The Royal Wedding, April 2011: 2011

Friday, June 3, 2011

Royal Divorce: Britons Make Bets On A Will-Kate Split

Two of the favorite pastimes in Britain – royal-watching and betting – are morphing into one raucous market centered on the royal wedding.

Prince William and Kate Middleton aren't even married yet – that will take place April 29 – but some Britons are already betting they will end up getting divorced.

The odds are unlikely, the topic is disrespectful but when two people disagree on a subject, it's time to lay some money down.

A peek into royal couple's honeymoon paradise

The photograph, which The Daily Telegraph has seen but will not publish out of respect for the couple’s privacy, was taken during their 10-day stay on North Island. It is understood that other photographs have been offered to a number of national newspapers, but have yet to be published. The emergence of the pictures follows an appeal by the Prince’s staff for paparazzi to leave the couple alone on their honeymoon.

Asked about the existence of the photographs, a St James’s Palace spokesman said: “The couple had a reasonable expectation of privacy during their honeymoon and we would ask that all media organisations respect that.

Already a dutiful Forces wife, the Duchess of Cambridge can look forward to becoming more involved in military life. Mandrake hears that the former Kate Middleton is being lined up to become the colonel-in-chief of a regiment.

"Everyone is vying for Kate to become their colonel because of the prestige and attention that it will bring their regiment," says my man in the officers' mess.

A courtier confirms that her appointment is likely, but says the choice of regiment has yet to be made. An intriguing possibility is that Prince William's wife could become the colonel-in-chief of one of the regiments associated with his mother.

There is something almost Puckish about Sam Waley-Cohen. It isn’t just his slight figure, youthful appearance and cheeky smile that lend him the air of a mischievous little boy.

It’s also his energy and enthusiasm, which are palpable, fizzing into every sentence he utters in a manner that is highly infectious.

It is all too easy to picture him in the role for which he has become famed: the man whose magic brought his close friends Prince William and Kate Middleton back together after their split in March 2007.

While politicians and foreign dignitaries were out in force at Westminster Abbey for the Royal wedding between Prince William and his bride Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will have been most thrilled by those who had gathered in Statesmen's Aisle in the abbey's north transept to see them marry.

This was the space, overlooked by statues of Disraeli, Gladstone and Palmerstone, reserved for some of the couple's closest friends.

Paparazzi debate flares over royal bridesmaid pics

LONDON – As Prince William and Kate Middleton honeymoon in a secluded spot, the paparazzi who stalk them are back in the spotlight.

There's a brewing legal battle over publication of 5-year-old photographs of bridesmaid Pippa Middleton sunbathing topless, and anger about gruesome photographs of the late Princess Diana in the moments after her 1997 car crash appearing in a documentary about her death.

The publication of the Pippa pictures — showing the 27-year-old on a powerboat with older sister Kate (in a revealing bikini) and William (in a red and white bathing suit) — prompted the Middleton family to file a formal petition to Britain's independent Press Complaints Commission.

A Kent vineyard has won gold at the wine industry's "Oscars" for a wine reportedly drunk at the royal wedding.

Chapel Down in Tenterden triumphed with its Rose Brut at The International Wine Challenge 2011.

It has been widely reported that Prince William and Catherine Middleton chose the sparkling rose to support British wine.

Princess Beatrice's royal wedding hat: Bidding tops £20,000 on eBay

The beige Philip Treacy creation is being auctioned by the 22-year-old princess in aid of Unicef and Children in Crisis.

Australian children’s group The Wiggles bid £17,500, but now bidding has reached £20,200. Blue Wiggle Anthony Field said the headpiece, likened to a pretzel, could be used in the next Ashes series.

‘It would certainly distract the bowler,’ he said.

Pippa Middleton’s derriere has won her fans up and down the country – and much further afield – and now the 27-year-old sister of Royal bride Kate has revealed exactly how it is she got that stunning figure.

It seems that regular Pilates sessions, which help tone up posture and improve core strength, is the secret to Pippa’s pert bum, which even has a Facebook page set up in its honour, entitled the Pippa Middleton A** Appreciation Society.

Zara Phillips showed the first signs that she’s going to be a thoroughly modern bride, after choosing a less-than-traditional outfit for her engagement announcement in magazine Country Life.

Rather than don a twin-set and pearls, or a demure and sophisticated dress as fellow Royal bride Kate Middleton did, Zara opted for a £60 fleece and jeans, and posed next to her beloved black Labrador, Storm.

Royal wedding Update: Will and Kate's Honeymoon Confirmed

Updated Wednesday May 11, 9.00am: The royal couple have decided on the Seychelles as their honeymoon destination.

Prince William and Kate arrived at 7.20am yesterday morning, before being flown by helicopter for a 10 day stay on a private island where they will stay in a "secluded villa", officials from the Seychelles tourism board told the Telegraph.

"We are obviously delighted that Prince William and his new wife have decided to honeymoon in the Seychelles," a spokesperson said. "We know they will want some peace and quiet and there couldn't be a better place for them to find it."

Source: vogue.co.uk

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Kate Middleton's Second Royal Wedding Dress for Reception

For tonight's private reception hosted by Prince Charles, Kate Middleton changed into another dress by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, the Daily Mail reports.

Her second frock of the day is a beautiful white strapless satin gazar gown with silver diamante embellishment at the waist and a circle skirt. The bride paired it with a cropped angora sweater.

To complement the ensemble, she let down her brunette locks in a cascade of soft curls. The look is more relaxed than her half-up, half-down 'do from the ceremony.

Kate wore a long-sleeved dress with lace appliqué bodice, satin gazar pleated skirt and nine-foot train by the McQueen designer for her marriage service at Westminster Abbey earlier today.

This evening's event at Buckingham Palace, which will include dancing and dinner, is a much more intimate affair, with only 300 of the bride and groom's close friends and family on the guest list.

royalwedding.aol.com

10 Things You Should Know About Pippa Middleton

Pippa! Pippa! Pippa! Is Kate Middleton's sister the new Marcia Brady? Wearing a stunning body-hugging dress by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, the maid of honor was immediately dubbed Her Royal Hotness on Friday. Men across the land berated Prince William for picking the wrong sister, while secretly thanking him at the same time.

Here's what you need to know about Pippa Middleton, everyone's new favorite bachelorette:

For those of you who said you wanted to see more Pippa, your wish has been granted.
This party pic of Pippa Middleton dancing in her bra with an unidentified shirtless gent surfaced yesterday, US Weekly reports. There's no word on when the photo was taken.

Known as a fun-loving girl during her days at the University of Edinburgh, Kate's maid of honor and younger sister helped plan the post-reception shindig at Buckingham Palace. She reportedly requested that disco balls be suspended from the ceiling, which the Palace pooh-poohed.

Pippa is currently dating 30-year-old London broker and former England cricketer Alex Loudon. No, he's not the guy in the image.

Source: royalwedding.aol.com

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Osama Bin Laden- How His Killing Affected Will and Kate's honeymoon

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge's honeymoon could have been delayed by the U.S. government's plan to try to capture Osama bin Laden.

Security experts have claimed that the decision to delay the honeymoon may have been more to do with security than the Prince's wish to rush back to work.

President Barack Obama authorised the U.S. special forces attack on the terror chief at almost the exact same time the royal couple tied the knot on Friday morning.

LONDON – The dress is packed away, the partying guests have left Buckingham Palace and Prince William returns to military duty next week instead of taking a honeymoon with Kate Middleton.

The newlyweds were praised Sunday for being aware their wedding was a luxury for austerity Britain and the best way to harness the goodwill of the people, who organized street parties, waved flags and lined London streets to catch a glimpse of them, was to get serious.

After a perfectly executed wedding, they made it clear their future married life will not be one long party. The decision was called a "welcome modern message" in a News of the World editorial.

Royal Wedding Mysteries- Solved

Who was that adorable little girl frowning and covering her ears on the balcony during the big kiss? That's Prince William's goddaughter, 3-year-old Grace van Cutsem, who was one of the official bridesmaids (there are no "flower girl" roles in traditional British weddings, so children are often included as bridesmaids or pages). She is the daughter of Lady Rose Astor and Hugh van Cutsem, and great-great-great-granddaughter of William Waldorf Astor, a New York-born lawyer and politician who later became a member of the British Aristocracy. (The Waldorf Hotel was one of his pet projects.) Little Grace was also pouting for part of the carriage ride; apparently, the crowd of adoring fans got a little too noisy.

Pippa and Her Boyfriend, Alex

Pippa and Prince Harry at the wedding

It was the day Royal Maid of Honour Pippa Middleton dazzled the world in a dress that left very little to the imagination . . . but it emerged that she may have kept something secret after all.

For it seems that Carole and Michael’s second daughter is engaged in all but name to her City broker boyfriend Alex Loudon.

The couple have stayed silent about the future of their relationship for fear of detracting attention from William and Kate.

If rumours of an official announcement later this year are true, they will cause widespread disappointment, for it seems that in the wake of ‘That Dress’, Pippa could have her pick of suitors.

Much has been written about Kate, already the subject of several biographies, but what do we know of Pippa? Philippa Charlotte Middleton is Carole and Michael Middleton’s second daughter (she is 27 to Kate’s 29) and their middle child. She was not even at school when her parents founded their company, Party Pieces, on which they would build the family’s financial and social success.

She lived the first ten years of her life in a four-bedroom Victorian villa in Bradfield Southend, Berkshire, before the family moved in 1995 to the mansion where they remain today, two miles away in the village of Bucklebury.

Royal wedding honeymoon: William and Kate postpone honeymoon

Prince William and Kate delay foreign honeymoon as Prince William returns to work next week after bank holiday break in Britain.

Prince William and his new wife Kate Middleton have decided not to depart for their honeymoon immediately and have instead opted to spend the weekend in the UK, St James's Palace announced today.

It had been thought that the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would take two weeks off for the traditional post royal wedding break.

Prince William and his new wife Kate Middleton left Buckingham Palace by helicopter this morning.

It is expected that they will first travel to one of the royal residences in Scotland, possibly Balmoral, where both the Queen and the Prince of Wales have private homes they could use.

William and Kate began their journey by emerging hand in hand from the palace's garden entrance, located at the side of the imposing building.

In bright sunshine, they strolled along the gravel path and out into the open space where the maroon helicopter was waiting.

All eyes were on the bride, but Pippa Middleton yesterday attracted worldwide attention as a stunning maid of honour.

Miss Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge’s younger sister, was the picture of elegance in a form-fitting dress. It too was designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, and the simple lines perfectly complemented the Duchess’s intricate bridal gown.

The 27-year-old had pulled off that most difficult of tricks: looking fantastic without upstaging the bride.

The royal wedding round the world

FRANCE

An estimated two million viewers tuned in to television coverage of the royal wedding in France, where presenters described it as "the marriage of the century".

The main evening news programme on France's most watched television station TF1 opened, not with the terrorist bomb blast in Marrakesh which killed 16 people, including six French citizens, but the wedding across the Channel. The leading report included coverage from London, reports from British expatriates living in France and even a dispatch from the factory in the north of France that made the lace for Catherine Middleton's wedding dress.

Royal wedding guests can often be so mired in the pomp and ceremony of the occasion that they end up playing it too safe in the fashion stakes. Not so the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton , which provided an opportunity for many a style statement, from both the Royal family and their countless celebrity guests.

Princess Beatrice of York scored well with the fashion pack in her blush, ladylike Valentino haute couture ensemble, topped off with a stunning and contemporary Philip Treacy hat, leaving sister Eugenie somewhat in the shade in her over-fussy cobalt blue Vivienne Westwood gown.

STREET CELEBRATIONS and house parties across Northern Ireland marked the royal wedding of Prince William, the newly entitled Baron Carrickfergus, and Kate Middleton.

In the Co Antrim town which has given its name to the latest of the prince’s titles there was quiet satisfaction and new hope that the happy couple would visit one day.

After the nuptials in which the prince appeared in the bright red dress uniform of the Irish Guards mayor Jim McClurg said: “It’s an extreme thrill for the people of Carrickfergus to have this honour bestowed on them. It’s taken us completely by surprise. We certainly hope this means we can expect a special royal visitor in the near future.”

From simple, elegant to elaborate hats enhanced with nets, lace and feathers - women made style statements with hats and other headgear in various shapes and shades at the Westminster Abbey where royal couple Kate Middleton and Prince Williams exchanged wedding vows Friday.

Most of the women guests came in knee-length dresses in neutral to bright shades like blues, pinks, yellows and greens that boasted of elegant cuts and styles and they matched it with hats and other headgear.

Singer-turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham, who was one amongst the first guests to arrive at Westminster Abbey with her footballer husband David, wore a navy blue dress, which she designed herself. She acessorised it with an elegant Philip Treacy pillbox hat and a pair of Christian Louboutin stilettos customised in collaboration with Louboutin himself, reports telegraph .

Videos- William and Kate's Wedding Vows and First Kiss

The Vows

The First Kiss

Photos From The Royal Wedding

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The Royal Wedding Cake- The Full Details

The wedding cake had a strong British floral theme, using elements of the Joseph Lambeth technique. It was a multi-tiered traditional fruit cake decorated with cream and white icing. The Lambeth technique is based on a style of decorating that was popular in England where chefs and decorators would use a lot of intricate piping to create 3-D scrollwork, leaves, flowers, and other decoration.

The method is still popular today and is frequently used by wedding cake designers and decorators to create ornate wedding cakes. The cake designer Fiona Cairns was chosen in February 2011 to create the wedding cake. Furthermore, McVitie's created a special cake from chocolate biscuit for the reception at Buckingham Palace. The chocolate biscuit cake was made from a Royal Family recipe and was specially requested by Prince William.

Music and Hymns At The Royal Wedding

Music

The bride processed down the aisle to the anthem "I Was Glad," written by by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, from Psalm 122. It was composed for the crowning of Prince William's great-great-great grandfather, Edward VII, at Westminster Abbey in 1902. As the choir sang, the bride made her three-and-a-half minute procession through the Nave and Quire on her father's arm, to meet the Prince. The recessional music was the orchestral march "Crown Imperial" by William Walton, which was also played at Charles and Diana's wedding.

Two choirs, one orchestra and a fanfare team performed the music at the wedding service of Prince William and Middleton at Westminster Abbey. These were the Westminster Abbey Choir, Chapel Royal Choir and London Chamber Orchestra, and a fanfare team of the Central Band of the Royal Air Force.

Bridal dress

The bridal dress was designed by English designer Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. It was made of satin and featured a lace applique bodice and skirt. Middleton wore her hair down, with her veil held in place by a tiara, loaned by the Queen. The lace, detailing a rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock, was hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace.

The bridal train measured 270 cm (110 in), and along with the lace, all other fabrics used in the creation of the dress were sourced from and supplied by British companies. The lace motifs were pinned, "framed up" and applied with stab stitching every 2–3 mm around each one. Workers washed their hands every 30 minutes to keep the lace and threads pristine, and the needles were renewed every three hours, to keep them sharp and clean.

On Friday, 29 April 2011, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge married Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey, at 11:00 am BST (UTC+1). William, who is second in the line of succession to Elizabeth II, first met Middleton in 2001, while both were students at the University of St Andrews. Their engagement, which began on 20 October 2010, was announced on 16 November 2010.

Following the wedding, the couple intend to continue residing on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales, where Prince William is based as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot.

Clarence House has confirmed: Kate Middleton's wedding dress is designed by Sarah Burton by Alexander McQueen. The dress, with its long lace sleeves, sweetheart neckline, and full skirt and eight-foot train, is earning comparisons to Grace Kelly's wedding dress. Kate Middleton's wedding dress is an ivory gown with lace applique floral detail

Burton was spotted helping Middleton into her car and adjusting her veil before she headed to the wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey. A team of 60 are rumored to have embroidered the dress, and apparently secret dress meetings were held at Hampton Court Palace.

Kate waves farewell to her life as a commoner

The moment for which Miss Middleton has spent almost all of her adult life preparing will finally arrive when she makes her three-minute walk down the aisle of Westminster Abbey watched by two billion people worldwide.

Up to a million people are expected to line the streets of London for the royal wedding, the most anticipated royal event in 30 years, on what the bride and groom described as “one of the happiest days of our lives”.

Many of the best-kept secrets of the ceremony were finally revealed yesterday when St James’s Palace published the order of service online so that millions of people can join in at home.

Despite gloomy forecasts of showers in London during the morning of the royal wedding, the Prince William and Kate Middleton have instructed staff to stick with “plan A” for a processional carriage ride in an open State Landau even if showers are predicted.

An enclosed carriage will only be used if monsoon conditions are expected.

The bride and groom are fully aware that crowds lining the streets of London – many of whom have camped out for days – will be left hugely disappointed if they can only glimpse the couple through the windows of an enclosed carriage.

A St James’s Palace spokesman said: “The forecast will have to be pretty severe for the wet weather option to be used.

Buckingham Palace announced at 8am on Friday that the Queen had bestowed the title of Duke of Cambridge on her grandson.

His bride, Miss Middleton, will be known as the Duchess of Cambridge after the royal wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

A dukedom is the highest rank in the British peerage.

They have also been given the Scottish titles of Earl and Countess of Strathearn, which may reflect the fact that they met at St Andrews University.

Mexican teenager's hunger strike leads to royal wedding trip

A Mexican teenager who went on hunger strike in February in a bid to win an invite to the royal wedding has had her trip to London paid for by a wealthy businessman.

Estibalis Chavez, 19, staged her hunger strike outside the British embassy in Mexico City, in the hope of gaining an invite.

And now a Mexican lobbyist, Octavio Fitch Lazo, has agreed to lend her money for the flight.

Miss Chavez was repeatedly told by British officials that there were no more invitations available, but she refused to be dissuaded.

The popular princess-in-waiting is devastated that she might never have the children she so desperately yearns for.

Kate Middleton is riddled with anguish after realising she and Prince William may never have the family she's always dreamed of.

She is said to be devastated since being told she can't be a mum, and will have to wait until her late thirties.

While Princess Diana was married at 20 and had produced "an heir and a spare" by the age of 23, Kate, 27, will have to put any hope of motherhood on the backburner until career-driven Wills has fulfilled his desire to become an officer.

With a wait of eight to 10 years before she can even begin trying to have a child, Kate is worried she will miss her chance. Certainly, her "dream family" of several children now seems totally out of the question.

A Review of The Movie: William and Kate

Sticklers for detail might have been confused by the opening of William and Kate – the Movie (Channel 5, Sunday), when Prince William’s arrival at St Andrews was introduced by an aerial shot of Christ Church, Oxford. But then, sticklers for detail were never likely to be satisfied by an 87-minute TV movie about the Royal family made for the Lifetime cable network in the US.

This was a St Andrews which its students called ‘school’, where they lived in ‘dorms’. These were rooms with so much dark wood paneling and so many Tudor beams that it would have been no surprise to see Diana Dors pop out in full Hammer Horror costume. And while this movie was ‘based on true events’, it certainly wasn’t based on true hairdos or soft furnishings.

Mr Hugo Burnand Has Been Choosen As Official Royal Wedding Photographer

HRH Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton have selected Hugo Burnand to be their official photographer at their wedding on the 29th April. Mr Burnand will be take the official photographs at Buckingham Palace following the wedding at Westminster Abbey.

Mr Burnand has photographed Prince William privately before and was the official photographer at the wedding of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall 2005. He also took the official 60th birthday photograph of The Prince of Wales.

A well known portrait photographer, Hugo Burnand has also photographed Lucien Freud, Lady Thatcher, Victoria Beckham and John Magnier. Mr Burnand regularly works with Conde Nast Publications including House & Garden Magazine and Tatler.

Her Majesty The Queen gave formal consent to Prince William and Catherine Middleton’s marriage today.

Under the Great Seal of the Realm, The Queen signed a notice of approval which proclaimed, in transcribed calligraphy, consent to the union of "Our Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales, K.G. and Our Trusty and Well-beloved Catherine Elizabeth Middleton".

Tied to the bottom of the approval by gold braiding is a large red wax Great Seal of the Realm.

The law dates back to the 18th Century.

Kate Middleton's Royal Wedding Bouquet

The ceremonial fight for the bride's bouquet is a symbolic, entertaining, and occasionally violent staple of most weddings, but there won't be a throng of eager young ladies queuing up to catch Kate Middleton's lavish flower arrangement on April 29.

British royal protocol dictates that instead of being hurled skyward and giving one lucky and sure-handed girl a superstitious shove toward marriage, Kate's bouquet will come to a far more solemn rest.

As she heads back down the aisle at Westminster Abbey, having completed her nuptials to become either Her Royal Highness Princess William of Wales or another title of the queen's choosing, she will take a moment to lay her floral creation at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, a historic grave embedded into the church floor in 1920 to commemorate anonymous soldiers killed at war.

Fiona Cairns- The Cake designer

Prince William and Catherine Middleton have chosen Leicestershire-based cake designer, Fiona Cairns to create their wedding cake. The wedding cake will be a multi-tiered traditional fruit cake, decorated with cream and white icing.

The cake will be decorated with William and Kate’s new cipher – thought to feature the couple’s entwined initials – which will be officially released on their wedding day.

Fiona Cairns was chosen for her creative style and beautifully crafted handmade cakes using traditional British ingredients.

The cake will have a strong British floral theme using elements of the Joseph Lambeth technique. The Lambeth technique is derived from a style of decorating where chefs and decorators use a lot of intricate piping to create 3-D scrollwork, leaves and flowers. It is a popular method frequently used by wedding cake designers to create ornate wedding cakes.

McVitie’s Cake Company will create a chocolate biscuit cake for the reception at Buckingham Palace. The chocolate biscuit cake will be made from a Royal Family recipe and was specially requested by Prince William.

Source: theroyalweddingwilliamkate.com

Royal Wedding Souvenirs

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Prince William To Wear Military Uniform For Wedding

In the run up to the Royal Wedding there has been much talk about Kate Middleton’s wedding dress and her choice of designer.

The spotlight has simply not been on William’s outfit, until now!

We now know that Prince William will wear his military uniform, but which one?

Prince William has served in the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force. He is currently working as a search and rescue helicopter pilot.

Both Prince William’s father, Prince Charles, and grandfather, Prince Philip, wore the Royal Navy uniform on their wedding days.

Either way Prince William, in his military uniform, will be a hit with Kate! ‘Lip Readers’ suggested that she said “I love the uniform, it’s so, so sexy” to a friend, at Prince William’s Army graduation ceremony a few years ago.

Source: theroyalweddingwilliamkate.com

Royal Wedding Souvenirs

Friday, June 3, 2011

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Friday, May 20, 2011

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Friday, April 29, 2011

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Monday, April 25, 2011

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Wednesday, April 20, 2011