WAR OVER THE FAMILY JEWELS!
The trio are locked in a battle to be the sparkliest
There are two words that are guaranteed to send shivers down the spine of every member of the Windsors – crown jewels.
The tension began running high in 2018, when the Queen decreed that then-engaged Meghan Markle was not allowed to wear her tiara of choice – an emerald sparkler – for her wedding to Prince Harry.
The meltdown both she and her future husband had over the surprise decision was etched into royal folklore, and since then everyone has been on edge whenever the family jewels are raised.
A palace source claims, “Meghan sat back and watched the Queen shower Kate with diamonds and rubies, and she racked her brain over how to get her revenge on them both. And after some careful research, she may have found an evil-genius way to one-up them.”
According to our insider, Meghan, 38, “recently read” that the glittering sapphire engagement ring owned by the late Princess Diana that Prince William, 37, presented to Kate in 2010 was actually left to Harry in their mum’s will.
At the time, Harry gifted it to his brother saying he wasn’t sure he’d ever marry and that Kate, 38, deserved it.
“At first, this irked Meghan – then she began to see it as an opportunity,” alleges the source. “Meghan feels that ring is rightfully Harry’s, and therefore hers. As far as she’s concerned, Kate and William don’t deserve it after the way they froze her and Harry out.
“She certainly has a bizarre way of seeing things, but as Harry said about the emerald tiara – what Meghan wants, Meghan gets.
“She’s telling friends that there’s no love left between
Harry and Wills, so he may as well get his mum’s ring back.
“Meghan has an obsession with Diana and can already see it on her finger. My guess is she’ll bring it up as part of their court case against the British press somehow – all sorts of things will come out then.”
And a surprise late contender has entered the royal jewel fray.
Last week, the Duchess of Cornwall made a joke about making off with the Queen’s gems – though given Camilla’s disdain for Meghan, insiders aren’t taking her threat lightly.
At a recent event promoting reading books to children, Camilla, 72, said, “Books can take you anywhere ... You can play Quidditch with Harry Potter, win the golden ticket to Charlie’s chocolate factory ... or, if you are like me, become Gangsta Granny and plot to steal the Crown Jewels!”
With weddings in England now limited to just five people amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic, a devastated Princess Beatrice has cancelled her May 29 celebrations, telling friends it’s been doomed from the start.
First it was the Duke and Duchess of Sussex overshadowing the princess’ big day at every turn, then the shame of her father’s friendship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
However, as her church date loomed closer, it seemed that Beatrice, 31, was finally going to get the lavish wedding of her dreams to property millionaire Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 37 – until the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, with the Queen cancelling the couple’s 150guest reception at Buckingham Palace due to social gathering restrictions.
The palace later made a statement that Beatrice and Edoardo were “particularly conscious of government advice in relation to the wellbeing of older family members and larger gatherings of people”, and that they would “carefully consider government advice before deciding whether a private marriage might take place amongst a small group of family and friends”.
“With the Queen and most of the older members of the royal family being quarantined for the next few months, and all major events across the UK being cancelled, Beatrice has accepted the reality that her wedding as she planned it wouldn’t be happening,” a royal insider tells.
While she’d still hoped to celebrate with a smaller number, Beatrice was further devastated when a Church of England directive was issued last week, stating that weddings should have only five people present – the bride, groom, priest and two witnesses.
This would mean if Beatrice opted to have her parents in attendance, sister Princess Eugenie would miss out, as would Edo’s three-year-old son Wolfie. Beatrice is now at the point where she wants to cancel the whole thing.
“First she and Edo had talked about eloping, but with the world in lockdown, that’s off the cards. She’s in tears constantly and feels like this wedding’s jinxed,” says the source.
Beatrice – who’s been dating Edoardo since 2018 – was left even further heartbroken when Eugenie, 29, revealed she’d organised a fun hen’s weekend in Barcelona, which has now been cancelled due to travel restrictions.
Edoardo, an Italian count, has also been forced to call off the romantic honeymoon in Japan he’d been secretly arranging as a surprise for his bride.
“Fergie and Eugenie are doing everything they can to try and make things work out for Beatrice,” says our exclusive source. “They’ve begged her not to cancel the wedding completely, but she’s told pals she’ll most likely reschedule until next year.
“Beatrice is trying to make light of her heartbreak by saying they’ll make up for everything with the biggest party ever when it does finally happen!”
As one of the most rich and powerful women on the planet, it’s easy to forget that the Queen is as susceptible as anyone else to the perils of the world. But last week, while billions of people across the globe hunkered down in the face of COVID-19, the 93-year-old finally stopped living by her mantra, “Keep calm and carry on.”
Instead, heeding warnings that the virus is most deadly for the frail and the elderly, Her Majesty and Prince Philip, 98, shut up shop at Buckingham Palace and went into isolation at Windsor Castle. And in a powerful statement, she urged people to play their “vitally important” part in stopping the virus.
“As Philip and I arrive at Windsor today, we know that many individuals and families across the United Kingdom, and around the world, are entering a period of great concern and uncertainty,” she said in a written message.
“We are all being advised to change our normal routines and regular patterns of life for the greater good of the communities we live in and, in particular, to protect the most vulnerable within them.”
She encouraged the public to find new ways of staying in touch with each other and making sure that loved ones were safe.
“I am certain we are up to that challenge. You can be assured that my family and I stand ready to play our part.”
According to palace insiders, the Queen’s decision to batten down the hatches came as a great relief to her family, who’d been quietly concerned as she steadfastly continued to fulfil her royal duties while COVID-19 took hold across the UK.
On March 3, she wore gloves as she conducted an investiture where she handed out MBEs, knighthoods and damehoods at Buckingham Palace. But a few days later, at another official gathering, she abandoned the practice and greeted guests as usual.
By Wednesday last week, however, she was back on high alert and after one last private audience, where handshakes were abandoned altogether, she decamped a week early for her Easter break at Windsor. Philip joined her by helicopter from Sandringham.
“The Queen and Philip have gone into isolation with a reduced staff,” tells a palace insider. “And they’ll be staying put until government advice changes.”
The monarch’s lockdown means all her engagements, from garden parties to investitures, have been cancelled or postponed – a move that commentators say is unprecedented in modern times.
With Prince Charles, 71, potentially facing isolation too, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, however, have promised to keep the flag flying for the royal family during the difficult period ahead.
While they’ve yet to make a statement, royal sources say the couple, whose work has mainly been with children and mental health, are planning to refocus and are keen to “support the community and vulnerable people in society” as the effects of the virus deepen.
Their extra work, however, will have to be managed around their children, Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, and Prince Louis, one. George and Charlotte both attend Thomas’s Battersea school, which last week closed and moved all pupils to remote learning.
Royal runaway
Prince Harry, meanwhile, is reportedly selfisolating with the Duchess of Sussex and their 10-monthold son Archie at their Vancouver Island mansion.
“Meghan has confided to friends that Harry feels deeply concerned about the Queen, Philip or Prince Charles catching coronavirus,” tells an insider. “He and Meghan have been in contact and have urged them to stay safe and take extra precautions.”
The former Suits actress has also taken steps to stop the virus at the family’s doorstep, requiring all staff to wear latex gloves and to follow strict hygiene protocols. “She’s keeping contact with other people to a bare minimum,” reveals the insider. “They’re very grateful to be together as a family, but Harry feels very helpless and isolated out in the middle of nowhere.”
Meanwhile, Prince Albert of Monaco, 62, has tested positive for coronavirus and plans to work from his palace home.