Prince Harry

Hello, there, Prince Smirkyface. You can bring that half-smile over for dinner any time you like.

Prince Harry at the England Training Session

Obviously, a benefit of being a prince -- and the Dreamkeeper of England's Rugby Hopes (not an official title) -- is getting to pop over to practice whenever you want. If I were, say, the Official Dreamkeeper of the Los Angeles Dodgers, I'd be at spring training right now asking Kershaw some really pointed (BUT LOVING) questions about his post-season play and whether or not he's seen a sports psychologist about it yet.

Wills and Kate

You totes already saw this photo. But I was at my tax appointment when this happened and I just wanted to relive it. Love AND Guinness, which are basically two of my favorite things.

The Queen And Wills

This was interesting. So, for the first time, Wills got to hang out with Gran and learn how to do this, a task which he's going to have to do when he's king in 2060 or whatever and we're all holograms and I'm bringing you this post as a head suspended in a jar.

"Now, William, bitch about this hideous rug."

"I don't think it's that -- "

"YOU WILL NEVER BE KING WITH THAT ATTITUDE."

"It's wretched, you're right. I don't know what I was thinking."

The Queen And Duke Of Cambridge Attend Private Audiences At Buckingham Palace

Then he just withdrew to the corner to politely observe. I enjoy getting to see some of the King Training. I am sure there is a ton of it that happens behind the scenes that we never see, so getting to witness some of it is interesting to me.

The Queen Hosts The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Reception At Buckingham Palace

"This one's bad too, You Majesty."

"HOW DARE YOU."

QE2 and Phil

informative Caption tells me that the Queen and Prince P are attending "the opening of the new Mary Tealby dog kennels at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home." THAT certainly seems right up her street.

The Queen Visits HMS OCEAN

This photo is just amazing. As ever, I think the photographers who get sent out to cover events like this one really thrive when they've got such a dramatic backdrop paired with a Queen in a hot pink suit.

Her Majesty The Queen Arrives At Plymouth Train Station

This is the Lord Mayor Mike Fox and Lady Mayoress Rosemary Fox of Plymouth, and I really must salute the collective ensembles of Lord Mayors across the land.

Princess Beatrice

I am not wholly convinced that I think this shirt is a great idea, like, conceptually.

Pippa Middleton

A) This is a TERRIBLE picture of Pippa, facially. Sorry, Pips. I didn't mean it.

B) She is really -- as the Brits say -- fit. Maybe Pippa needs to put out a workout DVD. Although that would probably be considered common.

C) I enjoy that she's flanked by two doormen, or something. (This event was, per, IC, "an inaugural black-tie fundraising ball for Disability SnowSport UK. This year's ball featured Paralympians from the Sochi 2014 Games." That seems like a good cause.)

Princess Anne

Princess Anne is apparently in the Philippines, where I assume -- judging from this photo -- she is questioning all suspicious personages.

Buck House

You KNOW I love pictures of people polishing things inside Buckingham Place. This snap was released because the Buckingham Palace tour this summer is going to feature rooms set up as if for a state visit, and they'll escort everyone out the front. If you are in London this summer, YOU SHOULD GO. Heather and I did that tour (with a different set-up, obviously) when we were over there for our research tour for The Royal We and IT WAS AWESOME. (We actually also got escorted out the front, because we were the last people of the day to leave and we got into conversation with the guide and it was just...really cool. Also, the tour guides there were so lovely and smart.) It's not a cheap ticket, but it's well worth it.

Queen Letizia of Spain

"I love blazers."

Queen Letizia

She also LOVES this dress; she wears it at least once a month.

Felipe and Letizia

These two are attending the opera, and somehow Felipe looks SO MUCH TALLER than everyone else. I mean, he IS tall. But you know.

Willem-Alexander and a Carriage

So, here, W-A is unveiling "a restored glass carriage at the Louwman Museum in The Hague on March 16, 2015. The particular carriage, the oldest of the royal stable department, will be exhibited in the museum." GO SEE THAT TOO. All of you, go on vacation this summer and come back and tell me about all the interesting things you saw.

Maxima and W-A and Mary and Frederik

Maxima and W-A are visiting Denmark this week, and I'm glad everyone agree this moment called for a good hat. That is a DEEP curtsy from CPM -- and I don't know if it's sort of a hybrid hug/curtsey, or if she had to reach out and grab Maxima so as not to tip over, but regardless: DRAMATIC. (They both have lovely, lovely coats on.)

Crown Princess Mary and Queen Maxima

SPEAKING OF DRAMATIC.

W-A and Mary and Frederik

My favorite part of this photo is that it totally looks like two couples on a cruise together, posing for a pic before they go in for the formal meal. CPF is OF COURSE wearing his blue tux, but I think Maxima looks FANTASTIC.

Prince Joachim of Denmark and Princess Marie of Denmark

And a state visit, of course, calls for a state dinner, and a state dinner calls for TIARAS. I love this one; also, ever since one of you pointed out how much Princess Marie looks like Crown Princess Mary, that is all I can see.

Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik

They both look very lovely.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and Prince Henrik

I LOVE this tiara on Maxima (it's the same one she wore when W-A took over the big job and it's intense). I also find it interesting that she put her belt on OVER her sash, which I don't think I've ever seen before (or, more likely, never noticed).

Queen Margrethe of Denmark, etc

Queen Margrethe there, in the center, looks very grand. (As well she should.)

Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander Visit Germany

After Denmark, M and W-A obviously popped over to Germany to look at cows and wear amazing hats.

Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands Visit Germany

I LOVE this photo of them, attempting to watch the solar eclipse. Oh, Maxima. You are a spirited creature with a propensity for wacky hats and I love you.

Chaz and Cam

Meanwhile, Chaz and Cam are in the United States, and went over to see Mount Vernon. It seems...intriguing to me that part of their trip involves greeting Americans dressed up like Revolutionaries. I hope this guy cackled, "HA-HA WE BEAT YOU." Or maybe that he whispered, "I'm a double agent. It's not going to work out great, though." I also appreciate Camilla for being like, "I don't CARE if they don't wear hats there. I'm wearing a hat."

Chuck and Cam come to America

Here, they're visiting the Dr Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial (with Larry Johnson, who is president of the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Guy Vickers, Jesse Jackson, Rep. Terri Sewell, Rep. John Lewis, and Ed Jackson Jr. who was Executive Architect of the Memorial.) There was another great photo of this event, which I didn't download because I'm dumb, that looked just like this BUT with someone's hand in front of the camera. It really made it feel like a family vacation photo.

Cams and Chaz and Lincoln

This is kind of a great shot.

Prince Charles and President Obama

There were outtakes from this photo op wherein you could see that Camilla is on one of the sofas to the side, and Joe Biden is on the one facing her. He looks DELIGHTED. Somewhere, Leslie Knope is printing that photo out and putting it on a dream board.

Chaz and Cam

"Are you wearing A CAPE?"

"Americans have very romantic expectations for British royalty, Charles. LET'S GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT."

Camz

"Yes, you and Harry WOULD have very red-headed children."

Charles and Camilla visit Lincoln's Cottage

"So, if we'd won the Revolution, would you say that ALL of this would have been MINE, or just part of it?"

"I...don't really know the answer to that, I'm afraid."

BOWLING

So then we made Charles bowl. (I assume this is the bowling alley in the basement of the White House.) His form is NOT GOOD.

King Philippe Of Belgium and Queen Mathilde

Poor Mathilde. I feel so badly for her, given all her knee drama the last few weeks. THAT SAID: this coat is very charming.

Princess Caroline at an Art Exhibition At Villa Sauber In Monte Carlo

"What the hell are these? FLOWERS? Please."

Royals Round-Up, March 20, 2015

LOTS to cover this week! Harry and Wills and Kate all had outings, Princess Beatrice left the house, CPM and CPF were hanging out with Maxima and W-A, with MANY HATS and TIARAS, after which W-A and Maxima popped over to Germany to wear wacky glasses, and Chaz and Cammy are here in the United States. We made Charles bowl. Here on GFY this week, we brought you the following: Kate in maybe my favorite of her maternity outfits this particular pregnancy, with bonus Harry and his forearms Wills and Kate and booze and a dog! And we covered The Royals on E! It has...some issues. ALSO! We added a new event in our book tour (it's not REALLY a tour since it's not going too many places; we wish we could come out and meet you all, but it's all dependent on where our publisher would like to send us, basically). We will be at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, on SUNDAY, April 19th, at 1:30pm. Our panel is called Fiction: Famous By Association, with a signing to follow. It’s moderated by Heather Havrilesky, and the other panelists are Christopher Noxon and Shanna Mahin. (Tickets are required for this event, and we will post a link when they’re available; they’re only $1.) You can always get more info on our events on our Events and Signing page here. (We're also coming to NYC on April 7th, and DC on April 9th. Please come out and say hi!) We're also delighted to note that The Royal We was named to the 2015 Library Reads list for April (they kindly used the words "delightful," "pure fun," and "perfect," for which we are very grateful) and that we were lucky enough to get a starred review from Library Journal, who said we "hit all the right notes in this funny, smart, emotional tale." Librarians, we love you now more than ever, and we already loved you quite a lot. The book comes out April 7th, as you SURELY know by now, and of course you can always pre-order. ENOUGH of that, and thank you for your patience as I bang on about the book. Let's go somewhere else now: This is the best headline ever: Royal baby 'will be a girl called Alexandra' according to racing corgis. You HAVE GOT to see the pictures. (The Mirror) The Mirror also has a piece on a phenomenon I have noticed lately which is kind of astonishing to me: Namely, that Life and Style and OK! (the US version) have literally started publishing TOTAL FICTION -- in this case, both are claiming that Kate has already had the baby and George has met her and Carole Middleton had a tizzy in the waiting room, etc etc etc. Now, listen, I know tabloids make stuff up all the time, but it's at least stuff that we can't fully disprove immediately. Like, maybe Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux ARE secretly married already, but I saw that L&S on the same day that I literally saw video of pregnant Kate walking around. I'm not sure how they think ANYONE believes stuff that can literally be fact-checked just with eyes. People ran down some of their favorite fictional royals. (We are delighted that Nick and Bex made the list.) Look at all these awesome Royal Wedding Gowns of Yore! (Retroette) Royal Central has a good piece about crazy (often apocryphal) laws passed by monarchs. I enjoyed very much this piece in Maclean's about two recent books about the Duke of Windsor. This tidbit from today's investitures at Buckingham Palace is quite amusing. (From Her Majesty's Jewel Vault) Duchess Diary has a good look at Kate's new blue jewels (which we saw last week; allegedly birthday presents from Wills) Our friends at the Royal Hats blog has a (hat-related) update on the Japanese Imperial family. A late add: here's the schedule of events for Richard III's re-burial next week. (The Mirror)