Is Buckingham Palace still the Queen's main residence?
Think of the Queen and you think of Buckingham Palace. It's up there with the White House as one of the world's most celebrated addresses.
Generally,
tourists take a cab or a bus, hop off to take a picture of the famous
railings, maybe sticking around for the changing of the guard just
before lunchtime, and then head on to the next destination on their
list. So, why the fascination, especially when most people don't even go
inside?
They come because it's home to the living, breathing British monarchy and they grew up seeing it in movies and history books.
None
of that has changed. This is still the Queen's head office but she
doesn't stay overnight anymore. She has, to all intents and purposes,
moved to what used to be her weekend home at Windsor Castle. Some
reports this week have suggested the move is permanent.
People on the Long Walk outside Windsor Castle
The
Queen's office at Buckingham Palace declined to comment, but a royal
source told us she continues to carry out a variety of engagements there
and confirmed it remains the central base of the British monarchy.
The source also pointed out that the ongoing Buckingham Palace refurb
is expected to continue for another five years, and who wants to live
in a building site? When we've been behind the scenes, the place is
awash with builders, tools and pots of paint -- a world away from the
peaceful medieval grandeur of Windsor. Where would you prefer to spend
your latter years?
The
bigger question is what Charles plans to do with the palace. His office
rarely comments on matters relating to his own monarchy as it would be
insensitive to his mother who is still very much the sovereign.
He
also prefers life outside the capital. He's passionate about walking
and the countryside and spends as much time as possible in the
tranquility of his rural residence in the rolling hills of
Gloucestershire in the English West Country. If he inherits Buckingham
Palace as an office rather than a residence, he may choose to keep it
that way.
Buckingham Palace continues to attract tourists to its famous gates.
Charles
could demonstrate his desire for a leaner, more efficient monarchy by
opening the building up for wider public use. He could rent it out for
events and exhibitions.
When
you consider Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms, including 19 state rooms,
240 bedrooms and 92 offices, it probably could be used more effectively
than it has in the past.
But
would you, as a tourist, visit an office? Isn't it the idea that the
Queen actually lives there that is appealing about the place? She could
tweak a curtain or drive out at any moment... that's what makes it so
exciting to be there.
What
do you think Charles should do with the palace? Send us your ideas and
we will publish the most interesting ones in next week's newsletter.
DON'T MISS
Normally
the fact that the monarch completed her first in-person appearance
after a bout of illness would be front page news over here. However,
with the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine, attention was quite
rightly diverted when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stopped by
Windsor Castle on Monday.
The Queen was all smiles when she caught up with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday.
Photographs
of the pair in the now-familiar Oak Room showed Trudeau clasping the
Queen's hands as they appeared to chat and laugh together.
But
it was the background that garnered the most attention from the
engagement. Eagle-eyed royal-watchers spotted a large bouquet of blue
and yellow flowers -- the colors of the Ukrainian flag -- on a table
behind the pair. It's been seen by many as a very deliberate choice of
set dressing by the monarch to quietly convey her support to the people
of Ukraine.
It wouldn't be unheard of for the Queen to give subtle hints at her thinking -- she's certainly done it in the past. This latest possible example also follows her "generous" but private donation last week to an emergency humanitarian appeal currently operating in the UK.
Trudeau
journeyed to Europe on Sunday for a week of meetings designed to
"further strengthen Canada's solidarity with our European partners and
allies in the face of Russia's unwarranted invasion of Ukraine."
Following his stop in London, the Canadian Prime Minister -- who himself
recently recovered from coronavirus -- traveled on to Latvia, Germany
and Poland.
How to help: Looking
for ways to help those affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine?
Organizations are on the ground in Ukraine and neighboring countries to
help with shelter, food, water and additional aid. Head here to find out how to help.
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING?
William caught up in social media storm. What exactly did he say about war in Europe?
The
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Wednesday came laden with homemade
brownies and granola bars from Kensington Palace for volunteers at a
Ukrainian cultural center in London, which has been collecting donations
for the war-torn nation.
The
couple learned about how the Ukrainian Social Club is coordinating
relief packages, handling the generous outpouring of public offerings it
has received and the distribution challenges in funneling aid back to
Ukraine.
The
royal couple conveyed their shock at Russia's unfolding invasion and
revealed their children have been asking them about the conflict.
"Everyone is horrified by what they are seeing. It's really horrifying.
The news every day, it's just, it's almost unfathomable," William said.
"For our generation, it's very alien to see this happening in Europe.
But we're all right behind you. We're thinking about you ... We feel so
useless."
In
the hours after the engagement, "Prince William" was trending on social
media after the royal's remarks were incorrectly paraphrased by the
royal pool journalist, who had filed copy saying William had compared
the war in Europe to conflicts in Asia and Africa.
The
pool system means British reporters take turns covering engagements and
share information and photos among the group so that events can be
widely reported by all outlets. Once the misheard remarks were
distributed through the pool, they were widely used in various
publications, before going viral on social platforms.
By
Thursday afternoon, video of the moment surfaced from broadcaster ITV
clarifying William had never made such a reference. Media outlets issued
corrections and online articles were removed or amended.
William and Catherine chat with volunteers as they pack donations to be sent to Ukraine.
Refugees could help Britain's skills shortage, Charles says.
The
Prince of Wales has spoken of "enormous benefits" possessed by many
refugees escaping their war-ravaged homelands. Charles was visiting St.
Luke's Church in west London on Wednesday to learn more about the Holy Trinity Brompton's Refugee Response program, launched in September to help support Afghan arrivals to the UK.
During
the visit, Charles told refugees from countries including Afghanistan,
Ukraine, Iraq and Iran that he couldn't "begin to imagine the dreadful
conditions" they had endured to reach the UK. The heir to the throne
said he prayed they had been welcomed and that they bring much-needed
skills to the country.
"I
know so many of you already have qualifications, training in your own
countries, and we have enormous skill shortages in this country, where
so much of what you can do could be of enormous benefit to it. We are
very lucky in many ways to have you and your skills and all you can
bring," he said.
Charles meets refugees during the visit on Wednesday.
When Camilla met "Camilla."
The
Duchess of Cornwall opened the doors of Clarence House Tuesday for a
special celebration to mark International Women's Day, welcoming guests
to her London residence as president of WOW -- Women of the World
Festival.
She
was met by Jude Kelly, the founder and CEO of the WOW Foundation,
before mingling with invitees and taking part in a group photo. Among
the guests were Inna Prystaiko, wife of Ukraine's ambassador to the UK,
former British Prime Minister Theresa May and Spice Girl Mel B.
Camilla
also had a bit of a royal run-in when the duchess met her television
alter ego, Emerald Fennell, at the event. Fennell portrayed a
fictionalized version of a young Camilla in Netflix's most recent season
of "The Crown." Rumors about the family's feelings on the hit series
have swirled for years but Camilla was nothing but smiles during the
encounter.
While
at the event, she also got the chance to catch up with three female
Afghan judges, who were evacuated from the country along with 100 others
by the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute, as the
Taliban returned to power last year. "Their stories, of the humanity
behind the headlines, are unbearably moving -- but they must, and they
do, have the power to stir us to action, as do the heart-breaking
stories from Ukraine of brutal attacks on democracy and freedom," the
duchess said at the WOW reception.
Camilla meets her "The Crown" counterpart, actor and award-winning writer-director Emerald Fennell.
DID YOU KNOW?
Prince Andrew civil sex abuse case is officially over.
US District Judge Lewis Kaplan officially dismissed Virginia Giuffre's sexual abuse lawsuit against
the Duke of York Tuesday after attorneys for both parties submitted a
stipulation to the court asking for a dismissal. David Boies, an
attorney for Giuffre, confirmed Prince Andrew had paid the agreed
settlement. That dollar figure has not been disclosed. "The payment was
received, the settlement we announced last month has been completed. We
are obviously very pleased with the outcome," Boies said. CNN has
reached out to counsel for Prince Andrew for comment.
The parties reached an out-of-court settlement agreement
in February, which included Andrew's payment of an undisclosed amount
to Giuffre and her charity supporting victims' rights, according to
court documents.
In
the lawsuit, Giuffre alleged Epstein trafficked her and forced her to
have sex with his friends, including Andrew, and that the prince was
aware she was underage in the US at the time. Andrew has repeatedly
denied the allegations against him. (Reporting from CNN's Lauren del Valle)
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Prince
Charles, who has been Colonel of the Welsh Guards since 1975, happily
chats with a soldier from the Prince of Wales Company while visiting the
Combermere Barracks in Windsor on Tuesday. The 73-year-old inspected
soldiers before presenting them with "Operation Shader" medals,
following their deployment to Iraq.
IN THE ROYAL DIARY
March 14: Members
of the royal family will come together for the annual Commonwealth Day
service at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday. The service -- which
will be the first in-person gathering of the Commonwealth since
coronavirus struck -- will pay tribute to the Queen's life-long
commitment to the 54-member organization. Lord Bishop Sentamu, former
Archbishop of York, will give an address, with musical performances from
Emeli Sandé and Mica Paris, according to Buckingham Palace. Later
Monday, Prince Charles and Camilla will attend the annual Commonwealth
reception at Marlborough House.
March 17: The
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are planning to attend the St. Patrick's
Day Parade at Mons Barracks in Aldershot, England on Thursday. It will
be their first appearance at the event since the start of the pandemic,
and the couple will visit the 1st Battalion Irish Guards.
The
four paid tribute to the monarch on International Women's Day in a rare
joint post shared simultaneously from their official Instagram
accounts. Check out the accompanying carousel of snaps here.
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