Prince William and Kate Expecting Their First Baby

Posted by Sam in Royal Family

William and Kate are expecting their first baby confirms the Palace. No one knows yet whether it will be a boy or a girl.

Whatever the sex of the Royal couples new baby, thanks to a recent change in the rules allowing female first born to become Queen, they will be 3rd in line to the throne after Prince Charles and Prince William.

Prince William married Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in April 2011. Kate was last seen in public last week when visiting her old school near her family home in Berkshire.

It is understood that Kate is being looked after in a private hospital after suffering with very bad morning sickness that requires supplements and care over hydration.

In a statement the Palace said that,

“Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families are delighted with the news.”

It is understood that members of the Royal Family were told earlier in the day about the news.

President Obama sent congratulations on hearing the news,

“We extend our congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the welcome news we received from London that they are expecting their first child.”

Photo: nothingtoomuch1

Zara Phillips Wedding To Mike Tindall

Posted by Sam in Celebrity, Royal Family

Zara Phillips wedding to Mike Tindall, the ‘other’ Royal Wedding, happens this weekend in Edinburgh.

It may be a Royal Wedding but it couldn’t be further from the spectacle of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s marriage 3 months ago.

The details are still a closely guarded secret of course, the Zara Phillips wedding is still a Royal Wedding after all, but there will be no national holiday and no live television event on every channel around the world. There won’t even be the celebrity magazine deal.

Zara Phillips wedding won’t have millions of people lining the street to catch a glimpse of the Royal couple either, only a small crowd is expected and they will be kept well away from the ceremony.

While Prince William had politicians, statesman and dignitaries attending, Zara Phillips wedding will be more of a sporting event.

Zara is an world champion show jumper and Mike Tindell is an international Rugby player. Zara’s parents have also competed at the Olympic games.

Both bride and groom, although famous, have always strived to live a low key life as far as the public is concerned and the Zara Phillips wedding won’t be any different. In fact, you could even argue that it’s not a Royal Wedding at all. Zara is technically not a member of the Royal family but her mother is.

Zara Phillips is the Queens God-Daughter and met Mike Tindell back in 2003 at the Rugby World Cup in Australia. England triumphed and Tindell was a part of the all conquering side.

Zara Phillips wedding will more than likely pass the world by with only a glancing nod of interest. In the US where Prince Williams wedding was a big hit, it has been mostly ignored by the networks.

Rugby is about as popular as a wasp sting in the land of the Grid Iron and Zara is too far down the Royal pecking order to be a Princess.

The Zara Phillips wedding will still have some renowned guests however, the Queen will be there, Prince Charles and the newly married Royal couple, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Zara Phillips Wedding Vs. Prince Williams Wedding

Location: Edinburgh Vs. London

Venue: Canongate (£300 to hire) Vs. Westminster Abbey (£!?!)

Crowd: 100′s Vs. 1 million

Guests: 300 Vs. 1,900

Tv: no cameras Vs. 2 billion

Closures: Canongate & surrounding roads Vs. 2 sq miles central London

Security: £3-500,000 Vs. £10-20 million

Perception: Zara Phillips Wedding: mole hill Vs. Prince Williams Wedding: mountain

Photo: chicargofabulousblog

Royal Wedding Dress Displayed At Buckingham Palace

Posted by Jo in Celebrity, Royal Family

The Royal wedding dress worn by Kate Middleton to wed Prince William is to go on display at Buckingham Palace.

The Duchess of Cambridge’s Royal wedding dress will go on show when Buckingham Palace next opens to the public on 23rd July.

The dress featured lace hand made by the Royal School of Needlework including the individual embroidered flowers, the rose, shamrock, daffodil and thistle.

The veil worn by the Duchess was made in an ivory silk and held in place by a tiara lent to her by the Queen and made by Cartier in 1936 for her mother, the Duchess of York , who later became the Queen Mother.

There will also be a chance to see a replica of the multi-tiered Royal wedding cake which was a traditional fruit cake mixture. No tasting though unfortunately.

Photo: americanistadechiapas

Royal Wedding Sealed With A Double Kiss

Posted by Tracy in Celebrity, Royal Family

Prince William (now given the title of Duke of Cambridge by the Queen) sealed his marriage to Catherine Middleton (now the Duchess of Cambridge) with a double kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

After becoming man and wife in a lavish ceremony in Westminster Abbey, the couple travelled in an open top carriage along the Mall beaming and waving at the thousands who lined the streets along the Royal route.

It may have not been the most passionate kiss the world had ever seen by the shy Prince but the 500,000 people crowding the area outside the Palace didn’t care. The love these two people have for each other is obvious and perhaps an antidote for what has gone before.

After a bit of encouragement by the crowd, Prince William leaned in for another to great cheers from those around the Palace.

A Royal flypast by 3 old planes from World War II, followed by 4 more modern jets of the Royal Air Force rattled the windows of Buckingham Palace and reminded everyone of Williams links to the armed services.

Following their star turn on the Buckingham Palace balcony they left for the short trip to Clarence House in Prince Charles Aston Martin, a 21st birthday present from the Queen. Surprising people with it’s balloons and ‘Just Married’ number plate.

They were joined at Clarence House for the evening event hosted by the Prince of Wales, where speeches and an after dinner disco were held.

For those who were there it was a memorable event, Harry talked about their missing mother, Diana the Princess of Wales and with the older generation leaving early, the younger generation celebrated the night away.

Prince William and Kate Middleton are Married in Westminster Abbey

Posted by Tracy in Celebrity, Royal Family

Prince William has married his love of 8 years, Kate Middleton, in a lavish Royal Wedding in London today.

Around 1 million people were lining the streets of London along the wedding route and they weren’t disappointed when they got their first look at the Royal Bride.

The wedding dress of Kate Middleton had been one of the best keep secrets in the world, only kate and the designer herself seemed to know. We caught our first glimpse as she drove up to Westminster Abbey with her father and the full stunning outfit, designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, was shown fully when she emerged from the Rolls Royce.

She was helped by her younger sister, Pippa Middleton, playing the part of Maid of Honor perfectly in another sleek Sarah Burton number.

Prince William was dressed in a specially created Irish Guards uniform with a Royal Air Force motif on the breast.

The service, watched by millions around the world, went off without a hitch. The only sticking point was the slight struggle Prince William had getting the wedding ring onto Kate’s hand.

In fact, despite being the new Royal, Kate Middleton seemed to be the one who was remarkable calm during the whole event. Only at one point, where the focus had switched to those giving the readings, did she look slightly overwhelmed, trying to take in everything at once. A calming glance from her new husband soon pulled her thoughts back into the room.

Read more about the Royal Wedding Day here.

Catherine (Kate) Middleton Biography

Posted by Sam in Biographies, Celebrity, Royal Family

Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, UK on 9th January 1982 to Michael and Carole Middleton.

Kate is the eldest of three children.

In May 1984, at the age of two, Kate moved with her family to Amman in Jordan, where her father worked for two and a half years. Kate attended a nursery school in Amman from the age of three.

In September 1986, the Middletons returned to their home in West Berkshire, and Kate started at St Andrew’s School in Pangbourne, where she remained until July 1995.

Catherine went on to Marlborough College in Wiltshire, where she studied Chemistry, Biology and Art at A-level. Catherine also took part in sport on behalf of the school, playing tennis, hockey and netball and participating in athletics, particularly high jump. Catherine completed her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award at Marlborough.

Leaving Marlborough College in July 2000, Kate undertook a gap year in which she studied at the British Institute in Florence, undertook a Raleigh International programme in Chile, and crewed on Round the World Challenge boats in the Solent.

In 2001, Catherine enrolled at the University of St Andrews, Fife, from where she graduated in 2005 with a 2:1 in History of Art. Catherine continued with her interest in sport at University, playing hockey for the University team. Catherine first met Prince William when studying at the University.

Since completing her degree, Kate has worked for Party Pieces, a company owned and run by her parents. Alongside her work for the family business, Catherine worked in London as a part-time buyer for the clothing company Jigsaw Junior.

In 2008, Kate launched First Birthdays, a junior brand to Party Pieces. Her role within the family business included catalogue design and production, marketing and photography.

Kate’s hobbies include recreational sports such as hill walking, tennis, swimming, sailing, and the arts such as photography and painting.

Photo: nothingtoomuch1

Prince William Biography

Posted by Sam in Biographies, Celebrity, Royal Family

Prince William is the elder son of The Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales. He was born at 9.03pm on 21st June 1982, at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London, UK. He weighed 7lb 1 1/2oz.

On 4th August 1982, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis was christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Robert Runcie, in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace.

After attending Mrs Mynors School, Prince William became a pupil at Wetherby School in London, from 15th January 1987 until 5th July 1990.

From September 1990, The Prince attended Ludgrove School in Berkshire, for five years until 5th July 1995. He then attended Eton College from July 1995 and studied Geography, Biology and History of Art at A Level.

Prince William was 15-years-old when Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash in Paris on 31st August 1997. Prince William and Prince Harry walked behind their mother’s cortege at her funeral which was held at Westminster Abbey on 6th September 1997.

After a gap year in which he visited Chile, Belize, worked on British dairy farms and visited countries in Africa, Prince William chose to study at St Andrews University in Fife, Scotland. He graduated with a 2:1 in Geography in 2005.

After a period of work experience, Prince William joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an Officer Cadet.

He was commissioned as an army officer in front of Her Majesty The Queen at Sandhurst in December 2006 and joined the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals) as a Second Lieutenant.

On St George’s Day (23rd April 2008) The Queen appointed Prince William to be a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. He was installed at The Annual Garter ceremony held at Windsor Castle.

Although still a Lieutenant in the Household Cavalry, Prince William is a fully operational Search and Rescue Pilot with the Royal Air Force, based at Anglesey, Wales.

At the same time, Prince William is President or Patron to a number of charities and organisations whose work he wishes to support.

Royal Wedding Details Unveiled

Posted by Sam in Celebrity, Royal Family

More details have been released about the Royal Wedding from St. James Palace, the official residence of the Prince of Wales.

The service will take place at Westminster Abbey in London on Friday 29th April 2011 with the Dean of Westminster conducting the service, the Archbishop of Canterbury conducting the marriage ceremony and the Bishop of London giving an address.

The Middleton family are contributing to the cost of the wedding, allegedly about £100,000 according to some newspaper sources, with the Royal Family picking up the rest of the cost for the wedding itself. The British taxpayer will cover all the other costs (e.g. security).

As with everything todo with the Royal Family, everything is precisely timed and they have released a timing schedule already.

8.00 -10.00am Main congregation arrive

After 10.00am Foreign Dignitaries and Royal Families arrive. The British
Royal Family are – as protocol always dictates – the last to
arrive, just ahead of the Bride.

11.00am Bride arrives, and the service starts

12.15pm Service ends and Carriage Processions begin

1.25pm Balcony appearance

1.30pm Fly Past

Philippa Middleton, Kate Middleton’s sister, will be her Maid of Honour and Prince Harry will be Prince William’s Best Man.

The Bridesmaids and Pages will perform the traditional role of Bridesmaids and Pages on the day. They will be with the Bride on the morning of the wedding, accompany her down the aisle and return with the newly married couple up the aisle. The Bridesmaids and Pages will also have places in the Carriage Procession from the Abbey to Buckingham Palace. All the Bridesmaids and Pages were chosen jointly by the couple.

Around 1,900 people have been invited to the service at Westminster Abbey. Around 650 people have been invited to the lunchtime reception at Buckingham Palace given by The Queen. Around 300 people have been invited to the dinner at Buckingham Palace given by The Prince of Wales.

The invitations were posted in February. The EIIR on the invitation is die-stamped in gold and then burnished. Decisions on invitations were made by the couple jointly. They worked with
Members of their own Household, and The Queen’s and The Prince of Wales’s Households to draw up the final list.

The route between Buckingham Palace and the Abbey goes by The Mall, Horse Guards Road, Horse Guards Parade, through Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Square (the south side) and Broad Sanctuary.

More details will get released as the date gets nearer but it is now only just over a week away and current estimates of the number of people who will watch the Royal Wedding around the world is 2 billion.

Photo: esther1616

Kate Middleton Gets a Coat of Arms

Posted by Sam in Celebrity, Royal Family

Kate Middleton’s family have had a coat of arms designed to feature on the Royal Wedding programme.

The design was commissioned by Michael Middleton, Kate’s father, as a fitting way to mark the marriage of Kate to Prince William.

The design brings together different elements of the family’s current and past history in it’s symbolism.

There are 3 acorn sprigs representing each of the 3 Middleton children, the Oak tree is common to the area where the Middletons have lived in Berkshire and is a traditional symbol for England signifying strength and honor.

There is also a gold colored inverted V on the design, this is a link to Carole Middleton, Kate’s mothers, maiden name of Goldsmith. Running parallel to this on either side are 2 smaller white inverted V’s, said to represent the Middleton’s love of skiing and the Lake District.

The design will only be used by Kate Middleton up to the point that she marries Prince William and in keeping with this, there is a blue tied ribbon at the top of the coat of arms which signifies an unmarried women.

Once married the design will be integrated within Prince Williams own coat of arms.