Royal family 7-8 April: Norwegian princess's daughter turns 21, Princess Anne's 'special project' & more

At the weekend, Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling put on a united front ahead of their upcoming wedding this summer. The betrothed couple stepped out with their respective children, Savannah and Isla Phillips and Harriet's daughter, Georgina, whom Harriet shares with her ex-husband and fitness instructor, Antonio St John Sperling.

The decision to step out altogether, with all the girls in coordinating outfits, something which psychologist, Joanna Konstantopoulou, said can make a huge difference.

© PA Images via Getty Images

"When a family appears together like this for the first time, what they wear can quietly shape how the moment is received. Choosing similar colours makes the group look more connected, which matters more in this kind of situation than it usually would."

She continued: "In blended families, there are often different backgrounds coming together at once, so creating a sense of visual consistency can help reduce any sense of separation. It’s not really about style. It’s about making things feel more straightforward and less divided, both within the group and from the outside." 

Read the full story here.

After being ousted from his previous home, Royal Lodge, on Monday, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor relocated to his new home, Mash Farm on the Sandringham Estate. 

Marsh Farm is located 1.5 miles away from the main Sandringham House. You may think that this distance could be symbolic of Charles wanting to remove Andrew from the royal fold; however, there are other factors at play as to why Andrew has been located so far away from the main residence.

Given Sandringham's accessibility to the public, Andrew's new home needed to be somewhere he wasn't subject to scrutiny. Read the full story here.

Being part of the royal family comes with a certain set of expectations but did you know it is precedent for members of the royal family not to fly together to protect royal lineage? 

While there is no official rule in place, heirs should technically not take the same flights to protect royal lineage. Of course, to be practical, you will have seen direct heirs travelling together in the past countless times before, but they must seek permission from the King, who has the final say on the matter.

Prince William and Prince George flew together on their royal tours to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Poland and Germany. Similarly, when William was a tot, he accompanied his father on worldwide tours.

See more royal rules here.

Lady Amelia Windsor was serving as serious fashion inspiration on Monday when she shared a glimpse of her fun-filled Easter weekend. 

© Instagram

The young royal, 30, sported a pair of floral denim shorts and a cropped brown vest, which perfectly showed off her flawless sun tan.

"Un bon weekend," she wrote in the caption.

The Princess of Wales shared a sweet interaction with James, Earl of Wessex, at Sunday's Easter Matins service as the royal family put on a united display. 

Kate, 44, was seen warmly chatting with the 18-year-old ahead of the church service in St George's Chapel, Windsor, with royal fans gushing over the "lovely" and candid moment. 

The service was attended by extended members of the royal family, offering the chance to see interactions the public doesn't normally get to see.

James was seen walking down to the church with his father, Prince Edward, closely behind the senior royals, before chatting with Kate, his cousin-in-law, before the service began. 

The upper echelons of British royalty and aristocracy are smaller than one might think. Therefore, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that members of the British royal family, as well as noblemen and women, have occasionally dated the same person.

Andrew Parker Bowles, Queen Camilla's ex-husband of 22 years, wasn't only romantically involved with Her Majesty. The ex-army officer, nicknamed "the Brigadier," also dated Princess Anne.

Both Anne and Camilla remain on excellent terms with Andrew. The Times reported that he and the Queen remain "joined at the hip," while Andrew went on to become Anne's daughter, Zara Tindall's godfather.

Meanwhile, Before his relationship with Princess Diana, King Charles dated her elder sister, Lady Sarah Spencer. The pair reportedly met at a house party at Windsor Castle during Royal Ascot. However, the relationship, which began in 1977, didn't last long.

See more here!

Princess Diana was born in Park House, which is just 500m away from the Sandringham estate, where the royals often retreat to over Easter and Christmas. The home had been rented by her father, John Spencer, a year before the late royal was born.

In 1987, the late Queen gifted the property to Leonard Cheshire Disability, and it was transformed into a hotel that specifically catered to people with disabilities and their carers.

The organisation ran the hotel, and in 2019, they developed plans for a refurbishment of the property, however, this ended up being deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The trust closed the hotel during the pandemic, and it has remained vacant ever since.

Passing over the reins to Beatriz, who will be giving you all the royal updates this evening!

Pippa Middleton may not be a member of the royal family, but the vast estate she has to call home with her husband James Matthews and their three children certainly rivals any royal residence. In 2022, the family relocated from London to Berkshire to raise their children in the countryside at an impressive stately manor called Barton Court.

Since they moved into the £15 million property, they have made major changes to the estate, such as relocating the outdoor swimming pool and adding a tennis court. Now, Pippa and James are locked in a dispute with the local council over the demolition of existing greenhouses and the addition of new ones in their walled garden.

Read more about it here. 

The royal family were out in full force on Easter Sunday, with many fans noticing the younger generation stepping out to mark the occasion.

It was a particularly special day for Princess Anne's son Peter, who attended the Easter service at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle with his fiancée Harriet Sperling, his two daughters Savannah, 15, and Isla, 14, whom he shares with his ex-wife Autumn Kelly, and Harriet's daughter, Georgina, 13.

Peter's youngest daughter, Isla, has previously been likened to her grandmother, Anne, and once again sparked comparisons to her great-grandfather, Prince Philip, the late husband of Queen Elizabeth II.

See the photos here. 

That's all we have for you today, but we will cap off the week's royal news with our blog tomorrow morning, which will go into Friday as well.

Cheers!

More than 300 items from Queen Elizabeth II’s wardrobe go on display tomorrow at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, as the largest-ever exhibition of the late Queen’s fashion opens to mark the centenary of her birth. Drawn from Queen Elizabeth’s personal fashion archive – now part of the Royal Collection – the items on display trace the evolution of her world-famous style across nearly a century of public life.

© ©Cecil Beaton/Victoria and Albe

Among the exhibition’s highlights are outfits worn by the Queen for significant personal milestones. These include the dress, robe and coronet she wore as a child at her parents’Coronation; her wedding dress; a rare surviving dress from her first Commonwealth tour as Queen in 1953–4; and ensembles chosen for the weddings of her sister, Princess Margaret and cousin, Princess Alexandra. Displayed for the first time is an evening gown discreetly tailored to accommodate her first pregnancy between 1948 and 1950. Visitors will also see

 garments worn at landmark moments in the nation’s history, from the Coronation dress that heralded a new Elizabethan era to the Tudor-inspired ensemble worn for Prince Charles’s investiture as Prince of Wales. Outfits marking her Silver, Golden, Diamond, and Platinum Jubilees highlight key chapters in the Queen’s 70-year reign.

For tickets, click here.