The Royal Dispatch
Royals at new year and some special photos
Wishing you a Happy New Year, Royal Clubbers, it’s Millie here with the first edition of The Royal Dispatch in 2025. If you missed last week’s Christmas round-up, you can find it here.
It’s been a very quiet week post-festivities for the royals, who have been enjoying some much-needed time away from royal duties with their families. It has however been a busy time on social media, as Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, joined Instagram, and the Prince and Princess of Wales shared their best photos of 2024 to mark the new year.
Before we go into the royal pictures of the week, it’s time for some royal history.
On this day in history, 5 January 1757, an assassination attempt was made on the French king, Louis XV.
Louis became king at just five years old, and took part in cabinet meetings from the age of ten. He went on to have a keen interest in science and botany, and is best-known for his string of mistresses, the most notable including Madame de Pompadour and Madame du Barry.
It is also worth noting that Louis’ successor, his grandson Louis XVI, would be the last king of France, beheaded in a rebellion which stirred before he even came to power.
On the evening of 5th January 1757 at around 6pm, King Louis XV descended a staircase in the Palace of Versailles and crossed the Guard Room, accompanied by the Dauphin, the Captain of the King’s Guards, the Grand and Petit Equerries and the Colonel of the Swiss Guards.
A carriage was waiting for him in a dark covered passageway outside. Just as the king was leaving the Guard Room, a man rushed past his bodyguards and struck him in the side.
The attacker was immediately caught and pulled away as he had been wearing a hat, which it was customary to remove in the presence of the king, which alerted the guards that something wasn’t right.
At first, Louis thought he had been hit with a punch or an elbow to the ribs, but his hand came away covered in blood. The weapon, a penknife, had struck the king between his fourth and fifth rib.
The long but shallow wound was bleeding heavily, and the king was carried to his bedchamber, where he fainted.
In what he believed to be his final moments, Louis called for a priest and entrusted his kingdom to the Dauphin. He also asked the Queen to forgive him for all the trouble he had caused her.
The assailant was a 42-year-old servant who had worked for councillors set against the king and his mistress at the time, Madame de Pompadour. He had taken the criticism of the monarch to heart and matters into his own hands.
While the king survived, the same could not be said for the assassin, who was tortured, drawn and quartered by horses, and his torso burned and ground to ashes. Ouch!
Best Royal Pictures of the Week
Japanese royals
Japan’s imperial family made their annual balcony appearance on Thursday as part of the New Year's Greeting celebration at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko looked out over the gathered crowds.
The imperial couple were joined by Crown Prince Akishino, Crown Princess Kiko and Princess Kako on the balcony.
Danish royals
Prince Joachim and Princess Marie joined the Danish royals for a New Year's Gala at Amalienborg Palace on Wednesday. The Prince is fifth in line to the throne, after the four children of his older brother, King Frederik X.
Queen Margarethe II
It’s been almost a year since the Danish Queen abdicated after a 52 year reign. The 84-year-old looked as glamorous as ever in a vibrant blue gown and tiara.
King Frederik
Part of the gala included an inspection of the Royal Guard by King Frederik.
Zara and Mike Tindall
While not strictly working royals, it was cheering to see Princess Anne’s daughter Zara joined by her family and husband on Wednesday to ring in the new year in the best way she knows: at the races. In spite of the stormy weather, Zara and Mike were all smiles at the New Year's Day Racing Meet at Cheltenham Racecourse.
Prince and Princess of Wales
Prince William and Princess Catherine marked the new year with a set of pictures from 2024, including some stills from the video announcing that the Princess of Wales had completed chemotherapy treatment.
That’s all for this week! See you next Sunday.