Royal News Roundup: New Queen Elizabeth Statue Unveiled, Queen Camilla Pays Tribute to Late Father & More

Here's all the royal news you need to know for the weekend of April 22, 2024.

• The royal family celebrated Earth Day by sharing a special video on Instagram, featuring rare throwback photos of King Charles.

• The caption read, “On 19th February 1970, at the age of 21, The King warned of the dangerous effects of plastic pollution on the environment. In the five decades since, His Majesty has used his unique position to champion action for a sustainable future.

• The royal family also shared a slideshow of letters the king received from young fans in honor of Earth Day.

Carl Court/Getty Images

• The royal family unveiled a brand-new statue of Queen Elizabeth II in Oakham, England. It’s the first permanent memorial for the late monarch.

• Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg revealed that he’s planning on stepping down from the throne in the near future. "All this is planned in family consultation. I find that it is very important to give young people a perspective," he said.

• Princess Anne hosted Investiture ceremonies at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. The royal family shared a slideshow of photos on Instagram, featuring the Princess Royal chatting with the honorees.

• Did you know that Queen Victoria was the shortest monarch in British royal history? Standing at just five feet, zero inches, the queen was by far the most petite sovereign to date.

• The Duke of Kent paid a visit to the Blackheath Halls in South London, where he toured the recently developed facility and watched performances by Sir Bryn Terfel and the Blackheath Halls Youth Choir.

• In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Ingrid Seward (who wrote The Queen and Di and Prince Philip Revealed) revealed that Princess Diana candidly told her why her marriage to the future King Charles crumbled.

INGRID RIIS/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

• Queen Mary of Denmark attended the inauguration of a hiking trail in Hannenov Forest. The royal was photographed with a white-masked dwarf horned owl named Silja.

• The Duchess of Edinburgh stepped out for an appearance at the Bath & West Showground, where she celebrated the Field to Food Learning Day with children and school staff. (FYI, the royal is Patron of the Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations.)

• In a resurfaced excerpt from his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry revealed that, out of all the Spice Girls, he related to Ginger Spice (Geri Halliwell) the most because of her red hair.

• Abigail Spencer (Meghan Markle’s friend) supported the duchess’s new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, on social media. Spencer shared a slideshow of photos featuring the strawberry jam she received and even included a cameo from the royal’s dog.

Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images

• For the first time since becoming the Colonel-in-Chief of the British Army regiment, Queen Camilla paid a visit to the Royal Lancers' base in Catterick Garrison. Her outfit was a special tribute to her father, who served with the 12th Lancers during World War II.

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