Royal Year 2013 - Part III: Yorks, Wessexes, Princess Anne & Family, and the Gloucester's and Kent's

Here are the links for Part I: The Queen and Prince Philip and Part II: Charles and Camilla, the Cambridges, and Prince Harry

Yorks

The Duke of York speaking at a function held at Titanic Belfast.

     Prince Andrew, Duke of York and especially his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie tend to be under the radar in terms of royal coverage, and 2013 was not much different. But this is not to say that the York’s are not doing anything at all.

     Since stepping down as an official Special Representative for UK Trade & Investment amid heated controversy, the Duke of York has continued to support British business overseas as a trade envoy. However, it does appear that he is making more of an impact at home, supporting the work of organizations devoted to causes close to him, such as entrepreneurship, education and skills for young people, and science and engineering. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, he stated that he believes in the value of a technical education, for it gives young people skills that make them employable. As a 25 year veteran of the Royal Navy, he has a passion and concern for the Armed Forces. As such, he has raised money for the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund. In this year, he has become the Patron of London Metropolitan University and University of Huffersfield. He also joined Twitter, and his office has been tweeting information on his public engagements and activities, as well as giving mentions to organizations that he supports. 

     Princess Beatrice, a 2011 graduate of Goldsmiths, University of London with a BA in History, has been trying her hand in the financial services industry, but also conducts some royal engagements on her own and on the behalf of her father and grandmother, as well as the British government. In April 2013, Beatrice became the royal Patron of the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Center, a charity that she credits with helping her to overcome academic challenges resulting from her own dyslexic issues. In October, she met the Pakistani youth activist Malala Yousafzai at a reception entitled "Youth, Education, and the Commonwealth", and said that it was an honor to meet her. 

     Princess Eugenie graduated in 2012 with a combined Honors BA in English Literature, History of Art and Politics at Newcastle University. She has an interest in art, and moved to New York City this year to become a Benefit Auctions Manager at the Paddle8 auction house.

Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice

     In early 2013, the princesses visited Germany to undertake a series of engagements. In Berlin, they promoted British business as trade envoys on behalf Her Majesty’s Government. They also represented the Queen at the reopening of Herrenhausen Palace, where their ancestor, George II was born in 1683. The Hanoverian palace was bombed by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, and had recently gone through a massive restoration project.

     Going into the New Year, there is speculation about Princess Beatrice marrying her long-time boyfriend, Dave Clark, and the longevity of their relationship – five years – makes marriage (or at least an engagement) this year a possibility. 

     Similarly, there are rumors about Prince Andrew and his former wife Sarah, Duchess of York. Unlike the nasty and very public break-up of Charles and Diana, Andrew and Sarah parted ways on amicable terms, remained good friends, and have been committed to raising their daughters together. That commitment has included going on vacations and attending some functions together, and today they live under the same roof at Royal Lodge, Windsor, and have jokingly described themselves as the “world’s happiest unmarried couple.” 

     Following an alleged getaway along the Mediterranean over the summer, there has been guessing as to whether they will tie the knot again. The Queen reportedly has a soft spot for Sarah, and invited her to spend a few days with the royal family at Balmoral. However, Prince Philip would be opposed to such a reunion because of her indiscretions over the years, so if – and it’s a big if – it does happen again, it likely only happen after the Duke of Edinburgh has passed away, which may not be for a long time to come. 

Wessexes

The Earl and Countess of Wessex.

    In 2013, the world was fixated on the big names of the monarchy – the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William, Kate, etc. However, the profile of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and his wife Sophie have been on the rise, especially during the periods when the Duchess of Cambridge was off-duty due to her pregnancy and  in the immediate weeks after Prince George’s birth. 

     Prince Edward, the Queen’s fourth and youngest child, was once a film producer before dedicating himself to life a full-time working member of the royal family. He is slated to become Duke of Edinburgh when Prince Philip passes away, and as such, has become a Trustee and key figure in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, which was founded by Prince Philip for the purpose of encouraging young men and women to participate in, or create, activities which improve their lives, as well as the greater society. In this year, he has hosted and attended several functions related to the D of E Awards, as well as other charities he supports.

     Countess of Wessex – like the Duchess of Cornwall – has come into her own as an important part of the monarchy with her brand of grace and charm. In this year, she hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the Doctor Who television series, made an official visit with Edward to South Africa, and embarked on a solo tour of India and Qatar. Some of these tours included taking care of business for the D of E International Award's, and in October, she became its first Global Ambassador while in South Africa, where she was learning how the award's scheme was helping to improve the prospects of young people in a local community.

     In June, Edward and Sophie also represented the Queen at the wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O’Neill.

     Their children have also gathered more attention. Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor turned ten years old this year, and has been seen at more public functions with her parents, such as the service at Westminster Abbey  commemorating the 60^th anniversary of her grandmother’s coronation and the ceremony of Trooping the Color for the Queen’s Official Birthday in June. Her little brother, James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn turned six years old a few weeks ago, and was seen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with his parents and sister at the end of Trooping the Color and also attended the Coronation Festival in July. 

Princess Anne and Family

     For Princess Anne, the year was largely uneventful aside from her usual engagements and day-to-day duties. She most notably spoke out in favor of Britons eating horse meat, in light of the scandal which revealed that such meat was increasingly being used in British food products.

     Her daughter Zara, an equestrian who followed in her mother’s footsteps as an Olympian last year, announced that she and her husband Mike Tindall were going to be expecting their first child in January. This child will be the Queen’s fourth great-grandchild and will be 16^th in the line of succession. Zara was also named as a godmother to Prince George during his christening back in October. 

Kent’s and Gloucester’s 

     Elsewhere, the Queen’s royal cousins were also in the headlines – for good and not-so-good.

The Duke of Gloucester

     Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester and his wife Birgette attended the Inaugural Mass of Pope Francis at the Vatican in March. He is Patron of the Richard III Society, and coincidentally not only shares the name of the 15^th Century king, but also his title before he became king, Duke of Gloucester. In this role, he reportedly took an interest in the discovery and eventual confirmation of Richard III’s remains, which had been found under a parking lot on the site of a demolished abbey.

The Duke of Kent

     Prince Edward, Duke of Kent suffered a mild stroke on March 18, 2013, though it was not reported until March 21^st. He made a full recovery, and was back to conducting his royal duties shortly thereafter. In June, he accompanied the Queen during the Trooping the Color ceremony while the Duke of Edinburgh was recovering from abdominal surgery. 

Prince Michael of Kent

     The Duke of Kent’s brother, Prince Michael of Kent welcomed his first grandchild, Maud Windsor in August. Maud is the first child of Prince Michael’s only son, Lord Frederick Windsor and his wife, Sophie, and is currently 42^nd in line to the throne. 

     Princess Alexandra (Prince Edward and Prince Michael’s sister) was forced to cancel all of her engagements after suffering from the effects of arthritis, and undergoing treatment. She returned to public life on September 16^th with an engagement in Herefordshire as Patron of the Pennington‑Mellor‑Munthe Charity Trust, which operates two mansions as museums and hosts various cultural events.

Final Thoughts

     So the year of 2013 has seen much activity from the royal family, from the Queen down to her great-grandchildren and cousins. They have had a spectacular run over the past three years - the royal wedding in 2011, the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012, and the birth of Prince George in 2013. 

     However such milestones are but tiny specks in the long and illustrious history of the monarchy. Moreover, they are but a few of the activities in which the family is engaged throughout the year. We often only see what is on television, with no little or no knowledge or appreciation for what they do with virtually no public fanfare.

     In the New Year, the royal family will continue perform schedule of engagements, attend ceremonies, do charity work, and take an active part in national life. It may not be as flashy as the last couple of years, but with the Australian tour, the Commonwealth Games, and other events, it will be a year to which to look forward.

 Part II: Charles and Camilla, the Cambridges, and Prince Harry

Photo Credit: Titanic Belfast via Flickr cc, Carfax2 via Wikimedia Commons cc, Carfax2 via Wikimedia Commons cc, Northern Ireland Office via Flickr cc, Mareklug via Wikimedia Commons cc, Charlie Dave via Flickr cc, Paul Reynolds via Flickr cc