Royals: Part 3

Chapter 13

"Sit."

Jackie and Harry sat in unison. The air was filled with tension. The Queen sat behind her ornate desk in her Kensington Palace office. Three men in suits, part of her PR team, stood to the side. Jackie and Harry were silent as they sat like two children who had been scolded in front of the class.

The Queen's voice was deep, but calm. "I would like to know the exact events of the night. Starting from when Harry arrived."

Harry explained everything to the Queen, leaving out the tattoo, for reasons Jackie understood completely. She was sure Harry had been told a million times throughout his life to never get a tattoo, and since the photos didn't show it, he had no reason to tell. He told of his arrival, Jackie greeting him, to about halfway through the party, after which he didn't remember a thing.

The Queen turned to Jackie. "What happened after that?"

"I came up to the room with Chrissie Abbott and we saw the party. I went over to Harry to ask him exactly what was going on, and, well-" she stopped. "The picture shows the rest."

"He stripped completely naked in a room full of strangers?" the Queen asked, her eyes disappointed.

Jackie nodded.

"Where were the PPOs? Did they confiscate phones at the door?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't really remember. My friends, James and Isaac, just rounded the people up and brought them in."

"Harry, I must ask, was there any-" she pursed her lips "-infidelity that I need to know of?"

Jackie was a bit taken aback. She supposed the Queen needed to know every detail to take the proper steps of smoothing over it all. Harry looked a bit hurt. "No. Never."

"Well, Henry," Harry's grandmother said, calling him by his given name, "you've really made a mess of things, haven't you?"

Harry's voice was strong as he said, "I'm sincerely sorry that I let you down, Granny."

The Queen gave a curt nod. "I appreciate your apology. But the fact is, you two are in for a rough few weeks. We all are."

"I apologize as well," Jackie said, her voice sad. "I should have tried harder-"

The Queen put a hand up. "Please, dear, there's no need for that." She put on reading glasses and looked through a file folder handed to her by one of the men in suits. "Jacqueline, you have an engagement at the London Children's Centre for the Arts in two days. I'm going to have you make a brief statement at the beginning of your speech, addressing it."

Jackie swallowed. She was terribly nervous- what if she was totally ostracized by all of her supporters? "Of course, Your Majesty."

"And the two of you have a joint engagement, opening the new AIDS ward at Royal London Hospital," said the Queen. Jackie had been looking forward to their first joint engagement, which had significant meaning to both Jackie and Harry. Jackie had worked as a nurse in Royal London's Accident and Emergency department up until she and Harry got engaged. She was excited to go back, to hopefully see some old coworkers and get a dose of the thrill of the hospital environment. Also, opening the AIDS ward would be a way to channel Princess Diana. "Obviously, it's been talked about quite a bit, so all eyes will be on you two."

Jackie and Harry nodded as the Queen continued. "I expect Harry to make an apology statement while you are there, and for you both to make a great display of what good people you are."

"Will the Palace release a statement?" Harry asked.

"We've discussed it and think that we should confirm that the pictures are of you and Jacqueline, and nothing more. The apology needs to be more sincere than a stuffy press release," said the Queen.

After a bit more discussion, the Queen stood, prompting Jackie and Harry to stand as well. "I suggest you both go get some sleep, you're going to need it."

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'Jackie Baker Faces the Music During Solo Appearance After Nude Photo Scandal'

'The Duchess of Windsor was the first of the royal couple to make an appearance after the release of shocking photos of her naked husband, Prince Harry, partying in their suite in Vegas over the weekend.''

'Only a few days old, the grainy photos taken that night on a reveller's mobile phone are still causing shock waves. Their emergence on the US showbusiness gossip website TMZ led to Harry, 28, and Jackie, nearly 29, being scolded at Kensington Palace, questions being asked about the conduct of personal protection officers, and the judgement of the royal duo.'

'After much speculation as to the validity of the photos and the identity of the mystery woman, Buckingham Palace confirmed yesterday that the photos are in fact of Prince Harry and Jackie. One shows the totally naked Harry cupping his modesty, Jackie behind him (fully clothed). The other shows Harry, bare-bottomed, bear-hugging his wife, wearing one of her signature black cocktail dresses that she was spotted out in earlier that evening.'

'Fast-forward to this morning, where Jackie Baker made a solo appearance at London Children's Centre for the Arts. She looked beautiful as usual in a black and floral print Beulah London dress, flashing her gorgeous engagement ring, as she sipped tea while watching a performance put together by the Centre especially for her.'

'The Duchess of Windsor looked as though she didn't have a care in the world, laughing and singing with the children, even dropping in on an art class where she took part in a sketching contest, where participants drew their dream vacation. The Duchess drew a charmingly simple sketch of an ocean island, sprinkled with palm trees, with her and Prince Harry standing in the center (both fully clothed).'

'The Duchess addressed the scandalous photos at the beginning of her well-received speech, stating: "I would first like to take this opportunity to apologize on behalf of both my husband and myself for the lapse of judgment we showed this past weekend. We are both sincerely sorry for letting down not only our family, but the charities that we represent, which we hold so near to our hearts."'

'Jackie received a round of applause after her apology before continuing with her scheduled speech. She is scheduled to appear tomorrow with her husband at the opening of the new AIDS ward at Royal London Hospital, her former workplace. Check back tomorrow for DailyMail's coverage of the event.'

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Thanks Atlantismyhome for adding Jackie's ring to my edit!