Our writers' favourite royal memories revealed
Prince Charles in the Oval Office and Prince Harry after a birthday meal feature in the nostalgic lineup
Andrea’s super trooping
When I think about the royals, I have many amazing memories but my happiest moment was finally being able to attend Trooping the Colour back in 2022 as a 'tourist'. It was the first major royal event I hadn’t officially worked since joining HELLO! (I did work the following day though) but instead of staying home or leaving London for some peace and quiet, I decided to drag my family to the Mall and witness Trooping in person. My kids were five and three at the time, and my husband hates crowds, so it was a bit of a gamble. But the gamble paid off and we had the best day ever celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee!
If you’ve had the pleasure of attending Trooping, you will know that crowds are controlled and thousands of police around the city work really hard to make it an enjoyable day for those attending from all over the world. We watched the procession, we cheered with the crowds, we ate ice cream and we met amazing people. Watching the most incredible RAF fly-past was the icing on the cake. My family has the best memory of that sunny day, and I am so glad we witnessed the late Queen’s last ever Trooping.
Danielle’s ice time
I've travelled a lot and rubbed shoulders with some famous faces on royal jobs (Sir David Attenborough and James Norton to name but two) but I was quite delighted to meet honorary royalty, the Queen of Cakes herself, Dame Mary Berry, as the then Duchess of Cambridge visited Mary’s Back to Nature garden at RHS Wisley in 2019.
The pair were giggling as they arrived together on a tractor and Kate then helped to ice some cupcakes. I even got to try one of Mary's bakes – it would have been rude not to!
Emily’s Obama drama
I have so many favourite moments from my time on the royal beat but one of the most memorable was stepping inside the Oval Office at the White House as the then Prince Charles sat down for talks with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden in 2015. A year later I watched as the late Prince Philip, then 94, drove the President and First Lady to tea at Windsor Castle after their helicopter Marine One landed nearby, to the surprise – and mild concern – of the White House security team!
Isabelle’s dinner party
My favourite royal reporting moments both occurred during my sun-soaked week covering the Invictus Games 2023 in Germany. The first came on day two when I had the unbelievable opportunity to meet Prince Harry and shake his hand ahead of his conversations with competitors and their family members. To say their spirits (and mine after that handshake) were high is an understatement! The second unforgettable moment came when I bumped into the Duke and Duchess following Harry’s birthday meal which took place at a restaurant just minutes away from where I was staying in the heart of the city. Following their dinner, I caught up with the owner Thea who was was completely overwhelmed by the special visit and brought out a tray of shots to enjoy while we chatted!
Ainhoa’s dancing prince
I remember being invited to the closing concert of the Invictus Games in London in 2014 with my colleague. There were performances from James Blunt, Ellie Goulding, and the Foo Fighters to name a few, but a highlight was getting up close to the man of the moment himself, Prince Harry.
It was Harry's first year of hosting the games and it was a totally new tournament on British soil. I'm not quite sure how we managed to (because we definitely didn't have the right wristbands or passes!) but we wriggled our way through the crowds to get within touching distance of Harry. We definitely weren't meant to be that near him but he was dancing away and had picked up a little girl on his shoulders so she could see better. It was a very cute moment from pre-dad Harry, and he was clearly very much at home chatting and hanging out with the wounded servicemen and women and their families.