Roberta Fiorito - Royal Trivia: Your Guide to the Modern British Royal Family

Your Guide to the Modern British Royal Family

Royal Trivia

Rachel Bowie and Roberta Fiorito

Host of the Podcast Royally Obsessed

To my family, whose love and support could fill a thousand palaces, and to Dave, for becoming an unlikely royals expert.

Roberta

To my mom, who introduced me to the royals via a set of Princess Diana paper dolls, and to Matt and Finn, who are now royally obsessed by default.

Rachel

Rachel first fell in love with the royals via her mother. To this day, her mother claims that following every detail of Princess Dianas pregnancy with William while Rachel was still in the womb is the reason she came to be so fascinated by the royals every move. Because even before Rachel became cohost of the podcast Royally Obsessed (with Roberta!), she was waiting in line to see Princess Dianas dresses (part of a traveling exhibit in 1998), shelling out big bucks to watch Kate and William sit courtside at Barclays Center, and flying to London to catch a glimpse of every palacenot just Buckingham, but Kensington and Windsor, too. Fairy-tale fantasy? Maybe. But the royals are all about an attention to detail (via their clothes, causes, and connections to each otherfamily drama included) and its those subtle nods that make it a thrill to follow this modern-day monarchy in real time.

Roberta first discovered her love of all things British when her family moved to Scotland for a year. At a young age, she traveled to lochs and glens, visited castles and palaces, and realized the fairy tales piled high on her nightstand could actually be true. But her royal obsession really kicked off when Meghan Markle entered the scene nearly two decades later. A glamorous biracial American marrying into the royal family and paying tribute to her late mother-in-law, her heritage, her previous philanthropic work, American designers: it was a Once upon a time in real lifeuntil it wasnt. And while the royals evolution from archaic institution to modern monarchy comes with a bold asterisk, their every move is the stuff of history books as they navigate this uncharted territory.

Which leads us to how we came to write about the royals in trivia form. When we were first approached to write this book, trivia about the modern monarchy felt like a unique and interesting way to discuss the trajectory of our favorite royals lives. But thats when our passion for storytelling struck.

Because to know the significance of a tidbit thats perfect for cocktail party conversations (like the fact that Princess Diana spilled her favorite perfume down her David and Elizabeth Emanuel wedding dress), you must also be able to flash back to 1981 and set the scene of the wedding of the century. When a twenty-year-old Diana walked down the aisle to marry Prince Charles at St. Pauls Cathedral, her nerves were at their peak, which is why she misspoke while saying her vows, and the pair forgot to seal I do with a royal kiss.

To understand the generational joy that is Prince Harry and Meghan Markles choice to name their daughter Lilibet (Lili) Diana after the queen and Harrys late mum, you have to know the origins of the nickname-turned-first name. In use for over nine decades, Lilibet was the result of a mispronunciation by a toddler-aged then Princess Elizabeth who struggled to enunciate her own moniker. Its use was welcomed by a royal family who adored having pet names for each other. (For example, did you know that King George V also had a nickname assigned by Elizabeth? It was Grandpa England.)

These are the detailsthe context behind our royal trivia questionsthat we hope hook you right in. Whether youre uncovering Kate Middletons theatrical upbringing (ahem, she played Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady at age eleven) or the fact that Princess Dianas second pregnancy announcement served as inspiration for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for their Valentines Day reveal, youre simultaneously getting a glimpse of the royals evolution within the monarchyand, in some cases, like with Harry and Meghan, life beyond it.

And thats where our own personal evolution as royal reporters (and royally obsessed fans) continues: The trajectory of this modern monarchy is still unfolding. And our book comes as we enter a time of mega milestones (from what would have been Dianas sixtieth birthday year to the queens highly anticipated Platinum Jubilee). There are the major cultural momentsbirths, weddings, and funeralsthat intrigue the masses and entice more royal watchers to follow along. But to know how they are all connected, how every detail is symbolic and every moment is part of a bigger history: that is why we wanted to write Royal Trivia. If you read each royals story as an arc, you can immediately pinpoint the vast context, depth, and thoughtfulness of each annual event, every outfit choice, the many official royal statements, and then apply it to the modern monarchy as you, too, follow along in real time. Thats why we think royal watching is so enjoyable, and why we hope youll love reading (or playing!) with us.

Prince Williams birth was hugely significant, not just because of the line of succession, but because he was the first future king to be born where?

O n June 21, 1982, the world met Prince William Arthur Philip Louis Mountbatten-Windsor, born to Princess Diana and Prince Charles at 9:03 p.m. His birth was significant given that he was now officially second in line to the British throne after his father, bumping Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and Princess Anne (who still comes after her brothers in the line of succession, regardless of birth order, due to a since-updated royal rule that placed male heirs ahead of females) down a place in the line of succession. But thats not the only thing the world was buzzing about. To mark Williams arrival, Di and Charles opted to break a pretty big royal traditiondelivering him at St. Marys Hospital in Paddington (a neighborhood in North London) and home to the now-famous Lindo Wing, instead of at Buckingham Palace. The cost of a Lindo Wing room back then was estimated to be about $230 US a day, and although the queen much preferred the idea of an at-home delivery, Charles and Di had different and more modern thoughts about birth and parentingWilliams delivery location being one of the first in a vast array of royal norms they, but mainly Diana, were determined to change.

Even though William was born about ten days earlier than expected, crowds who got wind that the princess was in labor couldnt contain their excitement and gathered outside the Lindo Wing to pop champagne and sing For Hes a Jolly Good Fellow. A more formal announcement was posted on the gates of Buckingham Palace.

Diana later revealed to journalist Andrew Morton, author of Diana: Her True Story with a secret assist from the princess herself, that the pressure around Williams birth, in particular with the media, became too much to bear, so much so that she asked her doctors to induce labor. She was in labor for thirteen hours with Charles by her side the whole time. When Charles finally emerged from the hospital close to midnight, he remarked that William was lucky enough not to look like him. He added that the experience was rather a grown-up thing, I find, rather a shock to my system.