The Royal Dispatch
Princess Catherine's poignant return and a Prince in a pub
Hello Royal Clubbers, it’s Millie here with the latest edition of The Royal Dispatch.
If you missed it, you can catch up on last week’s newsletter with a special picture of Princess Catherine, click here. A big thank you, too, to the wonderful Danielle for filling in for me last week.
Before we delve into this week's best pictures and the upcoming diary, it's time take a look at this day in royal history.
On 19 January 1547, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey was executed on the orders of King Henry VIII at the Tower of London. He is said to be the last known person killed at the command of the impetuous Tudor king. So why did he lose his head?
In short, a serious political situation had unfolded as King Henry VIII’s health began to fail and tensions escalated between two of the major families at the time – the Seymours and the Howards – over whom would assume regency for King Henry’s young son, Prince Edward.
Henry Howard began stirring up trouble, claiming the Howards should be regents. He also stopped a political marriage that would have benefitted the Seymours – and they didn’t like that one bit.
As Henry Howard’s father Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, was heir apparent if King Henry died without having children, he stood to gain a lot from Henry’s death. Incensed by Henry Howard, the rival Seymour family used this to their advantage, and the accused the Howard family of wanting to set the King’s son Edward aside and seize the throne for themselves.
It was convincing enough for the ailing king, as both Henry and Thomas Howard were imprisoned in the tower, and sentenced to death. Henry was executed aged 30.
By sheer luck Thomas Howard (who was also uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard) managed to avoid the executioner’s axe as King Henry died before his execution date and the council voted not to start Edward VI’s reign with bloodshed.
Thomas was imprisoned for six years before being restored to his Dukedom during the reign of Queen Mary.
Best Royal Pictures of the Week
Princess Anne
The Princess Royal looked radiant in red as she visited Wings for Warriors on Thursday, a charity which trains wounded, injured or sick servicemen and veterans as professional pilots at Gloucestershire Airport Training Facility.
Queen Letizia
Spain’s Queen also looked radiant in red as she waved to crowds in Barcelona during a visit to the Dexeus Women's Foundation, created to advance studies in obstetrics, gynaecology and human reproduction.
Queen Maxima
Continuing the trend for royals in red, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands visited an agricultural cooperative for sugar beet processing on Wednesday.
Duchess Sophie
The Duchess of Edinburgh got hands on serving food during a visit to the Community Shop on Wednesday.
King Charles
Royalty and celebrity mixed on Wednesday as Penny Lancaster and Sir Rod Stewart, the new ambassadors for The King’s Foundation, looked on as the King placed a letter in The King's Foundation's 35th anniversary time capsule at Dumfries House in Scotland.
Prince William
It’s not every day the heir to the throne is spotted in the local pub, but that’s exactly what happened when the Prince of Wales enjoyed a pint with fellow Aston Villa fans at a weekly fan meet-up before the match.
A fan in attendance who spoke to Prince William said: “He was a lovely guy, proper down to earth and he loves Villa and the passion we all share.
“I think if he didn’t have other commitments he would have loved to be at the match.”
Japanese royals
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako brought flowers to the 30th anniversary memorial ceremony for the Great Hanshin Earthquake in Kobe on Friday. The earthquake claimed the lives of over 6,400 people.
Princess Catherine
All eyes were on the Princess of Wales this week as she made a special visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital where she had secretly received treatment for cancer last year. She spoke with patients and swapped stories.
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde
The Belgian royals looked especially glam on Tuesday at a reception for diplomatic and military representatives of NATO.
Royal Diary
We're kicking off the royal week with a very special celebration, plus there's a long-haul trip for the Princess Royal.
Find out more in this week's Royal Diary.