After Christmas, King Charles and Queen Camilla traveled up to Scotland and they’ve been there ever since. In the olden days, QEII would stay at Sandringham through early-to-mid-February before returning to London or Windsor. Charles is starting a new tradition: New Year’s in Scotland.
On Thursday, around the same time Prince William and Kate were visiting Liverpool, Charles made his first public appearance of the year. The Windsors were definitely hunkered down, waiting for Prince Harry’s Spare to blow over, and this was clearly a coordinated effort to “turn the page.” A visual “so, anyway.” Is it working? Eh. Charles stepped out in Aberdeen and he wore a kilt and he spoke to mostly older people. He seemed happy, although he’s seemed extremely joyful ever since his mother died (it’s macabre). While Prince Harry’s Spare has not been good for the monarchy, I’m consistently surprised by how palpably Harry loves and cares for his father. Harry forgives his father, confides in his father, understands his father, adores his father and still wants his father’s love. Charles must be disgusted by how much Harry is exactly like Diana.
Meanwhile, I enjoyed this twofer: Spare is flying off the shelves in France, and King Charles’s first foreign trip will be to France:
Prince Harry’s autobiography Spare is doing so well in France that publishers have launched a fresh print run after the first 210,000 copies flew off the shelves. The book sold 1.4 million English-language copies on its first day in Britain, the United States and Canada, smashing Penguin Random House’s sales record. More surprising was its runaway success in France, despite the country’s revolutionary penchant for cutting off its monarchs’ heads.
Strong orders for the French version of Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir led Paris-based publishing house Fayard to print 130,000 extra copies only two days after the book went on sale. The publisher could not yet give exact sales figures. Despite their Republican values, the French have long displayed a fascination for British royalty. Seven out of ten French people recently expressed a positive opinion of the Royal family.
In the latest sign of proximity, it emerged that King Charles will make his first state visit to the country in March to build bridges post-Brexit. The visit, pencilled in for the week of March 27, will include a state dinner at the Elysee Palace and a meeting between Camilla and France’s first lady Brigitte Macron, according to Le Parisien.
Mr Macron is said to have extended an official invitation to the King when he travelled to London for the Queen’s funeral. “I think the British people and the King felt France’s deep affection for them and the emotion we shared,” he said at the time.
I think it’s interesting that Charles’s first trip as king will be a visit to France. I expected him to visit a Commonwealth country first, didn’t you? Like, a week in Canada? He’ll probably go to Australia this year too, after the coronation. Maybe it makes sense that pre-coronation, he’ll just visit countries which are relatively close. As for French people reading Spare… mon dieu!
Photos courtesy of Andrew Milligan/Avalon.
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- King Charles III during his visit to Aboyne and Mid Deeside Community Shed in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, to meet with local hardship support groups and tour of new facilities. Picture date: Thursday January 12, 2023.,Image: 749251934, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Andrew Milligan / Avalon
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- King Charles III during his visit to Aboyne and Mid Deeside Community Shed in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, to meet with local hardship support groups and tour of new facilities. Picture date: Thursday January 12, 2023.,Image: 749251956, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Andrew Milligan / Avalon
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- King Charles III during his visit to Aboyne and Mid Deeside Community Shed in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, to meet with local hardship support groups and tour of new facilities. Picture date: Thursday January 12, 2023.,Image: 749252051, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Andrew Milligan / Avalon
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- King Charles III during his visit to Aboyne and Mid Deeside Community Shed in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, to meet with local hardship support groups and tour of new facilities. Picture date: Thursday January 12, 2023.,Image: 749252068, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Andrew Milligan / Avalon
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- King Charles III during his visit to Aboyne and Mid Deeside Community Shed in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, to meet with local hardship support groups and tour of new facilities. Picture date: Thursday January 12, 2023.,Image: 749252083, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Andrew Milligan / Avalon
Egg….INCOMING!
My first thought as well! Lock up the eggs, he’s here!
He did send the KKKeens before to test the wind yesterday 😂
The thing about the French (at least in my experience) is they are anti-monarchy 100% but LOVE a good gossip and drama. And this is giving both. Plus, honestly, this story is compelling on so many levels for people worldwide. Of course people are reading. Wherever Charles goes, he can’t hide from this. Good
I think older generations in France, like in the UK, appreciated the role Elizabeth and her parents took in WWII. The more time passes, the less connection a generation has to it, the less they would care about the British monarchy. Princess Diana, ‘Lady Di,’ was a popular figure in France, though, and there’s clearly interest in her son.
He’s gotta play to his audience. Just go where he knows he won’t be booed or egged and will be handled with kid gloves and an unquestioning “press.” Those places are becoming increasingly rare.
I think the book is on its 3rd or 4th reprint in France. I’d be interested in learning how many copies have been sold throughout Europe.
My impression is that Harry loves his father deeply. As any child would, especially in light of Charles being his only surviving parent. But I think Harry has been slow in removing the blinders and seeing Charles as he truly is with all his warts and imperfections. Therapy has helped Harry see more clearly but I don’t think he’s all the way there yet. At some point every adult child has to remove the rose colored glasses and see a parent as the person they truly are.
I remain surprised how generous Harry is towards his Dad after he was treated so shamefully during events surrounding the Queen’s funeral.
My mother is 90. It wasn’t until my early 30’s that the scales fell from my eyes and I saw her for who she is: self centered, manipulative and passive aggressive. And I love her dearly.
It took me until my 40s to see my father for who he is. When he tried to break up my marriage, that was it, I was done. My give a damn is well and truly busted. But it took a LOT to get there.
I can’t even imagine what rationale they could cook up for the British monarch visiting the French republic. Emphasis on republic.
I would imagine that it’s to do with trade since Brexit is going so well🙄
Good one!
I love this idea of defining everything the RF does using the Sussex timeline – “since the Oprah interview” and “since Spare came out.”
I’m not surprised that Harry loves his father and wants to be loved in return. Despite the love, Harry still removed himself from the family and expects mediation/apologies before he can have a real relationship with Charles.
As a person who has been through a divorce, I can honestly say, children love their parents. It doesn’t matter how crappy their parent is, a child will love them and want to be loved by them in return. (If you think about it, our survival as a species depends on this.)
It’s really more as we reach adulthood that we can expect our parent to behave like a human being because by then our survival no longer depends on them.
My ex is a terrible narcissist who has alienated everyone (friends, family, etc) but somehow my adult daughter still manages to have a relationship that works with him. She doesn’t like him, her partner thinks he’s “weird and abusive”. There were years of heartbreak as I watched her come to terms with who her dad was, but she did, and she’s ok.
I think it’s much the same journey H is on right now. Of course, he wants his dad to love him, he’s a very lovable person. It’s more about accepting his dad for who he is, not really capable of love.
They are reading the book “despite the country’s revolutionary penchant for cutting off its monarchs’ heads.” Maybe, because of. They can read the book and congratulate themselves on being smart enough to do away with these types of people as their rulers. And do the royals have even a drop of heritage in Scotland to be seen wearing kilts?
I hate seeing an Englishman in a kilt. Stop pretending.
It’s so funny! Playing dress-up again.
His grandmother was Scots.
Most Scotsmen would gib at toadying to the English king. The fellow in the kilt with Charles would probably be ridiculed in the pub with the unctousness he is displaying. As my husband would say…bloody Sassenach!
My brother lives in Northeast Scotland. Married an Aberdeen lass.
When England is playing any football team, Scotland roots for the opponent.
antipodean
He is the King Of Scots so not a Sassenach
So once in a 1000 ears is a long record of it
Elizabeth Bowes -Lyon daughter of the Thane of Glamis whose ancestor got his lands from King Robert II was his grandmother ,
It seems like everyone everywhere is reading this book in one format or another. I don’t think the royals or the british press expected this. I think they thought their smear campaign over the past month specifically (“oversaturation,” “they’re so boring, we’ve heard all this before” etc) would turn people off the book. Ironically, I think the extensive coverage of the leaked excerpts got more people interested in the book, once they realized he was actually “going there” with some of these incidents.
So, just saw one of Nostradamus’ prophecy which had accurately predicted Betty’s death and that the next year, the king of the islands would be chased out by the people unhappy with the divorce and the king will be someone who was never expected to be king. And all this in 2023. Fingers crossed for King Harry IX? We know he’ll shut down the whole shitshow.
Perhaps it means that Harry will turn it down, Andrew shunted aside, and Anne will be a regent for George? That would be unexpected.
The UK is not a safe place for Harry, Meghan, and his children.
I think Edward would be regent before Anne, he is ahead of her in the line of succession.
Wouldn’t it be Beatrice? She’s in line ahead of Edward.
@LuckyCharm, yes, she is. I was thinking if Andrew was “shunted aside” it might mean his whole family. But you’re right, after Harry and his kids its Andrew/his kids, then Edward/his kids, then Anne. So Beatrice could be up.
It’s Bojo’s time to shine!
I think he should be doing solo events.
He needs to build his popularity before he tries to prop up Camilla.
He does a lot of gurning.
I had never seen Charles look ecstatic like he has since his mother died. What a disgusting man.
It’s from relief that he outlived his mother & joy that he finally gets elevation to the part for which he’s been rehearsing for 70+ years. It’s like an understudy’s glee when the star gets too sick to appear on stage.
Very All About Eve.
Listen, I’m not a stickler for mourning periods or not allowing happiness during mourning periods however, even I am shocked that Charles looks over the moon happy since Petty Betty died. I mean, that man is finally happy now that his cold, unfeeling parents are dead, he gets to lord his power over his siblings (pour one out for Edward’s hopes and dreams), and he can force almost 57,000,000 subjects..er.. citizens to accept his Last Trollop Standing as his queen consort.
The man is positively giddy.
I can’t say I’m shocked he’s happy. He finally got everything he was promised and ever wanted.
“mon dieu,” my friend, not “mon deux.”
“Charles must be disgusted by how much Harry is exactly like Diana.”
Exactly which explains why Charles has always treated Harry so badly. When Harry says “I’m my mother’s son” it because Charles probably shouted at him that he’s just like his mother a lot.
Makes sense why the rest of the family treated him like garbage, too. They thought they were rid of her, but Harry is a constant reminder.
Charles’ ankles look swollen. You may get King William sooner than expected.
From the comments I’ve read here, I dread what’s in store for Charles and Camilla. They’re in for a bumpy ride as King and Queen. 😱 No one will have any respect for them: they both drove Diana away completely and now they also have Prince Harry’s book to contend with in the offing. As the old saying goes: be careful what you wish for……