The Royal Wedding, April 2011

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

2011-06-03T04:00:00.000-07:00

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.

"There's a real tradition of betting on what the royals will do next," said Darren Haines, a spokesman for bookmaker Paddy Power. "The U.K. has a strange fascination with the royals."

One of the most popular wagers for the past several years has been on if, when and where Kate and Wills would marry. After news of their engagement broke in November, the when – as in, what month – brought in 30,000 pounds ($48,000) worth of bets for Ladbrokes, spokesman Alex Donohue said. The where – now confirmed as Westminster Abbey – drew about 15,000 pounds ($24,000) worth of wagers for the betting firm.

With those questions answered, bookmakers are looking to capitalize on the royal wedding mania by adding novelty bets before more details emerge. The market is small now, but expected to swell as the big day draws near.

Middleton will arrive at her wedding ceremony by car and leave by carriage, so she won't have to worry about the current odds of a Tube strike on her wedding day. Will she walk into Westminster Abbey right on time, be three minutes late, or make guests wait 11 minutes for a glimpse? How long will the train of her dress be? Gamblers are invited to place bets on all the above.

Most bookmakers are running a variation of the divorce question, with almost certain odds that the couple will make it to their 10th anniversary.

London retiree Lisa Barret thinks that's an "awful idea" for a market.
"You don't gamble on something like someone's marriage," the 55-year-old said while out shopping for groceries in London.

Bookmakers beg to differ and are eagerly considering suggestions for additions to the "wedding special" options as April 29 approaches. It might seem that nothing is off limits yet even bookmakers draw the line somewhere – rejecting wagering on the likelihood of a terrorist act on the day of the ceremony.

"We don't look to bet on anything that's distasteful so we refused that request," Haines explained. "This is all about fun."

The average wager – 3.5 pounds ($5.50) – reflects that gamblers are betting money they don't mind losing, a spokesman for bookmaker William Hill said.

"Its largely people speculating, more for fun and a conversation piece than those who are genuinely expecting to make money," said Rupert Adams.

London accountant Rana Theva is not surprised by the betting fervor.

"People will place bets on just about anything," the 34-year-old said. The 'X Factor' (singing competition), horses, lotteries... So why not the wedding?"

William Hill is looking to add 3 or 4 new wedding specials a week. Bets are still open on the location of William's stag party and who his bachelor brother Prince Harry will take to the wedding as his date.

But since they never know when the palace – or the tabloids – will spill the beans, betting is time-sensitive. Wedding-special markets need constant review because, unlike a football or rugby match, decisions are already in the works.

Betting on the couple's honeymoon destination closed down at William Hill on Jan. 10 after an attempted wager of 5,000 pounds ($8,000) in favor of Kenya by a new account raised red flags.

"Nobody would risk 5,000 pounds unless they knew already that they were definitely going to go to Kenya," Adams said. "Whether it was someone from Kenya ... a (real) estate agent ... who knows? We were uncomfortable to bet on it."

The market is "pretty quiet" so far, he said. William Hill has seen about 1,750 wedding-related bets worth about 27,883 pounds ($44,200) placed since news of the engagement.

By comparison, more than 300,000 pounds ($476,000) worth of bets were placed during the final episode of Britain's beloved "X Factor." Still, Adams said he expects volume to ramp up heavily right before the wedding.

"The vast majority of people placing a bet want to place a bet and get a result within a short period of time," he explained. "They'll probably wait until the last minute."

After all, the public won't know until at least April 29 if James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" – the odds-on favorite for the couple's first dance – was in fact chosen.

Bookmakers' core client base – typically male, betting on sports such as horse and dog racing – might not know the difference between Blunt's ballad and Bryan Adam's "Everything I Do," which is also on offer.

But the royal wedding market gives the country's betting houses a rare chance to draw in female customers.

"Reality TV and royal wedding (bets) appeal to women because it's what they read about, it's what they're interested in," Paddy Power's Haines said.

Walking into a Ladbrokes shop in central London, Will Tanner called the wedding-special market "absolutely barking mad."

"Why would I want to bet on shoes and dresses?" the 47-year-old health worker said. "It's a little too girly for me, a little too soft. Not like horses."

Source: huffingtonpost.com

A peek into royal couple's honeymoon paradise

2011-05-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

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.

“We would ask that no pictures of the couple be printed, regardless of the circumstances in which they were taken.”

The couple flew to the Seychelles on May 9 by private jet after spending the week after the royal wedding at their home in Anglesey, north Wales. After arriving on Mahe, the main island, they travelled by helicopter to North Island, accompanied by Royal protection officers.

They stayed in a small but luxurious palm thatched villa which opened on to a private beach, and spent their days indulging in their passion for scuba diving in the nearby coral reefs. They also went on a fishing trip.

The villas have marble baths, plunge pools and an open-air area, and staff are on hand to attend to the guests’ every need. The newlyweds dined alone in the villa for most of they stay, having gourmet food cooked to order by a Dorchester-trained chef and rarely visiting the island’s exclusive restaurant.

A source said: “There are no menus. Whatever the guest wants the guest gets. But they were not doing the royalty thing, they were having a normal life.”

Alain St Ange, head of the Seychelles Tourist Board, saw off the couple as they departed. He said: “We are happy that the Royal family consider the Seychelles a friendly country where they can come and be themselves.

“It was planned weeks before. Nobody created a fuss with them coming — that’s the whole beauty of it. After a wedding seen by the whole world, they needed to find a place to be themselves.”

At the airport, the Duke of Cambridge enthused about the island’s pristine waters. “They spoke about diving, he is quite a proficient diver and he said he enjoyed that off North,” Mr St Ange said. “[The Duchess of Cambridge] just said that they were really happy that they had time together.”

North Island is a former fruit plantation that has been restored to its natural state. It has won renown as an eco-tourism destination and is run by Wilderness Safaris, a South African tour operator that prides itself on discretion. Celebrities are routinely booked in under false names so that even the staff are unaware who is visiting. Celebrities who have stayed there included David Beckham, the footballer, and his wife Victoria, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, the Hollywood couple. The Duke of Cambridge’s uncle, the Duke of York, has also stayed on the island.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Kate Middleton provokes battle between Army regiments

2011-05-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

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.

Diana, Princess of Wales was the colonel-in-chief of the Light Dragoons. Her position is currently held by King Abdullah of Jordan, but he may be willing to relinquish the role.

Although the king has held the post since 2003, it has caused some unease in Jordan while the British have been involved in conflicts in Muslim countries such as Afghanistan and now Libya.
Diana was also the colonel-in-chief of the Royal Hampshire Regiment. She was delighted that, when it was merged with the Queen's Regiment in 1992, the combined force was named the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.

However, she was greatly saddened when she was forced to relinquish her Army roles after her divorce from the Prince of Wales in 1996. Her position at the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment was handed to Queen Margrethe of Denmark, who, similarly, may be happy to hand over the role to a member of the British Royal family.

In February, William was given his first honorary appointment in the Army, when Maj Gen Sir Sebastian Roberts agreed to step down as colonel of the Irish Guards.

The Prince proudly wore the ceremonial uniform of the Irish Guards at his wedding and will, as Mandrake disclosed last Sunday, don it again when he leads his regiment on horseback at the Trooping the Colour ceremony next month.

William's stepmother, the Duchess of Cornwall, was appointed as the Royal Colonel of the 4th Battalion the Rifles in 2006 after she married Prince Charles. She has since been given six other honorary military positions. A St James's Palace spokesman says no announcement is "imminent".

Royal Matchmaker Sam Waley-Cohen- Put William and Kate back together?

2011-05-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

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.

It was at a party thrown by Sam at his family’s 17th Century mansion in Oxfordshire in June of that year that Kate and William were spotted deep in conversation and within a few weeks they were holidaying together in the Seychelles.

Sam, however, is quick to deny his match-making powers and play down his part in the history of Britain’s most celebrated couple.

‘There’s an idea that I was like Cupid with a bow and arrow. People love the idea that somebody put them back together but they put themselves together far more,’ he says.

The achievements to which he does admit are remarkable. Succeeding as an amateur in any sport is virtually unheard of nowadays, as is being a sportsman from an upper-class family, but Sam, the grandson of a baronet, has managed both.

In March, he became the first amateur jockey for 30 years to win one of racing’s most coveted prizes, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, on Long Run. The following month, he came tantalisingly close to winning another when he finished second in the Grand National.

All the more impressively, he has managed to match his accomplishments on the racecourse with ones in his demanding day job, somehow finding the time to expand his business, Portman Healthcare, at a rapid rate.

He now owns nine dental practices across the South East and Midlands and employs 170 people.

As a result of his adventurous spirit and fierce determination, he has come to be known as one of ‘the last of the Corinthians’.

Yet he knows that in the years to come, when he looks back on 2011, he will be able to pinpoint exactly the highlight of his year.

In two weeks’ time, on June 11, he will marry party organiser Bella Ballin, his girlfriend of two years.

It will be a ‘relatively low-key, small and intimate’ wedding in Oxfordshire, and for the 29-year-old there could be nothing worthy of greater celebration.

‘I’m really excited,’ he says, his dark eyes lighting up.

‘When everyone says, “You’ve had an amazing year, how could it get any better?” I think, well, getting married is the best thing that could ever happen. Everything else is irrelevant by comparison.

‘My life involves dashing around here, there and everywhere all the time, living at a very intense pace, but Bella is my main priority. Whatever’s going on, I always make sure I make time for her.

'At the wedding, we’ll be surrounded by all our friends and family, who have been amazingly supportive this year, and it will be a great day.’

Last month, he and Bella, also 29, were guests at the Royal Wedding. ‘It was absolutely fantastic,’ he says.

‘It was great to see two people who are so in love. I think everyone could see that, whether they know them or not.’

Sam has known William since prep school and has long been a friend to Kate. Unfortunately, even though they are invited, his friends’ status means it is unlikely they will be guests at his wedding.

‘It’s Trooping the Colour that day, so I don’t imagine they’ll be there,’ he says.

Indeed, there have already been reports that William will attend the Trooping the Colour on horseback.

Finding time in his schedule for a honeymoon has been tricky for Sam but he and Bella have managed to book a trip to Italy.

It will be the first break he has had for a long time and, although it is supposed to be the most romantic holiday of his life, he admits he plans to devote an hour a day to work.

Even if he’s spending an evening with Bella at their home in Chelsea, he finds it difficult to put down his BlackBerry. ‘We have to actually go out to spend proper time together, or I’m fiddling with bits and pieces and she knows I’m not really giving her my attention,’ he laughs.

No doubt Bella must find this inability to switch off from work infuriating from time to time, but it is Sam’s extraordinary drive that has allowed him to achieve a dizzying amount at such a young age.

He takes life at a breakneck speed, throwing himself into everything he does, from his racing to his business and energetic hobbies, which included hang-gliding, parachuting, bungee-jumping, white-water rafting and mountaineering.

As the son of leading racehorse owner Sir Robert Waley-Cohen and his wife Felicity, the daughter of Viscount Bearstead, he is the product of a highly privileged background.

It would have been easy to sit back and let his family name do the work, but instead, he has seized every opportunity available to him.

He grew up sharing time between the family home near Banbury and London, where his father’s diagnostic imaging business, Alliance Medical, which provides MRI and CT scanners, was based.

Witnessing his father combining his passion for horse-racing with a highly successful business career was to provide a template for his own approach to sport and work. He describes both his parents as ‘super-energised, always trying to make projects happen’.

As a child, he remembers having an enormous enthusiasm for every new experience.

‘Our home was a working farm, and I’d go out with the shepherd on his rounds first thing in the morning. He made me a little cut-down crook and I loved driving around with him.

‘There were ponies for us to jump on and gallop around and I could go fishing after school with my friends. I know I was very lucky – it was a charmed childhood.’
No matchmaker: Sam Waley-Cohen insists he was not the cupid who got William and Kate back together

No matchmaker: Sam Waley-Cohen insists he was not the cupid who got William and Kate back together

Being the third of four children helped him develop a highly competitive streak, which was honed at the exclusive Wetherby prep school in West London and St Edward’s School, Oxford.

But it was during his teenage years that his family was hit by a tragedy that profoundly affected Sam’s outlook on life.

In 1995, his brother Thomas, younger by two years, was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer that affects fewer than 30 children in Britain each year.

Over the next decade, he battled the illness and had a leg amputated, but he died in 2004, just days after his 20th birthday.

For Sam, watching his brother refuse to allow the illness to curtail his active lifestyle left an indelible impression.

‘He had great energy and made the most out of life, never letting anything get him down or hold him back. That spirit, that -courage, are what I think of when I think of him.

‘He wanted to be active as much as possible, and he’d drag me off to do the things he wanted to do, like sky-diving on his 18th birthday.

'It became the way I lived too. Now, he’s an inspiration to me. Losing him means I strive to make the most of every second of every day.

'I realised how precious time is. There are seven days in the week and I don’t waste any of them.’

It was horse-racing that helped Sam through his grief after Thomas’s death.

Having inherited a love of the sport from his father, he had continued it as a hobby throughout his time studying for a degree in politics at Edinburgh University and a stint he spent working in Geneva and Paris for commodities firm Louis Dreyfus.

In 2005 he unexpectedly won at the Cheltenham Festival, riding his father’s horse Liberthine.

‘It was a time which was really difficult, soon after Tom had died,’ he says.

‘I was very inexperienced and Liberthine wasn’t fancied at all, so it was a total surprise.

'It was the first really positive thing that had happened for a long time and a magical moment where I thought things could actually get better.’

It proved to be a turning point, after which further racing opportunities came thick and fast. Despite increasing success, he has never been tempted to turn professional.

‘I do it for the love of it, because it’s something I really want to do,’ says Sam, who has his brother’s initials sewn into his racing saddle.

‘There’s no agenda, no financial motive behind it. I didn’t set out with a specific ambition. It’s like someone kicking a ball in the park. If you score a goal in five-a-side football, you pretend you’re at Wembley.

'When you ride a horse you pretend you’re at Cheltenham or the Grand National. You don’t actually expect it’s really going to happen.

‘But although I’m an amateur, I can’t be amateurish. I want to win. It is dangerous and difficult. If you’re going to take on the best professionals, you have to be in a position to do justice to yourself and the people who have backed you.’

You might imagine that, as an amateur who has the advantage of being able to ride horses part-owned by his wealthy father, he is not the most popular with other jockeys.

On the contrary, he says. ‘There’s a real sense of camaraderie between jockeys because whatever our background, we’re all passionate about doing something that is essentially pretty foolish. And when the race begins, the task’s the same for all of us.’

Sam started Portman Healthcare in 2008, so he has to combine his training for races with long working days.
William and Kate, pictured here watching England play Italy at Twickenham in the Six Nations in February 2007, split a month later

William and Kate, pictured here watching England play Italy at Twickenham in the Six Nations in February 2007, split a month later

The idea behind the business was, he says, a ‘lightbulb moment’ in which he questioned why, as a First World country, Britain had such a bad reputation for dental care, and going to the dentist was seen as an unpleasant chore to be postponed as long as possible.

‘We want to revolutionise the way dentistry is delivered – make it about providing a service based on quality and on the experience for the patient,’ he says.

It means that 19-hour days are the norm, spent driving around the various practices, attending meetings, fielding phone calls and emails and exercising, either at the gym or on his Equicizer, a mechanical horse he has placed in his living room.

Now that the racing season has ended and he has relaxed his training regime, he has more time on his hands.

But Sam has already found another project. Since Thomas’s death, he has been involved in organising charity events in his memory, including the DayGlo roller-disco in 2008 at which Kate Middleton wore yellow hot pants and fell flat on her back on the dancefloor.

His family have raised more than £1 million for the Children’s Hospital in Oxford, where a ward bears Thomas’s name.

Sam’s latest venture, named TAWC after Thomas, will provide start-up funds and advice for students who want to hold their own charitable events. ‘I’ve been thinking about

it for a long time and I think it could be really great, but then I also think, ‘‘What on earth am I doing? I should be taking a couple of months to catch my breath,’’ ’ he says.

In truth, he is the kind of person who cannot sit still, the kind who makes everyone else feel lazy. But where many highly successful people are driven by their demons, he genuinely seems to love everything he does.

When I call him an achievement junkie he laughs and says: ‘I like pushing myself. I climbed a mountain in Peru which was really hard. The altitude was terrible and we could barely breathe or see when we got to the top. On the way down, though, I was already saying, “We need to find a bigger one!” ’

This year Sam has his wedding and honeymoon to enjoy and afterwards will begin the process of training for next season, in which he hopes to go one better at Aintree and win.

Although, as he says: ‘The problem with achieving your ambitions is that the goalposts are always moving. You think well, I’ve done that, what can I do next?’

Source: dailymail.co.uk

William and Kate's inner circle

2011-05-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

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.

Valued for their loyalty and discretion, they include childhood friends, and confidantes from school and university.

Also among them were long-time friends of the Royal family, wealthy landowners and aristocrats who have known Prince William all his life, together with the mentors who helped him cope with his mother's death and saw his bride transformed from commoner to future Queen.

The friends have remained low-key throughout the couple's romance, but the jigsaw of who's who within the Duke and Duchess's inner circle can now be revealed.
THE GLOUCESTERSHIRE SET

Friends of the Prince's from his home county of Gloucestershire, who have been entertained at Highgrove, the Prince of Wales's country estate, were well represented.

Known as the "Glosse Posse", its most glamorous member is Arabella Musgrave, 28, said to have been a former flame of Prince William and once described as "the only woman who could make Kate Middleton" jealous.

Now head of PR at Gucci, Miss Musgrave met the Prince through friends at the Cirencester Park Polo Club, run by her father Major Nick Musgrave, an old friend of the Prince of Wales.

A regular on the London party scene, until recently she dated James Tollemache.

Seated in front of Miss Musgrave is Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs. Known as "Nats" to friends, she met Prince William while attending Westonbirt School, which is close to Highgrove.

Lady Natasha, 27, sat on Prince William's table at his "Out of Africa"-themed 21st birthday at Windsor Castle. The daughter of the Marquess of Reading and older sister of Julian, Viscount Erleigh, she is also one of Prince Harry's best friends.

Lady Natasha runs the fashion label Beulah, selling clothes made by women who have escaped the sex trade in India, of which her grandfather was viceroy in the 1920s.

She dates Rupert Finch, a former boyfriend of the Duchess of Cambridge. Described as "affable" and "handsome", Mr Finch, 32, was a final year law student at St Andrews University when Kate arrived to study History of Art in 2001. The couple dated for less than a year. Some have suggested that Prince William "stole" his future bride from Mr Finch, but others insist that the relationship had run its course. He is now an employment lawyer in London.

Tom and Victoria Inskip - "Skippy" and "Tor" to friends - have known Princes William and Harry since childhood. Mr Inskip, 26, attended Eton with the Princes and helped to organise his stag party with Guy Pelly, the nightclub entrepreneur who was sat elsewhere in the abbey.

Miss Inskip, 27, who also attended Westonbirt, is the best friend of Prince William's first serious girlfriend Rose Farquhar. A Chelsea-based estate agent, she is also friends with Prince Harry. The Inskips were regulars at "Club H", the nightclub William and Harry set up in the basement of Highgrove,

She has also been a fundraiser for Sentebale, the African charity set up by Prince Harry. Claire Inskip, their mother, is a sculptress.

Seated next to Mrs Inskip, is Jamie Murray-Wells, an old Harrovian childhood friend of Prince William from Gloucestershire.

Mr Murray-Wells, 27, is the son of Simon Murray-Wells, an investment analyst, and his wife Alison, who are close friends of the Inskips.

Mr Murray-Wells is believed to be a multi-millionaire after founding Glasses Direct - selling cheap spectacles online - during his final term at University of Bristol in 2004.

Renowned for his sense of humour, he once reportedly sent sheep into Specsavers stores in Newcastle-upon-Tyne to illustrate his belief that customers were being "fleeced".

In a prank in 2006, he and Mr Pelly, raided Westonbirt School in a hunt for girls (the school was empty at the time), with Mr Murray-Wells falling from a wall and breaking his leg.

He showed loyalty to the Duchess during her brief split with Prince William in 2007, escorting her to nightclubs.

FRIENDS FROM SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY DAYS

Seated beneath the statue of Benjamin Disraeli are Sir Henry and Lady Cheape. Sir Henry, a landowner educated at Harrow and Newcastle University, and distant cousin of the Prince, rented Balgove House to the couple during their third year at university, where their romance was allowed to flourish away from scrutiny.

At the other end of the row from Sir Henry and his wife, Louisa, is Will Matthews, another old Harrovian. Known to his friends as "Stan", he lives in Fulham, where many of the couple's set have their London bases.

Mr Matthews is an associate in the country house sales department at Knight Frank, the estate agents and close friends with Rory Penn (seated beside him with his wife Francesca Penn) and Sir Henry.

All three attended Newcastle University, together with James Meade, Prince William's closest friend who, with Thomas van Straubenzee, delivered a joint best man speech.

Mr Penn, 30, is a City fund manager and a descendant of Sir Claude George Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, the Queen Mother's father.

Another of his friends, who was at Harrow while Prince William was at Eton, is Bear Maclean. An estate agent, who lives in Fulham, he fought as amateur boxer at the Boodles charity boxing ball in 2008, to raise money for Starlight, a children's charity championed by the Duchess.

One row back is Hattie Stead, a close friend of Prince William's who shared a flat at Newcastle University with Mr Meade and Mr van Straubenzee.

Educated at Tudor Hall, an elite boarding school, Miss Stead is also a friend of Annabel Ballin, the fiancee of jockey Sam Waley-Cohen. Together with Miss Ballin, she runs Hats and Bells party planners.

Anna Smith (nee Sloan) and her husband Eddie, attended Edinburgh University while Prince William was at St Andrews, and Anna was rumoured to be one of the Prince's former love interests.

In 2004, Prince William visited Mrs Smith, a Texan heiress, for a week's holiday on her ranch in Tennessee.

Together with Emilia d'Erlanger, one of the Duchess's best friends from Marlborough College, Mrs Smith established an interior design business, d'Erlanger and Sloan.

Alice St John Webster is a friend of the Duchess, and her sister Pippa, from Marlborough College. She is also close friend of Mr Pelly and Alicia Fox-Pitt, the Duchess's best friend from Marlborough.

DASHING LANDOWNERS

Seated beside Miss Musgrave is Arthur Landon, 29, one of Britain's richest young men with a fortune estimated at up to £500 million.

He inherited his wealth in 2007 following the death of his father Brigadier Tim Landon, an adventurer and arms dealer known as the "White Sultan" for his dealings in the Middle East.

Educated at Ampleforth and Bristol University, Mr Landon, a film-maker and model, has assets including the Hampshire hamlet of Faccombe and 11,000 acres of grouse moor in Scotland and North Yorkshire.

When in London, he is often spotted at nightclubs Public, Boujis and Whisky Mist. Seated next to his mother, the Austro-Hungarian Princess Katalina Esterhazy de Galantha, Mr Landon is said to be dating Charlotte Cowen, a make-up artist and best friend of Miss Musgrave.

Behind Mr Landon are George and Candida Meyrick. The eldest son and heir of Anglesey, Hampshire and Dorset landowners, Sir George and Lady Meyrick, Mr Meyrick, 40, is a great grandson of the seventh Duke of Buccleuch. His wife Candida (nee Clark), 40, is an author and screenwriter. The family has its own racetrack in Anglesey. Prince William is said to enjoy riding his Ducati motorbike around the island, where he works as a search and rescue helicopter pilot.

Ed Milbank, 38, educated at Eton and Newcastle University, is the heir to Sir Anthony Milbank, a farmer and owner of the 6,500-acre Barningham Park estate in North Yorkshire.

Mr Milbank is the founder of MPF Investments, which develops property in Montenegro. His wife, Natalie, 32, is the daughter of Major Martin Hicks-Löbbecke, and has known Prince William through mutual Gloucestershire friends for many years.

After studying at Bristol University, she worked as a security consultant in Iraq. The couple divide their time between a beach house in Montenegro and a flat in Chelsea.

Also in the congregation is David, Viscount Marsham, 34, a former major in the Scots guards, and the son and heir of the Earl of Romney.

Across the aisle is Oliver Jones-Davies, 39, whose family are from Hexham, Northumberland and are friends of the Duke of Northumberland.

OLD FRIENDS OF THE FAMILY

Hugh and Emilie van Cutsem, Norfolk landowners and bloodstock breeders, are close friends of the Prince of Wales. Their friendship was tested by a row over the seating plan for the wedding of their eldest son, Edward, Prince Charles' godson, in 2004, when it emerged that he and Camilla Parker Bowles were due to sit separately at the service. The couple did not attend.

Princes William Harry attended as ushers and the rift has since been healed. The couple have four sons, Edward, Hugh, Nicholas and William, and all guests at the wedding.

Geoffrey van Cutsem, the former chairman of Savills, and brother of Hugh van Cutsem, is also a friend of Prince Charles.

Lord and Lady Vestey are friends of the Queen. Lord Vestey, 70, is one of Britain's richest men with an estimated wealth of around £750 million from meat trading. He recently retired from his post as chairman of Cheltenham racecourse and is a close friend of Prince Charles. Lady Vestey is Prince Harry's godmother.

The Duke and Duchess of Northumberland seated at the back, reside at Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, which doubles as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films.

Ralph Percy, 54, and Jane, 52, worth £315 million, have four children, including the Duke's heir, George, Earl Percy, who shared a house with Pippa Middleton at Edinburgh University.

The Earl and Countess of Dalhousie own the 55,000 acre Dalhousie estates in Angus, Scotland.

Close by are Edwina Palmer and her cousin James Palmer. Edwina is the daughter of Lord Palmer, scion of the Huntley & Palmers biscuit family and a hereditary peer. Miss Palmer is engaged to Andrew Charlton, a property broker who was with Prince William at Ludgrove prep school and later in the same house at Eton.

THE MENTORS

Captain Mark Dyer, 43, a former Royal Equerry and Welsh Guards officer, acted as mentor and aide to Princes William and Harry. He accompanied Prince William on his gap year, and now runs a chain of gastro pubs and bars. He once dated Tiggy Pettifer (nee Legge-Bourke, just out of shot), Prince Charles's former personal assistant and close friend of the Princes, whose son, Tom, was a page boy at the wedding.

Sir David Manning, 61, the former British ambassador to Washington and foreign policy adviser to Tony Blair, was enlisted to provide "advice and mentoring" to Kate Middleton following her engagement.

Sir David was appointed as an adviser to Princes William and Harry in 2009 at the request of the Queen. He accompanied Prince William on his first solo foreign tour last year to Australia and New Zealand.

FAMILY TIES

Harry and Laura Lopes are seated at the front. Mrs Lopes, 33, is the daughter of the Duchess of Cornwall and her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, and a step-sister to Prince William. She attended a "girls' lunch" with her mother and the Duchess of Cambridge shortly before the wedding.

Old Etonian Mr Lopes, 33, is the heir to estates in Devon and the Highlands. Their daughter, Eliza, three, was a bridesmaid at the wedding.

Across the aisle sits Lady Kitty Spencer, a cousin of Prince William, and the eldest daughter of Earl Spencer, the brother of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Paparazzi debate flares over royal bridesmaid pics

2011-05-21T01:06:00.001-07:00

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.

That complaint is seen as the first salvo in what is expected to be a conflict between the monarchy and the press as both sides try to establish boundaries in a new royal era defined by William and Middleton, now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and their determination to live a normal life.

The prince and his bride jetted off this week to a secret honeymoon spot that royal watchers believe was chosen specifically to keep them out of the lenses of the paparazzi.

"That and security would have been of primary importance," said Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine. "We've known for a long time William would not stand for any nonsense regarding his new wife and her family."

Many Britons — mindful of how Princess Diana was tracked by the paparazzi in the moments leading to her fatal car crash — want the new royal couple, and the rest of the Middleton clan, to be able to move about without facing a constant barrage of flashing cameras.

"I think they should be left alone to be honest, after what happened to Lady Diana," said Marla Quinn, a 43 year-old receptionist from Surrey.

The nation has been astir with news that "death photos" of Diana moments after her high-speed crash in a Paris tunnel will be shown in a new film about her death, "Unlawful Killing," premiering at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Middleton family's complaint cites four British tabloids — the News of the World, Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday and the Daily Mirror — for publishing photos that violated family privacy, including those of the sisters and William on the luxury boat off the coast off the Mediterranean island of Ibiza.

Other pictures of Pippa Middleton have also received wide exposure on the Internet and in various publications, including one of her dancing suggestively in a lavender bra and a flimsy white skirt with an unidentified man wearing boxer shorts. Sensitive pictures of younger brother James Middleton have also circulated on the Internet.

The independent press commission will determine whether the newspapers have violated the Middletons' privacy and whether there are any "public right to know" issues that might justify publication of the photos.

While freedom of speech is protected in the United States by the First Amendment, European law protects privacy as well as free expression, often leaving it to judges to balance the two competing concerns.

A key European Court of Human Rights judgment in 2004 bolstered privacy protection by ruling that three German magazines infringed on Princess Caroline of Monaco's privacy by publishing photos of her and her children at a Monaco beach club.

The recent British newspaper coverage, including front-page photos of Pippa Middleton in a bikini, reflects her status as a surprise star of the royal wedding.

Her appearance in a figure-flattering Alexander McQueen gown at the wedding has sparked a flurry of interest, including the establishment of a Pippa Middleton appreciation page on Facebook.

Experts believe her newfound fame offers a raft of commercial opportunities — but could be undone if more embarrassing photos surface.

Katrina Kutchinsky, managing director of KK Communications, which represents luxury restaurants and bars, said Pippa Middleton is in high demand on the London nightlife scene.

"She's definitely the hot ticket at the moment, my venues are trying to reach her, but she's very well protected," Kutchinsky said. "Everyone is talking about her."

Source: Royalwedding.yahoo.com

'Royal wedding' wine gets gold for Kent vineyard

2011-05-21T01:06:00.000-07:00

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.

Chief executive Frazer Thompson said: "It is fantastic to be associated with the royal family."

The wine beat many from around the world in the sparkling rose category.

"The award will enhance our growing export business which, following the royal wedding in particular, but also the growing interest in the London Olympics, is a really exciting opportunity for Chapel Down," said Mr Thompson.

According to Mr Thompson winemaking in Kent, in its current format, has been around for 30 to 40 years.

However, a new wave of winemaking began in 2004 with a focus on getting the right vines in the ground, with the right investment and right wine growers.

The changes are bearing the fruit now and putting Kent and English wines on the map.

"It is wonderful that Chapel Down won the award," said Mr Thompson. "But it is also great for whole industry.

"The more people get the message about English wine from good producers, the better that is for everyone in the whole industry."

Source: bbc.co.uk

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

2011-05-20T01:19:00.001-07:00

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.

The unique headgear has been roundly derided, turning it into an internet sensation.

The Princess recently moved to defend the hat, saying she was glad that it had provoked such a response, even if it was mostly negative.

She writes on the eBay page: 'I've been amazed by the amount of attention the hat is attracted. It's a wonderful opportunity to raise as much money as possible for two fantastic charities.

'I hope whoever wins the auction has as much fun with the hat as I have.'

Treacy also defended the design recently, saying that he thought Beatrice looked 'gorgeous and beautiful' in the item.

The auction ends on Sunday.

Source: metro.co.uk

Pippa Middleton reveals she keeps her posterior pert with Pilates

2011-05-20T01:19:00.000-07:00

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.

Pippa, whose sister Kate became the Duchess of Cambridge after marrying Prince William on April 29, gained legions of fans after wowing in a stunning white bridesmaid dress at the ceremony.

Now women all over are no doubt set to hot-foot it down to their local gym to try out the muscle-toning exercise regime, if they have any chance of looking like Miss Middleton.

Calling her regular Pilates sessions a “weekly necessity”, Pippa, who close friends and family call her Pip, wrote on the Plates on the Go website: “As someone who is always 'on the go’, Pilates has been a wonderful escape from my busy lifestyle in London.

“Whether it’s 7am in the morning or 7pm at night I always leave feeling calm, refreshed and invigorated."

Pippa, who works as a party planner, added: “From breathing techniques, muscle toning to overall flexibility and relaxation, my Pilates sessions have become something of a weekly necessity that keeps me fit, happy and energized.”

Well if we can get a toned tush like Pippa by hitting the gym, that’s us sold…

Source: entertainment.stv.tv

Queen's granddaughter, Zara Phillips throws tradition out the window at engagement

2011-05-20T01:09:00.000-07:00

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.

Zara selected her own outfit after being asked to wear something she felt “comfortable” in and which reflected her “natural” lifestyle, as a sportswoman, a theme which she encapsulated well.

And while a spokesman for Country Life admitted the Royal didn’t choose the traditional attire a lady gracing page three of the magazine often opts for, he praised Zara for showing that “she hasn’t got anything to prove”.

The blonde 29-year-old Royal will marry her long-term partner Mike Tindall at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh on July 30.

The Queen’s granddaughter and and Princess Anne’s daughter has always been one to live her life the way she sees fit, shunning the usual Royal protocol.

In her teens, former wild child Zara shocked when she showed off a tongue piercing done during a school break. She has also hit the headlilnes in the past for her sometimes wacky fashion choices, and a stormy relationship with former fiancé and National Hunt jockey Richard Johnson.

But overall Zara is widely thought of as a breath of fresh air in the Royal Family, shunning many of the airs and graces associated with the institution.

A keen sportswoman, Zara is a world-renowned equestrian and even won the BBC Sports’ 2006 Personality of the Year.

She is also a designer, creating her own range of of equestrian clothing for Musto Outdoor Clothing, with the line officially launched in July 2010.

Source: entertainment.stv.tv

Royal wedding Update: Will and Kate's Honeymoon Confirmed

2011-05-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

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

Kate Middleton's Second Royal Wedding Dress for Reception

2011-05-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-05T11:03:00.000-07:00

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:

1. Philippa Charlotte Middleton, 27, is Carole and Michael Middleton's second daughter. Her siblings include older sister Kate and younger brother James. Known as "Pip" to her family and "Pippa" to the world, she reportedly has asked to be called Philippa going forward.

2. She's currently dating 30-year-old London broker and former England cricketer Alex Loudon, who is a friend of Prince William. The one-year relationship appears to be pretty serious. Loudon attended the ceremony, and was seated with the Middleton family. And according to rumors, an engagement may be on the horizon once the royal wedding mania fades. But now that Pippa has gotten a taste of the global media spotlight will she be ready to settle down?

3. Sorry, commoner dudes. Her former beau roster includes only affluent gents, such as Jonathan "JJ" Jardine Paterson, an heir to the Hong Kong Jardine Matheson fortune, Scottish aristocrat Billy More Nesbitt and diamond heir Simon Youngman.

4. After studying English literature at the University of Edinburgh, Pippa began working for an events planner, combining her love of partying and regal connections. She also runs The Party Times, an online magazine for her parents' business.

5. Pippa was named the Number One Society Singleton by Tatler magazine in 2008. She even surpassed Princess Eugenie of York, Prince William's cousin, on the list.

6. She's BFFs with Chelsy Davy, Prince Harry's on-again, off-again girlfriend. The nightclub-loving girls are often spotted together out and about in London.

7. Her tush has Facebook fans (thanks to all her bend-and-reach bridal duties). The Pippa Middleton Ass Appreciation Society is currently boasting almost 150,000 "likes."

8. Before the royal wedding, she had gained the media nickname "Perfect Pippa" for her toned legs, bronzed skin, shiny hair and ease in front of the paparazzi lens.

9. She helped plan the post-reception dance party at Buckingham Palace. She reportedly requested that disco balls be suspended from the ceiling, which the Palace pooh-poohed.

10. Now that Kate is married, Pippa will be entitled to use the duchess' original coat of arms with a blue ribbon, which represents an unmarried Middleton female.

Source: royalwedding.aol.com

Pippa Middleton Goes Shirtless, Dances in Her Bra

2011-05-05T10:58:00.000-07:00

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

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

2011-05-03T01:26:00.000-07:00

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.

It was announced just 24 hours later that, rather than embarking on their honeymoon, the couple were returning to Anglesey so Prince William could resume his duties as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot.

One military analyst said a warning from the U.S. government about the special forces strike could have been behind the decision to delay the couple's getaway.

Professor Anthony Glees, director of the Centre for Security and Intelligence studies at the University of Buckingham, told the Daily Express: 'I would not be surprised if the reason the royal honeymoon was put off had to do with forewarning that this might be happening and that security for the young couple could not be guaranteed at this moment in time.

'Clearly, wherever they would be going, they would be outside the ring of steel that the authorities could provide for them in the UK.'

President Obama signed the order for the strike on Bin Laden's compound early on Monday morning, as William and Kate were getting ready for their sumptuous wedding ceremony.

Two days later, 9pm Sunday UK time, four U.S. military helicopters carrying 100 specially trained commandos swooped on Bin Laden's compound in the the town of Abbottabad, Pakistan.

The terror chief was shot dead in the ensuing firefight.

A spokesman for the Palace downplayed claims the assassination raid had anything to do with the delay. William and Kate's honeymoon delay was a 'personal' decision, taken by the couple 'weeks ago', they said.

Yesterday the Mail revealed the newlywed Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are to honeymoon in a £4,000-a-night villa on one of the most beautiful and romantic islands in the world.

Prince William is to whisk his bride away to a secret hideaway in the Indian Ocean for a ten-day holiday later this month.

They are due to fly out by private jet in mid-May before being taken by helicopter from the mainland to the tropical retreat.

Two Scotland Yard protection officers checked the destination a fortnight ago to ensure it would give the couple the privacy they crave. The Mail is not publishing details of the location, and it is understood that not even Kate is aware of the exact destination.

The resort, which is surrounded by coconut groves, offers almost complete isolation. Its white sand beaches are bathed by crystal-clear turquoise waters and are a sanctuary for sea turtles.

Only a handful of luxury villas are dotted across the island. Hand-crafted out of local wood, each has an open-air bathroom area with sunken bath and shower, a private garden and a wooden deck with freshwater rock pool and yoga pavilion.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Willaim, Kate Praised for being serious

2011-05-03T01:22:00.000-07:00

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.

"From a public relations point of view, postponing the honeymoon is a brilliant move," publicist Max Clifford said. "What it says is we have working royals, who are putting back into society, doing their duty and serving."

The crowds who gathered outside Buckingham Palace on Friday to watch the newlyweds kiss on a balcony were good-natured.

But London has also seen large protests recently against the Conservative-led government's austerity plans, which aim to cut 310,000 government jobs and raise university tuition fees. Some of the anger at the plans have been directed at the royals — Prince Charles and his wife Camilla were shaken up when their Rolls-Royce was attacked in December when a student protest turned violent.

In this climate, Buckingham Palace has been mindful of the need to not appear too extravagant, while maintaining the pageantry and pomp that is always demanded of them.

So, the royal family all turned out in designer clothes and striking hats, but the less important royals were taken to and from the ceremony in buses. Their main wedding cake was a show-stopping multitiered fruit cake with dozens of handcrafted sugar flowers, but Prince William also insisted on another cake made of chocolate biscuits.

Although the guest list was long, and included many diplomats and religious figures, the couple did not turn the event into a show business event by inviting prominent film stars and pop stars who didn't have a personal connection to the royals.

Elton John was there, but other major British figures like Paul McCartney, Judi Dench and Helen Mirren were left off the list. That gave the wedding a more serious look.

The entire wedding has helped update the public image of the monarchy. In the early days of their courtship, William and Middleton were often photographed coming out of fashionable London nightclubs, leading some commentators to suggest they were more interested in partying than becoming responsible adults.

Middleton's lack of a proper career — she once worked as an accessories buyer for a major chain store and then helped her parents' party business — added to the public impression of a slightly flighty young woman who did nothing but wait for William to propose.

The wedding and William's decision to return to work as a helicopter search and rescue pilot for the Royal Air Force has transformed them. William is now seen as a young man with a strong sense of military duty.

"The extravagance, the divorces, the remoteness, the treatment of (Princess) Diana and the reaction to her death have all damaged the royal family in the eyes of the public," said Mark Austin, a commentator for the Sunday Mirror newspaper. "But in down-to-earth William and nice, middle-class Kate, maybe the monarchy has chanced upon a marriage that can help it reinvent itself."

Source: news.yahoo.com

Royal Wedding Mysteries- Solved

2011-05-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

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.

Are there usually trees in Westminster Abbey? Kate loves the outdoors and, according to the Daily Mail, she ordered more than four tons of foliage to create an English country garden setting inside Westminster Abbey, including pyramid-shaped ornamental Hornbeams to frame the choir and a "living avenue" of 20-foot-tall, 15-year-old English Field Maples through which guests walked to their seats. The cost? About 50,000 pounds, or $83,335.

What music did Kate walk in to? It didn't sound like the wedding march. The princess walked down the aisle to "I Was Glad" by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, who composed it for the coronation of Prince William's great-great-great grandfather Edward VII in 1902.

Why didn't Prince William watch his bride walk down the aisle? Tradition. The groom is the last person to see the bride, and can only do so after she has completed the long walk down the aisle and is at his side. Since the aisle at Westminster Abbey is about 300-feet long, he had at least a four-minute wait at the altar.

What did Prince William whisper to Kate? According to some lip readers, he told her that she looked beautiful—and then looked at his father-in-law-to-be and quipped, "We were supposed to have just a small family affair."

Where did the bride and groom go in the middle of the ceremony? They went to the Shrine of Saint Edward the Confessor, a room inside the Abbey, to sign the wedding registers.

Why was Prince William wearing red? Prince William holds an honorary rank of Colonel of the Irish Guards, and he opted to wear an Irish Guard's officer uniform instead of his Royal Air Force uniform. He also wore his Garter sash and star, Royal Air Force "wings," and Golden Jubilee medal.

Was the bride's dress inspired by Grace Kelly's? It seems that way; in fact, Kate's dress looks very much like the one worn by the American actress when she wed Prince Rainier III of Monaco in April 1956. Both Kate's gown and that of Serene Highness the Princess of Monaco had long sleeves, a cinched waist, a figure-hugging bodice, short veils, medium-length trains, and lots of delicate lace.

What was in the bride's bouquet? According to the official royal wedding website, the bouquet was a shield-shaped collection of Myrtle, Lily-of-the-Valley, Sweet William, Ivy, and Hyacinth. The Myrtle sprigs were from plants grown from the Myrtle used in the wedding bouquets of Queen Victoria in 1845 and Queen Elizabeth in 1947.

Any hidden messages? Each bridesmaid had her name and the date of the wedding hand-embroidered into the lining of her dress. The bride and groom could not customize their vows, but they did write their own prayer, which was read by Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, during the ceremony (download a copy of the program here). It was: "God our Father, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage. In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy. Strengthened by our union help us to serve and comfort those who suffer. We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen." And of course, each of those flowers in the bride's bouquet had a special meaning: Lily-of-the-Valley represents the return of happiness, Sweet William stands for gallantry, Hyacinth is for the constancy of love, Myrtle symbolizes marriage and love, and Ivy is for fidelity, marriage, wedded love, friendship, and affection.

What are the full names of the newlyweds? Prince Williams of Wales got another set of titles in time for the wedding, according to an announcement on the official royal wedding website. His full name is now His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, Duke of Cambridge, Early of Strathearn, Baron Carrickfergus, Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Master of Arts. As his wife, the former Miss Catherine Middleton is now Her Royal Highness Princess Catherine Elizabeth, The Duchess of Cambridge. (According to the official website of the British Monarchy, those who have the title of HRH Prince or Princess do not need to use a last name, though theirs is Mountbatten-Windsor.)

Was Kate wearing Princess Diana's tiara? No. Diana wore the Spencer Tiara, a family heirloom of ornate, stylized flowers decorated with diamonds in silver settings. The halo-style tiara that Kate wore was Cartier creation belonging to the Queen. King George bought it for the Queen Mother in 1936; the Queen Mother gave it to the Queen on her 18th birthday.

What about her earrings? The bride's earrings were designed by Robinson Pelham, according to the official royal wedding website. They are diamond-set stylized oak leaves that frame a dangling diamond-set drop and pave-set diamond acorn. The earrings, which are a wedding gift to Kate from her parents, were made to match the tiara lent to her by the Queen, and were inspired by the Middleton family's new coat of arms.

Why did the Middleton family get a new coat of arms? What happened to their old one? They didn't have a coat of arms before, because they weren't members of the British aristocracy. The new coat of arms features three oak-leaf-and-acorn sprigs representing the three Middleton children—Catherine (Kate), Philippa (Pippa), and James. A golden chevron honors Carole Middleton, whose maiden name was Goldsmith, and two thinner, white chevrons represent the mountains and stand for the family's love of the outdoors.

Who got to be on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with the royal newlyweds? The bride and groom took center stage, of course, but also appearing before the public were the Queen and Prince Phillip, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla (Duchess of Cornwall), Carole and Richard Middleton, the couple's siblings (Pippa and James Middleton and Prince Harry), the pages (Tom Pettifer and William Lowther-Pinkerton), and the bridesmaids (Eliza Lopez, Grace van Cutsem, The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, and the Honourable Margarita Armstrong-Jones. Yes, even some children have titles in England.)

Source: royalwedding.yahoo.com

Will Pippa marry her City broker boyfriend Alex Loudon or run away with Prince Harry?

2011-05-01T06:06:00.000-07:00

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.

The sensational fluid white column made by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen was an unusual choice both for its bridal colour and its curve-enhancing cling.

In an act of sisterly generosity, Kate must have sanctioned it in the full knowledge that it would showcase Pippa’s fabulous figure, deep tan and glossy hair to perfection on the world stage.

That it did. The second she stepped out on to the red carpet outside Westminster Abbey, shepherding Kate’s four young bridesmaids and two pageboys, a new global media star – Her Royal Hotness, as Pippa was instantly nicknamed – was born.

She trod a carefully calculated line between sheer class and risque sex appeal – and brought a nation’s men to their knees.

The Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Harry, who flirtatiously walked her arm-in-arm back down the aisle after the wedding ceremony, were two of her most immediate admirers in the Abbey. Outside, her appearance ignited the blogosphere and almost led to the crash of Twitter. In America and Australia too, Pippa was declared a knockout.

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Pippa Middleton- Whos is Pippa really

2011-05-01T05:53:00.000-07:00

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.

Like her sister, Pippa attended Marlborough College in Wiltshire before following in her footsteps to a Scottish university. But while Kate chose St Andrews, where she met her Prince, Pippa selected the party town of Edinburgh.
Pippa with Alex on Bond Street where tailors Ede and Ravenscroft was closed to the public while he was fitted for his suit for the wedding

Pippa with Alex on Bond Street where tailors Ede and Ravenscroft was closed to the public while he was fitted for his suit for the wedding

She studied English Literature but it would also be fair to say she learned the art of social climbing, aligning herself with ‘the Castle Crew’, the scions of families with land and stately homes.

She shared a home with Lord Edward Innes-Ker, a son of the Duke of Roxburgh (Floors Castle in the Borders), and Earl Percy, heir to the Duke of Northumberland (Alnwick Castle in Northumberland).

A fellow undergraduate summed her up thus: ‘Pippa arrived knowing no one and made it her business to leave knowing everyone.’ A prime example is her surprising friendship with Prince Harry’s on-off girlfriend Chelsy Davy. Said a source: ‘They are very good friends and when Chelsy is in London, they often go out together. They are much closer than Chelsy and Kate.

‘At the beginning it used to upset Kate – she felt left out. But at heart Pippa is a party girl and she likesto have fun, so she and Chelsy had some really good nights out together, which Chelsy and Kate have never actually done.’

After graduation, Pippa carved a career that would combine the two significant interests in her life – ¬partying and networking. She went to work for events planner Table Talk, where her ferocious organis¬ational skills and attention to detail combined with her bulging contacts book quickly elevated her to the capital’s A-list.

In 2008 she was named Number One Society Singleton by Tatler magazine, ahead of models, actresses, rock stars and heiresses. She even eclipsed her new brother-in-law’s cousin Princess Eugenie.

But her single status was merely a pause between well-heeled and well-connected boyfriends. They include Jonathan ‘JJ’ Jardine Paterson, an heir to the Hong Kong Jardine Matheson fortune, Scottish aristocrat Billy More Nesbitt and diamond heir Simon Youngman.

A year ago she began dating Alex Loudon, 30, who, crucially, has been a friend of Prince William since Eton. His growing importance in her life was underlined when it was revealed that he had attended Kate’s confirmation service just weeks before her wedding and by his presence in the front row of the Middletons’ family seats at the Abbey.

A friend revealed: ‘Pippa has been busy planning her sister’s wedding so she and Alex are biding their time. But they are very close and may well be the next couple to make an announcement once Royal Wedding fever has died down.

‘They have been virtually living together in London, and Pippa is a regular visitor to his family’s stately home in Kent, Olantigh Towers. Alex can’t see himself spending his future with anyone else and Pippa, although very picky, thinks Alex ticks all the right boxes – he has the family pile in the country, a smart job in London and he is very handsome.’

He must have been the envy of many as a million watched Pippa’s carriage ride and balcony appearance in her show-stopping frock and two billion more viewed her on television. The bias-cut satin column skimmed her lissom frame, the cowl neck giving a hint of decolletage and slim fit across her bottom accentuating what is now considered by legions of fans to be her best feature. She wore lily-of-the-valley in her hair and ¬floral diamond earrings, a wedding gift commissioned by her parents.

Without the talents of Sarah Burton – and the subtle corsetry and invisible underpinnings required for modesty – and her own sense of style, the dress could have been a designer disaster. But instead, it was a triumph. At no stage did Pippa upstage the bride, but she certainly looked as though she was on the same team.

The question must be: What can she do to trump it? Will she indeed settle for married life and a career as a party planner now she has emerged as half of the world’s best-known sister act?

She could learn a lesson from one of the other great dynastic marriages of modern history, that of Jacqueline Bouvier to John F. Kennedy in Rhode Island in 1953. Then Jackie’s younger sister Lee Radziwill – the glamorous party girl to her sister’s more demure and aloof first lady – was the much discussed matron of honour. Their sisterly dynamic generated the same kind of comment as Kate and Pippa’s today, and from it Lee went on to ¬construct a public profile, a career and a grand fortune.

While Pippa is far too classy to cash in, she is surely on the cusp of a kind of greatness of her own, albeit one begun by association. And just like her magnificent sister, she has proved beyond doubt that a girl doesn’t need blue blood to be a natural aristocrat.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Royal wedding honeymoon: William and Kate postpone honeymoon

2011-04-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

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.

But it appears they want some private time in familiar surroundings after one of the most important days in their life saw their marriage celebrated by the nation and beyond.

They will probably travel to the Queen's Balmoral Estate in Scotland, which will afford them privacy and stunning countryside in which to unwind.

They left Buckingham Palace this morning like a couple very much in love, walking hand in hand to a waiting helicopter which flew them off for their secret weekend break.

Before they boarded the aircraft, palace staff had carried out some of their luggage, which included a bouquet of white blooms.

A St James's Palace spokesman said: "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen not to depart for a honeymoon immediately.

"Instead, after spending the weekend privately in the United Kingdom, the Duke will return to work as a search and rescue pilot next week.

"The locations of both their private weekend before the Duke returns to work and their future honeymoon, which will be overseas, will not be disclosed in advance."

St James's Palace stressed that the couple had asked that the media respect their privacy over the weekend and during their holiday.

Speculation had been mounting about where the couple could spend their time away together.

They had been expected to travel either to somewhere in Africa, perhaps Kenya where Prince William proposed, or possibly Jordan where Kate spent two years as a child.

There were reports that the couple had booked a tailor made private tour of southern Jordan, including a visit to the ancient city of Petra.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Royal wedding update: William and Kate leave Burkingham palace by helicopter

2011-04-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

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.

The Duke's new wife wore a light blue dress, dark jacket and platform shoes, while he was dressed in his trademark chinos with a pale blue shirt and navy jacket - a casual look in complete contrast to yesterday.

The couple, who spent the night at the Queen's official London home, stopped briefly to chat to two Royal Household footmen and appeared to be thanking for them after their stay.

When they finished, William put his hand on the small of his wife's back and they went over to talk to the helicopter pilot before climbing on board.

Before they boarded the aircraft, palace staff had carried out some of their luggage, which included a bouquet of white blooms.

The couple are said to still be on a high after their wedding day which was both an intimate family affair and a global event televised across the world.

Speculation has been mounting about where the couple could spend their time away together.

Likely honeymoon destinations could include Africa - a continent for which William has a deep affection. He could take his wife to countries like Botswana, or Kenya, where he proposed.

Among the destinations believed to be favoured by the Duke and Duchess is Jordan, where the couple will take in some of the country's most famous sites, including the ancient city of Petra and the Wadi Rum desert valley.

The couple were understood to be considering several options for their honeymoon break, but the Middle-Eastern country was their preferred foreign destination.

Jordan would have great nostalgic appeal for Kate as her family spent two years there when she was a child.

There were reports that the couple have booked a tailor made private tour of southern Jordan, including a visit to the ancient city of Petra.

The 'rose-red city half as old as time’ was carved out of a deep sandstone cleft in the desert 26 centuries ago by the Nabateans, an Aramaic people.

Spread over seven miles it is Jordan’s star attraction, approached through a half mile-long entrance gully, and renowned for its amazingly preserved tombs.

They are also expected to take part in a riding excursions to Wadi Rum, where it is thought they will stay in a luxury tented camp.

Several travel companies offer honeymooning couples private trips “in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia” across the region, which is where army officer T E Lawrence led the Bedouin revolt against the Ottomans in 1917 which was immortalised in the classic film.

Desert Guides Company, which specialises in tailor-made holidays to Jordan, provides luxury five-star tented accommodation on tours of the Wadi Rum, including candlelit tents and five-star hotel accommodation in Petra.

There was also speculation that the couple may spend part of their break at one of the Royal estates, such as Balmoral, the Queen's estate in Scotland.

The Duke is known to have a deep affection for Africa and Kenya has a symbolic meaning to the couple as it is where the Prince proposed to his wife last year.

Bookmakers revealed that Kenya was the favourite destination for the Royal honeymoon with odds of 3/1 alongside Scotland. Jordan was offered at 7/2, said bookmakers William Hill.

After conducting their nuptials under the intense glare of the world's media and the public, the couple may also seek to escape prying eyes on a secluded Caribbean island.

Bequia and Necker Island all have the benefit of being easily secured, as does the ultra-exclusive Mustique, where the Duchess's parents Carole and Michael Middleton are frequent visitors.

Lizard Island, off the coast of Queensland, Australia, has also emerged as a contender.

However, with the Duke resuming his pilot duties in two weeks, the significant jet lag likely from such a far-flung trip could rule it out.

They may also be tempted by Chile, as they both spent time in the South American country during their gap years before university.

A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said they would not be revealing the destination.

He said: "The most important thing is that they want some privacy. We know there is an army of photographers out there waiting to find out where they are going.

"If it was your own honeymoon you would want some privacy."

Thirty years ago, the Duke's parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, spent the first stage of their honeymoon in Romsey in Hampshire, where they stayed at Broadlands, the family home of the Mountbattens.

The second part of their holiday was spent on board the royal yacht Britannia. They boarded at the Rock of Gibraltar before cruising to Algeria, Tunisia, Sicily, the Greek islands and Egypt.

Finally, they went to Scotland to spend time with the Royal Family in Balmoral.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Royal wedding: Pippa Middleton shines as maid of honour

2011-04-30T06:10:00.000-07:00

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.

From the moment she stepped out of the Goring hotel, Miss Middleton drew gasps from the crowd and became an instant hit across the globe. Her name was a trending topic on Twitter, the social networking site, and she earned tens of thousands of mentions on Facebook. One adoring male fan hailed her as “the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen in my life”. “Pippa Middleton looks absolutely stunning! I think I am in love,” said another.

Miss Middleton fulfilled her maid of honour duties with aplomb, calmly shepherding the tiny bridesmaids into the Abbey before returning outside to arrange her sister’s train.

The day was a triumph for the Edinburgh University graduate turned party planner, who has endured her fair share of unkind comments in recent months.

There were reports of her clashing with Buckingham Palace courtiers over her plans to install mirrored glitterballs in the Throne Room for the evening disco, and unfounded suggestions that she was “relishing” her time in the spotlight and exploiting her connections with the Royal family to further her career.

With yesterday’s flawless and unshowy performance, she silenced her critics.

Weddings can be occasions for sibling rivalry, but Miss Middleton beamed with delight as she watched her sister wed.

She left the Abbey arm-in-arm with Prince Harry, with whom she is said to get on famously, and the pair stood together on the Palace balcony. Michael Vaughan, the former England cricket captain, joked on Twitter that the Prince should follow the tradition of a romance between the best man and maid-of-honour. “Let’s all pray for Harry... pray that he gets lucky with Pippa,” he told his 117,000 followers.

Of course, no such liaison was on the cards as Miss Middleton is dating Alex Loudon, a City financier, who attended the wedding but remained out of the spotlight. The news will disappoint the many Twitter users who inquired, somewhat hopefully, if the future King’s sister-in-law was single.

Some were undeterred by Miss Middleton’s status, with one website asking:”Has Pippa Middleton become the most eligible woman in the world?

On any other day but a Royal wedding, Miss Middleton could have passed for the bride in her dress of ivory crepe with a cowl-front and organza-covered buttons running down the back. She wore lily-of-the-valley in her hair, which was styled identically to her sister’s in a demi-chignon. The dress was suitably demure for the occasion but also showcased Miss Middleton’s enviably slim figure.

Caroline Castigliano, the bridal designer, said: “The dress Pippa had on was just so special. It was very cleverly designed and I think you will see copies of something similar out in the market from that dress. A lot of London brides would get married in that. It was stunning.”

Source: telegraph.co.uk

How the world's media reacted to the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton

2011-04-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

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.

State television started broadcasting live from the UK early in the morning and the French equivalent of Radio 4, France-Inter, carried regular reports from what it kept referring to as "crisis-hit" Britain. At the British Embassy in Paris, which hosted a champagne buffet lunch for around 300 mostly French guests, there were frequent, almost wistful sighs of "the British always do this sort of thing so well". A couple of well-heeled, haute-couture clad ladies, citizens of the French Republic, were spotted stuffing wads of Union flag paper serviettes and plastic flags into their designer handbags as souvenirs.

Designer Christian Lacroix told Le Figaro magazine that perhaps France was trying to adopt the British royal family "because our neighbours' happiness is a curiosity that we would like to share".

ITALY

Italians were entranced by the royal wedding. The event was splashed across news websites, broadcast live by half a dozen television networks and dominated front pages on Saturday.

"The wedding of the century was a perfect show with more than two billion spectators," La Stampa proclaimed on its front page, above a picture of Prince William and Kate Middleton leaving Buckingham Palace in Prince Charles's Aston Martin.

The surprise appearance of the classic car leant "a touch of James Bond," Corriere della Sera said on its front page. Much was made by the Italians of Kate Middleton's "bourgeois" background and her coal miner ancestors. "In these times of crisis the message of hope, the moral of the fairy tale wedding of Will and Kate, is that whoever you are, from whatever social background, you too can become a millionaire and marry a prince," said La Stampa. Only the British could put on such a display of pomp and ceremony, Italian commentators said.

"No one knows how to do this better than the English," said La Repubblica. The event was run with "exemplary British punctuality". "It was almost as if the British Empire had been resurrected," said Paolo Filo Della Torre, one of a handful of Italians to be invited to the wedding, looking around Westminster Abbey at the assembled guests. "All the countries of the Commonwealth were represented." Italians found the romance of the whole thing irresistible. Miss Middleton was compared endlessly to Princess Diana, Grace Kelly and Cinderella.

One newspaper gave its readers a handy A to Z guide on the event, from Amore (love) to Zara Phillips, making much of her pierced tongue.

Italy's throne was abolished after World War Two but there are still claimants to it - Prince Victor Emmanuel and his cousin and arch-rival, Duke Amedeo of Aosta. It was a good thing neither was invited to Friday's nuptials, Italians noted – the last time they went to a royal wedding, in Spain in 2004, they got into a punch-up with each other. Italy will now turn its attention to a massive event of its own – today's ceremony at the Vatican to beatify Pope John Paul II, for which an estimated one million people have descended on Rome.

JAPAN

Many Japanese treated the royal wedding as a chance to take their minds off the March 11 earthquake, tsumami and nuclear disaster which devastated the north of their country. National broadcaster NHK made much of the pomp of the occasion and commented on how relaxed the bride appeared as she drove to Westminster Abbey and then later when she emerged in front of the crowds. The Nihon TV coverage was interspersed with footage of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana introducing Prince William to the British press shortly after his birth. The Nihon TV set for the coverage of the event was designed to look like an English garden, with red and pink roses woven around a huge television screen.

The Kyodo News agency said the union was "injecting new life into the monarchy before a huge global audience." Japanese people hold their own imperial family in high esteem and have similar feelings for the British royal family, so there has been great interest in the royal wedding. The Emperor and Empress had been invited to London for the wedding, as had their oldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito, and his wife, Princess Masako, but all decided against making the journey because of the suffering at home in the aftermath of the disasters.

AUSTRALIA

Australia was well and truly swept up with royal wedding fever. After a night of breathless rolling live television coverage on four out of the nation's five main free-to-air channels, the front pages of morning newspapers were adorned with large colour pictures of the happy couple and glowing reviews of the big occasion.

The Australian, the country's only national newspaper, dedicated six of its 13 news pages to the event. The theme of coverage was renewal of the monarchy, with the paper declaring that the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton marked a major milestone in the monarchy's "long effort to repair the family business - and a step towards a different and uncertain future for the world's most prominent royal clan."

The fact that the wedding was broadcast on YouTube by Clarence House showed that the Windsors had "taken cues from corporate and celebrity image makers in a bid to more carefully craft its future," the paper said. The result was a "perfect start to a royal union".

Taking an equally reverent approach, Sydney's tabloid The Daily Telegraph kicked off its 16-page souvenir lift out - complete with double page poster of the newly wed Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - with a full page photograph of "the kiss" above the headline "Love is in the heir".

But not all the coverage was gushing. There was slightly more cynicism in Melbourne's The Age newspaper, which put its republican credentials on display with this sombre warning to the Windsors: "It would be a mistake to read the enthusiasm for the spectacle as any indicator of enthusiasm for constitutional monarchy, any more than audience figures for the last Olympic Games opening ceremony could be used to measure approval of Chinese foreign policies."

The popularity of the royal wedding could be explained not by a renewed affection for the monarchy, but because it represented "a chance to tune in live to a once-in-a-generation event, something that could be shared simultaneously with the biggest, most interconnected mass audience in history."

THE MIDDLE EAST

Newspapers in the Gulf featured the royal wedding heavily — but omitted photographs of the kiss on the balcony, the picture that was shown on hundreds of front pages around the world. The Dubai-based Arabic-language Al-Bayan instead showed a large photograph of the newlyweds riding in a carriage.

Iran’s PressTV was one of the few media outlets to feature remorselessly negative coverage of the event. One of its internet stories read: “Analysts are questioning the ‘fairness’ of imposing the astronomical costs of the royal wedding on British taxpayers amid growing public weariness of the wide coverage given to the ‘unpleasant’ event.”

Another PressTV expert opined that the wedding was turning Britain into a Medieval “fantasy island” for foreign tourists to escape to from their humdrum lives. The channel’s website did not carry any photographs of the wedding or the happy couple, although it did give prominence to a republican “Not the royal wedding” party in a London pub. It also highlighted the number of arrests made by police on the lookout for troublemakers.

CHINA

The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist party, decided the royal wedding did not merit a single word of coverage.

In Shanghai, the main evening newspaper, the Xinmin Evening News, also decided not to cover the wedding. In the last week, there has been sustained criticism from Chinese internet users of media outlets for paying so much attention to a wedding that few Chinese felt any connection to.

However, some of China’s livelier newspapers did cover the wedding, although they stuck very close to the party line espoused by Xinhua, the government news agency.

“This wedding of the century lacked a sense of nobility and holiness,” commented the Oriental Morning Post in a page six article. “The use of Twitter by the global audience to comment on Prince William’s baldness and the wedding dress, while they were watching on YouTube, succeeded in bringing the royal family close to ordinary people,” it added. Both Twitter and YouTube are banned in China.

In a page 11 article, the Yangtse Evening News commented on the economy of the wedding. “Kate Middleton’s dress was much cheaper than Princess Diana’s,” it said.

On its front page, the Qianjiang Evening News said: “The British royal family is hoping for a renaissance with the wedding.”

THE UNITED STATES

The kiss on the balcony dominated front pages in a United States that was enthralled with the royal wedding. A headline on the Washington Post under a photograph of the kiss on the balcony read: “That second kiss sealed it: Prince William and Kate grant the people’s wish with a celebration of youth, royalty and all things British.” Many newspapers featured the wedding more prominently than the tornados which have torn across southern states killing more than 300.

Millions of Americans watched live on the internet as the wedding took place, early in the morning in most places in the US. There was some evidence that it may have been live-streamed in record numbers, although it was hard to establish figures because it was being streamed by so many outlets.

Yahoo said it had broken its record for a live video event, surpassing its audience for Michael Jackson’s funeral by 21 per cent.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Royal wedding fashion: Hits and Misses

2011-04-30T01:14:00.000-07:00

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.

Political wives Samantha Cameron and Miriam Gonzalez Durantez experimented with mixed results. Cameron's ruched, silk-crepe Burberry dress provided a sexier silhouette than we are used to see the Prime Minister's wife in, but her lack of a hat or fascinator left some wondering if she thought it was dress-down Friday at the Abbey.

Miriam's tailored polka dot dress topped off with an eccentric floral turban gave a nod to her fiery Spanish roots and won plaudits, not least for her bravery.

Realising that her options dress-wise were limited, a heavily pregnant Victoria Beckham chose instead to say it with shoes, choosing a six inch pair of Christian Louboutin 'Daffodile' court shoes which bordered on fetishistic.

When you are a leading light at the big day, it's not about going over the top, to avoid accusations of trying to upstage the bride (some chance of that on this occasion), but there's a fine line between 'careful' and 'boring'.

Mother of the bride Carole Middleton and step-mother of the groom, the Duchess of Cornwall, both pitched their outfits perfectly. Carole did her daughter proud in a sky blue Catherine Walker ensemble with matching Jane Corbett hat, while Camilla proved once again that she's a woman who knows what suits her, and sticks to it.

The Duchess of Cornwall's elegant embellished, pleated dress coat by Anna Valentine, who also made her wedding dress for her marriage to Prince Charles, was the perfect pastel accompaniment to her complexion.

Completing the trio of safe but successful style statements is Queen Elizabeth II, whose signature head-to-toe hued outfits have become a legend in her own lifetime. Her lemon dress coat and matching hat by Angela Kelly was accessorised to perfection with chic, off-white gloves and shoes, finished with Queen Mary's True Lovers Knot brooch.

Of course, taking fashion risks can also lead to fashion disasters as Tara Palmer Tomkinson proved, taking spring's colour blocking trend one step beyond the boundaries of taste. Her retina-searing electric blue dress by Deborah Milner suffered from OCD (obsessive coordination disorder), with gloves, shoes and a hat by Philip Treacy all dyed to perfectly match.

Source : telegraph.co.uk

Northern Ireland Celebrates Royal Wedding in style

2011-04-30T01:09:00.000-07:00

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.”

The Barony of Carickfergus, revived from the 18th century, holds one of the finest castles in Ireland and was the reputed landing spot for the original King William in Ireland.

Belfast was as at its quietest as people retreated indoors for the wedding ceremony.

Bathed in warm bank holiday sunshine the streets of republican and unionist communities have rarely been so empty.

Traffic was next to non-existent and it was easy to find a parking spot right outside Sinn Féin headquarters.

The gates and traffic barriers along the peacelines with the loyalist Shankill area lay open and the police were not to be seen as people casually came and went.

The Shankill Road fluttered with union flags, red, white and blue bunting and toothy images of the newly-weds beamed from windows everywhere.

The weather suggested the beginning of the Twelfth celebrations and one or two street parties off the main thoroughfare started early. But the scenes were less boozy and more relaxed than mid-July.

This was much the same in largely loyalist east Belfast. Communities along the Cregagh, Castlereagh and Newtownards roads abandoned the glorious morning to follow the television coverage along with billions of others worldwide.

Along other interface areas, local communities tried to turn the event into an opportunity for progress.

Community workers at the Suffolk-Lenadoon Interface Group (Slig), building on the success of a cross-community celebration of St Patrick’s Day organised a get-together and a football tournament involving teams from Suffolk FC and St Oliver Plunkett’s.

Belfast, unlike other main cities across the UK, however did not have the royal wedding shown on a public TV screen.

A large 25sq m screen already stands in the grounds of City Hall and will show sporting and music events up to and including the London Olympic Games next summer.

According to the BBC the screen was not ready for showing anything let alone the royal wedding and preparations won’t be completed until the middle of May.

Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister dismissed the BBC statement saying: “The extremely lame excuse that the screen isn’t ready simply won’t wash. It’s not as if His Royal Highness Prince William and Ms Middleton announced that they were going to get married a few days ago.”

Source; irishtimes.com