HM Queen Elizabeth II and her husband HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, currently head the British Royal Family.
Dec 19
The Daily Mail published an interesting article featuring the royals and their heights (or lack thereof). Prince William towers the clan at 6ft 3in. Here’s a summary:
Men ———————————– Ladies
Prince William (6ft 3in) ——– Kate Middleton (5ft 10in)
Prince Harry (6th 2in) ——— Chelsy Davy (5ft 8in)
Prince Philip = (5ft 11in) ——– The Queen (5ft 4in)
Prince Charles = (5ft 9in) ——- Camilla (5ft 8in), Diana (5ft, 10 & 3/4 in)
Article: Daily Mail
The Queen has recently taken steps to secure the Royal Family’s privacy by issuing a paparazzi ban from Sandringham. English actor Hugh Grant shares about his conversation with the Queen about it.
“I was introduced to The Queen. She was charming and I said — I was a bit drunk – I said, ‘Do you ever get annoyed by paparazzi? Do you ever get tempted to whack them with your bag?’. And she said , ‘No I don’t and don’t tell Harry.’ Because of course, her grandson, Harry, feels the same way as I do about paps and often gives them a whack.”
“They’ve certainly made the life of her family a bit of a misery. She’s just got tough about it recently because one of her homes out in Kent, they put their long lenses over the walls and take pictures.They’re really just trying to get Prince William and Kate Middleton.”
Article: Access Hollywood
And here’s another fascinating piece. Amid rumours that Kate Middleton is going to New York to train as a photographer next year, a website has outlined the city for her — including where she should live, where to shop, where to dine, where to party, who to hang out with… totally hypothetical of course!
Article: Guest of a Guest
Sundays often bring the juiciest and most imaginative of royal gossip. This weekend, The Daily Mail published two articles saying Prince William is secretly being groomed to be the “Shadow King.” Treasury documents implicated that he is upping his royal functions next year to relieve the aging Queen as well as prepare himself for kingship. It suggested that the Queen sees Wills – not Charles – as the future of the monarchy. Read the article.
Katie Nicholl published a similar story, talking largely about how William is taking on a larger role, how his girlfriend Kate Middleton plans to do more charities next year, and how Camilla dislikes overseas tours. Read the article.
BUT alas, Buckingham Palace has spoken. This morning it denounced the Daily Mails claims, calling it a “total and utter fabrication.” A royal spokesperson told BBC that the Queen is cutting back on her engagements due to her age, but there are absolutely no plans to by-pass Prince Charles.
“Prince William is gradually undertaking more public engagements as he takes on more patronage. However, his focus remains for the foreseeable future on his military career.”
Hah! Why am I not surprised? Now let’s hope the Daily Mail will reign in their imaginations and check their stories before they hit the streets.
Article: BBC News
**Updated with video** The Queen has authorized a crackdown on the paparazzi amid her growing anger at intrusions into the private lives of members of the Royal family and their friends. A letter written by the Queen addressing the issue has been sent to newspaper editors.
The new get-tough approach has the full support of Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry and other senior members of the Royal family, who are now prepared to take legal action against what they see as “intrusive and unacceptable behaviour” from photographers. Gerrard Tyrrell, a senior lawyer specialising in privacy and media law, is to mastermind the new privacy strategy.
Christmas season at Sandringham will be the first test. Aides at both Buckingham Palace and Clarence House said that, unlike previous years, they will no longer tolerate photographers using telephoto lenses to capture pictures of the Royal family in “private” situations. A similar story about this has previously been reported.
Article: The Telegraph | STV News
And somewhat expectedly, the media goes NUTS! Once again, they’ve turned this story as a sign of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s impending engagement. Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said she thinks “William is behind this”, and that “he is setting some ground rules for his future with Kate.” Daily Star sources also say everything points to a wedding next summer. Bookmakers William Hill said it had cuts its odds for a Christmas engagement from 12/1 to 6/1. The British Press is always eager for wedding news, especially this time of year. While William might be a prime mover in this paparazzi ban, I don’t think it indicates an impending engagement announcement. My take is that the royals are simply protecting their future.
Articles: The Telegraph | Daily Star | Express
**Updated Regularly for Events** For Prince Charles & Camilla’s Canadian tour, click here.
HM Queen Elizabeth II & the Duke
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Prince Charles & the Camilla
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For Prince Charles and Camilla’s official tour of duty to Canada, click here
Nov 19
Adorable! The Sun shows a couple of amazing pictures featuring Prince Charles and Princess Anne as toddlers. The black and white pictures show them alongside their mum and dad, then Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
It appears that the family was sharing a rare moment with the Queen Mother, King George VI, and Princess Margaret. It is believed the shots were taken in 1951 by a member of the Buckingham Palace staff — before King George VI’s death in 1952.
The photos are due to be sold at an auction in Colchester next week.
Article: The Sun
Pippa Middleton has once again hit the ice! Kate’s little sister attended the VIP opening of Skate hosted by Tiffany and Co held at Somerset House on November 16, 2009 in London, England. Two years ago, William and Kate surprised locals by skating in the same rink.
Pictures from Getty Images: Picture 1 | Picture 2 | Picture 3