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Catherine, Princess of Wales, at the May 5, 2023 Realms Lunch Coronation Event. *Photograph by Ian Smith.*

Catherine, Princess of Wales, that photo and the limits of privacy

March 13, 2024

The year is still young but already the Mother’s Day photograph of Catherine, Princess of Wales and her three children — Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte — taken by her husband, Prince William, has become one of the photographs of the year.

The photo caused a sensation for being killed by the Associated Press (AP), Getty Images and Reuters, which regularly supply photographs to news organizations around the world, because it was doctored. Catherine apologized for the clumsy Photoshopping, but that was just the beginning of the firestorm in the media about how the PR debacle came to be.

The newly crowned King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. *Courtesy the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, government of the United Kingdom.*

Threading the needle – the coronation of King Charles III

May 7, 2023

After all the buildup, the scandals and the controversies – How stripped down would the affair be? Would Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attend? Would people take the oath of allegiance? – the coronation of King Charles III Saturday, May 6, at Westminster Abbey in London emphasized the profoundly religious aspect of the ceremony. Like a baptism or confirmation – with its special rituals, symbols, clothing and music – the coronation underscored the covenant between an individual and God, which in this case must also be a covenant between a king and his people, who are going through a tough time.

Meghan and Harry, the Duchess and Duke of Sussex, take part in a welcoming ceremony in New Zealand in October, 2018. It was clear early on that the ribbon-cutting lifestyle of the royals would not be for them. Courtesy Office of the Governor-General… — Meghan and Harry, the Duchess and Duke of Sussex, take part in a welcoming ceremony in New Zealand in October, 2018. It was clear early on that the ribbon-cutting lifestyle of the royals would not be for them. Courtesy Office of the Governor-General of New Zealand.

The woman he loves

January 8, 2020

Amid the throes of Brexit, Harry and Meghan have staged what the media is calling a Megxit. The couple is stepping back as senior royals to divide their time between Great Britain and the continent the British lost — that would be North America — while somehow still remaining in the royal family.

Wow. Just wow.

The Avukana Buddha, a fifth century Sri Lankan work. The island nation’s serene beauty belies years of violence. Photograph by Carlos Delgado.

The dangers of an either/or world

April 25, 2019

In the aftermath of the bombings of Roman Catholic churches and upscale hotels in Sri Lanka, a poster on The New York Times website gave me pause. I don’t remember the substance of the post or whether it was by a man or a woman but I remember the last line: I choose safety over diversity.

Baby Donald in Europe

July 13, 2018

Well, that went well.

President Donald J. Trumpet’s meeting with NATO allies was akin to the belligerent uncle who insists on reminding you at the holiday dinner that you still haven’t repaid the money he loaned you to buy the house – with interest.

Donnie Two Scoops came out with guns blazing, bullying the allies to ante up more for defense and dumping on Germany for, well, everything …

Royal fever

May 12, 2018

I have a confession to make: I am in love with a much younger man – Prince Louis.

OK, so he’s only 3 weeks old but he has stolen my heart. Prince Louis is already a star — thanks to his shutterbug of a mother, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge — but even he will have to take a backseat this week as we get set for the Olympics of romance. I am talking, of course, about the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry May 19 at 7 a.m. (EDT).

As with any such event, this is not a sprint for the press but a marathon. In my guise as editor of WAG magazine, I have been among those whetting the appetite with wedding previews …

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