35 thoughts on “Royal Round Up: Countess Sophie, Queen Letizia, Duchess Camilla, Queen Maxima + Harry, Beatrice, Eugenie”

1. Really love these round-ups. Loved Sophie’s look with the children. Although it looks like something Kate might wear I think Sophie looks better in it. And she knows how to crouch down in a shorter skirt without giving the world a show of her backside. Sophie rocks and Charles would be crazy to cut her from the working royals list. She is an asset to the BRF.

   The other ladies just keep getting it right. As for Beatrice, I really don’t know. She’s not a “working royal” so she pretty much can do whatever she wants as long as someone is funding her. However, she is in a position where if she would put as much effort into a charity as she does in vacationing she could really make something happen. Maybe she’s getting the vacationing out of her system before she settles down. I don’t know how much money daddy will hand over once she’s married. Beatrice, Beatrice, you’re making yourself an unnecessary target. You have a chance to make yourself look better than your cousin-in-law and you’re blowing it.

   1. “Beatrice, Beatrice, you’re making yourself an unnecessary target. You have a chance to make yourself look better than your cousin-in-law and you’re blowing it.”

      I feel like this is one of the biggest problems with Beatrice’s vacationing. It makes her look bad. Like, she’s taking more vacations than Kate. I would think Bea would want to make herself look better than Kate. That was the whole point of the PR in 2013. But then she threw that away.

2. Why the hell are Victoria Beckham’s clothes so expensive?? 2k?! For a plain dress?? Myghod.

   Also, what is up with Beatrice, it’s not normal to take so many vacations.

   1. Victoria Beckham’s brand has beautifully simple, exquisitely tailored, breathtakingly expensive clothes. I would someday love to own a piece, and possibly one of her gorgeous bags as well! I’m actually surprised that Kate has never worn anything from her line, and was a little shocked that Sophie beat her to the punch. Unfortunately, for that much money, the dress did next to nothing for her. Hopefully it made her feel like a million bucks wearing it.

      1. Maybe they’re a bit too expensive for her taste? Kate’s clothes average around on $500 a piece. $2,000 seems a bit much

   2. lol it’s $695 for the dress and $2,000 for the Victoria Beckham name.

      1. I live in the other side of the globe, do clothes really cost around $400 in the UK?

3. Beatrice seems to be the misguided sort. At least that’s what I thought when I saw her at the wedding in 2011. Obviously she has no or bad guidance from her parents.

   I think you can sort of compare the Middleton vacation with Beatrice’s. Both were paid for out of at least some of the participants pocket.

   I think Kate is slightly worse because I have no idea if she’s representing the Queen well since she hasn’t done anything memorable.

   I can compare Beatrice with Madeleine of Sweden in that they aren’t even near the thrones but have to work hard so that people won’t criticize them. Beatrice also has patronages that are close to her heart and not just assigned to her.

   1. Important to note that Beatrice is a cousin to the future monarch, Madeline is a sibling to the future monarch (aka. in Harry’s position).

      Yes, she was doing well with the private job and moving forward with life. Beatrice needs to continue to get her act together after Charles pulled the rug out from under her (or her parents didn’t tell her that was the plan ). And like Zara and Peter, she is a private citizen. If she never does any charity work, that is her business.

   2. As Pence said, Maddie is closer to Harry’s position than Beatrice’s, as Maddie is a sibling of the future monarch. Beatrice is closer to, say, Charlotte Casiraghi’s position in that she’s the cousin of the future monarch and will never do public engagements.

      Beatrice doesn’t HAVE to do anything if she doesn’t want to, and can live off her daddy’s money, trust fund, and future husband’s money and take as many vacations as she wants, but it doesn’t look good for her to do so. She should at least have a proper job. Otherwise she’s an easy target for criticism. But I doubt she’ll change. Why bother when she gets everything she wants and doesn’t have to work for it. She’s like William in that way.

      Going back to Maddie, if she is going to be living in one of the royal palaces/apartments (which she is now that she’s moved back to Sweden), then she SHOULD do public engagements.

4. I am starting to like Maxima more and more. She actually engages when she goes out! Letitia always looks beautiful and so well put together, but I’m always put in the mind of a beautiful doll when I see her. I wish she could step out of her comfort zone a bit and put a bit of her personality out there.

   Sophie looks great, especially given that she’s 50! The one thing I can’t unsee now is her expression in the first photo looks just like Pippa Middleton.

   1. Bluhare, I think we’re seeing more of Letizia’s real personality coming through. Remember the “Yes, you can call me Queen Happiness” comment?

      She’s been Felipe’s rock and main “this is how the real world works” counselor behind the scenes for 10 years. She has been sidelined for so long, but now she’ll have a chance to shine in public.

      1. I really don’t know much about Letizia actually, TwoPence. All I know is pretty much what I see here and a couple of other sites, and she seems stiff and formal in photos which surprises me because wasn’t she an on-air personality of some sort once?

         That coat/dress she wore when her husband became King, however, needs to go in the Best Royal Outfits of All Time exhibit.

         1. She was an award-winning tv journalist. The SRF clipped her wings and kept her out of the public eye for a long time. They wouldn’t allow her to do any international visits or meetings, only allowed to work with her husband no solo visits, etc. Jealousy, misogyny, who knows. She’s worked hard behind the scenes quietly.

            Her humor showed through at an event last year. The host accidentally introduced her as “Queen Felicity” and Letitiza joked (in English) that that word means “happiness” and he could call her Queen Happiness. She still has to step very carefully, especially due to the Cristina money scandal, but we’re seeing more of her personality now.

            I see her like Masako in those restrictions. If Masako was allowed to do the type of work that the western spouses do, I think she’d be more likely to recover faster. Keeping her trapped in the traditional shinto/religious role is only making the stress worse. Let her do whatever she needs to feel useful and of value.

            1. Mea culpa for implying she worked at the Spanish version of Entertainment Tonight, TwoPence! I didn’t really think that as I was typing but reading what you wrote, it came off that way.

               I hope she can bust through whatever constraints she had if that’s the case. And as far as Masako, that is just the saddest. What a waste of a really good mind. I hope she’s found some measure of happiness.

5. ArtHistorian, if case you come to this thread. My thoughts are with you and your country in this time of sorrow.

   1. Thank you!
      It feels a bit unreal for me – because I went through the city bus bus last night and actually were at Noerrebro Station, which was close to where the gunman was shot (though I wasn’t there at the time of the shooting, thankfully). I live not far from that last shooting.

      It is terribly sad and terrifying because the attacks so closely mirrored the ones in Paris last month. The French have been incredibly supportive. The French ambassador was in fact present at the first shooting because he was a speaker the free speech semionar that was attacked first.

      Despite all this, I still feel safe in my city and I have faith in the police who did their job well IMO.

      I’m planning to go by the Synagogue with flowers tomorrow.

      One of the men killed was a documentary filmmaker who was deeply invested in the freedom of speech and issues with minorites.
      The other man was a member of the Jewish community who was standing guard at the Synagogue where a bat mitzvah took place. The two police officers standing guard at the synagogue were wounded but it is quite likely that if they hadn’t been there it would have been much much worse.
      Two upstanding citizens who were deeply invested and engaged with their communities lost their lives because of intolerance and hatred. It is so terribly sad but we shouldn’t be cowed into silence out of fear.

      1. Thanks for giving us all this extra information. It is so sad. I am sorry for the pain and loss in your country.

6. Is it just me, or does it seem like Harry spends more time with his cousins these days than his brother? I mean, I know Will is “busy,” but you don’t really see or hear about them going to things together anymore. Maybe they aren’t as close as they used to be?

   1. bookworm, I get the feeling they aren’t as close as they used to be. Something got in the “Middle” of them. It’s really too bad, because William is going to need Harry’s shoulder big time one day.

      1. Hi Lisa, you sure do know how to turn a phrase!!! “something got in the “Middle” of them” classic! I still chuckle over the “snowglobe of Williamsville”

   2. Didn’t they all just hang out in Norfolk for the Christmas season? (Doesn’t that count as Beatrice’s fifth vacation?) It’s been all of six weeks since the Windsor family was all together. I don’t think it is odd that bachelor Harry is vacationing with his single young cousins in Verbier – he’s done that for the past couple of years. William went to the US with Harry for a wedding last year. What would be fantastic is if he went to China with him on official business.

      1. Technically the York girls aren’t single. They aren’t married or engaged, but they do both have boyfriends.

   3. Harry met Cressida through the York girls, maybe he’s hoping he gets another girl out of them.

      I honestly hope Harry finally finds happiness. I haven’t read much about him anywhere.

7. Firstly, Beatrice, like all royal kids, has a trust fund. Even if Andrew isn’t funding her, the royal family provides for each and every child born into it as soon as they are born. This trust fund becomes fully available at 25yrs of age. We can quibble about that, but it’s unassailable fact. Any money they receive afterwards, such as WH’s Diana money is on top of that. PGtips already has a trust fund from the royal family as will Peter/Zara’s kids. BTW: very disingenuous of Mike Tindall to say they take no money from the royal family without mentioning Zara’s trustfund.

   What they choose to do with their lives is a different discussion, but they are fully trust funded and therefore ‘independent’ from parental funding at 25yrs old.

   Further, Andrew and Sarah appear to have bought a ski lodge in Verbier for the family to use. Even if she spends her weekends at the lodge, it will always be portrayed as an extravaganza despite a flight to Verbier being less than £100 on easy jet (or whatever shorthaul airline she prefers to use, and no extra expenses once she arrives in Verbier.

   The two Yorkies don’t receive any public funding although they have a flat in SJP. Their taxpayer bodyguards were taken away back in 2010 (sidenote, the 2 ladies guarding Kate used to be Beatrice’s royal bodyguards for years, can you imagine how she must feel every time she sees them guarding Kate now!!). However, Anne and Edward also have flats in BP which their kids have use of as well as allowing their kids to live on their country estates (James and Louise are too young for this discussion so they get a pass, but the point stands for Zara and Peter). The accommodation is what it is.

   Finally, Beatrice’s patronages get a lot out of her. She’s not simply their photo op patron. Unfortunately for her, she’s not photographed much when she does work with them.

   That’s all not to say that she’s Princess Anne levels of workhorse, but personally I have no trouble with her holidays considering how many holidays the UK is statutorily entitled to. If she does nothing, but go on holiday for weeks on end, that might be a problem, but considering we have 6wks holiday + 6 public holidays (3 day weekends), it’s not so wierd that she is on holiday like all her country men.

   What we need to figure out, is whether her holidays fall within that entitlement. If it goes beyond that, then we can quibble. If not, meh!!

   And oh yes, perhaps she needs to use William style tantrums to stop press writing and positioning her negatively whilst giving the hire ranked cousins a pass.

   1. You make some good points, Acquitaine. The trust fund one especially. I’ve known a couple of people who lived off theirs and they were very much that way.

      That being said, Beatrice isn’t exactly your average fundie, is she? I think the problem is perception. And they haven’t done much to dispel that with Beatrice, other than another DM article saying “no she’s not like that!” quoting all her “unnamed sources close to her”.

      I agree that skiing in Europe and staying at a place she doesn’t have to pay for isn’t that big of a deal. But it comes after three (was it three?) tropical getaways, and that article. So it doesn’t look good. Someone will probably point out she was only there for the weekend or half term week or something, along with everyone else, which is no big deal except for . . . . perception.

      The story is that Andrew wants them to be working royals, and there’s an argument for that with the majority of the current working royals being pensioners (or close to it), along with two of the biggest participants on the future royal stage being practically invisible. But are they working that angle to the bone? No, they aren’t, and it isn’t serving Beatrice well at all. My god, if she did what we ask Kate to do (2 or 3 one to two hour engagements a week) with her patronages, we would practically canonise her.

      I totally disagree with you about the William style tantrums, though. While I would LOVE to read those articles, it would not do her any favours at this point. Although I’d love it, I’ll say that right now!

8. Thanks for another great Royal Round Up!!!! I look forward to these posts every Sunday!

   I want to like Sophie’s outfit but it looks pretty blah to me. However, I do like it when she wears her hair down, she styles it so nicely. Oh no, Sophie is starting to be crotch grabber like Kate!!! What is happening???

   It looks to me like Leti is quickly finding her royal engagement uniforms. By that I mean the clothes she feels comfortable in and work for the occasion she is attending i.e. trousers, blazers,silk blouses and figure conscious dresses. I don’t know if I’m loving the red dress at the winery though. It almost feels a little too dressy for this engagement. But as always she looks great!

   Camilla looks great in these photos. Warm and cozy in her coats and so appropriate in the suit dress with a great scarf. I think W&K should start using Camilla’s PR person, if they could make Camilla popular and beloved they could probably make the Duke and Duchess of Doolittle look good.

   I just noticed that Max had her nails done. While I don’t paint my fingernails I do like the look, it makes her look “finished” (if you know what I mean).

   When I saw on the DM that Bea was taking yet another vacation, I just shook my head. She seems to be just another trust fund baby, flitting from job to job, no real sense of purpose or goals in life, partying on daddy’s dime. It’s a shame really to waste your life in this manner. Is it just me or do most of the younger royals seem to spend their 20’s in exactly this type of behavior? From what I’ve read, Will, Harry, Carl Philipe, Frederick, Maddie et al, seemed to engage in exactly this type of lifestyle before settling down. Maybe this type of behavior is expected? It certainly seems that the parents are allowing it, so maybe it’s normal young royal behavior. Any thoughts on this?

   1. She’s partying on her own dime (trust fund), as someone above pointed out. Will and Frederick will be monarch unless they are overthrown. William is still acting like a 22-year-old on a gap year wondering about his purpose in life.

      Maddie, C-P, and Harry are second string warming the bench, working at regular jobs and part-time royals (if there is such a thing). Beatrice is not on the team and never will be.

      I get that people want her to do more – and I want her to get another solid job and do well in it – but she is not a working royal. She is 26, a few years out of college. Some 26 year olds are fully on the career path at that age, others are working part-time at Starbucks and couch surfing. If she lives off her trust fund and does nothing else — that’s her business as a private citizen.

      She (and Eugenie) are the cousins of the heir, not people who will be working royals. The expectations that Beatrice SHOULD do as much charity work as Maddie or Harry is unfairly comparing her to people who are much closer to the throne.

      1. I don’t think Beatrice should do charity work ala Will, Kate, Harry, or any other royal (unless she really wants to, but that’s her decision since she’s not officially a working royal and her charity work would be private). But she should have a job.

         I side-eye all trust fund babies, including Harry and his number of vacations. Last year he took a bunch of vacations with Cressida when they were still together, even though he supposedly had a full time military desk job. But he seemed to have a ton of vacation time whenever he wanted.

         1. There was a wedding in there somewhere that she didn’t attend, but what other vacations were there? I only remember the ski vacation together that got him in trouble. That was 3 days over the weekend. Flew out on Thursday, back on Sunday. So only one day off of the desk job.

9. Max is my favorite! I want nothing but the best for Bea. I feel bad that she is saddled by her parent’s reputation. The York girls can’t win either way.

   1. Eh. For me, it’s not about her parent’s reputation, it’s how she’s acted. I gave her the benefit of the doubt, especially because she and Eugenie have gotten a hard time due to her parent’s crap, but then Bea blew it by ditching her jobs and taking so many vacations.

      1. KMR, I think many at her level were laid off after the SONY thing. Meaning, she didn’t quit this job, she was let go with lots of others.

      2. Agreed. And I don’t care if it’s a $60 train ticket to get from country to country in Europe. It’s how she’s spending her time. Being a bit of a “princess”, actually, in all the wrong ways.

10. Might be easier for Bea and Eug if they didn’t have the HRH. Then they wouldn’t be in the unfair catch-22 of being royal and having the negativity and envy but none of the responsibility. With their despicable father’s recent problems and their mother’s baggage, life can’t be easy for them. At some point it is likely (not probable but likely) Beatrice will be called upon to act as a Counsellor of State. Since the rules have it set up as the monarch’s spouse and the first four people in the line of succession over 21, the earliest that George would be eligible would be in 2034. By then Charles will almost certainly be on the throne. The Duke of Edinburgh will be dead, William will be Prince of Wales. Harry will probably get a dukedom or earldom. And the Duke of York will still be hanging around. That would give Bea some (brief) relevance.
    I have strenuously argued for years that since Bea and Eug are Princesses of the United Kingdom and the only princesses by blood of their generation, that they are relevant and that the Prince of Wales will need them. But it’s quite obvious that he has no use for them and never will. Their father and the Prince’s brother, the Duke of York, is a vile individual, merely to be hanging around people like Jeffery Epstein, a convicted sex offender and pimp, and the “President” of Kazakhstan (who’s son-in-law was good enough to pay ☼3 million more for Andrew’s derelict mansion than it was worth). They will be like their mother except with titles: soulless hangers-on who do no work, constantly need money and embarrass their cousins more than their cousins can constantly embarrass themselves. Not to mention when “Ma” Middleton and “Pippa” move into Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. God save the King… more like God Save the People.

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