STARGAZING

Camila Cabello Caught in the Middle of a Royal Pencil-Stealing Scandal

...and the royals could use a distraction right now.


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TOLGA AKMEN

Buckingham Palace has seen more peaceful days. Not only are Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan suing the tabloids, but according to those tabloids, they may or may not be in some sort of tiff with Prince William and Duchess Kate. Of course, that sibling rivalry seems trivial compared to the crisis of Prince Andrew’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein and the fallout from his widely criticized television interview on the matter. Andrew has stepped back from public duties, and Prince Charles has just flown in from the end of a royal tour to help guide his family’s decisions on what to do next.

So, in many ways, Cuban-American pop star Camila Cabello might have provided something of a gift to the royals when she decided to steal something from them: the gift of a scandal that really isn’t much of a scandal.

Late last month, Cabello appeared at an event at Kensington Palace at the invitation of William and Kate late. Honoring Radio 1’s Teen Heroes of 2019 was on the agenda for the day, and the teens, chosen for the inspiring stories or activism, certainly got a double dose of surprise by meeting by the young royals and the the young pop star. In any event, it made for some cute photos.

Cabello, however, decided to use the opportunity to get into some mischief. Radio 1 DJ Greg James was also present at the event, and when Cabello appeared on his show this week, the pair revealed that they were involved in a royal heist.

“We were at Kensington Palace,” the DJ recounted. “We were about to meet William and Kate and I said, ‘[You] gotta steal something. Steal something… steal that pencil.'”

Cabello admitted that she just doesn’t have the willpower to backdown from a “triple-doggy dare,” but James alerted a royal aide to the theft of the royal writing instrument. Cabello, however, doubled-down and hid the pencil in her mother’s purse.

“I’m sorry, William, and I’m sorry, Kate,” Cabello said. A quote that quickly made its way to Radio 1’s Twitter page.

The @KensingtonRoyal twitter account, which represents Williams and his young family, took notice, replying with the double eyes emoji.

Unfortunately, Cabello did not divulge any specifics about the pencil, nor whether it was particularly interesting. While the Parker Pen Company is officially recognized as the royal’s favored provider of writing instruments for decades, Parker doesn’t manufacture pencils, at least according to its website.

Of course, that’s the eternal magic of the royal family, isn’t it? Even when they’re reportedly in the midst of a scandal that might tear the family apart, sometimes we finds ourselves suddenly interested in their preference of graphite writing instruments. Perhaps they should send Cabello a thank you card (and a few more pencils).

Related: What Prince Andrew Stepping Back Means for Future of the Royal Family