As I sat down to write about July, I found myself wondering whether much had actually happened.
On the surface, it felt like a quieter month. The final chapter of our Kitchen Chat® tour. A few days away. A concert. A handful of photoshoots. Work quietly progressing in the background.
But as I began joining the dots, I realised something far greater had happened.
The biggest moments of July weren’t mine alone. They were moments the world experienced together.
An unexpected thread had woven its way through the month.
Whether it was football, music, a tiny monkey in a Japanese zoo, or the heartbreaking story of one mother dog in China, each became something far bigger than itself. For a brief moment, people from every corner of the world laughed together, celebrated together, reminisced together or grieved together.
In a time when so much seems to divide us, July quietly reminded me that there are still moments capable of bringing the whole world together.
July marked the beginning of the end of our 2026 Kitchen Chat® tour.
We discovered the quiet serenity of Heckfield Place, and returned beneath the iconic balloons at Beaverbrook before saying goodbye to Margaret and closing another beautiful chapter in our 41st year of friendship.
As always, it was never simply about the hotels. It was about conversations over tea, laughter around the table, the miles travelled together, and the memories gathered along the way.
Harry Styles’ Together, Together concert was so good that once was simply not enough. So I went again, this time with Liz and my two godchildren, Sasha and Freya.
We danced to the “best song(s) ever”, but one of my favourite memories wasn’t on the stage at all. It was watching Sasha quietly take it all in, his very first concert. The lights, the music, the sea of people singing every word… seeing it through fresh eyes reminded me just how impactful those moments can be.
There was plenty of reminiscing too, as Directioners around the world celebrated the 16th anniversary of One Direction on 23 July. Timelines filled with old photographs, favourite songs and shared memories of a band that became the soundtrack to so many lives.
Sport certainly did that for the first half of August.
July seemed to belong to the dreamers. We watched our homegrown Arthur Fery enjoy his own “Fery-tale” run at Wimbledon, admired Novak Djokovic’s extraordinary resilience and celebrated Jannik Sinner lifting his second Wimbledon title.
And then there was football.
For a few glorious weeks, across the United States, Mexico and Canada thundered with cheers. Every point, every goal and every near miss seemed to matter. And we all learnt the words to Wonderwall.
Millions around the world fell a little bit in love with Jude Bellingham, and I found myself discussing matches, players and tactics with people for whom football had never once featured in our conversations before.
We watched with immense pride as our England team reached the World Cup semi-finals before our English lads came home with a thoroughly deserved bronze medal.
Then, almost overnight, the crowds dispersed, the coverage faded, silence fell, and we all quietly got on with life.
But while one part of the world celebrated, another grieved.
We learnt of the horrific fate of Wang Wang and her puppies. Her story crossed borders. It reached people who had never heard her name before and made them mourn a dog they had never met. Once again, the world came together, this time in sorrow, compassion and a growing call for justice and stronger protection for animals.
Yet even within the sadness, there were reasons to smile.
At Ichikawa Zoo, we celebrated Punch’s first birthday. The tiny Japanese macaque who once clung so tightly to his orangutan plushie continues to remind us that resilience can arrive in the smallest and most vulnerable of packages.
His story, too, travelled far beyond the walls of one zoo in Japan, quietly capturing hearts across continents.
Closer to home, we wandered through the lavender fields of Hitchin and embarked upon a rather treacherous photoshoot on a beach near Brighton. Battling slippery rocks, unpredictable waves and plenty of laughter, it will probably go down as one of the funniest, and certainly one of the most memorable, photoshoots we’ve ever done.
The quieter days in between were spent plodding steadily along with a current project, escaping indoors whenever the heatwave became too much, and simply enjoying those glorious English summer days when the light seems to linger forever. Meeting up with friends was all part of the summer.
How lucky was I to have spent some of August with all three of my godchildren.
Looking back, I don’t think I’ll remember July simply for the places we stayed or the things we did.
I’ll remember it as the month that reminded me how deeply connected we all are.
A football match can unite millions behind one team. A concert can transport an entire generation back to their youth. A tiny macaque in Japan can capture hearts across continents. The unimaginable suffering of one dog called Wang Wang can spark outrage and compassion around the globe.
Different stories. Different emotions. Different corners of the world.
Yet all of them remind us that, despite our differences, we still have an extraordinary capacity to feel together.
Perhaps that’s what I’ll remember most about July.
