Writing about the Royals Pt 1

Princess Diana  accepts my flowers and shakes my hand

I have always been an admirer of the British Royal family. I was a huge fan of Princess Diana and I was lucky enough to have met her three times and she even remembered me! So it's no surprise that I decided to write stories featuring the royals. I mean didn't the Brothers Grimm write about royals in Snow White, Rapunzel, and Sleeping Beauty?

Princess Diana: "I remember you..."

In 2012, the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Singapore as part of their Diamond Jubilee tour. Mum, my niece Sam and I went to Garden by the Bay in the hopes of meeting them.

Once the royal couple alighted from their tram, the Duchess walked towards us and the Duke walked in the other direction. We were lucky enough to exchange a few words with the Duchess and my mum gave her one of my children's books.  Valentine Low approached mum to interview her about what she had discussed with the Duchess and that story appeared in the London Evening Standard and Hello! magazine.

The Duchess of Cambridge chats with Mum

The Duchess with her copy of my book Blow a Kiss.

The Duchess, Rebecca Deacon, and Valentine Low.

Mum's comments in Hello!

So I decided to write a children's picture book to commemorate the royal visit. Two months later, the palace announced the Duchess was expecting her first child. 

It took some time to think of an engaging plot and the book was finally published in 2014.

A Day with the Duchess

And to my surprise, the book was featured in several international  online Spanish-language publications.

And I was thrilled when I received a phone call from Camilla Tominey, asking to interview me about the book, just as I was coming out with the sequel to A Day with the Duchess. The interview appeared in The Sunday Express.

To Be Continued.

A Royal Adventure Giveaway

I'm giving a copy of A Royal Adventure to the first person who can tell me where Kate actually wore the dress pictured in the illustration below (*Hint*: it was on her royal tour in 2014) where Kate actually wore it. You can either email me your answer @dyw.seow@gmail.com  or comment in the section down below.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge depart Raffles Hotel and Singapore

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge chats with a fan

HRH The Duke of Cambridge with some young fans

OK, I couldn't resist one last glimpse of the royal couple, so I headed down to see if I could take some snapshots before they departed and I lucked out. Here they are. Hope you like them.

The Duchess  and Duke stop  to chat with  some young fans.

Sharing a laugh

With one last glance, the Duchess bids a goodbye to the Raffles.
Too bad that lady's head got in the way of a good shot!! Argh!

At the Gardens with the Duke and Duchess of Cambride pt 2

I have to say...the wait for the Duke and Duchess seemed excruciatingly long because of the unbearable heat. I tried to limit my water intake because I didn't want to have to go on a bathroom break only to lose my space along the barriers.  My friends Ray and Chantal joined us, hoping they would get to see the royals too.  As the 10am approached arrived the crowds had swelled exponentially to over a thousand people. I'm grateful that those around me had good personal hygiene and remembered to use their deodorant.  Gardens by the Bay and British High Commission personnel started handing out GB and Singapore flags. I told the girls in front of me not to wave the flags while I was trying to take a picture. They agreed not to. My niece just sighed "Uncle Dave!" Then one of them put her hair up in a bun to beat the heat. Fearful that it would block my shot, I was about to say something but with one:tsk...tsk," and a withering glance from my niece prevented me from doing so.

My niece decided to hand the Duchess the photograph I had taken of the late Princess Diana and the sketch I had drawn of the Duchess, instead of the two bouquets of flowers I had bought. "Everybody gives her flowers," she said.  So my mum gave a small bouquet to a four year old girl named Alice, who was standing nearby with her mum and dad.


I could tell when the press core came streaming into the area that time was close. Then a few trams came down towards the Super Tree Grove. The fans screamed but ah...it was just more press. Then a few minutes later. The Duke and Duchess came into view on their tram. Will and Kate were here! Kids in the crowd were chanting "Will, You're Brill; Kate, You're Great!" Flags started waving all around me. Mum stood up from her chair and I fumbled to turn on my camera...

The Duke and  Duchcess arrive...(Photo: Ray Liw)

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Singapore

TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge @ Gardens by the Bay

This past week my mum, my niece and I decided to make a day of it and head on down to Gardens by the Bay to attempt to meet TRH the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who were in town on a Jubilee Tour. Now I've been a fan of the royal family since I was a kid so it was only natural that I would try to meet Prince William and Princess Catherine. I'm still downloading all my pics and I should have them up soon. So stay tuned.