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00:00Welcome to Royal Watch. My name is Andrea Comano. I'm the online editor and today I'm here with Emily Nash,
00:07our Royal Editor. Welcome.
00:08Hello, thank you for having me again.
00:10Oh, it's amazing. I mean, we love anything Royal and it's actually been a really, really good week because after
00:16the drought in August, I'm loving it.
00:18We have just information of the Royal Tour, of Prince of G's wedding, William is out, Charles is out. It's
00:27just been amazing.
00:28That's right. It's back in full swing. It happens every year. We have this quiet period over August and then
00:33suddenly they're back with a bang and it's happening.
00:36Obviously, Harry and Meghan have been out and about in the last couple of weeks.
00:40But the key thing this week has been an update on their major tour and this is going to be
00:45their first big overseas tour as a married couple.
00:47Obviously, they had a little tiny taster of what's to come when they were in Ireland earlier in the summer,
00:53but this is Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.
00:57Hard work.
00:58All packed into about 16, 17 days. Yeah, so it sounds very glamorous. I can assure you, having been on
01:04several of these tours, it's actually quite gruelling.
01:08Mad.
01:08It sounds like you're being really spoilt when you say that, but you're often in a new place every night.
01:13You're on a plane early every morning.
01:15You're coping with a jet lag and for them it's going to be a complete whirlwind, especially for Meghan. Harry's
01:22done this before many times.
01:24So I'm sure he's going to be giving her a lot of guidance.
01:26Maybe not at this scale though. I'm assuming a lot of journalists would want to go, a lot of photographers.
01:31I mean, with Meghan involved, it's just going to be bigger.
01:33I would anticipate this just being enormous. I mean, thinking back to William and Kate in Australian Museum when they
01:39took Prince George and also William and Kate on their first tour when they went.
01:44Yeah, exactly. That kind of level of excitement around the couple, because they're newlywared, they're very glamorous, everyone is dying
01:51to see them together.
01:52Of course, there are a lot of Royal fans out in Australia, arguably also quite a lot more Republicans out
01:58there, but the Royals hold such fascination and Harry is huge over there.
02:03You know, he was serving with the Australian army out there a few years back and I think people really,
02:09really like him.
02:11It's funny.
02:11So, you know, like we all do, they're happy to see him happily married now.
02:17And I think the crowds and the turnout is going to be enormous.
02:20I think it's going to be amazing. What will the weather be like? Autumn? No, spring.
02:24It's spring in Australia and New Zealand. I had a quick look at the weather this week and it can
02:30be anything in the mid-twenties, late-twenties or cooler.
02:33New Zealand tends to be a little bit cooler depending on where you go.
02:37So that will be lovely in itself, escaping the UK just as things get dark and miserable here.
02:43And of course the islands, known as the Frenge Islands, that's Tonga.
02:48And Fiji, the weather's going to be hot, humid, you know, some packing dilemmas as well.
02:55I was going to say, there will be a lot of little suitcases with different dresses and suits.
03:00And I think people will be interested to know, I was, that in Fiji and Tonga actually dress for women
03:06is fairly conservative.
03:08So you cover your shoulders and you wear skirts below the knee.
03:12And apparently people don't wear trousers so much there.
03:15So that's something for Megan to take into consideration and her team.
03:19So I'm sure they'll be planning accordingly.
03:21I'm sure she'll surprise us though.
03:23Yeah, I'd like to, I'm really looking forward to seeing what she's going to wear, but also more importantly, what
03:28she's going to do on the tour.
03:29Because there's been a lot of talk about this being, you know, possibly when she'll carry out her first solo
03:37engagement.
03:38We know how important the Commonwealth is to her and Harry and he's the youth ambassador.
03:42So we're expecting to see them doing a lot of youth activities, a lot of engagements with young people,
03:49talking about the environment, sport, the kind of things that we've seen them doing over in the UK as well,
03:55just taking that step further.
03:56So we're going to see them landing.
03:59We won't actually see them landing, I believe.
04:01They're going to start the tour in Sydney.
04:04And from then they will be travelling around inland into New South Wales into a place called Dubbo, which is
04:11more rural.
04:12I think has been affected by the recent droughts. So that will be something they'll be keen to see.
04:17They're also going to Melbourne and then up to Fraser Island, which looks magnificently tropical and windswept and beautiful.
04:25So I think we're going to get lots of fantastic photographs from that time.
04:30Then the islands, which will be obviously very exotic and different.
04:35I know the UK travelling press is very much looking forward to that element of it.
04:40And it's really lovely as well, in a sense, because they're going out to do this work, following on from
04:45the Queen, taking her mantle.
04:48We know she's a passionate supporter of the Commonwealth.
04:51And actually, she very famously visited both Fiji and Tonga after her coronation.
04:56I found this incredible.
04:58I mean, that is amazing.
04:59This is a great little holiday find from a secondhand shop, which shows loads of amazing photographs.
05:07Do have a look online. I'm sure we can put some up as well.
05:09Yes, yes. We are. We're collecting the best ones.
05:12Yeah, with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh on that tour.
05:15And it's actually amazing to think that, you know, all these years later, her grandson and his wife are going
05:19to be following in her footsteps.
05:21We were looking at pictures the other day, actually, and the Queen, her style during this tour was just, I
05:27mean, to die for.
05:28Yeah.
05:29So hopefully Megamore can take some inspiration from the Queen, because she honestly had the best outfits.
05:34Exactly.
05:35And I think the Queen will be giving them a lot of advice in every sense.
05:38But I'd be really interested to know whether she shared any particular memories, quite often when we're on these trips.
05:44Certainly with Harry, I recall several times he'll make a speech, you know, whether he's staying with a, you know,
05:51a foreign leader or something.
05:53He'll make a speech talking about the relationship of Britain to their country.
05:58And he quite often draws on things that either his father or his grandmother have told him about the country
06:04and their memories of it.
06:05So I think they do all get together and talk about different places they've been, share their stories.
06:11It's going to be a very packed, exciting tour.
06:15Absolutely.
06:16I'm wondering, will they have time for themselves? Maybe a second honeymoon?
06:20Oh, my goodness. I know this is something that you guys have been asking, and I think it's too early
06:25for us to say at the moment,
06:26but I'd be amazed if they don't factor in something. I mean, they're going to be going to some absolutely
06:31breathtakingly beautiful places.
06:33I think it would be rude for them not to enjoy it all the moments away, perhaps on one of
06:38the islands, perhaps in New Zealand,
06:41when things are a little bit more relaxed towards the end of the tour. So watch the space.
06:45But of course, them being them and, you know, them having any chance of having some quiet time alone means
06:51them not telling us in advance.
06:54And another question that we've been asked a lot by royal fans is who is going to be part of
06:59their tour team?
07:02Fair tour team, that's a really good question. We've had quite a few changes at Kensington Palace over the last
07:07few months,
07:08so some people will no longer be there. But we are expecting to see, you know, many members of the
07:15comms team.
07:17I would expect possibly as well as Samantha Cohen, who we know has moved over from Buckingham Palace to help
07:23have some private secretary there for a while.
07:26And she's herself Australian, so she's very well placed to oversee this tour. And I think what we're all dying
07:33to know is who will Megan take to do her hair?
07:36Yeah.
07:37Okay, superficial question, but you know, these things are quite key on tours. If you have to be presentable, you
07:43know, no matter what the weather,
07:45having flown for hours and, you know, 24 hours in the case of actually arriving in Australia, you need to
07:51feel confident that you're putting your best face forward.
07:54So we know she took George Northwood, who did her hair in the evening.
07:59He did a good job.
07:59Of the wedding, a fantastic job. He turned up in Dublin with the couple. So watch this space, it'll be
08:05interesting to see who she chooses.
08:07Yeah. Makeup artist, she does her own makeup, so maybe she doesn't have to worry about that.
08:11No, exactly. And again, just the packing, you know, and we've certainly watched members of the royal family coming off
08:18planes for these tours.
08:21And we're all frantically sort of watching them come down. And then actually what happens is quite often it's after
08:25we've been moved on from the riser or whatever,
08:28you do get these incredible images of all the bags being unloaded.
08:35And it's all meticulously organised. And yeah, it's something, it's quite something to see.
08:41And of course you have to remember, it's not just their stuff, you know, they're travelling with a big entourage
08:44of people as well.
08:46I remember Kate and William when they went to Canada, when they were arriving in Los Angeles, they were carrying
08:52some dress bags
08:53and you could see the actual, just the lilac one that she wore to the, I think it was the
08:57back, it wasn't the back?
08:59Yeah, I remember we were going crazy trying to see what dress she would be wearing. It'll be the same
09:05this time around I'm sure.
09:06Yeah.
09:07So in other news, this week we've had Prince Eugenie, Jack Brookbanks, more information about the wedding.
09:13So it's going to be a two-day wedding.
09:17And it's extravaganza.
09:18It's extravaganza.
09:19It's worth saying this is all unofficial at the moment, but what we are hearing, there were some great reports
09:25from a fantastic royal correspondent called Royal Le Car at the Sunday Times that they have hired a company called
09:32Bentley's Entertainment.
09:33And this is an A-list party planning service run by Peregrine Armstrong Jones.
09:37So he has this connection obviously to the late Lord Snowden, he's his half-brother I believe.
09:42And he has already overseen the celebrations for Peter and Autumn Phillips and Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall.
09:49He knows what he's doing.
09:50So he's well versed in royal wedding etiquette and what is required.
09:55And what we have heard is that they're basically having a similar wedding day during the daytime to Harry and
10:04Meghan.
10:05So they're going to have the ceremony at St George's Chapel, followed by a reception hosted by the Queen inside
10:10the castle.
10:11But it's not just going to be inside St George's Hall, it's also going to take in the grand reception
10:17room and the Waterloo Chamber.
10:19So a bit more space, a bit more...
10:21More guests?
10:22We're not entirely sure on that yet.
10:24I have been assured by a source that the number of guests will not outstrip capacity.
10:32So there were some reports around earlier this week saying that they invited far more people.
10:37I don't know if that's the case, in fact I suspect it's not.
10:40So I think they'll probably want to do things slightly differently to Harry and Meghan.
10:46And one element which will be different straight away is the Friday evening where they're going to celebrate at Royal
10:52Lodge,
10:52which is the home Prince Andrew still shares with the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson.
10:57Even though they've been divorced for many years now, they have a very good relationship.
11:02And that the family of four does sort of migrate back there, it's their home.
11:07So it seems only fitting that they would have an evening event there.
11:12And then the following day, for anyone who's not feeling too hungover and too exhausted,
11:17there's apparently going to be this festival-themed, funfair-themed afternoon of delights in the grounds of Royal Lodge.
11:25Sounds like a good wedding.
11:26It sounds like so much fun. It sounds amazing. And I think, you know, it's going to be a lovely
11:33day for them,
11:34a fantastic day for the family. You can only imagine how excited her parents are about this as well.
11:41One question that our readers keep sending is, what can we expect from Sarah Ferguson on the day?
11:46Who would she sit with? Who would she enter the chapel with? What's her role that day, other than obviously
11:52Mother of the Bride?
11:53I would expect her to obviously play a hugely prominent role.
11:58She is Mother of the Bride, so she's one of the most important people in that room.
12:03I would imagine she'd sit next to Princess Beatrice, or they'd be, you know, close together.
12:09And, of course, she'll have her own family members and friends invited there.
12:14So, you know, historically her relationship with the royal family has been slightly turbulent.
12:21But I think everyone is going to just be there on the day for Jack and Eugenie,
12:26and very happy for them on this amazing day.
12:31The question also is a wedding registry.
12:34Because we know that William and Harry, oh, Harry and Meghan, sorry, they asked for donations.
12:39But they also had a private registry in Soho Farmhouse.
12:43Do we know anything?
12:46I think these are details that will be private.
12:49And I think, certainly with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, they made that request for donations to go to
12:56charities,
12:57rather than, you know, be inundated with gifts, because they felt that was most appropriate.
13:03Because, obviously, they're working members of the royal family.
13:06Harry, in particular, is connected to so many charities, as is Eugenie, to be fair to her.
13:11But she's not a working member of the royal family.
13:15And, therefore, I think they're probably not going to make some big public announcement.
13:20Who knows? We may find out in the next few days.
13:23We may. You never know.
13:24So, also, it's been a big week for Prince William.
13:27Yes.
13:27He's been out yesterday, a very special cause.
13:31That's right.
13:32He is launching a new initiative around mental health in the workplace.
13:37And it's an online portal for people to get in touch with support, find support.
13:44He was talking yesterday in Bristol about the fact that I think only 2% of people currently feel
13:50that they'd be comfortable talking about mental health issues with their employers.
13:54And, you know, that's a very worrying statistic.
13:57If you consider how many of us, or how many people, are in jobs where, you know,
14:02what they actually do day-to-day can have an impact on their mental wellbeing.
14:05And William has talked, actually, about his own experience working for the air ambulance,
14:11where he must have done some incredibly traumatic things and, you know,
14:16was able to share those with his colleagues and talk to people about it.
14:20But, again, I just think he and Kate and Harry have really done such a brilliant job with raising awareness.
14:28The fact that you and I-
14:30I'm not talking about it, yeah.
14:31Talking about it, yeah.
14:32Talking about mental health.
14:32I feel like we have moved on so much in the last few years through the Heads Together campaign.
14:39And they really have, you know, captured a moment, I think, in our social history,
14:46where people are not ashamed anymore of these things.
14:49And, you know, he had, forgive me, I've forgotten his name, Antonio, what is it?
14:54He's a senior figure in banking who underwent his own mental health problems.
14:58And he was there talking about it.
14:59And the fact that industry leaders are able to stand up and publicly talk about their own struggles is really
15:06powerful.
15:07So hats off to them for doing this.
15:09Yeah, well done, honestly.
15:10Now, also, William and Kate, they've been sending out thank you cards.
15:17That's right.
15:17To Wellvishers for sending in letters for Prince Louis' christening and also Prince George's birthday.
15:25How adorable was the picture that Kate chose?
15:29It's absolutely gorgeous, isn't it?
15:30I think that's the image of Prince Louis that has really stood out for everyone so far.
15:36It just really gives you a sense of his character.
15:38It's just beautiful.
15:39He really, and he looks like his mum, doesn't he?
15:41Yes.
15:41I think he really looks like his mum.
15:43Now the question is, when will we next see Prince Louis?
15:47That's the million dollar question.
15:49I mean, there are no big sort of family outings that we're aware of in the next few months.
15:55No trooping the colour, nothing like that.
15:58We often see them around Christmas, obviously.
16:01The family quite often sends out a Christmas card where there's some sort of image of them.
16:05So that could be an opportunity.
16:07And I think we'd all love to see them as a family of five.
16:11Yes.
16:11Perhaps wearing some festive jumpers or something.
16:13Oh, that would be adorable.
16:15Is there time to go actually to the Middleton house this Christmas?
16:20Because don't they alternate?
16:21That's a very good question.
16:22And they always go, well when they do, you know, we've seen George and Charlotte at church.
16:27So, who knows?
16:29I'd say Louis may be a bit young for church.
16:30He is too young for church.
16:33Yeah.
16:33And yeah, I think when you're outnumbered at church, you're in a roster of trouble.
16:36Well, we'll get George and Charlotte.
16:37That would be wonderful.
16:39That would be wonderful.
16:40If they do.
16:41And of course their grandfather has a very big birthday coming up.
16:43Oh yes.
16:44Big birthday.
16:45So Prince Charles is turning 70 on the 14th November.
16:47So, it could be an opportunity for the family to get together.
16:51Who knows?
16:51There's a big party apparently that the Queen's hosting.
16:54There are reports of the big party.
16:56There are reports of the big party.
16:56We can only hope that they are true.
16:58I'm sure there'll be big celebrations.
17:00I know he has got a very packed autumn as well.
17:03He has a big tour coming up.
17:06So, yeah, no rest.
17:08No rest until next August.
17:10Well, or, yeah.
17:11I mean, he's incredibly, incredibly hard working.
17:13He's in Northumberland.
17:14Yes.
17:14As we speak.
17:16And he, yes, is incredibly committed to everything he's doing.
17:21So, I don't think he's really going to give himself much time off to celebrate.
17:25No, no.
17:25Well, we could talk more about those engagements in next week's episode.
17:29And hopefully about much, much more.
17:31We'll get hopefully more details about Princess Eugenie in the next couple of days.
17:35I mean, announcements have to come.
17:37It's only one month left.
17:39I'm expecting something soon, yes.
17:40So, I think we can expect that something will be revealed.
17:43Exactly.
17:43Soon.
17:44And until then, just send in your questions and thank you very much for joining us.
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