Witches and warlocks: Royals in disguise?

It’s not all serious business, being a royal and all. There are indeed moments of humour, unintended or otherwise.

A couple of examples today:

This was the front page of London’s Daily Telegraph today. The Twitter world was immediately all a-tweeter, taking glee in drawing the obvious connection between the day’s main headline – ‘Witchcraft threat to children’ and the three royal ladies (dubbed “the witches of Windsor” by one tweeter).

The royals – Queen Elizabeth, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge -- were posing during their tour Thursday of the Fortnum & Mason department store in central London. The upscale store is known for its fine food, but as far as we know, the royals didn’t stop to stir up any potions.

The story itself was quite a serious one, exploring the UK’s “faith-based” child abuse cases.

‘GO AHEAD … MAKE HIS DAY’: Okay, he’s not quite Dirty Harry when he has a Welsh Guards uniform on, but Prince Charles shows he hasn’t totally stored away his sense of fun.

Charles, who is colonel in chief of the Guards, marked St. David’s Day (he’s the patron saint of Wales) by visiting with the troops in London and presenting service medals to the troops that have served in Afghanistan.

He then joined in a little fun on the training ground, picking up a paintball gun while noting that his own children (William and Harry) had once “dragged” him on a paintball adventure.

He showed some true marksmanship with the weapon, scoring 20 hits on targets.

The question now is: How is Harry going to top this photo-op? The fun-loving son of Charles is on his first solo royal tour for the next week, visiting Belize, The Bahamas and Jamaica before a few days in Brazil. Parties have been planned ....

Queen, Kate and Camilla team up in royal blues

Queen Elizabeth, Camilla, Duchess  of Cornwall and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge look at their hampers filled with champagne truffles and treats each of the women's dogs, courtesy of Fortnum & Mason food store in London on Thursday. (Reuters)

Three generations of royal women went shopping on Thursday, but this was no ordinary bargain-hunting excursion.

In a rare summit of Royal Family females, Queen Elizabeth was joined by Duchesses Cornwall and Cambridge (otherwise known as Camilla and Kate), for a tour of the luxury department store Fortnum & Mason.

Dressed in shades of blue, the trio toured the store's famous food hall, met with military personnel and unveiled a plaque marking the regeneration of the Picadilly area for the Diamond Jubilee.

Kate and Camilla followed the Queen's lead, but the Duchess of Cambridge's presence clearly made this trip an occasion that brought out larger crowds. In a departure from her normal British-made wear, Kate wore a wool coat from the Italian fashion house Missoni, though her shoes came from the UK's Rupert Sanderson. All the ladies sported daffodils in honour of St. David's Day, recognizing the patron saint of Wales. (see video of their arrival below).

Their tour included a stop at the store's restaurant, which has been renamed The Diamond Jubilee Tea Station in honour of the Queen's 60th year on the throne. Part of the reason for the visit was to acknowledge the contribution of Diamond Jubilee United Services Tins that are filled with tea and biscuits sent to 18,000 members of the British armed forces.

About 150 current and former staff were in attendance for a tea party with the royals. 

Kate steps out of the car that brough her, Queen Elizabeth and Camilla to the posh Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly. (Getty Images)

Kate, Camilla and Queen Elizabeth await a plaque unveiling, as London Mayor Boris Johnson (between Camilla and the Queen) looks on outside the Fortnum & Mason store. (AFP/Getty Images)

Kate admires a Diamond Jubilee-themed iced cake while visiting Fortnum & Mason, then greeted some members of the military. (Getty Images) 

Camilla tries out one of the sweets on display while Kates chats up the staff at Fortnum & Mason. Paul Grover/AFP/Getty Images)

Catherine and Camilla watch as Queen Elizabeth unveils a plaque commemorating the regeneration of the local Piccadilly. (Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth talks preserves with one of the store's staff during her visit to Fortnum & Mason store. Later, she waved to the onlookers as she made her exit with a posy of daffodils. (Getty Images)

 

Cancer teens who met royals die within days of each other

The Duchess of Cambridge meets patient Beth Ansell, 18, during a visit to the new children's cancer clinic at the Royal Marsden Hospital last September. (Getty Images)

Kate and William could only spent a few minutes with some cancer patients at the Royal Marsden hospital last September, but lasting impressions seemed to be left on both sides.

That visit resonated once again for the royals this week when they learned that two of the teens they met at the new children's cancer clinic had died.

Beth Ansell, 19 and Amanda Slann, 17, died days apart at the hospital, in the same clinic where they had met and chatted with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Prince William is president of the Royal Marsden, a torch he picked up from his mother, the late Princess Diana.

William and Kate came to the hospital to open the Oak Centre for Children and Young People, dedicated to cancer treatment and research.

“The couple are very saddened by this news and pass on their condolences to the families,” the royal couple's spokesman said.

Ansell had Ewings Sarcoma. Slann had leukemia.

June Slann, Amanda's mother, told the Daily Mirror of the impact the royal visit had on her daughter.

"Amanda was absolutely ecstatic at meeting the Duke and Duchess," she said. "Rubbing shoulders with royalty was the highlight of her life and it gave her a huge boost."

Beth Ansell had become an advocate for cancer research during her stay at the hospital as an ambassador for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Her family will now carry on her fundraising efforts.  

"She fought her illness bravely right until the end," said her father David, who was at the hospital when the royals visited. "The most I will miss about her was the openness we shared and her dry sense of humour. I am very proud of her."