The Royal Dispatch
Royal Christmas jumpers and gift-giving
Happy Sunday, Royal Clubbers, it’s Millie here with your new edition of The Royal Dispatch. If you missed the last one, you can catch up here.
It’s been full festive cheer this week as royals at home and abroad geared up to celebrate Christmas and the end of another year.
Duchess Sophie got hands-on during a charity visit, while one European royal wore a Christmas jumper with her own unique style.
On home ground, British royals gathered for King Charles’s pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace. I wonder if they had crackers and paper crowns!
Before we go into the royal pictures of the week, it’s time for some royal history.
On this day in 1135, Norman nobles recognised Stephen of Blois as the King of England.
Following the death of his uncle, Henry I, Stephen raced to London to be crowned, going against an oath he’d sworn to Henry that he would support Henry’s daughter, Empress Matilda.
Despite his election being confirmed by the Pope a year later, in 1139 Matilda invaded to claim the throne which she believed was rightfully hers. What followed was chaos and civil war, as nobles turned against each other and the king, until Stephen was captured in 1141.
Matilda would have become queen, having made her way to London. But she angered the local people by failing to give tax concessions and was forced to flee. In 1148 Matilda left England, placing her son in position to continue the fight for the throne.
While Stephen had regained control of England, he remained unable to control the warring nobles, and eventually signed over the succession to Matilda’s son, who would become King Henry II.
Best Royal Pictures of the Week
Belgian royals
The Belgian royal family brought black tie glamour to Christmas as King Philippe and Queen Mathilde reunited with their daughters, Princesses Eleonore and Elisabeth, on Wednesday for their traditional Christmas carol concert.
King Charles
As part of his work as both head of state and Church of England, King Charles attended an advent service celebrating the strength and courage of faith communities at The Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception on Tuesday.
As well as hosting his family for a pre-Christmas lunch, King Charles also had a busy week of diplomacy as he welcomed the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, Hassanal Bolkiah to Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.
Duchess Sophie
The Duchess of Edinburgh helped out serving food on Wednesday during a visit to The Lighthouse, a community charity which hosts a range of creative projects to support, encourage and empower those who find themselves in need.
Queen Letizia of Spain
Let’s play a game of spot the royal! Queen Letizia was joined by plenty of smiling fans for a selfie as she attended the closing of the International Seminar on Language and Journalism in Spain on Tuesday.
Queen Mary of Denmark
Queen Mary brought out her Christmas jumper for a day at a food shelter in Copenhagen on Tuesday.
Monaco royals
Princess Charlene, her husband Prince Albert and children Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella were a big part of spreading the festive spirit in Monaco on Wednesday at the Monaco Christmas Tree Ceremony.
As the royals are taking a much-needed rest during the festive period, the Royal Diary will be back in January once official engagements start up again. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for the annual Christmas Day outing at Sandringham, where we hope to see lots of royals wrapped up warm on their traditional walk to church.
It is heartening to see the royal families of different countries giving to the people. True meaning of the holiday season!