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mrepstein · 3 years

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New Musical Express - Friday June 18, 1965

Salute to the MBEatles!

BY THE EDITOR

Dear John, Paul, George and Ringo:

Congratulations from all NME readers on the honour bestowed on you by the Queen, who saw fit to make you Members of the British Empire for your unprecedented achievement in the history of world show business and winning for Britain the interest of millions of teenagers all over the world.

As always, there have been the knockers who say this award to you is ridiculous. A “Daily Mirror” writer attacked the whole thing and others made sarcastic asides about it. On the other hand, the serious-minded “Daily Telegraph,” in its leader, suggested the honour was not sufficient and you should have received a more generous award, such as a Knighthood.

The Prime Minister, the Member of Parliament for Huyton, Liverpool, recommended you for this honour. And as you admitted on television, you were sent the forms to fill in six weeks ago to say if you wanted an honour.

We’re glad you accepted it. This means that your teenage fans, who made you, can share in the honour. And these days, when teenagers seem only to get bad publicity, how pleasant to have something good happen.

Your ladies will be going with you to Buckingham Palace to the investiture - there are two in July, and others later in the year - and let us hope “baby” lets Maureen go. You’ll be decked out in your finest attire and you’ll have a very happy day. Myra Secombe, wife of Harry, recalled that she was “scared stiff” before the investiture, but after it she felt exhilarated, having seen her husband receive his OBE.

You will come away with silver medals on a pink ribbon, each with a pin to attach it to the left side of your dinner jackets on formal occasions. You may have your medals before the premiers of “Help!”

One final suggestion - if the Queen could not make the presentation personally, wouldn’t it be a fine thing for her teenage son or daughter, Prince Charles or Princess Anne, to do it? That would make it a complete teenage triumph.

AND THE DAY OF THE AWARD THRU’ THE EYES OF Mr. Brian Epstein

NMExclusive

By CHRIS HUTCHINS

The news that the Queen had approved Premier Harold Wilson’s selection of the Beatles for MBEs in her Birthday Honours List was supposedly one of the world’s best-kept secrets. But what a pantomime for Fleet Street, which was told a couple of days before so that Saturday's headlines could be polished up in advance!

And what a night of excitement Friday was as last-minute touches were being added to the stories, pictures were being chosen and Donald Zec of the “Daily Mirror” was sitting back waiting for the reaction to his silly piece decrying the awards.

Brian Epstein flew to Blackpool that night to see Billy J. Kramer and to make the last-minute preparations for the fuss that was about to put the Beatles and himself back on the front pages.

I went with him and this was the schedule: 9 pm: Our aircraft touched down virtually a sword’s touch from Blackpool Tower and we drove to the North Pier theatre. Quipped Epstein on the way: “I wonder if somebody will start a group called the MBEs now?”

10:30: With Billy J. and his Dakotas, we took a cab to our seaside hotel. Passing crowds of holidaymakers, Epstein observed: “It’s so exciting nursing a secret they’ll all be talking about tomorrow.” And then he deliberated on what sort of a spread it would make in the morning papers.

At the hotel he took phone call after phone call from newspapers and news agencies and it was soon obvious that the Beatles were THE news of the night.

10:50: Epstein ordered flowers to be delivered to each of the Beatles’ parents first thing in the morning, with congratulatory notes from himself.

11:20: Phone rang again. It was Paul McCartney from a call box at London airport. He had arrived back from Portugal minutes before the news became official and a day earlier than planned (at the request of his manager). The conversation between the two millionaires was brought to an abrupt end when Paul ran out of change!

Released

12:20 AM: The news had been released and the Fleet Street presses were rolling. Another call - this time from the BBC programme “Light Night Extra” whose listeners learned of the MBE awards first. They also heard Brian say: “It is a tremendous thrill to know that the Queen has honoured the Beatles. It is the first official recognition they have had of the nation’s appreciation.”

8:00 AM: We flew back to London. Dark glasses could not conceal the famous manager’s identity as people before and after the flight grabbed Epstein’s arm and asked him to pass on their congratulations.

The Beatles had agreed to meet the world’s press at Twickenham film studios at lunchtime. The conference was arranged for 1:30 - 2½ hours after the start of their first viewing of the “Help!” film. John Lennon missed the screening and arrived 70 minutes late for the conference, after being fetched from home by his manager.

As the crowd of reporters, photographers and TV men waited and waited, one of them called out “MBEs and they still treat US as suckers!”

At the conference itself the Beatles were frequently asked if being honoured would change their way of life. But if Paul’s unshaven arrival wasn’t enough to convince all concerned, he added: “It doesn’t make me feel any more respectable. I’m still a scruff.”

I asked George how they had first learned they were getting the awards: “Paul was looking through the pile of fan mail in our dressing room a few weeks ago when he came across this envelope that said From the Prime Minister on it. It must have been there at least a couple of days. He opened it and the letter said he was being considered for an award and would he sign the enclosed form. We all said ‘wish we had one,’ dived through the rest of the mail and found we did - one each!”

Asked what they would do with the medals, John said: “I think I’ll have mine made into a bell push so that people have to press it when they come to the house.”

Somebody asked if the Beatles thought Cliff Richard should have got a medal, too. “Yes, a leather one with wooden strings,” quipped George.

And as the bright remarks continued to fly as fast as at any Beatle press conference I have witnessed, their manager stood at the back, arms folded, and beamed as Paul said he thought MBE stood for Mr. Brian Epstein.

#The Beatles #Brian Epstein #Chris Hutchins #MBE #1965 #60s #New Musical Express #NME

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goldenwilliamson · 4 years

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38A & 50C with geo???

a/n: based on dialogue prompts: 38A “i don’t feel the same way” and 50C “how drunk was i?”

you can find dialogue prompts for requests here

i really love how this one turned out eee 💛

pairing: 1967 george harrison x reader

summary: george gets drunk at a party and admits feelings for you, the next morning he can’t remember a thing so you have to explain it all to him

warnings: mentions of alcohol, drunk people and drugs

word count: 3259

It was the night of the Sgt. Pepper’s release and a few people had been invited round to Brian Epstein’s house during the day for some press and also just to celebrate. You were so proud of the boys work on this album, and you could tell that they were proud as well. There was just an air of happiness and excitement surrounding the boys today and you were so glad to see this after the stress you saw them under during the making of the album. They always worry too much, but you always know that anything they do will be amazing.

You’re sat at the moment talking to one of the other only girls here, a young photographer named Linda Eastman who’s work you adore.

“I’ve seen your photographs, the ones of the Mick and Brian, they’re wonderful,” you tell her honestly.

“Why thank you, I’m glad I got in here to take these guys pictures, I’ve been dying to for this project I’m working on,” she tells you, explaining the project that she’s working on in England at the moment.

You two chat, getting to know each other for another 20 minutes or so when Linda suddenly remembers the task at hand and her job to be done. You let her get on with it and go talk with George and Ringo who you see are standing off to the side by themselves. You had been friends of the boys for years, since you guys were kids and met through local shows at places like the Cavern Club. You had dated Paul for a few months, but that didn’t last too long as you two quickly realised you were just good friends.

“Hi boys,” you say as you approach the two of them.

“Hey y/n, how are you doing?” Ringo asks.

“I’m well, but how about you two, you must feel so happy,” you tell them both and they smile appreciatively.

“I’m happy it’s come together,” Ringo nods, and George does so too.

“You still on for the party tonight at Paul’s?” George asks you now.

“Of course. Wouldn’t miss it,” you tell him.

“Good,” he smiles.

“So do you also think Paul fancies this Linda taking photos?” You ask them both in a hushed voice and they both nod their heads immediately.

“Oh yes, have you seen the eyes they’ve been giving each other,” George says matter of factly.

“I noticed that, she is pretty, seems like Paul’s type,” Ringo agrees.

“She’s very lovely, he should invite her tonight,” you tell them both and they agree with you two, Ringo saying he’d mention it to him.

Day turns to night and soon the lot of you are heading back to Paul’s. Everyone piles into the cars on the street outside of Brian Epstein’s, you riding with George in his mini.

You tell him how proud you are of him and how great you think the album is.

“It’s like nothing that’s ever been done before,” you tell him and he laughs modestly.

“You’re very sweet, thank you,” he says, turning to look at you for a moment and you roll your eyes.

“I’m serious George! This album is going to absolutely change the music industry. I know it,” you tell him intuitively.

“Either that or people will bark on about how we’re lunatics on drugs,” he says laughing a bit to himself.

“Well you’re that too,” you joke.

“Hey!” George says taking his hand of the wheel to poke your thigh while laughing.

“I’m only joking,” you poke him back softly on the arm.

It’s not a long drive back to Paul’s, but you two seem to arrive after everybody else. You didn’t even realise how many people had been involved in the process of the album until you walk into Paul’s to be greeted by nearly 50 people.

Through out the night you make your way around, speaking with most of the people here who you knew. The night was progressing and everyone was getting quite drunk or high and everybody began to get friendly with one another.

“Y/n!” Linda says approaching you from behind and placing a hand on your shoulder.

“Linda, I’m glad you made it, how are you feeling love?” You ask her.

“I am too, and I’m feeling fine I’m basically sober save one glass of wine,” she tells you honestly, and you can see she is telling the truth.

“Oh well that’s good, I’m sober as well since I’ve offered to drive George and I home tonight,” you explain to her and she nods understandingly.

“You two are together aren’t you?” She asks seriously and you laugh.

“George and I?” You ask and she nods.

“Oh no, we’re just friends,” you tell her, and a part of you wishes you could be giving her a different answer.

“Oh I’m sorry,” she laughs, “it’s just if I didn’t know any better, which clearly I don’t, I would’ve thought he was in love with you,” she says, and this you take as the wine talking, but you laugh anyway.

“Really?” you ask amused, “what makes you say that?”

“Just in the way he looks at you you know? And the way he acts around you and speaks to you. I can spot a man in love when I see it, I mean, I usually can,” she tells you and you smile.

“Are you sure you’ve only had one glass of wine, love? You seem to be speaking nonsense to me,” you tell her sarcastically, acting as though you don’t want to believe what she’s telling you.

“I promise! But you can believe what you wish y/n, but I personally think you two would make a very sweet couple,” she says.

“Well that’s nice, but I’m sorry to say I don’t think that will ever happen,” you tell her and you leave the conversation there, deciding to change the topic to her and Paul. Halfway through your conversation though, Ringo makes his way over to you, slinging his arms around the two of you in his drunken state. The two of you laugh at his friendly manner.

“Hello ladies,” he drawls and you pull him up so he’s standing straight with your hand wrapped around his waist.

“What’s going on Ringo?” You ask him with an amused smile playing on your face.

“Just want to spend some time with you, y/n, and of course the lovely Linda,” he says.

“Let’s go find the other’s,” you tell him as you make your way through Paul’s house from the back room you were stood in with Linda to the living room where most people seem to be gathered. You spy George quickly as you walk in and he waves you over to him, patting the seat by his side.

“1 second,” you mouth to him, holding up one finger and pointing to Ringo and he nods.

You tell Linda to go join Paul and that you would take care of Ringo, which she does and you walk Ringo over towards Maureen, who takes him off of your hands gratefully.

As you take your seat beside George he leans down to rest his head on your shoulder, which was not an unusual thing for George to do. You run your fingers through his hair which had gotten some length to it recently and he hums approvingly.

“That feels nice,” he mumbles and you can sense that he has had a fair bit to drink as well in the many hours that you guys have been here. You continue to run your fingers through his hair and meet eyes with Linda and Paul from across the room. They both stand there smiling like children looking between you and George.

“See!” Linda mouths in reference to what she’d said about you and George earlier and you clearly understand what she says, shaking your head and laughing.

Of course you liked George, sometimes part of you even thinks you could like him as more than just your friend. The realistic part of your mind usually takes over those thoughts but, assuring you that if you were to ever admit that or put too much thought into it, you would probably lose your dearest friendship.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom,” you whisper to George, and he nods lifting his head from your shoulder.

You take a good long look at yourself in the mirror, and at your shoulder where George had just rested. You mentally assure yourself not to read into what Linda was telling you after all, she had been drinking and so had George.

When you walk back downstairs you walk past Linda and Paul on your way back to George.

“You two look lovely together,” you tell them both, holding Paul by the arm as you walk around to stand next to him.

“Could say the same about you two,” Linda retorts immediately and Paul laughs with her.

“No! Tell her Paul, tell her she’s wrong,” you tell him, but he just shakes his head.

“I’m afraid I agree with her, love,” he says, smiling and you push his arm softly.

“You two are no good,” you tell them, shaking your head before heading back to sit next to George.

The night continues to progress and you once again find yourself floating around the house and then sat talking with Cynthia in the same room you had found yourself talking to Linda in earlier in the night. John walks in to find you both to inform you that people were starting to leave.

“Oh y/n, George is looking for you as well,” he tells you, resting a hand on your back. You push your chair back and stand.

“Better go find him then. Have a good night you two,” you tell them giving them both a hug goodbye. They were two people you adored very much and always had time for.

You walk down the hall and back to the living room, you only see Ringo, Maureen, Paul, Linda and others scattered around, but George is nowhere to be seen.

“Y/n! George is looking for you!” Paul says when she notices my presence.

“Well where’s he looking?” You ask laughing.

“He’s upstairs love,” Linda says in her much more sober state than Paul and you nod appreciatively, climbing the stairs.

As you reach the top of the stairs, you spot George closing one of the bedroom doors, seemingly have been looking in there.

“Y/n, there you are love,” he says once he spots you.

“Here I am,” you tell him, “Ready to head home Geo?” you ask him.

“I think so,” he nods and the two of you descend the staircase again, George does a good job of holding himself upright with the hand railing. You two give your farewells to everybody still here which takes about half an hour in itself since everyone still here takes it as an opportunity to congratulate George on the album again.

“C’mon Georgie,” you encourage him as he could stay and chat with everybody all night long if he could and as much as you’d like to let him, you know you should be getting home.

“I like it when you call me that,” he smiles.

“I’ve always called you that George,” you tell him, laughing.

“I know, and I’ve always liked it,” he says matter of factly, laughing too.

You place him into the passenger seat of his mini cooper, his car that you adore so much.

You begin your drive to George’s house in Esher, you had already discussed with him that you would stay the night since you didn’t bring your car and you had no other way to get home.

You glance at the time on your watch and see it is 3am. You struggle to understand how you’re still awake at this hour, you look over to George in the passenger seat. He’s turns to look at you too, still awake despite the silence of the car ride so far. He smiles then opens his mouth as if to say something, then closing it again.

“You gonna say something Georgie?” You ask him, looking back to the road.

“You know, I love you y/n,” George says after a moment and you smile.

“I love you too George,” you tell him.

“Not like that but. I love you, I always have,” he says and you tell yourself not to believe it as he has always been a very loving and friendly drunk.

“You’re drunk George,” you tell him.

“I may be drunk, but I know what I’m talking about,” he says.

“Alright, why don’t we continue this conversation tomorrow then,” you offer him, not wanting him to say anything else he may regret and not wanting to take advantage of his honest attitude in his drunk state.

“I already know what you’ll say but,” he says, his deep gaze burning into you.

“What are you talking about?” You ask him, looking to him now, and he turns away back towards the road.

“If I told you how I felt tomorrow, you’d just say ‘I don’t feel the same way’, and then I would be left looking like an fool,” he says and it’s as if you’ve just become conscious of your heart beating and how fast it is. You remain your composure though.

“You can’t be so sure Geo,” you tell him, not wanting to admit anything major to him right now, because it would only make you upset seeing him wake up tomorrow and not being able to remember it.

“But I can, you wouldn’t fall for a guy like me,” he says sleepily, closing his eyes now.

“Well that’s not true at all,” you say quietly, wanting to just let him doze off to sleep.

When you get back to Kinfauns, you are greeted with the next task of getting George into the house. He wakes up though and is quite easy to deal with, holding onto your side as you guide him through the door, using your set of keys that he had cut for you to let the two of you in.

You put George into his bed then go to grab him a glass of water for when he wakes up no doubt feeling greatly dehydrated. As you place the glass by his bed he speaks up again which surprises you.

“Stay with me,” he tells you patting the other side of the bed, playing at your heartstrings once again.

“I’ll just be in the spare room Geo, like always,” you tell him and although all of you right now wants to just climb in with him, you don’t want him to wake up tomorrow and have to explain to him how you ended up in his bed.

“See, you don’t want me, I get it,” he says, rolling over so his back is facing you now, and it hurts you to see him like this.

“Oh stop George, I’ll see you in the morning darling,” you tell him as you switch off his light and go into the spare bedroom which has basically become a room for you at this point considering the amount of nights you’ve spent here. You and George often hang out into the early hours of the morning finding yourself too tired to drive home and George convincing you to just stay the night.

As you fall asleep you reflect on the whole night, your conversation with Linda and your following conversation with George. Maybe she’s right? You think, but you also have seen the way George acts with people and you refuse to believe he could actually like you as more than a friend, let alone be in love with you.

You wake up the next morning before George and decide to go make him a cup of tea to make his wake up a bit more bearable.

You place it on his bedside and he stirs awake to your presence.

“Morning,” he mumbles.

“Morning Geo,” you tell him as you walk around to the other side of his bed, climbing under the covers. Now that you know he is sober, you don’t feel so weird about it, and you too had spent many mornings like this before just waking up by each others side.

“How are you feeling,” you ask him.

“How drunk was I? I barely even remember how we got home, you drove didn’t you?” He asks, sitting up next to you and sipping his tea, just like you.

“You were quite drunk, rambling on the drive home,” you tell him, not sure whether or not to mention what he’d said. It could be better just to pretend it hadn’t happened, but you want to know if he really meant it.

“Oh god, what was I saying? Nothing bad I hope,” he says and you laugh.

“Oh no, so it was bad then,” he assumes from your laughter.

“You were just flattering me really, confessing your love,” you tell him in a joking manner, trying to laugh it off and gage his reaction.

“What do you mean,” he asks with a smirk, turning to face you completely with his legs crossed like a little boy. You mimic him, slowing reflecting his position.

“Well I recall you saying that I wouldn’t fall for a guy like you,” you tell him, remembering bits and pieces of the conversation. He raises his eyebrows, seeming amused.

“And what did you say,” he asks taking another sip of his tea.

“Oh I didn’t say anything, I just knew you were rambling,” you tell him.

“Well if it wasn’t just my drunken rambling what would you have to say about that?” He asks, which catches you off guard, and you look down for a moment to figure out what best to say.

“Well I’d tell you that isn’t true,” you say, mustering up some confidence and just admitting it.

“What’s not true?” George says trying to drag it out of you, you know what he’s playing at but go along with it anyway.

“That I wouldn’t fall for a guy like you, George,” you tell him.

“Then I was wrong,” he says, nodding.

“You were,” you agree.

“So you said I confessed my love for you,” he says.

“You did, but I just told you that you were drunk,” you tell him.

“Well at least drunk me had the courage to say it,” he says and your heart is beating hard and fast.

“Say what?” You ask, playing at his game now and he rolls his eyes.

“That I may or may not be in love with you,” he says and you feel like your heart could burst. Looking into his deep brown eyes you feel like things are clicking into place.

“Well which is it Georgie? May or may not?”

“I very well may be in love you you y/n,” he admits, looking away.

“Well that’s lucky,” you pause, and he looks up to meet your eyes now, “because I very well may be in love with you too,” you tell him and he smiles.

“That is very lucky indeed,” he says, placing his mug back by his bedside table.

“Can I kiss you?” he asks which you giggle at.

“Please,” you say and with that he takes your face in his hands and places a soft kiss on you before pulling back slowly.

“This isn’t a dream?” He asks laughing slightly, tucking your hair behind your ear.

“I hope not.”

#george harrison x reader #george harrison imagine #george harrison fluff #georgeharrisonfic #george harrison #beatles x reader

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gstqaobc · 4 years

Link

Hello, royal watchers and all those intrigued by what’s going on inside the House of Windsor. This is your biweekly dose of royal news and analysis.Reading this online?

Janet Davison

Royal Expert

Was it really another 'annus horribilis' for the Queen?

(Richard Pohle/Getty Images)

As 2019 draws to a close, there has been much chatter about whether the year has been another “annus horribilis” for Queen Elizabeth.

Along with the sordid, ongoing saga around Prince Andrew’s friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the House of Windsor was buffeted by talk of potential rifts between Princes William and Harry and their wives.

Controversy also followed Harry and his wife, Meghan, over everything from privacy and secrecy to suggestions of hypocrisy when it comes to how environmentally friendly they might be. The Queen also found herself much closer to politics than usual as Brexit continued to convulse the U.K.

But does all that really rival 1992, when the Queen famously told a gathering marking her 40 years on the throne that it was an "annus horribilis?"

Maybe not.

“This past year has been challenging for the Royal Family, but on balance, its events haven't threatened the monarchy in the same way,” biographer Sally Bedell Smith, author of Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch, said via email.

In 1992, there was a litany of troubles. Andrew Morton’s book Diana: Her True Story “was devastating for Prince Charles — and by extension, his fitness as a future king,” said Smith, and Charles's separation from Diana was an “inevitable consequence.”

The marriages of his brother Andrew and sister Anne also imploded. And in November, fire devastated Windsor Castle, for which Elizabeth has a particular fondness.

That’s not to say, however, that 2019 didn’t have its troubles.

“The only parallel between 1992 and 2019 is Prince Andrew as a source of serious concern,” said Smith, with his involvement in the Epstein scandal staining his reputation.

“The Queen, backed by Prince Charles and Prince William, did the right thing by removing him from his public duties. He is now a ‘minor royal,’ well down the line of succession, so his departure from public life won't have as much impact as it would have in 1992, when he was preceded only by Charles, and his two young sons.”

The problems Andrew faces ”are pretty horrendous,” Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, said via email.

“It is very sad for the Queen to see her favourite son being ridiculed and in such an unsavoury mess. But he is 60 in February and there is not much the Queen can do about it. He has to get himself out of the mess with as little damage to the [institution] of the monarchy as possible.”

And then there is the controversy that swirled throughout the year around Harry and Meghan.

“The bumps in their life as a royal couple — their antagonism toward the press, the resentment of their tendency to act more like celebrities than members of the Royal Family, the accusations of hypocrisy when they failed to practise what they were preaching — will presumably smooth out in 2020,” said Smith.

As much as there was controversy this year, there were also moments of hope and optimism.

Seward sees several “high notes” to 2019, including the arrival of Harry and Meghan’s first child, Archie; the wedding of the Queen’s “favourite great niece” Gabriella Windsor; and several “successful” high-profile royal tours. “William and Kate proved over and over again how suitable they are to lead the monarchy into the future.”

Smith expects that “to the degree that William and Harry have had a rift in their relationship over the past year, it seems likely that, too, will smooth out in 2020.”

Smith said the Queen continues “to be fit mentally and physically and can be expected to carry out her duties as long as she is able.”

Looking further down the road, Smith considers what might come in 2022, when the Queen will have been on the throne for 70 years.

“If she continues as she is now, there could be an unprecedented Platinum Jubilee celebration in the offing.”

Prince Philip in hospital

(Steve Parsons/The Associated Press)

Prince Philip was taken to hospital in London today for treatment of a pre-existing condition.

Buckingham Palace said the Queen’s 98-year-old husband was taken from her Sandringham estate, where he spends much of his time, to King Edward VII Hospital as a “precautionary measure.”

It’s the second time Philip, who retired from public duties in 2017, has been in hospital around Christmas. In 2011, he missed the Royal Family’s festive celebrations as he recovered from a successful coronary stent procedure.

The Telegraph reported today that it was understood Philip had been under the weather

“for some time”

and had developed a cold recently. He was not taken to hospital by ambulance, and the admission Friday had been planned.

Philip has been in hospital a few times in recent years, including in 2018 for hip replacement surgery. In 2013, he had exploratory abdominal surgery. The previous year, he missed portions of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations while he was treated for a bladder infection.

Philip was last seen in public in May, at the wedding of Gabriella Windsor.

While Philip was in hospital in London on Friday, the Queen was travelling in the other direction, taking the train to Norfolk to begin her Christmas break at Sandringham.

Keeping an eye on Christmas

(Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

It’s a simple walk to church, but one that draws significant attention as observers look for who’s there — and who isn’t.

This year, the countryside stroll to St. Mary Magdalene church at the Sandringham estate on Christmas Day won’t feature two of the more high-profile members of the Royal Family.

Harry and Meghan have been taking a break from royal duties, and are celebrating Christmas with Meghan’s mother elsewhere. Last year, amid ongoing reports of potential strife between Kate and Meghan, as well as between William and Harry, their walk together to church drew more attention than other years.

Curiosity will also surround whether Prince Philip will be seen. He was taken to hospital in London on Friday morning, Buckingham Palace said.

There may also be two additions to the Christmas morning stroll. Some reports suggest William and Kate’s two elder children, Prince George, six, and Princess Charlotte, four, will join the annual walk for the first time.

Royally quotable

"Why can’t they go home?"

— Prince William recounts what George and Charlotte have said when they have seen homeless people. William made the comments

during a BBC Christmas specia

l, where he said he makes a point of discussing the struggles other people face as he drives the children to school.

Royals in Canada

(St. Felix Centre)

Brian Harris readily admits he “wasn’t really aware” of who Meghan Markle was when he met her about four years ago.

In her pre-royal days living in Toronto while working as an actor on the TV drama Suits, Meghan was dropping off turkeys for the Thanksgiving meal at the St. Felix Centre, a charity that offers support for homeless and vulnerable people.

But when Harris, the centre’s executive director, now sees a photo from her time volunteering at the centre, he remembers meeting her and recalls someone who was “very humble about the whole thing.”

“She tried to keep a pretty low profile because she wasn’t really trying to make it about herself.”

Things have gone very high-profile for the centre after Meghan and Harry featured it among 12 charities they highlighted on Instagram this month.

“She was just trying to do a good thing,” Harris said of Meghan’s time at the centre, “and so we were very impressed by that, and very appreciative of the fact that now that she has this much bigger platform, she’s still continuing to do good things.”

Harris said the royal recognition has enabled the organization to “reach a much wider audience” and it is “very flattered” to be included in the group of charities highlighted by Harry and Meghan.

“Their influence can’t be understated,” Harris said.

“They have such an enormous platform and such an enormous reach … depending on how deeply involved they get with a particular charity, it can be immensely life-altering for that organization.”

He said the centre’s next challenge, early in the new year, is seeing if Meghan might consider a return visit in 2020.

“We’ve been trying to plant that seed that if her and Harry, or even just her … happen to be back on this side of the pond any time soon, that we would love to have them pop by for a visit and see the impact of their activities over the last few months.”

Royal reads

1. Emily Maitlis, the BBC journalist who conducted the interview with Prince Andrew over his friendship with Epstein,

shares secrets

regarding that “hour of surreal television.” [The Guardian]

2. Camilla

shared the holiday spirit

with a group of seriously ill children as they helped decorate the Christmas tree at Clarence House. [The Telegraph]

3. The latest season of The Crown has Queen Elizabeth hearing rumours that the prime minister of the day — Harold Wilson — was secretly a Soviet spy. Did MI5

really think that was the case

? [BBC]

4. Police surveillance files gathered

about a goddaughter of Queen Victoria

will go on display next year as part of a display looking at the history of the fight for women’s rights. [The Guardian]

A festive note: The Royal Fascinator will take a break over Christmas and return to your inboxes on Jan. 10. Have a happy holiday.

Cheers!

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Pierre Bergé: the man who made Saint Laurent a household name | Fashion

When Hedi Slimane dropped the Yves from Yves Saint Laurent after he joined the house as creative director in 2012, a meme-like T-shirt with the phrase “Ain’t no Laurent Without Yves” became popular. To put the importance of Pierre Bergé in bite-sized Insta-friendly phrasing, you could change that to “Ain’t no Yves Saint Laurent Without Pierre Bergé”.

Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent in 1982. Photograph: Sipa Press/REX/Shutterstock

Bergé founded Yves Saint Laurent with the designer in 1961, when the two men were in a relationship. It was Bergé who encouraged Saint Laurent – a designer at Christian Dior when the two met in 1958 – to set up his own house. He later said: “I instantly recognised his genius.” While Brian Epstein was busy honing the Beatles into the supergroup of the decade, Bergé worked to do the equivalent with Saint Laurent. The designer became a superstar of the fashion world.

While the Saint Laurent house began as couture, in line with the Paris fashion of the era, Bergé was instrumental in democratising the industry for the younger 60s consumer. In 1966, they launched Rive Gauche, a line of ready-to-wear and cheaper designs that could be bought off the hanger in the store of the same name. While that sounds standard now, the idea was revolutionary in an era where the luxury consumer was used to receiving their clothes after lengthy fittings at a designer’s atelier. Rive Gauche proved profitable – boutiques opened in New York and London later in the decade.

Saint Laurent with Betty Catroux (left) and Loulou de La Falaise (right) in London, 1969. Photograph: John Minihan/Getty Images

Rive Gauche – named after Paris’s bohemian Left Bank – chimed with a new generation of wealthy young it girls that Bergé and Saint Laurent socialised with at Parisian clubs such as Le Sept and, later, at the duo’s villa in Marrakech. Bergé was shrewd; he knew the positive power celebrity and glamour could have on the reputation of a fashion house. Betty Catroux, Catherine Deneuve and Loulou de La Falaise were part of the house’s coterie of muses, bringing a mix of louche, rockn’roll chic with them.

While Saint Laurent was a timid soul, Bergé made him into a recognisable face too. The designer, with his luxuriant floppy hair and glasses, was the star of his own label. In 1971, he famously appeared naked in the advert for the Pour Homme fragrance. With Bergé as mastermind, Yves Saint Laurent arguably became one of the first bona fide celebrity designers. He became a blue chip pop icon when immortalised in a series of screenprints by Andy Warhol in 1974.

Bergé with Saint Laurent in 1999. Photograph: LECARPENTI/SIPA/REX/Shutterstock

This public-facing role became increasingly difficult for the designer in his later years. While the duo’s romantic relationship broke up in the late 70s, they remained a double act behind the brand. Saint Laurent, who suffered from depression, had a series of nervous breakdowns and struggled with substance abuse, increasingly relied on Bergé to be by his side for appearances, to protect him from the scrum of press after fashion shows. This was a role Bergé had taken on right from the outset: at Saint Laurent’s debut in 1962, Bergé could be seen standing on a chair directing the crowd to the exit. Ex-Paris Vogue editor Joan Juliet Buck called Bergé a man “whose life it is to organise a scattered genius”. Bergé’s dogged loyalty made sure the public face remained in place, whatever cracks were showing in private.

This continued after Saint Laurent’s death in 2008. Bergé, always opinionated, devoted himself to preserving the designer’s legacy. He was famously dismissive of Saint Laurent successors Stefano Pilati and Tom Ford. In an interview in 2012, he said: “I am happy that Stefano Pilati is gone, just as I was happy when Tom Ford left.” He approved of Slimane’s appointment, and his rebranding of the name – a move that he said was “taking [the brand] into a new era”. Anthony Vaccarello, the creative director since last year, had tacit approval: Bergé sat front row at his shows. In a statement released on Friday, Vaccarello said: “It is with a deep emotion that I have learned of Pierre Bergé’s passing; he welcomed me with kindness since my first day at Saint Laurent.”

Bergé, right, with Lou Doillon, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, at the spring/summer 2017 Saint Laurent fashion show. Photograph: Maitre/WWD/REX/Shutterstock

Bergé’s energetic determination to make sure his former lover’s work remained in the foreground of fashion was there till the last. His most recent project was two museums of Saint Laurent’s work – due to open in Paris and Marrakech in October, a huge project with 20,000 pieces on display at the Paris museum. Bergé once said that Saint Laurent “transcended the merely aesthetic in fashion and penetrated social territory”. It’s thanks to Bergé that the designer was able to do that. It’s also thanks to him that we will continue to appreciate it.

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