April 22, 2026

King Charles Honors Queen Elizabeth on Her 100th Birthday as the Royal Family Gathers in London

King Charles Honors Queen Elizabeth on Her 100th Birthday as the Royal Family Gathers in London

King Charles pays an emotional tribute to Queen Elizabeth on what would have been her one hundredth birthday, as the Royal Family gathers for memorial events in London. We look at the new national memorial plans, Princess Anne’s touching garden remarks, William and Catherine’s tribute, and why one family photo says so much about the slimmed-down monarchy. Plus, Kate dazzles in pearls linked to the late Queen, and Meghan faces backlash over a product launch.

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Ah Calorogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue.

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I am your host, Mark Francis. King Charles delivered a

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tribute to Queen Elizabeth, Reflecting on her legacy on what

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would have been her one hundredth birthday, The King said

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she meant so much to us all and praised her

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as constant, steadfast and wholly devoted to the people she

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served throughout decades of change. In his message, he added

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Queen Elizabeth's promise with destiny kept shaped the world around

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her and touched the lives of counsels, people across our nation,

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the Commonwealth and beyond. He also reflected on her personal impact,

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saying millions will remember her for moments of national significance,

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many others, for a fleeting personal encounter, a smile, a

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kind word that lifted spirits, or for that marvelous twinkle

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of the eye when sharing a marmalade sandwich with Paddington Bear.

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In the final months of her life. The King said

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that much about the times we now live I suspect

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may have troubled her deeply, but added that he takes

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comfort in her belief that goodness will always prevail and

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that a brighter dawn is never far from the horizon.

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Quoting from a speech the Queen made as a young princess,

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he said, we can each play our part to make

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the world of tomorrow a better and happier place. He

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concluded by renewing his commitment to service, saying I renew

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my own solemn pledge of duty in service to you all.

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God bless you, darling Mamma. You remain forever in our

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hearts and prayers. Charles and Camillo had a day of

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commemorations marking what would have been the Queen's one hundredth birthday,

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with the royal family gathering at the British Museum in London.

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The King and Queen were joined by the Duke and

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Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester

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as they viewed final designs for the national memorial to

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the late Queen. The presentation was led by architect Lord Foster,

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who plans for the permanent tribute have been selected. Among

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those present were Prime Minister so KEYA Stamer, artist Dan Tracy, Eman,

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broadcaster Claudia Winkleman, and present to Martha Kearney, all of

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whom are Trustees of the museum. The King was showing

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a maquette depicting Queen Elizabeth as a young woman in

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her twenties dressed in her Order of the Garter robes,

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alongside a similar model of Prince Philip in a naval uniform.

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Full scale versions of the statues, created by sculptor Martin Jennings,

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are expected to form part of the permanent memorial in

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Saint James Park near Buckingham Palace. The plans also include

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a glass and steel bridge inspired by the Queen's wedding Tiara,

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landscaped gardens, a Commonwealth wind sculpture by artist Yinka Shannabert,

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and an additional bust of the Queen in later life

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by sculptor Karen Newman. The memorial is one of three

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major projects unveiled to honour the late monarch's legacy. A

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new charitable initiative, the Queen Elizabeth Trust, has been launched,

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alongside a digital memorial inviting members of the public to

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share their memories online. The King has praised the final

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design for the national Memorial to Queen Elizabeth as fantastic,

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telling architect Lord Foster. The King said it's a wonderful

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idea for the bridge to be based on the Russian

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fringe tiara, the one that my mama wore at her wedding.

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The memorial, which will be located in Saint James Park

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in central London, includes a new Queen Elizabeth Bridge to

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replace the existing blue bridge. The King also praised plans

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for subtle lighting to illuminate the structure at night. Not

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everyone was as pleased as the king. One commenter wrote

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the late Queen on a horse would have been far

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more fitting. Anothers said how utterly disappointing. You should have

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gone ahead with the original design. Others were more critical,

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with one writing this looks terrible. The statues don't even

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look like the late Queen or Prince Philip, while another

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added looks terrible, mediocre statue for our longest rainy monarch.

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Elsewhere in London, Princess Anne opened the Queen Elizabeth the

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Second's Garden in Regent Park. Inside the garden's water tower

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is a hidden corgy. The Princess Royal said, like all gardens,

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it will change and will always feel different, and perhaps

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that's always as important as the basics remaining the same.

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The basics did remain the same, that was always important

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to my late mother life. She added her mother liked

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gardens because the dogs needed to go out. It is

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believed Prince Harry sent flowers to Elizabeth's grave. Prince William

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and Catherine shared a photograph of the late monarch captioned

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remembering her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the iond on the one

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hundredth anniversary of her birth, inspiring generations through a lifetime

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of duty. King Charles joined a group of centenarians at

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Buckingham Palace and shared a moment with one hundred year

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old Joan Illingworth as they cut a birthday cake together,

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telling her let me do that as they worked side

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by side. Illingworth was one of three centenarians invited to

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the reception who share the late Queen's birthday with the King,

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also presenting them with commemorative cards. Prince William told the

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great grandmother of seven, I can't believe you are a hundred?

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Do I need to call security? Have you snuck in?

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William learned her secret as eating liquorice all sorts and

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plotted cream fudge, to which he simply said wow. Members

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of the royal family met with guests from organizations associated

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with Queen Elizabeth's patronages including the Royal College of Nursing,

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Victoria Cross, George Cross Association, and the Royal Ballet. Kate

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spoke with George Cross recipient Tony Gladhill, who later said

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the princess was lovely, she was fantastic. The slim down

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monarchy has been pictured during what was described as an

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emotional and reflective moment for the royal family. King Charles

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and Queen Camilla led senior royals as they begin a

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day of commemorations marking what would have been Queen Elizabeth's

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one hundredth birthday. The photograph, released to the public, offers

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a clear view of the current working monarchy. The King

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and Queen are positioned at the center, joined by Prince

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and Princess of Wales Princess Anne, the Duke of Edinburgh

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and the Duchess of Edinburgh. Also included a more senior

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but less frequently seen members of the family, the Duke

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and Duchess of Gloucester, Duke of Canden Princess Alexandra, all

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standing alongside the King and Queen in the show of

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continuity and support. Notably absent from the image are Princess

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Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, as well as their father, Prince Andrew,

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and of course Harry and Meghan. Royal commentator Alexandra Hurtado

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told her, I don't think it's a surprise that Princess

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Eugenie and Princess Beatrice are missing from events commemorating the

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grandmother's one hundredth birthday. The late Queen's granddaughters have been

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keeping a relatively low profile in the wake of everything

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that has transpired with their parents, and stepping out now

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would inevitably draw attention, something I imagine they'd want to avoid,

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and a day meant to honor their beloved granny in

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his free substack Royal inside a deep Crown observed, this

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is what a slimmed down monarchy looks like in practice,

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and one is being somewhat generous with the description. Not

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a theoretical exercise, not a position paper from a modernization committee,

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but a family portrait taken on what would have been

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Elizabeth's hundredth birthday, in which the frame itself does the

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editorial work. The mathematics will catch up eventually, and how

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King William solves that particular puzzle remains for now an

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open question. And it's not a small one. And you

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can find more from Deep Crown. Just google Deep Crown

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or look for Deep Crown on Substack or Palace. In

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just a moment, Kate was, of course wonderful. The Princess

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of Wales attended a reception at Buckingham Palace wearing a

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lilac outfit and chose jewelry with links to the late Queen,

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including a set of pearls previously worn by Elizabeth, and

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saying pearls were seen in one of the Queen's final

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official portraits and had been worn by the Princess of

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Wales on several occasions. She also wore the Bahreen pearl

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drop earrings, which were commissioned by the Queen before her

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accession and later worn frequently in her earlier years. In

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the Telegraph, Hunt of VanNess gushed about Kate, claiming the

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princess shows late Queen's legacies. In Save Hands, for Ness writes,

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there was one hundredth birthday cake, a cocktail inspired by

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Elizabeth the Second's favorite drink and bunting strung from the

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Buckingham Palace ceiling. The Princess of Wales hugged and newly

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widowed George Cross recipient, the Prince of Wales charmed as centenarian,

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he said could not possibly be that hold on the

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king letter rendition of Happy Birthday. As the Royal Family

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celebrated the one hundredth anniversary, they did it exactly as

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she would have wanted. On duty staffed served champagne and

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a spall Q two tribute cocktail made from her favorite Dubernet.

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While the late Queen's version also included gin, the Royal

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cocktail makers replaced it with lemon juice, rosemary and tonic

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because it was a daytime event and naturally before the sunset.

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Megan was criticized. Earlier in the week, the Duchess revealed

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two new candles through her as Ever brand, named after

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the birth dates of her children. Archie and Lillibet were

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the products said to be released today in the United States.

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The announcement prompted mixed reaction online. One commenter wrote, as

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ever merching the kiddo's on the Late Queen's one hundredth

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birthday utterly disgusting. Another said it is one hundred percent

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about trolling the Royal family on the Late Queen's one

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hundredth birthday, and they have it. If you'd like to

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email us addresses The Palace Intrigue at gmail and dot com.

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Please followus on Spotify, Apple or the Apple of your

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choice and mark francis my next to John McDermott. This

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