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| Sean Coughlan | Royal Correspondent |
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| Welcome to this week's Royal Watch. The rise and rise of Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, continues. She's just become part of the regular royal popularity ratings. This week a bold new painting of the King was revealed. It was a vision in red. We had a huge response from you on Prince Harry not meeting his father last week. And that was before he headed to Nigeria with Meghan. Queen Camilla has also taken a stance against buying new real fur garments. | |
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Sophie sweeps in | From your emails, we know Royal Watch readers have been impressed by Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh - especially her recent trip to support people in Ukraine. According to a survey from YouGov, she's also popular among the general public. The polling company added Sophie to their royal approval ratings tracker. She's gone straight in at number five, above some more senior royals such as Queen Camilla and her own husband, Prince Edward. |
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 | Sophie is viewed positively by 54% of the general public, according to the poll. Credit: Getty | The top four places go to Catherine, the Princess of Wales; William, the Prince of Wales; Princess Anne and King Charles. All have strong positive personal ratings. But like politicians who might be more popular than their party, the survey found a significant minority who are opposed to the monarchy as an institution. Of the people who took part, 33% had a negative view of the monarchy in general, with that rising to 45% among young people. |
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Portrait reveal is red letter day | The first official painted portrait of King Charles since his Coronation was unveiled at Buckingham Palace this week. What stands out most about this painting by Jonathan Yeo? It is red, very red. The King's face emerges as though from a bath of tomato soup. |
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|  | The painting, measuring 8ft 6in by 6ft 6in, is oil on canvas. Credit: Getty | But it is a stylish mix of ancient and modern. He is still the King in a traditional military uniform, but there is a butterfly hovering over his shoulder. It's a symbol of rebirth and metamorphosis and also a reflection of the King's passion for the environment.
It was painted over several years and Jonathan Yeo observed: "Someone asked if I get nervous before an unveiling. Not normally, but the subject doesn't usually become King halfway through the process." |
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Your Royal Watch | Family politics certainly caught your interest, when we asked for your thoughts on whether the King and Prince Harry should have met when he was in the UK last week. "I think the King is probably a lot busier than Harry. If Harry really wanted to see his father I am sure some communication between the offices of the two could have worked out a schedule to enable a meeting," says Diane in Australia. "I don't think Harry should have any special treatment or welcome from his family after the appalling behaviour he showed to them, his grandparents and to his country," says Elizabeth in the US. But Kathryn from the UK says: "It's hard for me to understand a father with a schedule too full to accommodate an hour or two with a son who has flown 11 hours." This week, Queen Camilla drew applause from animal welfare groups when she said she was not going to buy any new real fur. The campaign group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) said it would toast her decision with a "glass of the finest claret". But should the royals take a stance on such issues? Will Camilla's choice influence others? Send us your thoughts via email. | |
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Ex-royals or royal extras? | Was it too much like a royal tour? Is the Nigeria trip going to be the pattern for future trips by Prince Harry and Meghan? The crowds in Nigeria didn't seem to mind either way, as they had plenty of enthusiasm for their visit. |
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 | Harry and Meghan kicked off their Nigeria visit with a stop at Lightway Academy in Abuja. Credit: Getty | It was linked to the Invictus Games and raises the prospect of the games being held there in the future. The couple certainly evoke strong opinions among Royal Watchers, but there's no escaping the sky-high levels of public interest in almost anything they do. They seem to be not so much ex-royals as extra royals, running a kind of parallel royal court. |
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A piece of royal history | This week, Prince William became colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps. King Charles handed the prestigious military title over to his son at a special event in Hampshire. To celebrate, the Kensington Royal social media account released a photo which shows the prince visiting the Army Air Corps in 1999, about 25 years ago. |
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 | The King said Prince William was a "very good pilot indeed". Credit: Kensington Palace/PA | King Charles had been colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps for 32 years. |
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