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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 Harry Knows How to Party — and Make Sick Kids Happy

Sep 3

Posted by britishroyals in Chelsy Davy, Pippa & James Middleton, Prince Andrew, Prince Harry, Prince William, Prince William & Catherine, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of Cambridge, Zara Phillips & Mike Tindall | 1 Comment

Prince Harry has dominated the headlines this past week — as cameras captured him both at work and at play…

Last weekend Harry was spotted in Hvar, Croatia, partying  in a nightclub with good chum Tom Inskip.  A video of him dancing (not very well, it seems) and diving into a shallow pool fully clothed went viral.  Apparently Harry was letting his hair down in preparation for a long training stint in the US starting October.  He probably had a bit to drink and was clearly enjoying his time.  He was given a white shirt by the nightclub and was then seen in the company of a bevy of girls.  Naturally some of the girls talked about the experience.  This is Harry’s second holiday this summer.  He was on a week-long vacation in Mallorca with the Warrens last month.


Articles & Pictures related to Harry partying in Croatia:

While Prince Harry showed he could party hard, he proved the following week that he also knows how to do his job well.  On 31 August, Harry presented awards to a six-year-old quadruple amputee and a five-year-old cerebral palsy sufferer at the Wellchild charity ceremony in London. As patron of the charity, he made the appearance on the 14th anniversary of the death of his mother, Diana.  He delivered a humbling speech at the end of the ceremony.

This was Prince Harry’s final official engagement before advancing his Apache training in the US. He arrives in El Centro, California the first week of October for Exercise Crimson Eagle as the final part of his Apache training.

Meanwhile, ex Chelsy Davy was spotted with “new boyfriend” Taylor McWilliams in Ibiza (scroll down for article) over the bank holiday weekend.  They attended a party thrown by the nightclub Boujis, a favourite royal London joint.   Oh, and she flew economy to the island.  This is Chelsy’s second Ibiza getaway this year.  She was also there along with friends (plus Taylor, if rumour is to be believed) back in May.

William & Kate Updates

It’s been quiet for the newlyweds lately…

Beatrice & Eugenie attend launch of new pizzeria/karaoke joint

Zara Phillips

The Yorks

Pippa Middleton

 

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Roundup of Royal Week

Aug 15

Posted by britishroyals in Pippa & James Middleton, Prince Andrew, Prince Harry, Prince William, Prince William & Catherine, Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of Cambridge, Zara Phillips & Mike Tindall | 2 Comments

August is always a slow month on royal news.  The Queen is in Balmoral and the rest of the family are laying low or going on private holidays.  News bits below:

Prince Harry

Last spring, Prince Harry was in the Arctic with a group of injured soldiers, who were completing one of man’s greatest challenges:  a 12-day trek across the ‘Devil’s Dancefloor’. Although Harry did not join them for the full 160-mile journey, he spent 10 days with them – including three days on the ice – sharing the very real dangers. Now a new documentary, Harry’s Arctic Heroes, reveals the bonds the men forged in such a hostile environment. New details emerge of Harry’s frostnip ears, and how he spared the Queen knowledge of the trek in case it upset her.

The documentary “Harry’s Arctic Heroes” will air on BBC One — Part 1 on 23 August, and Part 2 on 30 August — at 9pm.

In other news, Prince Harry has just returned from a week-long holiday in Mallorca with friends the Warrens.  There was no evidence that he met up with rumoured new girlfriend Florence Brudenell-Bruce in Ibiza as previously speculated.  Harry was recently spotted around London — jogging and eating.

William & Kate

Kate on the cover of People magazine - fashion special edition

The newlyweds said to be enjoying some quiet, private time together as William continues his work as a helicopter pilot in Wales.  On August 8, William & Kate were at the SAS headquarters in Herefordshire to receive safety briefings and meet injured soldiers and families of fallen members.  Though a private function, they delighted many people. Someone who met them tweeted this picture.  They are set to return to the SAS HQ soon for kidnap training, just as Prince Charles & Diana once did.

On August, 8, Kate was spotted shopping at Wilkinson (a hardware / family value store) in Wales wearing the same outfit (except the jeans) as the week before at Tesco. (Smart move, Kate!  Now those pap pics won’t sell as much)  Later in the week, an article says she was spotted in Kensington in London buying books.  There’s also some talk about their new home in Kensington Palace — with one report claiming they might move out due to lack of privacy, and another saying Prince Philip is helping them remodel the kitchen.  Seriously, one can’t believe anything they read these days…  William & Kate are also getting SAS kidnap training soon.  And they’re expected at Balmoral for a weekend.

Prince Andrew

Sarah Ferguson

Zara Phillips & Mike Tindall

Zara Phillips retires Toytown. Photo by Richard Gillard

Pippa Middleton

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While We Wait for Zara’s Wedding…

Jul 28

Posted by britishroyals in Pippa & James Middleton, Prince Andrew, Prince Harry, Prince William, Prince William & Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge, Zara Phillips & Mike Tindall | No Comments

The next big event in the royal calendar is Zara Phillips’ wedding to rugby fiance Mike Tindall in Edinburgh this July 30. Till then, a splattering of royal tidbits…

Zara & Mike

William & Kate

Prince Harry

Prince Charles & Camilla

The Yorks

Pippa Middleton

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Kate & the Queen Open Buckingham Palace Summer Exhibit

Jul 22

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

This year’s summer exhibit at Buckingham Palace is extra special.  From 23 July to 3 October, the public can get up close and personal (well, 8 feet away) with the Duchess of Cambridge’s globally-admired wedding dress by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen.  For £17.50, you can appreciate the intricate detail on Kate’s dress, and also see the Halo tiara, her bespoke wedding shoes (UK size 5.5), the acorn diamond earrings from her parents and a replica of her bouquet. No glass barriers. A 5-minute video by Sarah Burton about the making of the historical dress is included.

Her Majesty & The Duchess of Cambridge view the royal exhibit

And to everyone’s delight, Kate joined the Queen today to a private viewing of the exhibit ahead of it’s Saturday opening.

According to ITV’s royal reporter Georgina Brewer , it was interesting seeing the pair interacting.  Kate was ultra polite and the Queen was slightly more forthright.  There were lots of interaction between them and seemed to share genuine warmth.  Her Majesty, however, was a little spooked at how they displayed Kate’s dress on a headless mannequin.  She was heard saying “horrible” and “horrid.” “It’s made to look very creepy.”

Kate countered with her own view and said it had a “3D effect.”  “It’s surreal looking at it now… it’s very weird,” she adds.

Also on display is William & Kate’s 8-tier wedding fruit cake by Fiona Cairns.  The top 3 layers were replaced.  The top 2 were kept by the royal couple per tradition (to be served to guests during the christening of their first child).  The 3rd tier was eaten by guests.

Already the exhibit has sold more than double the usual pre-sale tickets, and is expected to break visitor records. More than half a million people are expected to view the exhibit this year and will bring the Palace an additional  £8 million in revenue.  Her Majesty has already delayed her return from Balmoral to allow people more time to visit.  Along with the royal wedding dress, a Royal Fabergé collection is also featured for the summer exhibition.

Kate's royal wedding dress on display at Buckingham Palace

Links from the Royal Collection: Royal Wedding Dress |  Royal Fabergé

More William & Kate Tidbits

Prince Andrew Gives Up Trade Enjoy Role

It was something that was probably just waiting for the right time to announce.

The Duke of York has officially declared that he’s stepping down as Britain’s “special representative” for international trade and investment, after 10 years in the role. Prince Andrew has attracted controversy over the decade. In March he was criticized for his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, a U.S. financier who was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution. He was also criticized for being “rude” with the Wikileaks scandal.

“As the evolution of my role continues apace and in order to reflect the changes I have outlined, I have decided that the label I gave myself when I began this role of Special Representative has served its purpose and is no longer necessary to the work that I do today and, more importantly, in the future.”

Prince Andrew will continue to travel and promote UK trade abroad — but not with his formal title.

Article: CNN

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