Of a Royal Nature

My Travels to see Her Majesty the Queen here in Australia: Day 1 Canberra

2011-11-01T11:30:00.002+11:00

Hello Royalists,

As those who follow me on twitter will be aware, I have recently been travelling Australia to take the opportunity to see Her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh as they toured Australia.

Unfortunately this time round, my home town sunny Sydney missed out on the Royal Itinerary so I decided if they wouldn't come to me, I'd go to them!

I was lucky enough to travel to Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne and my following posts will provide an insight into my travels and week of Royal Magic!

So I'll begin with Day 1: Canberra

Thursday 20th October was a very early start!
The Queen and her husband had arrived the night before and spent their first night in Government House.
The first real publicised opportunity for the public to see The Queen was going to be as she made her way to Floriade aboard the navy's Admiral's Barge on Lake Burley Griffin.

All information I recieved suggested the public should be in place by 10.30am.
To be sure I wouldn't miss the event, as I was driving from Sydney (a good 3 hour drive at best) to Canberra, I was on the road by 5.30am.

With my big Australian flag packed and a quick coffee stop, I was away.

The drive to Canberra while long is most enjoyable, and coupled with my building excitement didn't seem to take long at all. I arrived in Canberra at around 9am and found my way to Black Mountain Peninsula the place I had decided upon to wave at our royal couple as they went passed.

Even though I was quite early there was already a fair crowd at the Peninsula, all with flags and smiles.
Many families had were there, picnic rugs and all, and with the fantastic Aussie weather the atmosphere was a buzz.

The family sitting next to me had 3 excited children practicing their flag waving. The chatter was amusing to hear. In particular one little boy's conversation with his mother:
She asked him if he was excited to see The Queen, he swiftly replied 'Oh yes mummy'.
She then proceeded to ask him what kind of boat he thought The Queen would be on.
The boy paused and scratched his chin, he pondered this thought for awhile, soon a panic stricken look came across his face. He replied 'I don't know mummy but I hope it isn't a fast speedboat, I wouldn't want to miss her!'

The time was nearing, the AFP (Australian Federal Police) came past on police jetski's and cleared the waters.

We all stood up in anticipation and sure enough, I would get my first glimpse of Her Majesty soon after.
The crowd cheered and waved their flags proudly! We could just make out she was in a lovely Lavender number!

Although fleeting the moment was grand!
My heart raced as I thought about my week ahead, this was only the beginning.

The Royal Couple as they passed me by….

Find Of a Royal Nature on...

2011-06-17T13:42:00.000+10:00

Of a Royal Nature

@OfaRoyalNature

Lieutenant Wales wants to go back to Afghanistan

2011-06-17T13:16:00.000+10:00

Last year Prince Harry expressed his want to go back to Afghanistan and today the talk has once again found it's way into the media. (see above)

Prince Harry has just completed a 10 month training course teaching him how to fly gunships with a value around $70 million (AUS dollars). He will continue combat training this year in Suffolk and is likely to be assigned to a squadron and sent back to Afghanistan early 2012.

Obviously there are many dangers for the 26 year old Prince as the Taliban view him as a much wanted target.

Spokespeople for the Taliban have release statements at the news, stating that Prince Harry will be shown no mercy if captured on enemy soil. (UK Telegraph).

In 2008 Harry was deployed to Afghanistan but only 10 weeks later was forced to return to Britain when his presence was leaked.

Again this time Prince Harry will be given a secret identity and the confidentiality of his missions will be of the highest importance. This coupled with an intense training scheme for the Prince will hopefully ensure a successful deployment. More here. (Daily Mirror)

Both William and Harry's commitment to the forces show Prince's passionate about defending both their country and the Commonwealth. They should be both commended and supported.

For Dummies...

2011-06-16T16:05:00.001+10:00

Honestly....

Available at the dummies store.

The Duchesses...

2011-06-16T15:46:00.003+10:00

Just a quick note.
I must say I've really noticed the connection between Camilla and Catherine lately.
I am a great admirer of Camilla and like many others believe that Camilla has really taken Catherine under her wing.

This was evident recently at the Garter Service where The Duchess of Cornwall seemed to be acting as The Duchess of Cambridge's mentor. More here or here.
I really do think Catherine sees Camilla as an ally and a friend.I hope to see this relationship keep growing as we see Catherine finding her feet at more offical occasions.

It is worth also mentioning how wonderful Camilla is looking of late!

You're a Trooper

2011-06-14T16:44:00.002+10:00

What a weekend it has been.

For the Queen's Birthday weekend is the time of year where I long to be in London the most. The tradition and pagentry that accompanies the Trooping the Colour parade for the Queens (official) Birthday is none other than a marvel!

This is one of the Queen's most enjoyable celebrations, her love for horses is clear as she inspects the troops on their steads, she also has been known to tap along to the tunes from the band (this year being no exception).

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended of course, this was their first state occasion as a married couple! The Duke wore his scarlet tunic to that worn on his wedding day in April, marking his recent appointment as Colonel of the Irish Guards and the Duchess wore an elegant double breasted ivory jacket and dress. The two of them seemed very natural together and on a few occasions Prince seemed to give his bride a case of the giggles.

It is nice to see the new Duchess so natural and engaging with the other members of the Royal Family.

Large crowds flocked to the palace for the viewing of the Royal Family on the balcony. No matter what any Brits tell you, they all love a good balcony moment with the Royals, what's not to love!

Of a Royal Nature xx

Happy Birthday Dear.....

2011-06-14T14:46:00.010+10:00

On the 10th of June the world wished a very important HRH a very Happy Birthday.
The Duke of Edinburgh, the loyal companion to her Majesty the Queen turned 90!
The Duke of Edinburgh is loved by many people around the world. He has been an active member of the Royal Family and is the Patron of over 800 charities. Though most say his charm sparks from his gift of saying the most inappropriate of things at the most inappropriate of times! If you haven't yet been privy to the great gaffes of the man of the hour you are doing yourself a disservice. The dry commentary provided at many a royal visit by the Prince will lighten any dreary day. A few recent articles will kick you off, this timeline in the UK Telegraph, or these 90 Gaffes for 90 years in the UK Daily Mirror.

It posed a question for the Queen however.......
What does one get one's husband for his birthday?
Why a new title of course!
The Queen made Prince Philip Lord High Admiral - the titular head of the British Royal Navy - partly in recognition of the promising seafaring career he gave up to spend a lifetime at her side. (A nice touch I thought!)

Adament a big fuss would not be made the Duke spent his birthday 'like any other day' hosting a reception at Buckingham Palace for The Royal Institute for Deaf People. The Royal Family attended a private thanksgiving service on Sunday in honour of the occasion at Windsor castle (see below).

The Duke told the BBC is a new interview with him to honour the occasion-

"I reckon I've done my bit. I want to enjoy myself a bit now, with less responsibility, less frantic rushing about, less preparation, less trying to think of something to say,". I must say I'm not convinced I think we'll still have a lot more smashing lines from the plain speaking Duke for many more years to come. (And after that the baton passes to Harry!)I must admit to being a great admirer of the Duke and would like to wish him many happy returns. Just think in 10 years time he can get a letter from the Queen!

Check out these video's on the life of the Duke. PURE. GOLD.

Of a Royal Nature xx

Trash or Treasure

2011-06-07T17:18:00.007+10:00

In my musings today, I came across the Catherine Doll Collection by the Franklin Mint.

Whilst I am quite tempted to buy one of the dolls for my own slightly obsessive Royal Collection it prompted me to have a bit of a scour.
The Royal Wedding really did take the world by storm there is a vast array of collectables out there.
Personally I think the general rule is stay official, though you'll spend more, it's better quality and more collectable. Sites like the Royal MInt and The Royal Collection are always grand.

Never the less here are some of the weird and wacky items you can buy....

Playing cards bringing a new meaning to the getting a 'royal flush'...

 That's a crafty idea, a dress up book.

Those teddy lovers need their fix...

And we can't forget the little ones....

Gen Y wants in on the action....

And the icing on the cake my personal favourite!

Love to hear of others you have come across in your musings, give me a bell.

Of a Royal Nature xx

Blog Debut

2011-06-07T14:08:00.011+10:00

I've decided my thirst for all things Royal cannot be simply satisfied by twitter any longer so in to the blogesphere I venture.......
Thought I would start with a bit of a wrap up of latest news for the Royal Family.

Starting with the merry flag on the Royal calendar Derby Day Out at Epsom Racecourse which was held on Sunday. As always the finest Royal fashion was on display. Her Majesty the Queen donned a suit hat and jacket in a rather vivid pink! (It would seem the Queen has really embraced the bright colours of late, from the blues of Easter to the yellow of the wedding and the greens of Ireland.)
Unfortunately for the Queen her horse was not victorious and one would assume this defeat to be the reasoning behind her rather annoyed expression.

We can see Princes Harry and William were suitably dressed in their top and tails and the newest member of the Royal family the ever elegant Duchess of Cambridge showcased her usual style and grace in a little cream number!
Prince Andrew brought the girls along, somewhat famous for their fashion faux pas' the girls went for simpler look and I must say it seems to have paid off.

Epsom is set to be an even bigger occasion next year as it will be the kick off of the 4 day holiday for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee!In other Royal news, it seems the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are set to move to Kensington Palace in the coming months.A spokesperson for St James has confirmed that The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's official London residence will temporarily become a property at Kensington Palace.The couple's main home will continue to be their house on Anglesey, and their Household Office will continue to be based at St James's Palace.Of course this won’t be the first time for William living at Kensington Palace as he has previously lived there as a younger boy with his late mother Diana.
Speaking of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, for those of you lucky to be in London Catherine’s Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen wedding dress will be on show during the summer opening of Buckingham Palace between July 23 and October 3.

Of course there is another way you can be close to the Duke and Duchess but you'll have to work for it! - Literally. The couple have expressed that they do want a relatively simple life, doing their own shopping, cooking etc. None the less this week notices have gone up at Buckingham Palace asking staff to apply for jobs as housekeeper, butler, valet and dresser to help as they juggle engagements. - the basics!

Stay tuned for more Royal news, next we look to Prince Philip's 90th on Friday!

Of a Royal Nature xx