British Royals

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Diamond Jubilee: Thames River Pageant

Jun 4

Posted by britishroyals in HM The Queen & Duke, Prince Charles & Camilla, Prince Harry, Prince William, The Duchess of Cambridge | No Comments

Back to blogging, as promised, in time for Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee…

Sixty years on the throne. Sixty glorious years worthy of utmost admiration and reverence. June 3, 2012 marked the highlight of Queen Elizabeth II’s 4-day Diamond Jubilee celebration with a flotilla of 1,000 ships parading in the iconic River Thames. Sure, it bloody rained! Hard. But that didn’t deter the approximated 1.2 million people who lined river, threw street parties and celebrated with the Queen.



Her Majesty was on board the Spirit of Chartwell with the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles & Camilla, William & Kate, and Prince Harry.  The less senior royals were on other vessels.  The Duchess of Cambridge’s family was there too.  The Queen, despite the rain, stood for two hours, resplendent in her silver-white dress.  Happy faces all around.  Truly a day to remember.

God Save Her Majesty!

The Gloriana led a 1,0oo-strong fleet of boats through the Thames
The Flotilla has broken the Guinness World Record for the longest parade of boats.
Picture: Getty Images

A glorious 60-year reign for a most beloved Queen.  The Queen & Duke of Edinburgh were all smiles in the rain.
Picture: Getty Images

The Prince of Wales & Duchess of Cornwall popped up at a street party in Picadilly
The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge, aboard the Spirit of Chartwell, wave to crowds
Pictures: Reuters (left) & Getty Images
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The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration continues…

 

 

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William & Kate Attend War Horse Premiere on the Eve of her 30th Birthday

Jan 11

Posted by britishroyals in Prince William, Prince William & Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge | 1 Comment

William & Kate at the War Horse premiere. Photo by Reuters

It is the first official engagement for the Cambridges for 2012.  And it was the Kate’s last night in her 20s, too.  So what did she do?  She joined her husband to their first film premiere as a married couple — War Horse by director Steven Spielberg.

Royal-watchers might recall the couple watching the award-winning play on a date night back in December 2009.  Now turned into a film, the star-studded premiere was a fundraiser for The Foundation of Prince William & Prince Harry.  Hundreds of military personnel were also invited to the event. Ironically, it started pouring moments before William & Kate walked the red carpet, prompting them to share single transparent umbrella under the rain.  The Duchess once again wowed in black lace by Alice Temperley.

After the movie, there was a private reception at Buckingham Palace with William, Kate, cast members and other notables.  The price for mingling with royalty? £10,000 — for charity and the princes’ foundation, of course.

The next day, director Steven Spielberg said in an interview with BBC that Kate teared up during the movie (his wife had to pass her some Kleenex).  It tells a story of a boy and his deep love for his horse Joey (who by the way, also walked the red carpet during the premiere) set against the backdrop of World War I.  No word on William’s reaction on the heart-tugging film.

The Duchess of Cambridge celebrated her milestone 30th birthday privately.  It was reportedly a low-key dinner with William, family and close friends in the grounds of Kensington Palace near their London cottage.  None of those Pippa-and-Harry planned karaoke party stories turned out to be true.

From CBS about Kate’s year + interview with Victoria Aribiter:


The Duchess of Cambridge turns 30. Photo: Getty Images

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Kate Spends First Royal Christmas at Sandringham While Duke of Edinburgh Stays in Hospital

Dec 27

Posted by britishroyals in HM The Queen & Duke, Peter & Autumn Phillips, Prince Andrew, Prince Charles & Camilla, Prince Edward & Sophie, Prince Harry, Prince William, Prince William & Catherine, Princess Anne, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, The Duchess of Cambridge, Zara Phillips & Mike Tindall | No Comments


The Queen shows a brave face at Sandringham this Christmas as her husband
(pictured this month) continues to recover in hospital. Pictures: PA


In the absence of his father, Prince Charles leads the walk to St Mary Magdalene Church.
Picture: Reuters

It was the largest Royal Christmas for decades as a crowd of 3,000 — three times the size of last year (partly due to better weather and undoubtedly inspired by their latest addition, the Duchess of Cambridge) — gathered at Sandringham this year to greet the Royal Family.  All of the family was expected to be there, too — Her Majesty, all her children, grandchildren, great-grandchild, plus the 2 latest additions – Kate and Mike Tindall.  Sadly, on 23 December, the head of the family, the Duke of Edinburgh, had to be rushed to a hospital for an emergency heart stenting after experiencing chest pains. He missed Christmas this year.  And for the first time in 55 years, the Queen spent Christmas apart from her husband. The Duke remained in “high spirits,” “anxious to leave”, and insisted that the show must go on.

In an unexpected move, the whole family attended an earlier service on Christmas morning (thought to be fore communion)  before heading back, changing clothes, and returning for the formal Christmas service.  In the absence of his father, Prince Charles & Camilla led the walk to St Mary Magdalene Church, followed by William, Kate and Harry.


It’s the Duchess of Cambridge’s first Christmas at Sandringham — and she was a hit!
Pictures: Alan Davidson, Reuters


A crowd of 3,000 — 3 times the size of last year — gathered to see William & Kate
Picture: Alan Davidson


The royal newlyweds Zara & Mike Tindall, and William & Kate (dressed down for an earlier service that morning)
Pictures: Getty Images, Ken Goff

After the service, the family received (an unusually large number of) flowers, cards, gifts and well wishes from the crowd.  A lot of them, of course, are there to see Kate for the first time. Veteran royal-watcher Mary Relph, said: “I have never seen queues like this on Christmas Day before, I have never seen this amount of people here since Diana was alive. People obviously came to see Kate Middleton. And she was fantastic.“  Journalist Alison Croose agreed: “I have not seen crowds like this since back into the Diana days. It reminded me of the Diana years – when Diana introduced Prince William to the crowds when he was about seven or eight. It was touching. Diana used to have her hand on his back. Now you see William with his hand on Kate’s back. It was really nice.”

Prince Harry, the most eligible royal bachelor, brought cheers when he kissed a girl on the cheek.  When her friend asked for a peck too he replied with a grin: “I can’t give you a kiss, I just kissed her.”

After Christmas lunch, all of the Duke’s grandchildren — William, Harry, Beatrice, Eugenie, Peter and Zara — drove to Papworth Hospital to visit him.  Her Majesty and their children — Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward — had seen him the day before.  And then it’s back to Sandringham to continue with the holiday plans, including the traditional Boxing Day shoot.  On with the show without a lot of fuss — just as the Duke would have wanted it.

The Queen’s Christmas message this year focused on the binding love of family:


Update: The Duke of Edinburgh was released from hospital on 27 December.  He spent 4 nights in Papworth Hospital.

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Prince William Shows Off his Dance Moves at Centrepoint

Dec 22

Posted by britishroyals in Prince William, Prince William & Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge | 2 Comments



Photo by Harriet Armstrong, Centrepoint

Photos by AP/Getty Images (left) & Geoff Pugh (right)

Need proof why William will make a good king?  It’s right in his dance (and his ability to reach out to people of all classes)

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge brought Christmas cheers to Centrepoint, a charity shelter for homeless youths.  William has been patron since 2005, taking over from his late mum.  In 2009, he deepened his understanding by sleeping rough on the streets of London for a night.  This year, he took Kate to visit the charity for the first time.

During the 2-hour visit William invented the ‘swag dance’ which involves brushing imaginary dust off your shoulders to signal you have trendy clothes. He was asking Vanessa Boateng, 18, about his wedding suit. The teenager, a trainee nursery nurse who moved to the Foyer after family problems, said: “William asked us what we thought about what he wore to his wedding. He said, was his suit dapper? “I said: ‘No, your swag was on point.’ He repeated my words and said ‘swag’, then he started doing this dance.” Later during a reception for many of the Foyer’s 80 residents the royal called Miss Boateng over.  William and Vanessa performed the dance to screams and cheers.

Kate made her own impact on another teen.  While William & Kate joined a group decorating biscuits, Kate made a heart shape cookie from icing and covered it with sprinkles. She presented it to Tasha Barbi, who was celebrating her 18th birthday, saying: “This is for your birthday – a birthday cookie.” Miss Barbi, a travel and tourism student, said: “Catherine made me this birthday cookie – it’s beautiful. I’m going to cherish it – it really means a lot to me. I’m never eating it”


Photo: Getty Images

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Exclusive Pictures: From Centrepoint (must see)
Picture Sets: Getty Images (outside) | Getty Images (inside)
Large Pictures: My Royals

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Duchess of Cambridge Dazzles at the Millies

Dec 21

Posted by britishroyals in Prince Harry, Prince William, Prince William & Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge | 2 Comments


William, Kate & Harry at the Sun Military Awards, 19 December 2011
Pictures from Getty Images

The 2011 Sun Military Awards (Millies) was given a HUGE royal treat — William, Kate & Harry together, dressed to their nines.   For many royal watchers, nothing beats the charm of this dynamic trio. The Awards were held at the Imperial War Museum, honoring the nation’s military as well as civilians involved with the armed forces.  Prince Harry gave a moving speech, while William & Kate presented an award to Sgt. Ryan McCready for Most Outstanding Solder.Videos below.


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Kate dazzled in a black velvet, strapless (wow!) McQueen gown, which showed off her gorgeously toned arms and shoulders.  And a pleasant treat — she wears some serious bling for the first time!  A matching set of diamonds & rubies glittered from her neck and wrist.  They’re said to be part of her “personal collection,” a gift for her wedding.  More fashion details from What Kate Wore.

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Picture sets: Getty Images | Zimbio
Large pics: IB Times | Duchess Kate blog

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