Holiday Greetings from Royals Extra

Wishing all my subscribers a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, with many blessings in 2025

Some of my British Christmas tree ornaments in honor of King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II

Every year I decorate our Christmas tree with ornaments reflecting my long-time interest in the British royal family. In 2022, I marked Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, and last year, I added King Charles III. This year I am sending special good wishes for the health and happiness of King Charles III and Catherine, The Princess of Wales, both of whom have been recovering from treatments for cancer since their diagnoses last February.

King Charles III delivering his 2024 Christmas message, which was filmed in mid-December at the exquisite Fitzrovia Chapel in London

Catherine, The Princess of Wales, with her youngest child, six-year-old Prince Louis, on December 6, 2024, during the filming of Royal Carols: Together at Christmas in Westminster Abbey, for broadcast on Christmas Eve

I also want to thank all of you who are reading my weekly editions of Royals Extra. Nearly 13,000 subscribers have signed up since I launched on Substack in late March 2023. I hope you have enjoyed the insights, rare images, and previously untold stories that I have shared with you. I have tried to cover a wide range of topics over the last century, drawing deeply from the research behind my four books about the British royal family. I have also aimed to provide an extra perspective to current news, such as my most recent post: What to do about Prince Andrew? My intention from the outset has been to give you something unique that departs from the rapid-fire cycle of news.

You are well aware that each Royals Extra includes an appeal for newcomers to sign on as subscribers and for free subscribers to upgrade and pay by the month ($6) or by the year ($60). Not surprisingly, that request is uppermost on my holiday wish list. For those who would like to show support for “something extra,” please consider becoming a “Founding Member” for $150 a year. It would gratify me to think that more of you could read my weekly Royals Extra features in full, the main advantage of a paid subscription, along with access to my entire archive. Royals Extra is not only my passion, but quite unexpectedly, it has become my full-time job.

This is my 123^rd Royals Extra, and I’m excited about what I’ll be covering in 2025. In addition to following important developments in the royal family today, I am planning more features from the diaries and letters I read in the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle for my latest biography, George VI and Elizabeth: The Marriage That Saved the Monarchy, profiles of fascinating people in the royal orbit, descriptions of my experiences researching and observing the royal family over the years, and additional exclusive images of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor from their private photo album that I own. I’ll also continue to highlight important moments in the Second World War as we head toward the eightieth anniversary of V-E Day and V-J Day next spring and summer.

In the meantime, I am taking my annual break with family for the holidays, and I’ll be back with Royals Extra the weekend of January 10^th.

ICYMI, here are links to a sampling of Royals Extra features that were among the most popular over the past two years:

Queen Elizabeth’s happy Wyoming holiday

Farewell to the only American lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II

Will the Royals Play in Harry’s Polo Documentary Series? (We now know that the poorly received five-part series mainly focused on Argentinian polo players and avoided the history that could have made compelling viewing.)

How Two Kings Have Dealt with Serious Illness

As King Charles is treated for cancer, he is being counseled by a Greek Orthodox monk he met on pilgrimages to Mount Athos

The Wonders of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House

When Helen Mirren stopped by for coffee and talked about playing the Queen

Part two of my coffee and conversation with Helen Mirren about the Queen and “The Queen”

Exclusive: The Secret Life of Tommy Lascelles * Part VI: Tragic Libertine and Boho Hermit (This is the final installment of a series I ran over six consecutive days last July describing the previously unrevealed double life of one of the most influential advisers to the British monarchy in the twentieth century. Included are links to the other five installments.)

The man behind The Queen’s Reading room podcast (a profile of Queen Camilla’s remarkable father, Bruce Shand)

Warm wishes to all,

Sally Bedell Smith