The Royal Dispatch
Week's best photos and royal diary
Hi Royal Clubbers, I hope you’re having a great weekend, wherever in the world this finds you. Somehow it’s already time to bring you this week's edition of The Royal Dispatch, so let’s get stuck in.
But before we get on to the best royal pictures of the week, time for some history.
On This Day…
On this day in royal history, 7 June 1633, a prince survived an attack by an elephant.
Alamgir I, known by his title of Aurangzeb, was the sixth Mughal emperor and ruled over the subcontinent of India. During his reign, which spanned almost 50 years, the empire reached its greatest height, but it almost came to a swift end when a war elephant stampeded through the Mughal imperial encampment.
Bravely or foolishly, 14-year-old Aurangzeb rode towards the elephant and threw a spear at its head. He was unseated from his horse but was otherwise uninjured.
In response to his actions, Aurangzeb was given the title of Bahadur, meaning brave. On his 15th birthday a few days later, Aurangzeb was gifted his weight in gold and given an elephant called Sudhakar.
Best Royal Pictures of The Week
Princess Leonor
Land, ho! Princess Leonor of Spain arrived in New York, marking the end of her five months aboard training ship Juan Sebastian de Elcano. She will fly back to the Spanish city of Gijón in July to continue her naval training.
Dutch royals
How elegant do King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima look in this picture! Both the king and queen donned their best outfits (and you know I love a tiara moment as you told me you want to see royals wearing them more) for the state banquet offered by President Petr Pavel and First Lady Eva Pavlová at Prague Castle on Wednesday in the Czech Republic.
Princess Lilibet
Meghan Markle delighted fans when she shared a birthday snap of the rarely-seen Princess Lilibet for her fourth birthday. The proud mother captioned the shot: “Happy birthday to our beautiful girl! Four years ago today she came into our lives – and each day is brighter and better because of it. Thanks to all of those sending love and celebrating her special day!”
Princess Alexandra
Being the granddaughter of Grace Kelly must come with its own pressures, but Princess Alexandra of Hanover appeared equal to the challenge in this glamorous blush pink gown for the ELLE Style Awards 2025 at Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain on Wednesday.
Queen Camilla
Pleased to meet you, Your Majesty! A rather jovial Queen Camilla shook hands with some slightly overgrown people during the Big Lunch at Eden Dock on Wednesday. The Eden Project and Canary Wharf Group have partnered to transform Middle Dock into 'Eden Dock', a biodiverse space to host community events, although perhaps a topiarist is in order!
Queen Mathilde
Pretty in pink, Queen Mathilde rocked this co-ordinated ensemble on Tuesday, as she presented the Queen Elisabeth Competition for Piano 2025 awards at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium.
Queen Mary
Queen Mary is known for her impeccable sense of style. This grey jacket and shorts combination is particularly striking, and fitting as the Danish queen attended the Global Fashion Summit in Denmark.
Prince Harry
Meghan also shared this loving throwback photo of Prince Harry cradling his newborn baby daughter to mark her fourth birthday. She captioned the picture: “The sweetest bond to watch unfold. Daddy’s little girl and favourite adventurer.”
King Felipe
As unusual as it may be to spot a royal with a wine glass in hand, King Felipe had good reason for it. He spoke at the ceremony in recognition of the DOCa Rioja and the Control Board at the Herederos de Marques de Riscal winery on Thursday.
The Royal Diary
There's lots to look forward to for royal watchers with the week ahead culminating in the annual Trooping the Colour parade to mark the King's official birthday.
Elsewhere, there's a royal christening and a milestone anniversary.
Read on to find out more.