British Royal Wedding

Interview with Sassi Holford about designing Autumn Kelly’s gown – High Society Bridal
When Autumn Kelly made her visit to Sassi Holford’s bridal shop in London’s Fulham Road, five months ago, she was simply a beautiful blonde who wanted to look beautiful on her wedding day. “She was incognito,” says the designer. “She made an appointment just like a regular client. It wasn’t until her second visit she told me, ‘I think I should mention I am marrying Peter Phillips, it’s going to be a Royal wedding.’…

Stephen K Amos: “Lay off Harry or I won’t get an OBE” – Mirror
The comic in the latest Prince Harry race row begged for calm yesterday. There was public outrage when Stephen K Amos revealed Prince Harry told him he didn’t “sound like a black chap”. But Amos joked: “I’d like to appeal for calm as the furore is ruining my chances of an OBE.”…

Queen ‘furious’ as trusted aide cashes in – Daily Mail
The Queen is said to be furious that one of her most trusted and senior former aides is co-operating on an unauthorised TV series about her reign. Penny Russell-Smith, the Queen’s ex-communications and Press secretary who spent 14 years at Buckingham Palace and left just over 18 months ago, has been employed as a consultant on a new Channel 4 docudrama called The Queen…

Army to send Prince Harry on equality course after race row – The Guardian
Prince Harry has been ordered to attend an equality and diversity course after he was captured on video calling an army colleague “our little Paki friend”. The move comes after the prince faced a disciplinary hearing with his commanding officer in the army when the video came to public notice last month after it was obtained by the News of the World…

Queen’s website gets multimedia makeover – Times Online [with video]
She regularly e-mails her grandchildren, enjoys listening to her iPod, and has become something of a YouTube phenomenon. Today, the Queen burnished her growing technological credentials by relaunching the royal website, with new features that even the most web-savvy whizzkids could be proud of…

God save the Queen’s website – Telegraph
The Queen has a new website and at the risk of being beheaded for treason I have to say it’s not very good. It’s wider than the old one, which is nice, and the design feels a bit more modern, if a little corporate. Oh, and they’ve thrown in some video and a map too. However, the main problem is the navigation. The site is vast and is doubtless difficult to organise but whoever has attempted it here has failed…

You ad enough, Zara? – The Sun
Sporty royal Zara Phillips can’t hide her boredom as a lackey dresses her during an advertising shoot. Princess Anne’s horse-loving 27-year-old daughter — the reigning world eventing champion — squeezed into a tight white outfit before filming the commercial for outdoor clothes company Musto…

The Queen will attend a Reception in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, 12th February, to mark the re-launch of this, the British Monarchy Website…

The new website has a more user-friendly and accessible design and utilises a number of new technological features, such as Google maps integration with the Royal Diary of Engagements as well as integration with the Royal Channel on YouTube.

The Royal website also features a wealth of new content including expanded information on the Commonwealth Realms and a new section on Royal animals.

A gold inlaid State carriage, which may one day transport Prince William and Prince Harry to their weddings, has been completed for the Queen.

The state coach Britannia will be only the second carriage to join the Royal Family in the last 100 years.

The £620,000 carriage is a gift for the Queen from Australia whose new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, a Republican, wants a referendum on the monarchy. The designers claim that it has more gold than any other vehicle made in Britain for almost 200 years.

The carriage was commissioned by Mr Rudd’s predecessor John Howard and has taken two years to complete. It was designed and built in Sydney by Jim Frecklington who learned his trade working in the Royal Mews. The project has been overseen by the Duke of Edinburgh, a renowned carriage driver.

Read entire story at the Telegraph…

The Queen is determined to make her website – first launched 12 years ago – more user friendly and relevant to modern-day society.

The website will be significantly improved and expanded on February 12 when the Queen will link up with Google, the world’s most popular search engine, to bring in a wave of new technological advances.

According to senior royal sources, the Queen has been “hands on” over the redesign and her husband Prince Philip, who is 87, has been equally interested in the relaunch because he embraced computers and the internet well before his wife.

Read entire article at the Telegraph…

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has slammed the British monarchy, stating that the Royals epitomise much that is “wrong” with Great Britain.

The actor says he fails to understand the UK’s admiration for Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family, which he sees as a celebration of the upper classes.

He told an celebrity website: “I am not a Royalist. Not at all… I just don’t see the use of the monarchy – though I’m a fierce patriot.

“I’m proud, proud, proud of being English, but I think the monarchy symbolises a lot of what was wrong with the country. Not that they’re doing anything wrong – but that symbol of class division is not something I particularly like – and I am a very upper-middle-class kid.”

He added: “I have nothing against the royals as people. I’ve never met them. But in terms of that particular comment about Pakistanis, Prince Harry said a very stupid thing. He was probably very young at the time. I hope he has learned since not to say such a thing or at least learned not to be filmed saying it.” (via Star Magazine)

Dumped … but Harry survives dunking – The Sun
Prince Harry has survived another dumping — this time by a terrifying helicopter crash simulator dubbed the Dunker. Harry, 24 — newly split from Chelsy Davy, 23 — was strapped in the steel box before it was dropped 50ft into a tank of deep water. Harry, whose clothing had been deliberately snagged on a piece of metal, had to cut himself free to swim clear…

Harry’s ‘replacement’, Jabu Kirkland, is a media-shy hunter – The Times
Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend is seeing a South African outdoors man who poses with animals he’s hunted and boasts that his favourite quotes include “I ain’t got time te [sic] bleed!”. Zimbabwean-born blonde Chelsy Davy has been linked with macho Bradley Kirkland, 23, whose friends call him Jabu. But it appears Kirkland is not keen to be cast into the public spotlight. A friend of his sent a message to The Times saying: “Please leave Jabu alone, he’s really trying to live a private life.”…

Queen escaped Australian train assassination plot – AFP
Queen Elizabeth II escaped possible assassination in Australia nearly 40 years ago when plotters tried to derail her train in mountains near Sydney, a retired detective has claimed. Former detective superintendent Cliff McHardy said a large wooden log was placed on the winding track in front of the train carrying the monarch and her husband Prince Philip to the town of Orange…

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The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast 2008 (full)

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The Queen will acknowledge the difficulties faced by many because of the credit crunch in her annual Christmas broadcast.

She will say lots of people have been touched by world events, “whether it is the global economy or violence in a distant land”.

She will make particular reference to her eldest son, Prince Charles, who celebrated his 60th birthday in November and the broadcast will feature never-seen-before archive of the Queen – or Princess Elizabeth as she was at the time – playing with a one-year-old Charles…

Read entire story at Sky News or BBC News