COMMENTARY: Some might suggest that 2024 was not the best year for the British royal family, but as we take a peek back at what went right and wrong, what can we look forward to in 2025?
As we all know, Princess Catherine had the most devastating year when it was announced that she was suffering from cancer, but good things came out of the bad and, according to a very well-placed source, Catherine has rediscovered herself as an individual and, more importantly, is now looking forward to returning to full-time royal duties with a renewed vigor. However, this is not without its initial problems.
This is simply because she’s rediscovered the joys of motherhood and spending time away from the media spotlight, something she’s had to live with for the last 12 years plus since her marriage to Prince William. He himself, though, has mainly flown solo this year and admitted in an interview that it had been a brutal year.
But a huge turning point in William’s life happened only last month, and that was his meeting with the 47th President-elect, Donald J. Trump. The two were at the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral with William representing His Majesty the King, who has had limited travel due to his own health issues.
But what truly emerged was William not only engaging incredibly well with President-elect Trump, but also receiving high praise, which reverberated around the world. According to my sources, both William and Catherine, along with the King and Queen, have all been invited to Trump’s inauguration on January 20 in Washington, D.C.
Catherine, meanwhile, has been reactivating all the charitable good works that she started out with in 2023, which came predominantly to a shuddering halt with her cancer diagnosis.
What is really going on behind the scenes is simply this: both William and Catherine are being fast-tracked to take on more royal duties and this is the simple fact of age. As we all know, his Majesty the King and the Queen are now in their 70s.
Unlike the previous Prince of Wales, William does not have the luxury of time, and Catherine also knows that once the inevitable does happen, her life will change beyond all recognition, regardless of her children’s ages, and can only hark back to the very young Queen Elizabeth and how she had to dedicate her life to the crown.
Expect to see a more developing role from the young Prince George in 2025. We saw a streak of independence at the Christmas walkabout when, for the first time, the 11-year-old broke away from his parents to independently meet the public. Once again, there will have to be a focus on the fact that he, too, will now be being fast-tracked behind the scenes into royal protocol and life.
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George is fully aware more than ever, having sat through his grandfather’s coronation in May 2023, of just what the future holds, and according to a source, he knows exactly what the public, the Commonwealth and the world will expect of him. But as you can see, he is already a fine, capable, upstanding young man.
Princess Charlotte is also becoming more and more independent and, according to our source, has been a rock to her mother, Princess Catherine, during the very difficult periods and dark moments of illness. My sources told me that Catherine is very much aware that, had Charlotte not been born into a royal family, she would’ve simply enjoyed a life perhaps inside the dance arena. Ballet is a hobby that’s truly taken time, thought, and dedication in the young Princess’s life.
Prince Louis remains as ever: delightful, engaging, and some might suggest a wonderful distraction from all the negativity that becomes attached to the British monarchy.
Prince Andrew continues to dominate the news, but for all the wrong reasons. However, unlike certain royal relatives, he has resisted the temptation to try to rectify himself by writing a book. According to a well-placed source, Andrew at some point would like to see a low-key return to royal life, predominantly focusing on charitable works and also mostly out of the media spotlight.
All that remains, of course, is the thorny topic of whether he can continue living at Royal Lodge, something he’s fighting hard to keep. According to a source, he sees that as a final bastion of independence and one that was promised to him by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth. Others might suggest, though, that this is something of a pipe dream and that he can never return to the royal fold, no matter what he wishes to do.
As for the ex-Royals, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the biggest problem is simply money!
This is because Prince Harry and Meghan have an extravagant lifestyle with a dedicated 24/7 security team and, of course, a sprawling mansion with their Netflix deal hanging by a thread after the colossal disaster of Prince Harry’s polo show. Everything now hinges on Meghan Markle being able to cook up success in her forthcoming cooking show for the streaming company.
To brighten up our New Year, Meghan decided to post on her brand-new Instagram account, which has actually secretly been running for two years, but now she’s admitted it. Well, her new cooking show for Netflix has finally arrived. Apparently she wants to wrap her arms around everyone so that we can enjoy food, gardening and friendship. You don’t see any good-time friends like Gayle King, Oprah or, indeed, Ellen DeGeneres, but they are so 2024.
The bottom line is, if this fails and does as well as Prince Harry‘s polo show, then, despite writing in the sand 2025 in her other Instagram post, she may wish that the waves wash over yet another obvious debacle.
The Sussexes had hoped, following their quasi-royal tours to Nigeria and Colombia, that many other countries would have been willing to book them. But with colossal fees attached for flights, security, and all that comes with having ex-members of the British monarchy in tow, it seems, so far, that not many countries have taken up this strange and bewildering offer.
I’m also told that Harry has closed the book on any more revealing tell-alls. Even though the original deal was for four books, it now appears that Harry has run out of steam and, more importantly, Penguin Random House, who paid a hefty signing-on fee, despite all the publicity so far, have not regained their initial outlay.
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Prince Harry, though, is still hopeful that his original dream of moving over to Africa and living out a quiet life is something that he could persuade his very media-demanding wife she could also benefit from. But many people realize that without the glare of the spotlight, Meghan finds it incredibly hard to even breathe.
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The King, despite his cancer diagnosis, is planning to undertake even more trouble in 2025. However, the issue really is regarding Queen Camilla. An insider has told me that she tires easily and, as we’ve all seen, readily picks up seemingly any viruses or bugs that are going around.
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Perhaps at the age of 77, she might have been looking at more of a quiet life, but she’s thrown herself into the life of a working royal with great zest and had promised His Majesty the king that she would be there with him by his side. However, many people feel that the king in fact should slow down, take better care of his health and perhaps take time out, letting Catherine and William undertake some of the more demanding overseas tours.
But Charles is adamant that he is not slowing down and relishing the opportunity of taking control and the direction of his own personal reign. However, 2025 looks as exciting and thrilling as the last year, and we are genuinely all truly grateful for the work, fun, glamour and hard work the British Royal Family brings us.
