not commented and neither has Andrew. The photographs quickly sparked speculation, but for now the mystery remains unsolved.

The Audit Office Opens a Can of Worms for Princess Beatrice and Eugenie

Separately, the National Audit Office released a report examining royal residential arrangements following scrutiny surrounding Andrew’s links to Jeffrey Epstein.

Among the findings was the revelation that King Charles continues to cover the discounted rents on royal residences occupied by Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie using income from the Duchy of Lancaster.

According to the report, Beatrice pays 68 per cent of market value for her St James’s Palace apartment, while Eugenie pays 64 per cent for Ivy Cottage at Kensington Palace. The arrangement was established by the late Queen and has continued under Charles.

Former Liberal Democrat minister Norman Baker criticised the arrangement, saying: “There is no way that non-working members of the royal family should be subsidised by the Duchy of Lancaster. The royal family is yet again taking the public for a complete ride.”

For Beatrice and Eugenie, who have spent much of the past year dealing with headlines connected to their father, it is another story they could probably have done without.

And there we have it. Exes in the pews, a mystery bruise, an emotional moment in Manchester and a financial report that has put the York family back under the spotlight. Until next week, keep the tea piping hot and the tiaras polished.