New Zealand Woman’s Weekly Issue 41, 2022

Kiwis young and old attended the official state memorial service on September 26 to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II – and one of the youngest was the Prime Minister’s four-year-old daughter Neve. The preschooler arrived with her mum Jacinda Ardern, 42, and TV personality dad Clarke Gayford, 45, toting his daughter’s Buzzy Bee backpack under one arm. The service at the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul was attended by 600 dignitaries, including past and present prime ministers, governors-general and iwi representatives. Hundreds more members of the public gathered on the lawn in the nearby Parliament grounds to watch an outside broadcast. A minute’s silence was observed at the beginning of the service and Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro then led tributes to the Queen, who visited New Zealand 10 times during her incredible…

Since she married William 11 years ago, it was her destiny to become the Princess of Wales. And when she stepped out in Wales last week, Catherine showed just how at home she is in her new role. Looking splendid in a red coat, she, along with Prince William, visited the nation, chatting with locals on a walkabout and visiting volunteers. Kate was both poised and relatable, with one royal fan telling the pair, “Oh, I love you, you’re so real. Diana would be so proud of you.” It’s a big change for the couple, who had only recently moved to Windsor, but with the Queen’s passing and the official period of mourning over, there is a big increase in their workload. You can read about William and Kate’s new…

They were just getting used to a new home and a new school for their children, and adjusting to the unfamiliarity that comes with a change of location. But following the death of the Queen, Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales are having to change their lives up a gear yet again as they step into new roles that bring them closer to the throne. William and Kate, who recently moved their family to the royal estate surrounding Windsor Castle, were given the titles Prince and Princess of Wales by the new King, Charles, to signify they are next in line to be the next king and queen. The change in status means an increased workload for the pair, who are likely to take over some of the patronages previously…

For a brief moment, it looked as if the trauma of the last three years had vanished, and the tragedy of losing their beloved grandmother had finally brought feuding brothers Prince William and Prince Harry together again. But the reconciliation hinted at when the siblings and their wives, Catherine, Princess of Wales and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex appeared together to greet mourning members of the public after the Queen’s death hasn’t happened, and the rift with the Sussexes seems wider than ever. Their father the King saw “flickers of hope” at Her Majesty’s funeral that the fraught relationship between Harry, 38, and the rest of the family could be salvaged, says a palace insider. But the Sussexes flew back to the US straight afterwards, without any fences being mended, and the fragile…

A year ago, if Patrick Gower found himself boarding a plane last-minute to London with a bunch of fellow Kiwi journalists, set to cover the biggest news story of the year, he’d have slipped a few UK pub sessions into his itinerary. Today, though, nine months sober and working 20-hour days on the ground covering Queen Elizabeth’s death, the award-winning journalist is fuelled by adrenaline and the odd Coke Zero instead. “It’s very different for me,” admits Paddy, chatting to the Weekly from his hotel, a 30-minute cab ride from Buckingham Palace. “Obviously, there’s the pub culture here in the UK, which is cool, but it’s not much use to a non-drinker. “In the past, I would’ve used alcohol to cope with the long days and early mornings on the trip. Having a…

As she stares down the barrel of her 65th birthday, Dawn French isn’t mincing her words. “It’s a privilege to get older, but it’s not for wusses,” muses the British comedian. “Things go a bit wrong, but ultimately it ain’t so bad. Your teeth are a bit yellower, your chin has sagged, you’re fatter, you’re greyer…” Would you like her to go on? As one half of the comedy duo French & Saunders, Dawn has been tickling our funny bones for 35 years and counting. Dawn and her good friend Jennifer Saunders of Absolutely Fabulous fame began their double act in a London club when they were teenagers at university together, calling themselves the Menopause Sisters and dangling tampons from their ears. It wasn’t what you’d call a salubrious start to what turned out…