7.18.2025 Newsletter

The Royal Appointment & Remembering my Grandmother

Greetings from beautiful New Hampshire.

For the second summer in a row, I find myself in New England to say goodbye to a grandparent. 51 weeks ago I was in a white linen dress covered in hydrangeas, preparing for a memorial luncheon for my grandfather, Norm. My grandmother, Bev, was fretting—as she was wont to do—over giving a speech.

“You don’t have to speak, Grandma, everyone will understand.”

“Theyah expecting it! What if I can’t think of anything to say?” my grandmother screeched in her unmistakable Boston accent.

“We can write something simple if you’d like.”

“What if I don’t remembah it?”

Countless times we had this conversation, mostly on account of her early dementia.

Near the end of the memorial luncheon, my grandmother unexpectedly rose to speak. We had no idea what was going to come out of her mouth, and she surprised us all. What followed was a beautiful, lucid, three-minute speech about Norm, their life together, and their family. It was absolutely perfect.

Five months later, she passed away on Christmas Eve, so that she could spend Christmas with Norm.

I know I will catch myself looking for her at the family gatherings around Sunapee, shuffling in with her classic greeting, “Hello, Hello, Hello!” ready for her buttery chardonnay with ice cubes.

Bev and Norm. Norm and Bev. It feels unnatural to say one name without the other. I’m not surprised that they passed so close to one another, but it certainly doesn’t make it any easier.

This weekend is not just a goodbye; it’s the closing of a chapter. We will return my grandmother and the remaining ashes of my grandfather to places they loved. Lake Sunapee, North Shore, Cape Cod.

Yesterday, I arrived at the most charming Inn that I booked because the word “Rose” was in the name, my grandmother’s middle name, and it felt fated.

The innkeeper knew I was here for a memorial and upgraded my room. I dropped off my things and ran out to celebrate Beverly Rose Constant, the only way I know how: Ice cream for lunch. I silently saluted the sky with my waffle cone as oversized, puffy clouds danced over the dairy farm.

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Royal Appointment

There’s no graceful way to transition from dead grandparents, so I’m not even going to try. It’s Rrrrroyal Appointment time.

Subject line: A change in storyline for the palace?

The newsletter kicks off with Harry and Meghan’s alleged desire for reconciliation with the royal family. The author writes that things went off the rails when:

Harry doubled down on his legal cases. A book, which “accidentally” named senior members of the Royal family alleged to have made comments about race – and the illnesses of the King and the Princess of Wales took over the public narrative.

Legal cases involving his security and media intrusion. It remains telling that the British media equates grievances against them to grievances against the British Monarchy. The book she is referring to is Endgame by Omid Scobie, and an error involving a Dutch publisher that has not yet been resolved. But if you didn’t know that, you might think she was referring to Spare.

As for the meeting between the King’s aide and Prince Harry’s aides?

The meeting itself will have been a test of trust on all sides. That seems to have failed immediately, one way or another - unless of course you're minded to believe that they are deliberately testing the water of public opinion by allowing news of such a meeting to leak.

This was in a video I posted Monday. I remain convinced that the RA keeps tabs on me.

It’s not that I think so highly of myself, but it’s happened before with the former Royal Appointment writer, aka, the author of that piece.

She ends by admitting that there’s a tendency to treat the British Royal Family like a soap opera (not the thesis for my series on royal women and the media a few months back), and the desire for the story to move on. Could this be a sign that the media is ready to move on from incessant—largely negative—Harry and Meghan content?

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

My Theory Based on Absolutely Nothing

What’s notable about this “secret summit” is that no one from Prince William’s team was there.

This isn’t exactly surprising, although it serves as a reminder of who is in charge and who is telegraphing their reign a wee bit early.

I’ve already seen columns about how William and Kate might be harder for Harry to win over. I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the future, we see pieces from “sources close to Prince William” that it was in fact he—or Kate!—that pushed for this meeting to happen.

Invictus Games 2027 in the UK is going to be a doozy for royal news.

Have a great weekend, everyone, and enjoy some ice cream for lunch. Bev said it was ok, and she lived to be 94. :)

-Meredith