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sourholland · 2 years

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Glamorous || Tom Holland

Part Twelve

Summary → In this Princess Diana retelling, you are working in a nursery school as an aid in London, as well as a part time nanny. With slight aristocratic ties, you choose to live a more normal and mundane life. When the Prince of Wales comes to know you and bring you into the spotlight, everything changes. Truths coming too late, lies straining your relationship, and the impending future of the country falling on your shoulders. Is this really the stuff of which fairytales are made?

AN → Ah so not so long of a wait but here’s another part, 1987 is upon Glamorous!! This was honestly probably one of the saddest chapters I’ve written for this story. Feedback is heavily heavily appreciated and let’s me know you guys want me to continue.

Pairing(s)→ Prince!Tom x Princess!Reader

Warnings → Strong language, Mentions of Sex, Infidelity, Depression, Mental Health Issues

Word Count → 2.6k

July, 1986 - I have loved you for many years

The gala was booming, those of the highest status perusing about happily.

Tom was off speaking to someone, leaving you to walk around the beautiful space. The interior was almost all gold, chandeliers hanging from every high ceiling. After so long, you thought you’d be used to such extravagance, but it never ceased to amaze you.

“Enjoying yourself, Princess?” A voice sounded behind you.

“Hm?” You turned, seeing a young man dressed in a black suit, speaking in a monotone voice you replied to him. “Oh, yes. I’m having great fun.”

He laughed loudly, it was nearly infectious. This man had one of those laughs that came from the belly, mouth wide open, cheeks flushed with color. This made you grin just a bit, holding a glass of champagne in your hand and looking over the crowd.

“Could I—”

“Excuse me, I’d like to cut in and steal my wife for a dance,” Tom’s voice sounded suddenly.

The man looked disappointed, his smile dropping. However, he didn’t protest. Tom took your hand gallantly, leading you to the floor when the soft music began to play as the orchestra began. Your gown was white with black floral decals, swooping at your ankles. Tom has always been an amazing dancer, it was infuriating to you.

“You look gorgeous,” he whispered into your ear.

“You’re already drunk,” you chuckled, annoyed.

“Not at all, just admiring how beautiful you are. It’s not fair, truly—how every single man in this room wishes to have you.”

“I’m no item to be had.”

His breath smelled of liquor, yet you had to remain smiling and happy for the photographers in the audience. Tom’s grasp on your waist tightened, the look in his eyes unreadable. If he hadn’t been so charming, you’d have slapped him in the face.

“Kiss me,” he murmured. “They’ll love it, kiss me, darling.”

“You’re an ass, you know that,” you whispered back to him.

In a moment of weakness, craving his approval or validation, you leaned into his arms and pressed a passionate, but classy kiss on his soft lips. Those watching did in fact love it, and those dancing around you loved to see the Wales’ happy and smiling as well. Tabloids had been merciless lately, putting your marriage on the front page of every magazine, headlining every fight that may or may not have happened.

Tom smiled as the kiss ended, but leaned back in once more for another chaste peck. You couldn’t help but to flush easily, somewhat pleased with his rare affection.

Both you and Tom sat aimlessly on the floor of the hotel suite, drunk and exhausted. His face was flushed, his cheeks scarlet. There was a staleness to the air, a buzzing in your ears, and nothing but the soft hum of the telly in the background. The gala had ended very late, leaving you both to stumble upstairs.

“Why me?” You began. “Why did you have to marry me?”

He finally looked at you, but said nothing. His eyes were glassy, lips swollen and pink. He was expressionless. It was a fair question, one you were eager to know the answer to, even if it killed you.

“Mother and father were relentless, I was indecisive. I knew I needed to get on with it. It was just—you were perfect. Everything a man could want, it was an easy choice.”

“But not what you wanted?” You breathed out unsurprised. “I was of the right blood, bred for it. A virgin too, I suppose. I was easy, something you needed to get on with. Though, not what you wanted?”

He took a long and swift sip of the open wine bottle beside him, pressing it to his lips hard. His knuckles went white from how hard he grasped the neck of the glass. Once he finally looked at you, it was clear as day what he would say.

“No, Y/N. Not what I wanted. I wanted to want it, I truly did.”

There was a stale silence to the room, white noise filling the awkward space. Tom would drink himself to madness, you thought. Everyone coped differently, perhaps.

“But I mean, Y/N—it’s not like you are living some miserable life, I mean look at you,” he chuckled. “Every man in the world dreams of having you, every woman wants to be you. To the entire world, you are perceived to have some fairytale love story, and you’re quite literally a princess.”

Why did everyone throw this in your face?

It wasn’t real, none of it was real. If it was, you would not be living the predicament you were. There is no Y/N Y/L/N anymore. She was gone, long gone the second she entered this marriage of absolute travesty.

Tom seemed to notice how his comment was not funny to you, easing up and little bit and beginning to say he didn’t mean it as a jab. Only then did you stand, breathing in deeply and calmly staring at him.

“Every single man in the world could want me, Thomas. It wouldn’t matter, but thank you for telling me how grateful I should be!”

“Y/N, I didn’t mean for you to—”

“Our relationship has fucking destroyed me! And believe me, I know that marrying a better man would’ve been easier, I know that it would’ve worked better! However, to everyone’s regret, to my own regret, my own frustration and pain—the only person I have ever loved is you.”

Tom stilled, his eyes fixated on the floor. There was intensity between you two, a sort of electricity that made you feel like it’d physically pain you to reach out and touch him. He hoisted himself up off the floor, you figured that this would end how every other argument between the two of you does.

Hot tears streamed down your face, you tried wiping them away furiously. Every fiber of your being was begging him to say something, anything. The way he was looking at you made you want to drop to your knees and beg him to want you. His silence was telling, though. You started for the door, suddenly self conscious of your sleep shorts and extremely oversized Queen T-Shirt that Freddie Mercury had gifted you himself as a gag joke at your last birthday party.

“Wait,” Tom choked out. “Stay, just—just stay, please?”

Turning to look at him, he walked the few steps to get to you and immediately wrapped you into his embrace. Hugging was most certainly a rarity from him, at least to you. He buried his head in your neck, and you stood stiff for a moment, unsure of what to do. His grip tightened around you like a child missing his mother.

“I wish I could love you in the way you deserve,” he mumbled into your hair. “I wish I could, I don’t know why I can’t.”

There was a crack in his voice, your arms reaching around him finally. There was an ache in your heart, you felt like a weary shell of a woman. Tom’s staggered breathing only made you want to break down farther into tears.

“Stay with me? Please, just stay with me for one night?” He looked you in the eyes pleadingly.

“Tom, you’re sloshed,” you sniffled out.

“Please?”

There it was. The thing that got you into this mess in the first place. Tom had something over you that made it almost impossible to say no, or see reason. He led you to the bed, both of you already dressed down. Then he sat down onto it and you did the same.

Laying together was not sensual in any way, you weren’t touching, only lying beside one another. Tom had turned off all of the lights, the room nearly consumed with darkness. He reached to touch your hand, but you pulled it back.

“This relationship has fucking destroyed me,” you repeated in a small, but clear voice.

“I know.”

January, 1987 - I know, you know, he knows

Something had possessed you to go and visit Sam in a spout of loneliness, only to find that he was not home once you arrived on his estate. Elizabeth, however, was in. She was so pretty, her smile was contagious. In the years you’d been able to know her, she had become a friend to you. Never close, though. She’d always been a bit reserved when it came to you.

Her pregnant belly was swollen with life when she invited you in for tea. The large inside was still decorated for Christmas, this made you smile. Elizabeth and Sam seemed like two very festive people. Her sitting room was dressed in colorful garland, the Christmas tree shedding pines still.

“Thank you,” you said as she motioned for you to take your cup. “I’m sorry to come by unannounced, I was sure Sam would’ve been in.”

“He’s been out a lot lately, engagements and such,” she smiled. “How is Tom? And the boys?”

“They’re grand, five and three now. Henry’s getting so big,” you gushed. “You’ll see, soon enough with this little one coming.”

Elizabeth talked for a few more minutes, asking about your life and more about the children. She was very careful around the topic of your marriage, seeing as every magazine in the world seemed to be talking about its downfall.

“Y/N, I have a question that I’ve wanted to ask you for quite some time and I hope you will excuse my bluntness, but know I won’t think any less of you regardless,” said Elizabeth.

“Go on.”

“Do you love Sam?”

This question was a shock to you, but it made sense why she was asking. Since your marriage had taken a turn for the worse, Sam had been a shoulder to lean on, and a friend. Elizabeth was only human to assume you meant more. Everyone in the family knows that your husband remains unfaithful to you, she probably assumed you wished to drive Sam to do the same.

“Lizzy, Sam is my brother. I love him like I love my own brother. If my friendship with him bothers you, please tell me and I will not continue to overstep any—”

“He loves you, Y/N,” she said aloud. “I know he loves you, he knows he loves you. I know he will never leave me, but I know when I’m looking into the eyes of the man I love and he’s seeing someone else.”

Elizabeth was not crying, not as you would’ve been in her position. She was calm, sipping her tea and waiting for you to respond. It was obvious that she’s been hoping to have this conversation for some time, even if it felt like an ambush.

When Sam had professed his love to you all those years ago, you vowed to never tell his secret. This was so long ago, though. He was a fully grown man now, with a wife and child on the way.

“Sam will never be unfaithful to you, Elizabeth, he cares too much for his family. I can assure you that I have never entertained anything more the familial and platonic friendship. I know what it’s like to be betrayed, and I know what it’s like to feel that way.”

“Y/N, I will only ask you this once and you have every right to say no, but would you please give Sam some space away from you? For mine and our child’s sake,” her voice was almost desperate. “I just can’t let my marriage turn into yours and—”

She stopped herself almost immediately.

“Mine and Tom’s,” you breathed, setting down your cup and standing up. “I see. Elizabeth it was nice of you to invite me in, but I must get back. Give Sam my best when he arrives home.”

“Y/N—”

“No!” You said as she tried to grab onto your shoulder. “I’m sorry, just—I am going to see myself out.”

The tears began as you reached your car, cursing yourself for crying over such bullshit. There was a part of you that wished to just never wake up, a part of you that hated the life you were living.

The only thing that brought you joy anymore was Henry and James, they were your only source of true happiness and love. Everyone else, even your husband, resents you terribly. After seeing Elizabeth, you felt like you were now losing your best friend. You simply couldn’t go against her wishes, however rude she was at the end of your visit. You would not be the downfall of your brother-in-law’s marriage.

The tears seemed to cloud your vision so badly it felt impossible to drive, pulling over you put the car in park and just sat for a moment.

“Fuck!” You shouted into the steering wheel, the only lone car on a winding empty road.

April, 1987 - Be a man

“You’ve been ‘round to check up on Y/N, yeah?” Paddy asked Tom, sounding casual with a twinge of seriousness.

“I’m heading over after I leave here, it’s been awhile, but yeah, I’d say. Why?”

They were walking around Paddy’s property, the hunting dogs trailing behind them in submission. Tom tried to visit his brothers more as of late, feeling them all getting older.

“I’ve heard things,” Paddy confessed. “About her, Y/N, I mean. That she’s doing things to herself, she’s always isolating herself and such.”

Tom grimaced, the family truly couldn’t mind their own business. However, Y/N’s problems had started to become more mainstream within the papers. He felt horrible, obviously, no doubt about that. This was just something he had no clue how to deal with, and Eleanor made him feel like he shouldn’t be worrying about her. Truthfully, he didn’t know how to feel.

“Tom, I don’t want to get involved in this mess of a marriage, but it is a marriage. She’s your wife, and she loves you. Clearly she’s got mental health problems, being in this family has seriously fucked her up.”

“She married into this family, she knew what she was getting into,” Tom tried to counter.

“She was just a kid,” Paddy snapped. “You know that. She was hardly older than me.”

“She was an adult!”

“I’m twenty four and you still call me ‘buddy’ and ‘kid’, for fucks sake! It’s been seven years, Tom. Own it. We all know mistakes were made when she was brought into this family. Why can’t you just fucking admit it? Mum does, father does!”

Tom ceased walking and looked at Paddy with irritation, shoving him back a little harder than a playful brotherly shove. Paddy pushed him back, followed by another shove by Tom. It only took one more good, hard press by Paddy that had Tom on his ass.

“Look, you’re my brother and I love you. But God! What the fuck is the matter with you? Go be a fucking man, Tom! You’re thirty years old, be with your wife and kids, Tom. It’s pathetic!”

With that, he trekked off towards the large estate, leaving Tom behind.

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lucidpillows · 19 days

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it was nice knowing you, Taylor Zakhar Perez

#he's a yapper #gonna be locked up until the sequel #taylor zakhar perez #tzp #rwrb #alex claremont diaz #red white and royal blue #rwrb movie #he's tom holland-ing

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theroyalsandi · 4 months

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British Royal Family - The Prince of Wales poses for a photo with US actor Tom Cruise at the London Air Ambulance Charity Gala Dinner at The OWO in London, England | February 7, 2024

#royaltyedit #theroyalsandi #prince of wales #prince william #tom cruise #british royal family #my gif #top post

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wamzyy · 9 months

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Tommatt Royal au because the voices in my head demanded it of me!

#in which its just prince Matt from saloonatics but its actual Matt and Tom is a knight HEHEE #im gonna draw more for this because im so obsessed with a good old royal au but this is it for now #wamzy’s art #eddsworld #eddsworld fanart #mattom #tommatt #eddsworld tom #eddsworld Matt #ew Tom #ew Matt

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existential-queeer · 1 year

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2023 is feeding me so well

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lokiusly · 6 months

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Mobius “Everyman” Mobius was so real for calling out Loki in S1E4, during the interrogation—“Now I gotta have a prince tell me how the real world works.” Truly a man of the people.

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chiocchi · 1 year

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The Knight and The King AU

#tomarrymort #tomarry #I remember having this AU where Harry's secret identity was the lost prince who survived the killing of the royal family #And Tom has been looking for him for years to finish the job #And Harry is right there #gaining his trust and making allies in order to overthrow him #(Dumbledore's plan)#Except that they fall in love and it gets messy because they kinda need to kill the other jklfjdsd #harry potter #tom riddle #hp fanart #harry james potter #my art #fanart

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scottishaccentsareawesome · 8 months

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(Maverick and Iceman have just been found out as a couple and been reported to navy officials) Iceman(answering the phone):...Hello? Maverick: Baby... Iceman: Maverick, oh my God. Are you alright? Maverick: I'm hanging in there. Are you okay? Iceman: No, no I'm not okay. Maverick: You know what? I'm coming to London tonight [where Ice is stationed]. Just hang on until I get there. We'll figure this out. Iceman: Hurry. Please. Maverick: I'll break the sound barrier for you.

#incorrect quotes #icemav #top gun 1986 #original: red white & royal blue #tom kazansky #pete mitchell #iceman kazansky #maverick mitchell

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voguefashion · 7 months

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Princess Diana Vogue Covers

British Vogue, August 1981, photographed by Lord Snowdon British Vogue, December 1991, photographed by Patrick Demarchelier American Vogue, May 1991, photographed by Tom Graham British Vogue, July 1994, photographed by Patrick Demarchelier Vogue Spain, July 1997, photographed by Mario Testino British Vogue, October 1997, photographed by Patrick Demarchelier

#princess diana #diana spencer #vogue covers #british vogue #lord snowdon #antony armstrong jones #patrick demarchelier #american vogue #vogue us #tom graham #vogue spain #mario testino #vogue #british royals

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thepastisalreadywritten · 2 months

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Inside William’s Next Act: Tatler’s May issue goes behind the scenes as the Prince of Wales is rising above the noise — and playing the long game

The burden of leadership is falling upon Prince William, but as former BBC Royal Correspondent, Wesley Kerr OBE, explains in Tatler’s May cover story, the future king is taking charge

By Wesley Kerr OBE

21 March 2024

When I first met Prince William in 2009, he asked me if I could tell him how he could win the National Lottery.

It was a jokey quip from someone who has since become the Prince of Wales, the holder of three dukedoms, three earldoms, two baronies and two knighthoods, and heir to the most prestigious throne on earth.

He was, of course, being relatable; I was representing the organisation that had allocated Lottery funding towards the Whitechapel Gallery and he wanted to put me at ease.

William is grand but different, royal but real.

At 6ft 3in, he has the bearing and looks great in uniform after a distinguished, gallant military career.

He will be one of the tallest of Britain’s kings since Edward Longshanks in the 14th century and should one day be crowned sitting above the Stone of Scone that Edward ‘borrowed.’

William, by contrast, has a deep affinity with Scotland and Wales, having lived in both nations and gained solace from the Scottish landscape after his mother died.

He’s popular in America and understands that the Crown’s relationship to the Commonwealth must evolve.

The Prince of Wales has long believed that ‘the Royal Family has to modernise and develop as it goes along, and it has to stay relevant’, as he once said in an interview.

He seeks his own way of being relatable, of benefitting everybody, in the context of an ancient institution undergoing significant challenge and upheaval, as the head of a nation divided by hard times, conflicts abroad, and social and political uncertainty.

We might recognise Shakespeare’s powerful line spoken by Claudius in Hamlet: ‘When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions.’

With the triple announcement in January and February of the Princess of Wales’s abdominal surgery and long convalescence, of King Charles’s prostate procedure and then of his cancer diagnosis, the burden of leadership has fallen on 76-year-old Queen Camilla and, crucially, on William.

The Prince of Wales’s time has come to step up; and so he has deftly done.

In recent months, we have seen a fully-fledged deputy head of state putting into practice his long-held ideas, speaking out on the most contentious issue of the day and taking direct action on homelessness.

Last June, he unveiled the multi-agency Homewards initiative with the huge aspiration of ending homelessness, backed with £3 million from his Foundation to spearhead action across the UK.

He is consolidating Heads Together, the long-standing campaign on mental health, and fundraises for charities like London’s Air Ambulance Charity.

He was, of course, once a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance services – a profession that had its downside: seeing people in extremis or at death’s door, he found himself ‘taking home people’s trauma, people’s sadness.’

Tom Cruise was a guest at the recent London’s Air Ambulance Charity fundraiser, William’s first gala event after Kate’s operation.

And more stardust followed when William showed that, even without his wife by his side, he could outclass any movie star at the Baftas.

There’s also his immense aim of helping to ‘repair the planet’ itself with his Earthshot Prize: five annual awards of £1 million for transformative environmental projects with worldwide application.

This project has a laser focus on biodiversity, better air quality, cleaner seas, reducing waste and combating climate change. Similar aims to his father; different means to achieve the goal.

On the issue which has caused huge convulsions – the Middle East conflict – William’s 20 February statement from Kensington Palace grabbed attention.

He said he was ‘deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October. Too many have been killed.’

There were criticisms – along the lines of ‘the late Queen would have never spoken out like this’ or ‘what right does he have to meddle in politics?’ – but it was hard to disagree with his carefully calibrated words.

His call for peace, the ‘desperate need’ for humanitarian aid, the return of the hostages.

The statement was approved by His Majesty’s Government, likely cleared with the King himself at Sandringham the previous weekend and also backed by the chief rabbi of Great Britain, Sir Ephraim Mirvis.

Indeed, William and Catherine had immediately spoken out on the horrors of 7 October.

William followed up the week after his Kensington Palace statement by visiting a synagogue and sending a ‘powerful message’, according to the chief rabbi, by meeting a Holocaust survivor and condemning anti-Semitism.

This is rooted in deep personal conviction following William’s 2018 visit to Israel and the West Bank, says Valentine Low, the distinguished author of Courtiers and The Times’s royal correspondent of 15 years, who was on that 2018 trip.

‘William was so moved by his visit to Israel and the West Bank, he found it very affecting, and he was not going to drop this issue – he was going to pay attention to it for the rest of his life,’ says Low.

‘He must feel that… not to say something on the most important issue in the world [at that moment] would be a bit odd if you feel so strongly about it.’

There was concern from some commentators about politicising the monarchy, but this rose above the particulars of party politics.

As Prince of Wales, like his father before him, there is perhaps space to speak out sparingly on carefully chosen issues.

On this occasion, his views were in line with majority public opinion.

On homelessness, news came that same week that William was planning to build 24 homes for the homeless on his Duchy of Cornwall estate.

‘William’s impact is very personal,’ says Mick Clarke, chief executive of The Passage, a charity providing emergency accommodation for London’s homeless.

‘Two weeks before Christmas, the prince came to our Resource Centre in Victoria for a Christmas lunch for 150 people.

He was scheduled to stay for an hour, to help serve, wash up, and talk to people.

He ended up staying for two and a quarter hours, during which time he went from table to table and spoke to every single person.’

Clarke continues:

‘William has an ability to listen, talk and to put people at ease. During the November 2020 lockdown, he came on three separate occasions to help.

It gave the team a boost that he took the time; it was his way of saying: “I support you; you’re doing a great job.”’

Seyi Obakin, chief executive of Centrepoint, one of the prince’s best-known causes, adds:

‘People associate his patronage with the big moments like the time he and I slept under Blackfriars Bridge.

The things that stick with me are smaller in scale and the more profound for it – in quieter moments, away from the cameras, where he has volunteered his time.’

It is a different approach from the King’s.

As Prince of Wales, he was involved in the minutiae of dozens of issues at any one time, working into the night to follow up on emails, crafting his speeches, writing or dictating notes.

Add to that much nationwide touring over 40 years (after he left active military service in 1976), fitting in multiple engagements, often being greeted formally by lord lieutenants.

This is not William’s style. He has commended his father’s model, but he does things his own way.

Although patronages are under review, William has up till now far fewer than either his father or his grandparents.

Charles is sympathetic to William’s approach and his desire to make time with his young family sacrosanct.

They are confidantes, attested by the night of Queen Elizabeth’s death.

They were both at Birkhall with Camilla, reviewing funeral arrangements while the rest of the grieving family were nearby at Balmoral, hosted by the Princess Royal.

Charles has had almost six decades in public life and is the senior statesman of our time, with even longer in the spotlight than Joe Biden.

After Eton and St Andrew’s University, where he met Catherine, William served in three branches of the military between 2006 and 2013, finishing as a seasoned and skilled helicopter rescue pilot.

His later employment as an air ambulance pilot stopped in 2017, when he became a full-time working royal.

At that time, not so long ago – with Harry unmarried, Andrew undisgraced, and Philip and Elizabeth still active – William shared the spotlight.

Now, after the King, he’s the key man.

He can look back on the success of his first big campaign initially launched with his wife and brother in 2016: Heads Together.

‘We are delighted that Prince William should have become such a positive and sympathetic advocate for mental health through his Heads Together initiative and now well-established text service, Shout, among other projects,’ says the longtime CEO and founder of Sane, the remarkable Marjorie Wallace CBE.

‘It is not always known that he follows in the footsteps of his father, the King, whose inspiration and vision were vital in the creation of our mental health charity Sane.

As founding patron, he was instrumental in establishing our 365-days-a-year helpline and was a remarkable and selfless support to me in setting up the Prince of Wales International Centre for Sane Research.’

'Indeed,' says Wallace, 'this is where Prince William echoes the work of his father, showing the same ‘understanding and compassion for people struggling through dark and difficult times of their lives and has done much to raise awareness and encourage those affected to speak out and seek help.

We owe a huge debt to His Majesty and the Prince of Wales for their involvement in this still-neglected area.’

Just as I saw all those years ago at that early solo engagement in Whitechapel, William still approaches his public duties with humour and fun.

‘He defuses the formality with jocularity,’ says Valentine Low, citing two public events in 2023 that he witnessed.

In April last year, while on a visit to Birmingham, William randomly answered the phone in an Indian restaurant he was being shown around and took a table booking from a customer – an endearing act of spontaneity.

On his arrival later that day, the unsuspecting diner was surprised to be told exactly whom he had been talking to.

In October, Low reported, William ‘unleashed his inner flirt as he hugged his way through a visit with Caribbean elders [in Cardiff] to mark Black History Month.

As he gave one woman a hug – for longer than she expected – he joked: “I draw the line at kissing.”

And while posing for a group photograph, he prompted gales of laughter when he quipped: “Who is pinching my bottom?”’

Low believes that when William eventually becomes king, he will be more ‘radical’ than his father but wonders if people will respond to ‘call me William’ when ‘the whole point of the Royal Family is mystique and being different.’

However, William has thought deeply about his current role and is prepared for whatever his future holds.

For now, there is a decision to be made on Prince George’s secondary schooling. It’s said that five public schools are being considered, all fee-paying.

Eton is single-sex and boarding but close to home. Marlborough (Catherine’s alma mater) is co-ed and full boarding. And Oundle, St Edward’s Oxford and Bradfield College (close to Kate’s parents) are co-ed with a mix of boarding and day.

As parents, William and Catherine aspire to raise their children ‘as good people with the idea of service and duty to others as very important’, William said in an interview with the BBC in 2016.

‘Within our family unit, we are a normal family.’ Which may be one reason why he is so resistant to their privacy being compromised either by the media or close family members.

The 19th-century author Walter Bagehot wrote:

‘A family on the throne is an interesting idea also. It brings down the pride of sovereignty to the level of petty life… a princely marriage is the brilliant edition of a universal fact, and, as such, it rivets mankind.’

If hereditary monarchy is to survive, it must beguile us but also demonstrate its utility, that it is a force for good.

William said in that 2016 interview, ‘I’m going to get plenty of criticism over my lifetime,’ echoing Queen Elizabeth II’s famous Guildhall speech in 1992 ‘that criticism is good for people and institutions that are part of public life. No institution – city, monarchy, whatever – should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support, not to mention those who don’t.’

William saw close up his mother’s ability to bring public focus and her own personal magnetism to any subject or cause she focused on.

He admires his father’s work ethic, the way he ‘really digs down,’ sometimes literally (I understand that gardening is giving the King solace during his cancer treatment).

But the biggest influence for William was Her late Majesty, as he said on her 90th birthday.

As an Eton schoolboy, William made weekend visits to the big house on the hill, being mentored by Granny rather as she had been tutored in the Second World War by the then vice-provost of Eton, Sir Henry Marten.

William said in 2016:

‘In the Queen, I have an extraordinary example of somebody who’s done an enormous amount of good and she’s probably the best role model I could have.’

That said, his aim was ‘finding your own path but with very good examples and guidance around you to support you.'

Queen Elizabeth II had a brilliant way of rising above the fray and usually being either a step ahead of public opinion or in tune with it.

If you are at the helm of affairs in a privileged hereditary position, your duty is to serve and use your pulpit for the benefit of others.

In a democracy, monarchy is accountable.

The scrutiny is intense, with an army of commentators paid for wisdom and hot air about each no-show, parsing each announcement, interpreting each image.

William takes the long view. He has ‘wide horizons,’ says Mick Clarke.

‘There are so many causes that are more palatable and easier to achieve than ending homelessness, but his commitment and drive are 100 per cent.’

The prince seeks a different way of being royal in an ancient institution that must move with the times. His task? To develop something modern in an ever-changing world.

He faces all sorts of new issues – or old issues in new guises.

Noises off from within the family don’t help – Andrew’s difficulties, or the suggestions of prejudice from Montecito a couple of years ago (now seemingly withdrawn), which prompted William’s most vehement soundbite: ‘We’re very much not a racist family.’

William is maybe a new kind of leader who can keep the monarchy relevant and resonant in the coming decades.

Queen Elizabeth II is a powerful exemplar and memory, but she was of her time. William is his own man.

He must overcome and think beyond ‘the unforgiving minute.’

Indeed, he could seek inspiration in Rudyard Kipling’s poem, If.

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch[…]

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

This article was first published in the May 2024 issue, on sale Thursday, 28 March.

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epiimetheux · 1 year

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Icemav Royal Fantasy AU👑

The House Kazansky has been ruling the Kingdom of Miramar for centuries and was one of the most powerful families. The Kazanskys called themselves The Azure Children. As the tale’s been told from generation to generation, the bloodline was blessed by the fearsome ruler of the sky, the Thunderbird, who had bestowed them the power to wield weather as they willed.

However, with time, the pureblood has been washed away little by little. Mixed. Spoiled. Fewer and fewer children were born with the celestial gift. The House has grown restless for they couldn’t dare to think of what would happen to their sovereignty without the wrath of the Sky King in their hands. Challenges would come, from their conquered subordinates as well as their enemies.

Until one winter, after years of waiting and suffering, during a heavy snowstorm. A newborn cried and the sky screamed.

Thomas Kazansky II was told he was the Hope of the clan since the day he understood words. Not every gifted-one was meant to be a powerful weather wielder but Thomas was the real Azure Children. As the winter welcomed him to the world, his power naturally attuned to the cold. Moreover, being the favourite child of the sky, the lighting, the weapon of their Winged God, also called him its master. Everyone in the castle learnt at that moment that none should upset their prince.

It was a precarious time and the King would do anything to ensure the safety of their saviour. Thomas thus spent his childhood caged inside the castle wall, inside the lecture room, inside his bedroom, between a group of nannies, and between a group of armed Royal Guards.

Thomas wasn’t born cold. But the gentle boy has gone with the early passing of his mother and the absence of paternal love. He was the Crown Prince and the Hope of the House. No one would bring harm to him including companionship. By the tender age of 12, Thomas found himself to be completely alone.

Peter ‘Pete’ Mitchell had so many things to prove to the world. Born to a small family on the outskirts of the Capital, having the captain of the Royal Guard as a father, Pete dreamt of an adventure and glory of his own.

He grew up with tales of conquests, chivalrous knights, magic and monsters alongside the gentle tunes of his mother’s lullaby. This was Pete’s perfect little world until it was shattered by the murder of his father, rumours of his father’s treason, and shortly the death of his heartbroken mother. The newly orphan was taken under the wing of Michael Metcalfe, his father’s successor and closest friend, the only person who still trusted in Duke Mitchell’s loyalty to the crown.

“What do you want to be in the future, kid?” Metcalfe once asked on a calm summer afternoon. “I want to be a Royal Guard.” little Pete said, determined, only 9 years old. The old man nodded, understanding the implications behind that answer. “Then you shall be. I’ll make sure of that.”

Pete Mitchell had so many things to prove to the world.

His world was a little bit brighter when he met Nicolas Bradshaw on the first day of his training, then Papa and Mama Bradshaw who reminded him of a family he once had and lost. Pete regained little by little a piece of a normal life.

But sometimes in the moment of weakness, Pete returned to the place where his old home once stood and walked around the forest nearby where his father loved to bring him, tracing the fleeting memory that he has been fighting very hard not to forget. And one day under the shade of the pine forest, Pete, recently 18, found a stranger on the spot where he used to sleep on the arm of his late father, with the coldest eyes he ever laid eyes upon.

#icemav #tom iceman kazansky #pete maverick mitchell #nick goose bradshaw #top gun #top gun 1968 #top gun maverick #icemav royal fantasy au #me being brain rot #yes it will soon become a spicy secret romance #the crown prince and his little body guard against the world #tom calls pete maverick after pete's several stupid stunts and pete calls tom iceman as a joke #pete will do anything for his prince even tho tom is 1000000 times powerful than him

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sourholland · 2 years

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Glamorous || Tom Holland

Part Eleven

| Series Masterlist |

AN → Feedback is greatly appreciated and inspires me to update this story lol. ALSO to those of you who read “A Royal Convenience”, did you pick up on that little easter egg???!!

Pairing(s) → Prince!Tom x Princess!Reader

Warnings → Language, Mentions of Sex

Word Count → 2.0k

March, 1986 - You’ve left me no choice

His name was Major Stephen Harris.

He stood just over six foot tall. He was kind to you, and not only that but he was handsome and helped ease the nagging loneliness. An officer in the army, a hardworking man with life skills and ambition. Only a year your senior as well.

He was your riding instructor for a time. Only after the prolonged sadness consumed you did he become anything more. However, you did not love him. Not the way you love Tom, the way you love your family.

Stephen was a temporary way to ease the pain of your marriage crumbling. He came along on those nights you couldn’t be alone, when Tom was away doing God knows what. The staff knew, therefore the King and Queen knew as well. However, as unfortunate as the unfaithfulness was on both sides, the whole family knew that Tom’s infidelity had only been a catalyst.

This is when you and Tom were both sat down in front of his parents and given no choice. Nicola had called you both in, saying this behavior from two adults was unheard of and she would be putting a stop to it.

As you both arrived at Buckingham Palace in separate vehicles, you were escorted in and sat down outside of the Queen’s drawing room to wait. Neither of you met the other’s gaze, as this encounter was both incredibly embarrassing and hard to handle.

“Their Majesties will see you now,” a member of the staff said, opening the double doors.

Both of you walked in, giving your respects by bowing and curtsying for both the King and Queen. She motioned you to sit, a pinched look on her face. King Dominic looked rather put off, unable to grasp the intervention that was sitting two adults down for scolding.

“The show that you’ve both insisted on putting on has been nothing but an embarrassment to the institution,” the Queen remarked. “Tom, I thought I’d raised you better than to disrespect the Crown as you have, and continually done. And Y/N, I truly thought different of you as you entered this family.”

“Mother,” Tom began, but was swiftly cut off by his annoyed father.

“Tom, you’re a bloody fool if you think I will stand to watch you throw your perfectly good family away for nonsense. You’ve everything anyone could ever want in life, including a loving wife and children. I can’t stand to watch this any longer! I’ve heard the last of it!”

The room fell into a tense silence, Tom looking utterly defeated. You looked at him, the curve of his jaw and dip of his lips. You saw all of the happy, beautiful memories you’d shared together and all of the things that had come out of your marriage. Henry and James were, and would remain for the rest of your life, your biggest accomplishment.

“Tom, I do love you. I am willing to do whatever it takes to show you this, and to make this marriage work. That’s all I want, I just want to make you happy,” you confessed. “I’m sorry I have not done my absolute hardest to do my part to be the best wife possible.”

He went rigid in his seat, staring at his hands like a bemused child. Tears spilled generously from your waterline, cheeks hot, chest heavy. He would be the death of you.

“I want to be good to you, I made a vow,” you whispered.

“Very well,” said the King. “That settles it! You will both let go of this insolence, this—this spoiled attitude! I wash my hands of it, of the headlines, of the whispers. Tom, you are beyond a lucky man. I believe you forget yourself.”

The moment seemed to have stopped, utter silence broke out and you’d swore you could hear a pin drop.

Lately it had been so hard to get out of bed, to go about your day. Neither the King nor Queen knew this. They saw only the surface level, perhaps they were right, though. You were lucky, you were spoiled, you were a fortunate woman—but God, you were so lonely.

“Walk with me, Thomas,” his mother said lowly, beckoning him up and out of the room.

Left with only the King, you wiped your childish tears and made crescents out of your fingernails into the flesh of your palm. He looked at you sorrowfully, his pointed features burned into your brain.

“I haven’t one clue why Tom would choose Eleanor over you, I really haven’t,” he admitted aloud.

“Sir,” you choked out. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“I mean to say that my son is a fool. I sympathize with you, truly.”

Later that night, Tom entered your bedroom of Kensington Palace. This was the first time in months that he had come to see you in the night. His white button down was loose and wrinkled, untucked from his trousers.

The boys were asleep, you were staring into the mirror of your vanity when he sat solemnly on the edge of the bed. Eyes meeting his through the reflection, you felt like that same nineteen year old girl. She was naive, charmed easy.

Except you were no longer that little girl, and he was no longer that same prince. He was nearing thirty, you now twenty five. Neither of you said anything, really you just sat there stiffly, hoping he’d say something.

“I have not been good to you,” he admitted.

“Tom, I’m not going to fuck you—if that’s what you’ve come in here for.”

The words left your mouth before you could even process them. He looked taken aback, not necessarily disappointed or surprised. He shook his head at you, the corner of his lip upturning just slightly.

“No, that is not why I’ve sought you out. I do appreciate the candidness, though.”

He looked around. Apart of you wondered what he was thinking. He saw all of the pictures scattered around, your record player and all of the music you’d been collecting for years. He’d always loved your love for music, or at least he’d acted as if he did.

“You’ve been with this Major Harris?” He asked, making you snap in his direction.

“Fuck you, Tom!” You seethed at his selfish, conceited question.

He truly was taken aback by your attitude, squinting at you like you were a whole different person. The air felt stale, you felt flustered and slightly embarrassed. Tom only sighed and shuffled his feet.

“I only ask because I’ve heard things about you, the staff talks,” he commented.

“Let them,” you said flatly. “My loyalty has always been with you, can you say the same thing?”

He stilled, looking down at his feet and shaking his head, ashamed. Apart of you wondered if he could be a good man, if he could want to repair your marriage in the way you did. He flexed his hand, looking back up at you with teary eyes.

“Helen told me that it is in the nature of a man like yourself,” you laughed menacingly. “That there was never a Prince of Wales who was not unfaithful to his wife.”

“Mother told me stories of an ancestor of mine, my namesake actually,” he sniffled with an ironic laugh. “Around the nineteenth century, a certain Prince Thomas married a young French Princess. She says they remained in love until the day they died. Him shortly before her, she mourned for the rest of her life.”

“That’s lovely,” you responded. “Too bad you’ve yet to live up to such a beautiful memory.”

There was a part of you giving in, letting his tricks suck you back in. Immediately, you eradicated it. This could not keep happening. If he wanted to repair this marriage, he’d have to make that clear himself.

“Leave, Tom. We can speak more on the matter tomorrow.”

“Y/N,” he breathed out. “Couldn’t you just—”

“Tom, I am twenty five years old. I won’t be made out to be the child you once knew. I meant every word I said earlier, but I am no fool. The only time you do this, the only time you come to me begging for forgiveness is when the guilt finally becomes too much.”

April, 1986 - What is worth fixing?

Both you and Sam rode on horseback outside his property. He was giving you looks from time to time, most looking like they stemmed from disapproval.

“Are you going to tell me why you keep looking at me like that?” You asked in a laugh.

“Mum has informed me that you and Tom are over your ‘rough patch’, and are hopelessly in love once more.”

This, you found funny. Sam clearly did not find it as humorous. While it was definitely an exaggeration, you’d cut Major Harris out of your life and had begun to focus on salvaging your marriage. Tom had been good, he was seemingly trying for the same thing as you.

“For the boys,” you responded. “We’re trying to remain a unit for the boys.”

“What about for you? Aren’t you going to do what Y/N wants?” He asked in all seriousness, patting the mane of the horse.

“I love him,” you said finally.

Sam sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, he only wanted the best for you. He and Elizabeth were happy, you envied them. It wasn’t so easy in your position.

“I do not know that he is capable of love. Do not let him fool you.”

Easter came quick enough, leaving the whole family to join together at Balmoral for festivities.

You and Tom drove in the same car with the boys, the first time you’d driven together in ages. Somewhat because Tom had never had to do much driving himself, there was always someone to do it for him. You, however, preferred to drive yourself everywhere.

While everyone trickled in, Sam sat idly by his mother’s side. She was telling him about her recent charity engagements and asking about his family life. They had grown closer over the years. Sam and Harry were now both married, Paddy twenty three and maintaining a respectable bachelor lifestyle.

“Mum?” Sam said aloud. “I don’t want to have to be the person to tell you—but I don’t believe you should prolong Y/N and Tom’s marriage any longer.”

“Are you suggesting they separate?” She seemed taken aback. “Samuel, I’ve heard they’re happier than ever before.”

“You don’t understand—”

“No. It is a holiday, you will not start with this nonsense! It is not your marriage, therefore it is not your concern!”

Sam stayed silent, knowing his mother was partially right. He heard the noise of children playing in the distance, meaning the arrival of his brothers and their wives. Somberly, he slumped down into his chair.

“I don’t understand, Samuel. Could you tell me what it is that I am not understanding? Tom is lucky, Y/N is lucky. They are two of the most fortunate people in the world and all I hear is endless complaining!”

“Tom and Y/N are only perceived as perfect because they are the fairytale that everyone’s gotten off to since 1980,” Sam started. “When in reality, it’s hardly a fairytale at all.”

The Queen sat puzzled, her hands folded neatly in front of her as she urged Sam to continue. He sighed in frustration and tried to figure out how to say what he wished in a way she’d be able to understand.

“Once upon a time there was a beautiful young girl, not yet a woman, but not still a child. She went on to fall in love with a handsome prince, who was already in love with someone else.”

The Queen’s face fell, her face almost expressionless.

“And in the end, they both lived unhappily ever after,” said Sam, finally.

#tom holland x reader #tom holland imagines #tom holland imagine #elle’s fics #tom holland series #tom holland blurb #prince tom holland #prince!tom x princess!reader #prince!tom #prince!tom holland #glamorous #royal!tom #tom holland

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toastedstencils · 4 months

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