Apotheosis of George Washington, The Capitol, Washington DC

We wish all our contributors and readers a splendid Christmas, followed by a very successful New Year.

John Evans

The Daily Mail has an interesting piece on how Princess Beatrice seems almost a reincarnation of the young Queen Victoria (pictured below).

There is certainly a remarkable likeness.

The article also reproduces a whole series of stunning pictorial comparisons with present Royals and their predecessors, some going back centuries. Check out the one between King Edward I (1239-1307) and Prince William. The old King comes to life before our eyes.

My favourite though, is Louis Frederick Prince of Wales (1707-1751) and Freddie Windsor. Frederick was the eldest son of George II and father of George III as well as the Great-Grandfather of Victoria. He died before his father, allowing his son to succeed to the Throne.

Lord Frederick Windsor — spookily bearing his lookalike’s name — has very individual eyes and a face that bears few comparisons. Until now.

Regular readers will know that there has not been much activity in Royal Anecdotes for the past two or three months.

There are various reasons for this, not the least being that Royal news of any consequence has been thin on the ground. The rest is explained by a major reorganization of Syntagma sites, the development of a new business: Syntagma Books, and my own writing activities: The Eternal Quest for Immortality: Is it staring you in the face?, to be published very shortly.

Starting on Monday October 26, RA will be one of eight remaining sites in Syntagma Digital (down from 55), which will receive full attention and posting.

I hope you will forgive the tardiness and continue to support RA in its new incarnation.

Best wishes
John

Robert Jobson, author of the excellent 2006 book, William’s Princess, wrote in yesterday’s News of the World:

Prince William has ruled out marriage to girlfriend Kate Middleton next year because he is too busy.

Instead, he will step up his role as a roving royal with two ground-breaking official tours to South Africa and Australia.

The prince is also determined to complete his tough helicopter training course, to become an RAF search and rescue pilot.

His hectic schedule means Kate and Wills — both now 27 — could be approaching 30 before they wed. One high-ranking Palace figure told the News of the World: “All this talk of a wedding next summer is wide of the mark.”

William’s trip to Australia is expected to take place early in the New Year.

He will travel to South Africa in June, where he will carry out a series of engagements and attend the World Cup in his role as President of the FA.

While there he will also promote England’s bid to host the 2018 tournament.

I won’t comment on the sourcing of this information, merely point out that it fits with what I’ve been writing here for two years.

Another year, another excuse.

John Evans