Monthly Archives: April 2011

British Royals, Royal Wedding

A Royal Wedding Wrap-up of Sorts: Part One

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Well, ladies and gentlemen I must say that the royal wedding between William and Catherine — now Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge — was sweet, serene, and overall quite lovely.  Very British.

Now, for the all important information.  Who designed the dress:  Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.  The bridesmaid’s dress is also a McQueen from the 2010 collection. The tiara is the Scroll (or Halo) tiara loaned to the Duchess by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.  Her earrings were a gift from her parents Michael and Carole Middleton.

For those of you who missed the ceremony you can watch the service all over again on the official You Tube channel for the British monarchy here (a total of 3 hours and 37 minutes including the arrival of guests and the royal family as well as the balcony wave-a-thon)

Second, the official website for the British monarchy has been updated to include the Duchess of Cambridge’s bio which you can read in full here and here.  

Third, there are so many photos from the wedding so please click here, here, here, here,  here, here,  here,  and here.

Finally, at the moment the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are at their wedding reception at Buckingham Palace.  The couple made a quite wardrobe change whilst at Clarence House before jetting off to their party.  Click here to view and here. Click to watch videos here and here.

 

Anyway, I am exhausted folks so I will add more information about tonight’s festivities later this evening.     🙂

OH!  One more thing… you might get a kick out of this clip inside Westminster Abbey after the ceremony was over and the guests finally left.  Click click here to watch.

 

 

Photo courtesy of: Zimbio.com by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images Europe, Zimbio.com by PacificCoastNews.com, Zimbio.com by WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe Zimbio.com by Bauer Griffin and Prince of Wales.gov.uk

British Royals, Royal Wedding

Official British Royal Wedding Program. Plus UPDATES!

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On the eve of the royal wedding between H.R.H. Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton, the official program for the wedding has been released along with a lovely informal photo of the couple by famed photographer, Mario Testino.

To view the official wedding program, in PDF form, please click the link here.  

Plus an amazing set of photos inside Westminster Abbey as well as images in London, England.  Click here to view.

Here is the confirmed song that Miss Catherine Middleton will walk down the aisle to: I Was Glad by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry

A nice gesture by H.R.H. Prince William of Wales.  Here is a video of him greeting and thanking the crowds near Buckingham Palace.  Click here to watch.

Video of the British royal family along with many foreign royals arriving at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel for a reception hosted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: Video 

Video of Miss Catherine Middleton arriving at the Goring Hotel in London.


Royals in General

Europe’s Richest Monarchs According to Forbes Magazine (aka The Annual You’re Broke and They’re Not List)

Yup, it’s that time of year again when Forbes magazine makes everyone on planet Earth feel like a worthless penniless peasant by releasing their annual They’re Rich As Hell and You’re Not Nor Ever Will Be list.

Here are the top five richest European monarchs:

1. H.S.H. Prince Hans-Adam II Prince von und zu Liechtenstein 

    Net Worth: $5 billion

2. H.R.H. Prince Albert von Thurn und Taxis

Net Worth: $2 billion

3. H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco


    Net Worth: $1 billion

4. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 


    Net Worth: $500 million

5. Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands


    Net Worth: $220 million

To read the article in its entirety please click the link Forbes

British Royals, Royal Wedding

So, Are You Ready for the Mega Wedding of the Century? No?! Here is All the Info You Need to Know Before April 29, 2011

Well, ladies and gentleman the day is almost here — praise the higher power — when H.R.H. Prince William of Wales will finally marry his longtime girlfriend, Miss Catherine Elizabeth Middleton at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011.

Since I am in a jolly ass mood today I thought I would post all the 411/info for all of you so that you may enjoy the day.

KEY INFORMATION:

The wedding service begins at 11am London time.

  • 3am PST (United States)
  • 6am EST (United States)
  • 8pm Australia and New Zealand

WHERE TO WATCH THE WEDDING:

Online: BBC.com/RoyalWedding or on the official You Tube channel for the British monarchy at The Royal Channel: Royal Wedding Live.  

Also, Live Stream, ITN via Facebook and UStream.  

Those in Germany can watch the ceremony on ZDF. In Sweden you can watch it on SVT. In Australia, try Channel Seven, Nine Network, or ABC online.  In Denmark, DR1 will air the ceremony starting at 8:30am.

Television: In the United States check out, BBC America, PBS, CNN, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, or that crappy station FauxNews (FoxNews).  However, I recommend that you tune into BBC America or watch BBC online.

Official Royal Wedding 2011: This is the official website for the British royal wedding whereupon you can learn all about the service, the procession, and much more.  Highly recommended!

Royal Wedding Timetable Per the Telegraph Newspaper (UK)

More information will be posted so stay tuned.  🙂

Photo courtesy of: Mario Testino/Clarence House Press Office

British Royals

Chelsy Davy Back in London for Good?

Chelsy Davy, H.R.H. Prince Harry of Wales’s on again, off again, on again, off again, on again, off again gal pal was seen shopping on King’s Road on April 26, 2011.

The brainy and cute South African blonde is rumored to make a permanent stay in London whereupon she will work for the law firm, Allen & Overy.   Who knows if it is true, but if it is I have no doubt that she and her fiery red-headed love, Prince Harry, will get back together… again.  Also, it is unknown at this time if she will attend the British royal wedding between H.R.H. Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton; however, my gut says Miss Davy will attend and will be seated in somewhere in a corner where no one can see her… including Prince Harry.

To view photos of Miss Davy smiling and walking at the same time in London, England yesterday afternoon please click the link here. 

Source: Daily Mail  Photo courtesy of:  Zimbio.com by Bauer Griffin

Spanish Royals

Qatar Royals on a State Visit to Spain: Day Two

On April 26, 2011, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his stunning wife, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser, had quite a busy day.

First, there was a nice luncheon with the Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, in honor of the couple’s visit to Madrid, Spain.

Then it was time for boring official stuff for the Emir.

For example, Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, attended a signing ceremony whereupon each agreed not to piss each other off in the future.  I’m kidding.  The two signed various trade agreements and other important stuff.

Soon, the duo paid a visit to the Senate building in Madrid where they met up with the “…President of the Senate Council, Javier Rojo, and the president of the Congress of Deputies Jose Bono.”  Finally, the Emir met with the mayor of Madrid, Alberto Gallardon, whereupon he, Mr. Gallardon, handed the Emir the “…Golden Keys of Madrid…”  I suppose it is like the American version of “Keys to the City” type of thing.

Meanwhile, Sheikha Mozah had a lovely day with Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain.  Prior to luncheon the two met with the:

…President of the Spanish National Heritage Nicholas Martins Fresno and Director of the El Escorial Library.  During the meeting, HH Sheikha Mozah listened to a presentation on the history of the library and its most important content of ancient manuscripts as well as discussed ways of strengthening future cooperation between Qatar Foundation and the Library of El Escorial with regard to the Arab and Islamic historical archives. Her Highness was presented with Microfilm copies for 2000 Arabic historical manuscripts in various fields such as Quran science and Islamic jurisprudence and medicine as a gift from the Library of El Escorial in Madrid for the Heritage Library of the Qatar Foundation. (QNAOL.net)

Then they two royals visited the Queen Sofia Foundation Alzheimer’s Center where they met some pretty amazing people.  According to the official site for the royal house of Spain, Casa de Su Majestad el Rey:

The center is at the forefront in the treatment and research of this disease. Both the central administration and the regional and local involved in the management of facilities.

Then Dona Sofia and Sheikha Mozah, who were accompanied by the director of Alzheimer’s Center and Research Director, Research Unit Alzheimer Project, visited the Research Unit, where magnetic resonance; the laboratory and the model Center, Unity Life of comprehensive care for the sick, the Residence with the form of palliative care and the gardens with areas of therapy, which proved the area of ​​herbs and vegetable garden care center patients.

Tomorrow, April 27, 2011, there will be an “…official farewell dinner…” at the palace in Madrid.

To view photos from today’s events please click the links here, here, here,  here, and here. 

To watch a video of Sheikha Mozah and Her Majesty Queen Sofia please click the link here.

Sources: QNAOL.net and Casareal.es  Photo courtesy of:  Casareal.es by Casa de S.M. el Rey/Borja Fotógrafos