Royal Recap: All The Headlines You Might Have Missed (June 10, 2025)
Sir and Lady Beckham, an iconic royal team-up, and beautiful queens taking center stage
David Beckham Finally Has a Knighthood in His Sights
All signs point to David Beckham finally receiving a knighthood in King Charles’s upcoming birthday honours. Beckham has long dreamed of the title—and he's put in the work. From securing the 2012 London Olympics to serving as a UNICEF ambassador since 2005, he’s made service a core part of his post-football brand. More recently, he joined The King’s Foundation to support youth education and environmental literacy and sported a rose named in honor of King Charles at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Also, that grin.
The honour would come after years of waiting (and at least one very salty email). In 2017, leaked emails revealed Beckham’s alleged fury at being passed over…particularly when classical singer Katherine Jenkins received an OBE. “Singing at the rugby and going to see the troops plus taking coke. F****** joke,” he allegedly wrote to his PR team, referencing Jenkins’ past drug use.
Beckham has since kept his head down and played the long game—including that now-iconic moment when he queued with the public to see the late Queen lying in state.
If the reports are true, Sir David and Lady Beckham may finally be on their way.
Princess Anne Turns 75—Quietly, Of Course
The Princess Royal has marked her 75th birthday just as you might expect: no public fanfare, no personal fluff, all business. Instead of a splashy celebration, Anne hosted representatives from more than 100 of her charities at Buckingham Palace last week. The gathering served as a working forum to discuss challenges facing the third sector, from public trust to the impact of new technologies.
A palace source summed it up neatly: “She didn’t want to do anything for her birthday but bring her charities together.”
This isn't new for Anne. When she turned 60, she gave her birthday interview to Inside Sport and celebrated with a family cruise to the Outer Hebrides. At 50, she spent time with her family at Balmoral following a joint royal birthday bash (celebrating the Queen Mother’s 100th, Prince Andrew’s 40th, Princess Margaret’s 70th, and Prince William’s 18th) at Windsor Castle.
Often dubbed the monarchy’s most industrious member, Anne regularly tops the tally of annual royal engagements. And at the palace event, she was her usual no-nonsense self: “I’m not here because this was my choice,” she quipped. “You very kindly asked me to become patron of your organisations, so it’s an honour for me to have all of you here.”
Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan’s 35th Birthday
The royal family of Bhutan rarely shares family portraits, but a new one was released last week to mark Queen Jetsun Pema’s 35th birthday:
It is one of just a handful of images showing the family since the birth of their daughter, Princess Sonam Yangden Wangchuck, in late 2023. (Those cheeks!!!) Queen Jetsun Pema and King Jigme Khesar were married in 2011—the same year as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the UK. Perhaps this is why Jetsun is sometimes called the “Kate Middleton of Bhutan?” She is also currently the youngest queen consort in the world.
The couple also has two sons: Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck (9), known as “the Dragon Prince” as the heir to the throne, and Prince Jigme Ugyen Wangchuck (5). “Wangchuck” is the royal family’s surname, setting them apart from the majority of Bhutanese society—who don’t typically use family names.
Queen Máxima + King Willem-Alexander in Prague
At the start of a glittering visit to the Czech Republic, the King and Queen of the Netherlands were greeted by President Petr Pavel and his wife Eva Pavlová at the Presidential Palace in Prague. But it was quickly announced that King Willem-Alexander would need to cut the visit short, returning home after the first day to deal with the collapse of the Dutch government.
Populist politician Geert Wilders had just withdrawn his right-wing party (known as the Party for Freedom) from the ruling coalition, saying partners were stalling plans for the Netherlands’ “strictest migration policy ever.” As a result, Prime Minister Dick Schoof announced he was stepping down on Tuesday. New leaders are set to be elected in the wake of this rift, and according to an official royal statement, it is customary for the Netherlands’ monarch to meet with his permanent advisers in such a situation, including the vice president of the Council of State and the presidents of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Willem-Alexander attended the state banquet at the Presidential Palace before returning to the Netherlands, while Queen Máxima remained in the Czech Republic for the second day of the visit as planned. She visited the Charles Bridge for part of the day’s events, wearing a delightfully Jolly Green Giant-coded ensemble.
Jordan’s Crown Prince Family at the Footy
On Thursday, June 6th—as Jordan prepared to face off against Oman in the third round of the World Cup Qualifier—Crown Prince Hussein shared a clip of 10-month-old daughter Princess Iman cheering the team on in a teeny-tiny jersey.
Crown Prince Hussein and his family traveled to Oman for the match to support Jordan's national team. Jordan were able to secure their first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup with their 3-0 win over Oman, with Hussein cheering them on from the stands.
Princess Rajwa also watched the match from a different part of the stadium alongside Hussein’s sisters, Princesses Salma and Iman.
King Abdullah takes on Europe
That same day, King Abdullah II of Jordan kicked off a working trip to Europe with a visit to Spain. On the agenda? A discussion of “Spain’s support for the rights of Palestinians, as well as its support of creating a political horizon to achieve peace on the basis of the two-state solution, and the need to stop the war on Gaza and resume the flow of sufficient humanitarian aid to all areas of the Strip.”
King Abdullah has been an outspoken advocate for the rights of Palestinians since the outset of Israel’s war on Gaza. His subsequent stop in the United Kingdom included a meeting with MPs and other officials, where “the situation in Gaza” and the need for “sufficient aid to alleviate the dire humanitarian situation in the Strip” was discussed.
As Crown Prince Hussein was also out of the country, the king’s youngest brother, Prince Hashim, was sworn in as Jordan’s Regent during his absence.
Prince William and Duchess Sophie’s Country Team-Up
Prince William was joined by his Aunt Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, last Friday at the Royal Cornwall Show—a celebration of Cornish heritage, innovation, and farming. This was William’s first time attending as the Duke of Cornwall, and he remarked that he was “honoured to present The Duchy of Cornwall Award and meet those driving sustainable agriculture across the region.”
Sophie and Wills also made headlines for their cheeky sampling of Saint Sithney Cornish gin and Rattler cider.
For all that Sophie and William make a dynamic team-up, I can’t help but think: “Wait, there’s also a Duchess of Cornwall.” William so clearly wants the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster to be his thing that he’s leaving Kate out of the narrative; he also had Telegraph reporters tag along on a recent visit to the Duchy of Cornwall to demonstrate that it is “an extension of the work we do with the Royal Foundation.” You know, the foundation of which he’s actually co-leader…with his wife...
But he went on: “I see it as a branch of my philanthropy.” Things are more siloed than ever at the Palace, it would seem.
The Palace also wants you to know that Prince William is “pretty demanding” as a boss and has a “healthy impatience” about him—but don’t worry! That’s a good thing! Because he’s A Man™!
If Kate was disallowed, unwilling, or unable to make the trek, plugging Sophie into the slot next to William was probably the next best thing. …actually, no, I take that back. I would have liked to see a father-son pairing with King Charles (the former Duke being shown the work taken on by the current one)
…but then, of course, this is no longer William’s thing.