Hello and hugs to everyone, along with Happy St. Patrick’s Day wishes, albeit a different sort of observance as there is no shamrock ceremony this year to cover, but primarily because of the crushing concerns about the health of so many readers and their loved ones. As many of us confront significant changes to our daily routines, things are very quiet on Planet Kate, and rightly so. There is news today about HM’s schedule; she is currently at Buckingham Palace, but there are changes ahead. Below, a portion of a statement released today by Buckingham Palace.
As a sensible precaution and for practical reasons in the current circumstances, a number of changes are being made to The Queen’s diary.
Her Majesty will move to Windsor Castle for the Easter period on Thursday 19th March, one week earlier than planned. It is likely The Queen will stay there beyond the Easter period.
There are several event cancellations or postponements, including the following:
- the annual Maundy Service at St George’s Chapel on April 9th
- three Garden Parties hosted by The Queen, due to be held at Buckingham Palace in May (guests will be asked to attend parties in 2021)
- Garden Parties for the Not Forgotten Association and the National Trust will also not take place
- Investitures will be rearranged to later dates
The statement also notes that decisions on Trooping the Colour, the 75th anniversary of VE Day, and the State Visit by the Emperor and Empress of Japan will be made “in due course.” The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall’s tour to Bosnia, Herzegovina, Cyprus, and Jordan has also been postponed.
My guess is we will see very little of the Cambridge family in the near future. I would not expect the Australia visit to happen, at least not in the foreseeable future. Nor would I think we’ll see them on Easter Sunday as we have the past several years. Royal family members tend to attract crowds, and that is the last thing anyone wants to create right now. Clearly, it’s a fluid situation, and things are changing rapidly throughout many regions of the world.
What does it mean for our WKW community? It is a difficult situation. Many are anxious, adapting to different schedules, lifestyles, and stressors. I think it’s a time when fashion and style can provide a distraction. So, for the time being, I plan to continue posting unless it becomes inappropriate. Yesterday I asked on Facebook what sort of things people would like to see on the page. Responses include vintage Kate pictures and posts, more polls, repliKates people have discovered, and lots of other great suggestions. Fortunately (I think!), I didn’t get to the year-end polls until ten days or two weeks ago when I started compiling them, so there is fodder for a few posts. If there are things you would like to see, let me know in a comment or via an email.
Okay, we’ll move to today’s “originally scheduled content.” There is no St. Patrick’s Day parade this year because the Irish Guards are deployed in Iraq and South Sudan. So I thought it would be fun to look back at the Duchess’s previous outfits and get your input on which is your favorite. First, some very quick background on the Irish Guards.
