You see, the thing no one tells you about being a royal is that you become a machine. A machine programmed to do only one thing; serve the monarchy. We had been back in London for less than three days, and it was already time for Trooping The Colour. This is a ceremony that marks the birthday of the ruling monarch every year.
Over 1400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians come together each June in a great display of military precision, horsemanship and fanfare to mark the Sovereign's official birthday.
The streets are lined with crowds waving flags as the parade moves from Buckingham Palace and down The Mall to Horse Guard's Parade, alongside Members of the Royal Family on horseback and in carriages. The display closes with an RAF fly-past, watched by Members of the Royal Family from Buckingham Palace balcony.
Arthur was already dressed in his Irish Guards outfit, and he looked amazing! He walked into the closet just as I finished up with my hair.
"So, babe, how do I look?" He asked as he arranged his medals and honours.
"So hot." I said as I wore my earrings.
"Thank you baby. So do you." He said when I got up. I looked good. I was sure of it.
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"Thank you. You know, I look forward to enjoying the ride with your mother. It'll be fun."
"She's just as excited. You know, Vincent will also be in the carriage with you."
"Well, I'm still happy. Feels good being surrounded by family." He walked to me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
"Feels good hearing you call them family." I ran my hands over his uniform and just smiled. It was the same uniform that he had worn when we got married. We had to leave so we could head to Buckingham Palace. That was where the procession would start.
When we got there, we said hello to everyone.
"Victoria, you look splendid, as always!" Arthur's father said. He was always so flattering.
"Oh, I try." I said laughing.
"Where's mom?" Arthur asked as he held my hand sweetly.
"She's just finishing up a conversation with your grandmother. You should see her, she looks immaculate!" We all laughed, but when she walked in, we all knew that he was not playing. She looked stunning! With this woman, it was always a competition with her. But it was so friendly and warm. She kept me on my toes. I loved that.
"Arthur, you and your father have to get going. The procession is starting." He nodded and turned to me.
"Don't look at me during the procession." He whispered into my ear.
"Why?" I asked laughing.
"It may cause something to wake up, and I would not want that while riding a horse." I laughed and kissed him.
"I'll try my best." He laughed and walked away.
"Shall we?" Arthur's mom asked as she extended her hand to me. I took it and we walked out to the carriage in smiles.
She got in first, then me, then Vincent. We started the ride, and that was that. There were the occasional waves to the crowd, but it was majorly our conversations in the carriage that had me laughing.
"I never thought she would actually tell me that." Arthur's mom said with a low laugh.
"So the doctor actually told you that you're too old for heels? Wow." I said as I smiled and waved to the crowd again.
"That's a lie. You are the youngest old person I know." Vincent said, making all of us laugh.
"I tried to not be offended, but I was. I'm glowing!" She said laughing. She wasn't wrong. She had this youthful glow!
"You know, I'm not saying she's right..." I said laughing. We all laughed and continued waving to the crowd. When we got to the watching station, we got down from the carriage, and settled in.
We watched as the parade passed by, and it was truly beautiful. Halfway through, Arthur's mom turned and tapped my hand. I turned to face her with a smile.
"You know, I want to use the space to tell you how lucky I feel whenever I'm with you." It took me by surprise actually. "Not many women can handle all this drama with such elegance and calm. After the shooting in New York, we had all worried about how it may shake things up. But you have managed to stay calm about it all. Arthur is happy, and so are we."
"Thank you. It hasn't been so easy, but Arthur's support has truly been so helpful."
"Well, if you ever feel like you need someone to talk to, I'm here." I smiled and turned back to face the show. We were seated with his grandparents, who genuinely seemed so happy watching this all happen. Being part of such an important tradition has really sparked something in me.
After the parade, we all returned back to Buckingham Palace for lunch. There, we had lunch and then moved out to the balcony to watch the airshow.
After everything, Arthur and I left to go home. Unfortunately, as soon as we got home, Arthur had to leave to get ready for the Garter Day ceremony. I, on the other hand, had to meet with my stylist. We had to start planning my outfit. The ceremony was in two days.
I had a week long of appearances, and it takes hours to prep. We need to arrange outfits, hairstyles, logistics. I like being hands-on when it comes to things that concern me. We had made a couple of arrangements, but we were interrupted midway.
Apparently, Rachel wanted to see me. Again. I dragged myself to the parlour to see her.
"Rachel, this is quite the surprise. How can I help you today?" I asked as I sat down.
"How was the celebration?"
"It was quite beautiful. Excited to be joining us next year on the balcony?"
"I'd have to walk down the aisle first." We both laughed and that seemed to ease her off her tension. Her and I haven't always been the best of friends, but I do want us to be cordial at the very least.
"So, what brings you here today?"
"I realise that there has been some tension between us since I got here. And as much as we'd both hate to believe it, that tension is seeping into Arthur and Vincent's relationship. I don't want to have a bad relationship without trying to have a good one first."
