HAPPY 2024!!
A royal review of 2023, the moments we loved, 2024 predictions, and how Kate and William are free to run again
William and Kate released this image on their IG, New Year’s Eve 2021.
Happy New Year!! Welcome 2024! I hope your holidays have been equal parts fun and exciting, mixed with relaxing and restoring. Well, 2023 was a banner year I think for William and Kate, after several very difficult ones. In prep for this newsletter, I was reviewing a NYT’s article about Meghan and Harry leaving from January 2020 and I was struck deeply by everything William and Kate have been through in the past four years. And, as we have come to learn, several before that, when Meghan and Harry’s antics were still behind closed doors.
I don’t think it can be underestimated because of how personal it all has been, since William and Harry, and Kate too, were so close. But, to me, 2023 marks the turning point. William and Kate truly have overcome, even if the scars to their hearts will be everlasting. Those will never change. There’s a quote that I can’t remember perfectly, but its essence is, I’m limping, but I’m still walking. 2023 was the year William and Kate were running again.
2023 did not start that way though. Coming off the heels of Meghan and Harry’s Netflix debut in December, SPARE was released in early January to record-breaking sales, but deep criticism. Some thought both were a huge success, we did not. To us, and we commented at the time, it marked a very bad public turning point for Meghan and Harry. The show and the book were terrible looks for them Soon after in the spring, Meghan and Harry were informed that their lease on Frogmore could not be renewed. Some tried to say this was about cost savings and slimming down the monarchy, all in line with Charles’ plan. We completely disagreed. It was a clear message from Charles, and rightly so, that Meghan and Harry’s abuse would no longer be tolerated. A decision we cheered and thought was a turning point in the royals’ relationship with Meghan and Harry. Simply, they had enough. They were removing themselves from the situation, creating a clear physical distance between them and Harry. And it was a sign of protection for William’s family, who had to be neighbors with Harry whenever he returned. I like to think of kicking Harry and Meghan out of Frogmore, as the royals’ fight song moment. They stood up for themselves and that shift started to change the public narrative in a stronger way.
William greeting crowds of NYers who came out to see him, even though his location was kept quiet until the last minute. Getty.
Which leads us to one of my favorite royal moments of 2023. In August, Gallup released a poll of Americans and Prince William was voted most liked world leader, outpacing even the Ukrainian President Zelenskyy by two points. A whopping 59% of democrats and republicans agreed on William as their most liked world leader. I have always taken the opportunity on social media to explain to the British press how adored William and Kate are here in the US. Despite the expensive public relations push from the Sussexes, advancing the lie that they own the affections of Americans. This was a resounding victory for William. And, very importantly, it put him in the context of other world leaders. It wasn’t simply a vanity poll, but a poll about figures who matter. In my opinion, this poll also reflected what the public has experienced of William, over these last four years. They like what they saw, they respect what he’s been through, how he’s handled it, and how he kept pushing forward. I got the same feeling from the throngs of supporters that turned out all over the UK during William’s launch of Homewards, his work to end homelessness. In many ways, 2023 was the year the world took notice of William as a statesman and leader.
Even rugged William came to NYC! Getty.
Royal watching is full of huge, flashy moments, which we love. But, sometimes it’s the smaller ones that really stick with you. In September, William visited NYC to announce the Earthshot finalists at the Earthshot Summit. When he arrived, William released a statement, praising Americans for their grit. “No one does optimism and ingenuity like the American people, so it’s only right we unveil this year’s Earthshot finalists in New York City,” his statement read. Like me, his words touched many of you, as your gush of DMs on Instagram showed. As Americans, we get a lot of attacks on the world stage, but William is clearly a fan. And although his trip was fairly quick and quiet as far as press, crowds of New Yorkers rushed out to greet him when word spread that he was in their area. Sources close to William said the trip was deemed “a great success” according to Vanity Fair. William promised a crowd that he would bring George, Charlotte, and Louis back to see NYC!!
My favorite Kate moment of 2023 was the launch of Shaping Us in January. I can’t put into words how proud I am of Kate for her work with children. No one on a global level before, has taken on this issue. Kate has become a leader on the world stage, advocating and educating the public on how best we can nurture and care for our littlest, most precious ones. It’s a delight to see so many around the world on social media in the early years space, championing her work and the force she has become too. In November, Kate hosted the Shaping Us Symposium 2023, which was headlined by Dr. Jack Shonkoff, the director of Harvard’s Center for the Developing Child. (FYI - This was such a respected, worldwide event, Meghan and Omid chose that day to first attack about Endgame, with a People cover story about it released to try and overshadow the symposium.) Currently, Kate’s Centre for Early Childhood is funding a $50k study with the NHS to improve the well-being of babies and their development. The study is based on the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB) which Kate learned about while visiting Denmark. Babies and parents are assessed on a scale during healthcare visits, while answering a series of questions which look for developmental milestones and distress in the baby and parents. The outcome is to provide support and help as early as possible when needed. If the trial study is successful, ADBB will be rolled out by the NHS. We should expect to hear about the results this spring.
Cheekiest moment of 2023, at the BAFTAs. Getty.
And Kate had for me, the most fun royal moment of 2023. Her very prominent tush love tap to William at the BAFTAs. Do you remember it? Kate was wearing what would become her most controversial outfit of 2023. But, when she loved tapped William, the whole world cheered!! She’s always had an affinity for his bottom, as we have noted many times on Instagram, but this was a playful moment the whole world could watch.
A huge surprise to me, that 2023 brought, is the very real possibility Prince George will be attending Marlborough and not the gold standard of Eton. This shocks me, although a few newsletter subscribers did predict this. If he goes to Marlborough, Kate’s beloved co-ed alma mater, it will be a huge upset. And I don’t mean in a bad way, just very unexpected. But, I think for William and Kate, George’s choice and happiness is the most important thing. I do think it will usher in a change in educational choices for parents, at least for a while. That’s how trends start. In a cheeky opinion piece in The Times, Marlborough is described as, “…Could be mistaken for a modeling agency, which is why you chose it. The boys are pretty, the girls even more so.” Parents are described as wearing “red trousers”, who have “organic vegetable gardens” and “daytime TV” is allowed for students on campus. Eton is equally thrashed, describing those that send their offspring there as, “You believe in birthright (and primogeniture). You live in a neighborhood where everyone looks and sounds just like you…” Don’t take these descriptions to heart, it’s a comic look at private schools. But, it does point to a clear difference between them. Not to mention, calling the people at Eton ugly.
One sad note of 2023, which I find quite distressing, Valentine Low has retired from The Times!! Honestly, as royal watchers, we would not know so much of what happened in the turmoil of the last few years without Low. My hope is that he will write more royals books, since he’s no longer a full-time reporter. I recommend few royal books, but I highly recommend his, Courtiers. Yes, it discusses Meghan and Harry, but it’s so much more than that. A real history lesson, with amazing stories and anecdotes. I have a deeper appreciation too, about why William and Kate are changing their office to reflect a business model hierarchy instead of a royal one.
Kate looking beautiful at the wedding of Hussein and Rajwa. Getty.
And the Jordan wedding of Crown Prince Hussein and Rajwa Al Saif was for us, Kate’s best look of 2023. Breathtaking, she was perfection. And she finally brought back the earrings that I love, rumored to have been a wedding gift from the King and Queen of Jordan. That wedding also marked for us, and many of our follower friends on IG, a modern lesson in royal, arranged marriages.
Looking ahead to 2024, is exciting for royal watchers. William and Kate are off to Rome on a foreign tour. Will the kids join them? Some of my favorite royal tours have included the kids, so fingers crossed!! I think Meghan will be returning to the reboot of Suits, which has a working title of Suits LA. They will make it look like a big media deal, but the true point will be Suits. We were the very first to call this, the numbers for the reruns are just too high to ignore. After having to cut and disown her IG return, this is the attention she needs. In her recent video ad for Clevr Brands, she’s an investor in their vegan lattes, her appearance started popping up all over media outlets with the same tagline, noting Meghan’s “return to acting”. That was a subtle nod to her Suits return, in preparation. If and when it happens, it will be surreal. Such a strange and bizarre tale it’s been with Meghan and Harry. Maybe a Suits return is the fitting end? One of our follower friends on IG, said there was a joke in there somewhwere. I married a prince and all I got, was this lousy Suit back.
I think it will be Marlborough. Do we know how for that is from Windsor? Is it closer to Anmer? Happy new year all!!
Happy New Years to the Katemoji community! Looking forward to great things for you all :)