British Royals

Recent Lack of Updates:

I've received several emails commenting on the recent lack of updates. Sorry, life has been very busy as of late.  The blog will definitely pick up soon.  Thanks for your patience.  If you want to keep up-to-date with the latest on the royals, follow @britishroyals on Twitter. This account never rests ;) You can also find my latest tweets on the left.

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Prince William Visits New Zealand

Mar 18

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

Picture: Getty Images

For the past 2 days, Prince William has been representing the Queen in an official visit to New Zealand following the deadly 6.3 magnitude earthquake that hit the country last month and killed 180-plus people.

On Thursday, William visited Christchurch, witnessed the damage first hand, commended rescue workers and privately met with some of the survivors.  He calls the scale of the damage “unbelievable.”  He also visited Greymouth, where 29 miners died late last year when a gas explosion tore through the Pike River colliery.

On Friday, he visited quake-ravaged Sumner and greeted the crowds before heading back to Christchurch to speak during a memorial service attended by 30,000 people.

“My grandmother once said grief is the price you pay for love,” the Prince told the crowd, passing on his condolences from the royal family.

Articles:

Pictures:

Prince William’s speech during the Christchurch Memorial Service

Kate’s see-through dress that first “caught William’s eye” fetches £78,000 at auction

The see-through dress worn by Kate Middleton at a charity fashion show at St Andrews University has been sold for a whopping £65,000 plus £13,000 buyer’s fees.

It fetched more than sixfold of the initially estimated £8,000-£10,000 price.

The winning bidder is a man at the back of the sales room, who would not give his name but said the purchase was on behalf of an individual named “Nick from Jersey”.  He said of the buyer: “He thinks it’s an iconic piece and is very happy with the purchase.”

Designer Charlotte Todd, a fellow St Andrews student, said she didn’t know Kate at the time and that the dress just luckily landed on the princess-to-be during the fashion show.  She now plans to put the money into buying a house with her husband.

Video of the actual auction: BBC
Article: Daily Mail

On a cute note: Studying pictures of Prince William & Kate Middleton, body language experts have said that they have “industrial strength” rapport and closeness, having been together for years.  Articles from The Sun and the Daily Mail show the pair doing identical waves or mirroring each other in their recent official functions.  Cute!  Arthur Edwards of The Sun also gives a photographer’s opinion on Kate thus far.

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William & Kate Launch Charitable Gift Fund for Royal Wedding

Mar 16

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

In what I think is a WONDERFUL gesture, Prince William & Kate Middleton have created a charitable gift fund to help celebrate their wedding.

Having been touched by the goodwill shown to them since their engagement, they have asked that anyone wishing to send them a wedding gift consider doing so in the form of a donation to the fund. The fund will focus on assisting charities which support the five causes close to couple’s hearts and reflect the experiences, passions and values of their lives so far.

A new website, the Prince William & Miss Catherine Middleton Charitable Gift Fund, has been launched. People can send their gifts through credit card, snail mail, telephone or mobile (UK numbers). You can simultaneously send a goodwill message to the couple with the gift. 26 smaller and underexposed charities with no royal patronage have been selected by William & Kate to benefit from your present.

For more details:
Prince William & Miss Catherine Middleton Charitable Gift Fund
Article explaining some of the charities chosen: Telegraph

Official news regarding the MUSIC for the Royal Wedding…

Apparently, previous reports saying James Blunt would be playing the organ in the Abbey are false (report here). He was joking, as confirmed by reps, and will NOT be playing. Instead, two choirs, one orchestra and two fanfare teams will perform the music at the Wedding Service of Prince William and Kate Middleton. They are:

  • The Choir of Westminster Abbey: made up of 20 boys & 12 professional adult singers
  • The Chapel Royal Choir: made up of 10 Children of the Chapel, boy choristers, & 6 Gentlemen-in-Ordinary professional singers. They do weekly services at St. James’s Palace
  • The London Chamber Orchestra: conducted by Mr Christopher Warren-Green, comprises 39 musicians
  • The Fanfare Team from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force: 7 musicians providing musical support to the Royal Air Force
  • The State Trumpeters of The Household Cavalry: musicians from both The Band of The Life Guards and The Band of The Blues and Royals.

Both Prince William and Kate Middleton have taken a great deal of interest and care in choosing the music for their Service, which will include a number of well-known hymns and choral works as well as some specially-commissioned pieces. They were spotted leaving the Abbey with Prince Charles the other week to listen to the choir and select the music.

Article: Official Royal Wedding Website

The Band of the Welsh Guards, who are said to play during the carriage ride back to Buckingham Palace and during William & Kate’s appearance on the balcony, has signed a £1m record contract to release the songs it will perform at the royal wedding. Article: BBC

For the Buckingham Palace reception hosted by the Queen, Prince Charles’ official harpist, 26-year-old Claire Jones, will play for the guests. Article: Daily Mail

SPOTTED: On Tuesday, while Prince William was jetting off to New Zealand to visit disaster areas, Kate Middleton joined her future in-laws – Prince Charles and Camilla – to see a ballet at the Royal Opera House.    The trio saw the final performance of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.  Kate sat in between Charles and Camilla.  A private outing, they were largely unnoticed during the performance.  It was only in the end when the cast turned to curtsy when the public knew of the royal audience.  Still waiting for pictures to surface…

Article: People

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James Blunt, Band of Welsh Guards to Perform on Royal Wedding

Mar 14

Posted by britishroyals in Prince Andrew, Prince William, Prince William & Catherine, Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of Cambridge, Zara Phillips & Mike Tindall | 1 Comment

James Blunt to play the organ for William & Kate

The musical selection to the Royal Wedding is slowly revealing itself.

Today award-winning British singer James Blunt said in an interview broadcast on Italian news channel SkyTG24 that he will be playing the organ for Prince William & Kate Middleton’s wedding. “I’m actually playing. I’m not singing, I’m playing the church organ there.” Article: AFP

At the same time, the Band of the Welsh Guards will perform a series of classical anthems as William and Kate are driven on a carriage along The Mall after the Westminster Abbey ceremony.  Article: London Evening Standard

A Giant Campsite for the Royal Wedding

One of London’s most famous parks is being turned into a giant campsite for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s big day. Clapham Common in south London will be transformed into a sea of tents, union flags and bunting for three days, providing a base for 10,000 campers.

“Camp Royale” will provide the setting for loyal subjects to soak up the quintessentially British atmosphere, with events unfolding on a giant screen as they sip free Yorkshire Tea.

The pop-up campsite will run from Thursday April 28 – the day before the wedding – to Sunday May 1, at a price of £75 per person for the three nights.

Article: Sky News

From the Official Royal Wedding Website: The Dean of Westminster Abbey talks about the history of the church and his role on April 29.


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Prince Andrew Controversy Overshadowing Royal Wedding

Mar 13

Posted by britishroyals in Prince Andrew, Prince William, Prince William & Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge | 4 Comments

The press has been following two main royal stories — Prince William’s upcoming wedding to Kate Middleton, and Prince Andrew’s controversial friendships as UK trade envoy.

Naturally, the Palace wants the world to focus on the happy event and the promise of a shining young couple.  It’s an opportunity to bring positive PR to a family long been plagued with scandals and divorces.  Ironically, just over a month before William & Kate’s wedding, Prince Andrew is in hot water.   And the press is digging deep to find more dirt on his suitability as UK’s trade envoy.

The Duke of York has met with the Queen, and apparently has been warned that he’s one scandal away from losing his trade job.  His official visit to Saudi Arabia has been canceled amidst security fears.  The Palace says its due to local unrest and has nothing to do with the recent allegations against Andrew.

Prince William’s team is also said to be furious that Prince Andrew’s controversy is threatening to overshadow preparations for the Royal Wedding.  Not wanting the “Kate & William brand” to be contaminated by the Duke, they are keen to make sure that the couple be kept away from Andrew until April 29.  Of course, Prince Andrew is expected to attend the wedding.

Meanwhile, the situation is getting worse for Andrew as the press digs up years of dirt to fuel the controversy..

  1. He is accused by News of the World of lying about knowing a woman who set up Fergie’s cash-for-access deal.
  2. Another shady businessman friend – David Rowland – was revealed to have secretly helped ex-wife Sarah Ferguson clear her debts (read article here).
  3. He may have used tax avoidance scheme to avoid paying £6 million tax bill after selling his home (read article here)

All these new allegations go beyond unfortunate friendships for the Duke — they show conflict of interest in his current job.

Meet the team behind Princess Catherine

Unlike the late Princess Diana, Kate Middleton is getting a lot of help in her transition to royalty.  From family (sister Pippa and mum Carole) to political experts (Sir David Manning), from fashion gurus to party planners, the future princess has a team behind her making.

Article: The Express

Other William & Kate News:

Some interesting reads: Where there’s a Will, there’s a better way: opinion on why William is better than Charles… The rise of the middle-class monarchies: read about other princesses that come from ordinary backgrounds.

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Prince Harry Set for Afghanistan Return as Apache Helicopter Pilot

Mar 11

Posted by britishroyals in Prince Andrew, Prince Harry, Prince William, Prince William & Catherine, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, The Duchess of Cambridge | 7 Comments

Congratulations to Prince Harry for completing a grueling 10-month training course to learn how to pilot one of the fearsome gunships. A spokesman for the prince – whose official military title is Lieutenant Wales of the Army Air Corps – was said to be “delighted” to have qualified as an elite pilot.

It means Harry could be sent to the warzone in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban as early as spring 2012.

Prince Harry is said to have astonished his instructors with his natural aptitude for flying helicopters and the determination to succeed in the prestigious role.

A source said: “Only the top two per cent of military helicopter pilots make it to the Apaches and Harry has had to work extremely hard. There is no way his status as a Royal could have got him this far.”

Harry will now undertake a period of further intensive training to make sure he is fit for the task of flying perilous battlefield missions in the £46million chopper. This will include an advanced mountain flying to prepare him for Afghanistan, where much fighting takes place at high altitude. He must also learn how to operate the Apache’s devastating weaponry, including deadly laser-guided cannons and Hellfire missiles, before he is deemed ‘combat ready’.

In the last two weeks, Harry and three other pilots on the course have been flying sorties through the French Alps – the most dangerous part of their training so far.

Article: Daily Mail

Kate Middleton, Fashion and Weight

Photo:Getty Images

The blue Issa engagement dress sold out.  The white Reiss dress from Mario Testino’s engagement portraits sold out several times.  Even the black velvet coat she wore to a friend’s wedding sold out.  So as predicted, the Burberry trenchcoat Kate wore to her Northern Ireland visit with Prince William is also fast selling out.

Sales of the trend-setter’s sleek, double-breasted beige wool model with a frilled, flared hem sold out online in sizes four, six, eight and 10 within a day of Kate stepping out in the coat.  A £22 Asda imitation saw sales soar by 300 per cent over the same period and Burberry’s grey version of the coat has also sold out in sizes four, six and 10.  Article: Daily Mail

And what about Kate’s weight?  Lately, many articles have pointed out on Kate Middleton’s weight loss leading to her wedding.  Let me say that those who claim extreme weight loss haven’t known Kate for very long.  If you’ve followed her through the last few years, you’ll know that she has always been very, very slender.  I personally thought she looked slightly thinner during the friends’ wedding they attended in Aldborough.  But the recent official appearances she had with William showed that the weight loss, if any, isn’t at all as dramatic as the press points out.  Certainly not this ridiculous article from Amanda Platell that not only pretends to give good advice, but compares it with Princess Diana’s bulimia.  Seriously!

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