Royal family recap: Princess Beatrice's personal celebration, Prince William's heartfelt letter and more

Happy Friday, royal watchers! We're set for a mostly quiet day today, but we can expect some exciting news or photos from Princess Beatrice, who turns 37 today.

Her birthday celebrations are set to be extra special this year... find out why here. 

Though we don't yet know what Princess Beatrice will get up to today, we have some ideas.

As she's rather low-key, we imagine that she will celebrate at home with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and their two daughters, Sienna and Athena.

We also have absolutely no doubt that she'll catch up with her mum, Sarah Ferguson, and her sister, Princess Eugenie!

While His Majesty wasn't seen publicly yesterday, the Court Circular reveals he had a meeting at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

The entry read: "Commander William Thornton RN was received by the King this morning upon relinquishing his appointment as Equerry to His Majesty when the King invested him with the Insignia of a Member of the Royal Victorian Order."

Next week will see the royals commemorate the 80th anniversary of VJ Day on 15 August.

The monarch's address to the nation will be broadcast ahead of a service of remembrance attended by the King and Queen, Second World War veterans and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

VJ Day on August 15 marks the anniversary of Japan's surrender to the Allies following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, effectively ending the Second World War.

While Charles and Camilla are at the National Memorial Arboretum event, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will attend a service at the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle, organised by the Royal British Legion Scotland.

Elsewhere, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will join the congregation at the Far East Prisoners of War VJ Day 80th Anniversary Service at Norwich Cathedral, before attending a second commemorative service dedicated to the Children and Families of the Far East Prisoners of War in Suffolk.

Ahead of VJ Day, Sophie will meet Second World War veteran Jim Wren, who was serving on HMS Repulse when he was captured and held on the Indonesian island of Sumatra until the end of the war.

Did you know that Princess Beatrice was almost given an alternate name?

The Duke and Duchess of York were reportedly set on naming their firstborn Annabel, but the late Queen allegedly vetoed the moniker.

Discover why.

While visitors flock to the royal family's gorgeous Norfolk estate over the summer months, Sandringham will be closed to the public for three days this month.

The official Instagram page released a message ahead of the Heritage Live concerts, which will see the likes of Mariah Carey, Stereophonics and Michael Bublé performing on the 25,000-acre estate.

"The Sandringham Estate will be closed to general visitors from 14th-17th August for Heritage Live's concert series. 

"This includes our Visitor Centre car parks, and Courtyard facilities (including our cafe and restaurant). We look forward to welcoming visitors back from the 18th August onwards. Thank you in advance for your understanding," it read.

Were you lucky enough to bag tickets?

Earlier this week, I chatted with The Lighthouse's co-founder, Erik Jespersen, about the charity's royal patron - The Duchess of Edinburgh.

He revealed just how compassionate the Duchess is, her warm and compassionate interactions with the clients The Lighthouse supports as well as two particularly memorable royal visits where Sophie's sense of humour shone through. 

Read the full story here.

The King showed off his paternal side as he attempted to soothe a crying baby during his visit to RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland earlier this week.

Charles tried to placate the tiny infant before making a quick joke, resulting in laughter from the military families around him.

Watch here.

Football fan Prince William has issued a heartfelt letter to a local Cornish club ahead of the new season.

The Prince of Wales has taken a particular interest in different communities since becoming Duke of Cornwall in 2022. 

Read the full letter to Truro City FC.

Hello, royal watchers! While we're still waiting to see what Princess Beatrice is getting up to for her special day, we found some pictures from her 18th birthday back in 2006, where she cosplayed as a Disney Princess for an incredibly lavish celebration at Windsor Castle. See the full story here.

King Frederik of Denmark was guard out today outside Fredensborg Palace, where he watched the weekly changing of the guard in the castle's courtyard at noon.

When the Danish royal is staying at the castle with his wife, Queen Mary, a special King's Guard is deployed. 

Every Friday, a large change of the guard is carried out with a parade, which ended today in the castle yard, where the King received the new guard. See pictures from the event below.

Over on The HELLO! Royal Club, Royal Editor Emily Nash has just sent her weekly newsletter. They are always a must read for royal fans but I have to say this one is particularly special.

It's always a good time to write about Princess Anne but with the hardworking royal turning 75 next week, the timing is particularly perfect. Emily has been fortunate enough to get up close and personal to Anne on several occasions, and in this post reveals seven things she has learnt about the King's loyal and lighthouse-loving sister. You have to be a member of The HELLO! Royal Club to read the full article, but I can assure it's well worth it!

Princess Eugenie, the younger sister of the birthday girl, splits her time between Ivy Cottage, in Kensington Palace, and her incredible Portuguese home.

The 35-year-old and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, first moved there when he started a property development job in the country – but it seems that they might have an incredibly famous neighbour moving in soon, whom the pair will be 'very excited' about. Read the full story here.

Princess Alexandra of Kent, the cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II, has made an incredibly rare outing to support her grandson, as he celebrates an incredibly major milestone.

Appearing alongside her granddaughter, Flora Vesterberg, the 88-year-old was gleaming with pride as she watched the ceremony – see pictures here.

That's everything from us in the UK this afternoon, royal watchers. 

Our LA correspondent, Rebecca Lewis, will keep you updated with all the royal breakouts and updates over the course of the evening. 

Have a lovely weekend!

Hi HELLO! readers. It's Friday! I hope you have fun plans. 

For now, we're looking back over the best royal stories of the week and I love this moment King Charles attempted to calm a crying baby. 

Have you signed up for The HELLO! Royal Club newsletter?

You're missing out if you haven't; this week Royal Editor Emily Nash has a particularly special one ahead of Princess Anne's 75 birthday next week.

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, has shared an incredibly moving tribute to her eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice, for the latter's 37th birthday.

Watch the adorable video here.

This week was also Meghan Markle's 44th birthday, and the Duchess was glowing as she celebrate alongside her friends and family at Funke restaurant in Los Angeles. 

Take a look back at how she spent her special day here...

As Princess Anne turns 75, a new image released before her birthday on 15 August shows the King’s sister with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, at a state banquet at Windsor Castle last month.

Read Emily Nash's report here.

"Happy Birthday to my BEAUTIFUL wife You are the greatest. We love you so much," shared Bea' husband Edo, ,sharing a public tribute to his wife.

He signed it off with the initials of their family, E(do), W(olfie), S(ienna), and A(thena).

We love the close bond between Eugenie and Beatrice, and in classic little sister fashion, Eugenie celebrated her sister's birthday with some never-before-seen pictures!

Taking to Instagram, the 35-year-old wrote: "Happy happy birthday to my dearest Beabea… my big sissy, the best in the entire world.

Click here to see the snaps!

Thanks for following along with us this week!

See you all Monday!