If this is Tuesday, it must be England #189

   

Funeral arrangements were announced for Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent who died on 4 September 2025, at the age of 92.  She was the oldest member of the British Royal Family.

The duchess took on a regular round of royal duties, but throughout her life she also carved out an individual path.  Known for her contributions to music and charity, she stepped back from using her royal HRH title and spent more time working to improve music education for young people.

As Katharine Kent, or Mrs. Kent, she lived something of a double life, working from the mid-1990s as a part-time music teacher at Wansbeck Primary School in Kingston upon Hull, without parents or pupils knowing about her royal background.

She became a Catholic in 1994, the first royal to convert to Catholicism for more than 300 years, describing it as "a long-pondered personal decision".  There will be a Requiem Mass for her funeral on 16 September, which will be the first royal Catholic funeral in the UK in modern history.

The Duchess is survived by her husband, The Duke of Kent, aged 89, two sons, and a daughter.

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #188

  

I hope you enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club on Netflix last Thursday and can we just chat for a moment about Englefield House, the stunning stately home that was the setting for Coopers Chase, the delightful retirement home where the club members lived and met every Thursday.  Didn't it just make you want to run out and sign your name on the dotted line on a lease to spend your golden years there?  Without any murders, of course!

Englefield House is a late sixteenth-century house largely rebuilt in the 1850s by Richard Armstrong and sitting in its own extensive park.  The house is a private residence and not open to the public, but the gardens are open on Mondays throughout the year.  The house is, however, available for private hire and described as "a unique and prestigious venue".  Pippa Middleton Matthews, sister of The Princess of Wales, held her wedding reception here.

Englefield House and its adjoining entrance courtyard are Grade II listed on the National Heritage List for England, and the formal gardens and parkland are listed at Grade II on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. The lodges, gateway, gates and flanking walls are also listed as a group at Grade II, as are the terrace walls to the south-east of the main house.

Here's a legend for Grades I, II*, and III:

• Grade I: buildings that are of exceptional interest
• Grade II*: particularly important buildings of more than special interest
• Grade II: buildings that are of special interest

As a reference, the Tower of London is a Grade I listed building.

These two sites will tell you all you might like to know about Englefield House.  I borrowed a few sentences but there is so much more to read.

Englefield Estate

Historic Houses:  Englefield House

By the way, I have read, in several reliable sources, that more of the Thursday Murder Club is coming. most likely a sequel or even a series.  I can't wait!

If this is Tueday, it must be England #187

 

Have you tried any of these?  The only one I have not tried is the Sussex Pond Pudding although I saw it prepared on The Great British Baking Show.  It's a suet pudding with a whole lemon baked inside.  The description says it makes a lovely lemony surprise but I'm not so sure about that.  Sounds a bit odd, a whole lemon inside?

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #186

  

Happy Belated Birthday to Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, the most hard-working member of the Royal Family. Her birthday, which was Friday, August 15 was somewhat lost in the shuffle of all that was VJ Day.  Her Royal Highness is 75 this year.

 In 2024, she racked up 217 engagements, sometimes more than one in a day.  Renowned for her unwavering dedication and commitment to public service, her position at the top of the list of working royals comes as little surprise to royal watchers and commentators.  She has undertaken royal engagements for 57 years.  

In celebration of her special birthday, a royal first as the Royal Mint released a commemorative coin to commemorate her remarkable lifetime of service.  

This is the first time Her Royal Highness has been honoured on an official UK coin, representing a significant numismatic milestone in British coinage.  Don't you just love that word, numismatic?

VJ Day (A Special Edition of If this is Tuesday, it must be England on Friday)

VJ Day, or Victory over Japan Day, is commemorated on August 15 each year and marks the date in 1945 when Japan surrendered to the Allied forces, bringing World War II to an end after nearly six years.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla, along with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, attend a special VJ Day remembrance service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire.  During the national service of remembrance, the King and Queen laid flowers in tribute.  Around 33 men, now aged between 96 and 105, who served in the military in the Far East and Pacific, were the guests of honour at the event.

Meanwhile, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attend a memorial service marking the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender.  In a national ceremony at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan Hall, about 4500 officials, bereaved families, and their descendants from around the country observed a moment of silence at noon - the time when the then-emperor Hirohito's surrender speech began on August 15, 1945.

In the United States, VJ Day is officially acknowledged on September 2, the day of the formal signing of the Instrument of Surrender aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Japan's Tokyo Bay.

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #185

  

Happy Birthday to Prince George who is 12 years old today.  Prince George is the eldest son of the Prince and Princess of Wales and heir presumptive to the British throne.  Interesting fact, he can no longer fly on the same aircraft as his father to safeguard the line of succession.

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #184

The Queen and Harrison Machin, 5, plant the final poppies in an installation at the Tower of London to mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War. This act of Remembrance saw Her Majesty representing all those who served the Nation, with Harrison planting his poppy on behalf of the younger generation.
 
‘The Tower Remembers’ installation recalls the sacrifice and resilience of the wartime generation and will stand as a reminder of the long-lasting impact of conflict.

The Tower, which was itself bombed during the Blitz, will display nearly 30,000 ceramic poppies on the lawn to mark the year of Remembrance.

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #183

Source:  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIvvG3LpmsN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #182

 

King Charles III, along with many other members of the ruling families of Europe, will be present in Poland for the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz on 27 January 2025.  May we never see such horrors again in our lifetime.

Memorial and Museum

Auschwitz Birkenau

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #181

  

Two milestone birthdays coming up for ladies of the British Royal Family this week.  On 15 January, Princess Michael of Kent, wife of the late Queen Elizabeth II's cousin Prince Michael of Kent, turns 80.  A somewhat controversial figure in her words and actions over the years, Princess Michael has mellowed especially in light of the 2024 suicide of her daughter's husband, Thomas Kingston.  Thomas Kingston and Lady Gabriella Kingston had been married since 2019.

And celebrating her 60th birthday on 20 January is The Duchess of Edinburgh.  Formerly The Countess of Wessex, wife of King Charles III's youngest brother, Prince Edward, she has been known as The Duchess of Edinburgh since her husband's elevation to the title in 2023.  A full-time working royal, you can read more about the Duchess and her support for the monarch here.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh at the coronation of King Charles III

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #180

 

A very Happy 43rd Birthday to Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales on 9 January 2025 and how wonderful it has been to see her re-enter public life after her cancer diagnosis in January 2024, subsequent surgery, and chemotherapy for most of 2024.

A few of my favorite photos of her from 2024:

The Wales Family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace after the Trooping the Color ceremony in June

Her Royal Highness on the balcony of the Foreign Office on Remembrance Sunday in November

The Wales Family on the walk from church to Sandringham House on Christmas Day

And in other UK news, the New Year's Honours List has been published and one of my favorite actresses, Sarah Lancashire, has been honored with a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire).  The New Year's Honours List is a part of the British honors system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honors. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this day in this way.

The awards are presented by or in the name of the reigning monarch, currently King Charles III or his vice-regal representative.  You can find the 2024 list here if you'd like a quick look...ok, maybe not a quick look as it's 158 pages long!

And not to be missed, coming to PBS on Sunday, January 12 is Season 5 of All Creatures Great and Small.

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #179

 

I don't know how I stumbled across these post box toppers, but they are just the cutest things.  According to the Royal Mail, they have been around since 2012 but have exploded on the scene in UK cities and villages with the Platinum Jubilee of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Her Majesty's 90th birthday, her death in 2022, and King Charles III's coronation in 2023.  Add in the Paris Olympics and the creativity of local knitters and crocheters knows no bounds.  The pandemic created a surge in post box toppers as knitters and crocheters worked overtime during the lockdown.

It's wonderful to see the creativity and dedication of individuals in celebrating special events, and Helene Buttifant from Wells is no exception.

She has spent over a month creating a knitted postbox topper to commemorate the coronation of King Charles III, which is currently adorning the postbox next to the Bishop's Eye.

The topper features all of the big players in the historic event, including King Charles III, Queen Camilla and the Archbishop.

"The topper took me over a month to complete as there are so many small components to each figure," Helene explained. " It took me a whole day just to crochet the triangular pennants around the topper and add the gold tassels and lettering and crowns."

The piece has already had a gentle re-sew ('The Archbishop looked like he'd had too much communion wine', Helen said,) and has been met with delight from residents and visitors to the city.

"Lovely piece of work. Well done," one resident wrote on a Facebook post, before adding: "Almost makes me forget I can't stand the pair."

Another wrote, simply: "Absolutely beautiful."

"I just love creating these toppers and am overwhelmed by the community spirit and kind comments received from everyone who has seen it," Helen said. "I just hope our British weather is kind to it as we have gales forecast this week - so fingers crossed it stays upright!"

From the Wells Nub News, 17 April 2023

Through reading about the post box toppers, I found the Facebook group, UK Post Box Toppers and More Group, which has almost 88,000 members.  The photos are amazing!

I'll leave you with this, since you all know how much I love Christmas.

I recognize this Santa as I have one of my own.

The pattern is from Jean Greenhowe, and my Mum made Santa and Mrs. Claus as well as Mr. and Mrs. Snowman from her designs.

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #178

 

Happy 74th Birthday on August 15 to Her Royal Highness Anne, The Princess Royal. **

The Princess Royal started undertaking public work at the age of 18 and has established significant and ongoing relationships with a number of charities and organizations across the Commonwealth and has one of the busiest working schedules of any member of the Royal Family.

Her Royal Highness has been President of Save the Children UK since 1970, and it was the first major charity with which she became closely associated.  Her Royal Highness is involved in over 300 charities, organizations, and military regiments in the UK and overseas, and devotes a large part of her working life to official engagements and visits.

The Princess Royal is one of the few women in the Royal Family who regularly wears a military uniform.  She was given the honor of riding behind the Gold State Coach carrying the newly crowned King Charles II and Queen Camilla as they traveled down the Mall in 2023.

A keen equestrian, Her Royal Highness competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games and is a member of the International Olympic Committee.  Her Royal Highness is President of the British Olympic Association and was a regular fixture at Team Great Britian events.  At a meeting with athletes at the British Embassy prior to the Paris 2024 Olympics, she told them:

"I hope you will feel that this is the environment which encourages you to perform at your best, although you won't know that until it happens, but if it's a personal best, you can be imminently proud of what you've achieved because you will know you couldn't have done any better."

She added, "It requires such inspiration and innovation to maintain those levels of excellence for an Olympic Games that says something enormous about your achievements and your skills. Thank you for your commitment and your support and I just wish you every bit of success and that it goes as well as you hope in every way."

**Princess Royal is a style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by British monarchs to their eldest daughters.  Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of the royal family.  There have been seven Princesses Royal.  Princess Anne became Princess Royal in 1987.

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #177

 

If you're new to my blog, you won't know that our daughter, Sophia, has been riding for 20 years - first in private lessons, then in 4-H and on a high school team, and then at the collegiate level.

We have avidly been following the equestrian events at the Olympics and you couldn't ask for a more incredible venue than the Palace of Versailles.

Team GB (Tom McEwen, Laura Collett, Rosalind Canter, and Yasmin Ingham (alternate)) took the gold in eventing - horses and riders taking part in three different phases of the competition – the dressage, cross-country, and showjumping. Their scores from all three phases are combined to determine the overall placings.

Team GB (Scott Brash, Harry Charles, Ben Maher, and Joseph Stockdale (alternate)) also took the gold in jumping.

We're also Team Germany here (I was born in Germany) and so we were thrilled to see them take the gold in dressage.  Team members were Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, Frederic Wandres, and Isabell Werth with Soenke Rothenberger as the alternate.  Germany also scooped all three individual gold medals - Michael Jung for eventing, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl for dressage, and Christian Kukuk for jumping.

Christmas in July - Day Twenty-Three (If this is Tuesday, it must be England #175)

 

 Christmas traditions observed by the Royal Family:

1. Christmas Eve Gift Exchange: On Christmas Eve, family members exchange small, often humorous gifts. This tradition is said to have been introduced by Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband.

2. Decorating the Christmas Tree: The Royal Family decorates a large Christmas tree at Sandringham House. The tree is adorned with ornaments, lights, and tinsel.

3. Christmas Day Church Service: As mentioned earlier, the monarch and other family members attend the morning service at St. Mary Magdalene Church. It’s a public event, and well-wishers gather to see the royals.

4. Christmas Lunch: After the church service, the family enjoys a festive Christmas lunch together. The menu typically includes roast turkey, stuffing, vegetables, and Christmas pudding.

5. Boxing Day: The day after Christmas (December 26) is known as Boxing Day in the UK. The Royal Family often participates in outdoor activities, such as hunting or horseback riding.

6. Charitable Activities: The royals engage in charitable work during the holiday season. King Charles III delivers a Christmas message, emphasizing goodwill and unity.

These traditions may evolve over time, but they reflect the family’s commitment to celebrating the season with joy and community spirit!

King Charles III and Queen Camilla (with the Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, and Prince George in the background) walk back from the morning service at St. Mary Magdalene Church and greet well-wishers lining the path

Christmas in July - Day Sixteen (If this is Tuesday, it must be England #174)

 

A quick post prepped over the weekend as we spent Monday with Sophia and got home late.  Here are some of King Charles III and Queen Camilla's Christmas cards.

2023's card - King Charles III and Queen Camilla wearing their coronation robes

2022 - their first card as King and Queen, taken at the Braemar Highland Games in Scotland

2021 - as the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in a photo showing them adjusting their face coverings at Royal Ascot

Do you send photo cards at Christmas?

Christmas in July - Day Nine (If this is Tuesday, it must be England #173)

 

Three of my favorite Christmas recipes from the Queen of Baking, Dame Mary Berry.

Christmas Cake

Christmas Pudding

Yule Log