Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II attended a meeting with members of the Women’s Institute held at West Newton Village Hall near Sandringham on January 19, 2012.  Click here to read more about today’s event.

Per AFP News:

His Royal Highness Prince Harry of Wales will visit Brazil in March, royal officials said Thursday, amid tension in neighbouring Argentina over his brother the Duke of Cambridge’s upcoming mission in the Falkland Islands.

Prince Harry, the third in line to the British throne, will arrive in Brazil on March 9 after touring Belize, the Bahamas and Jamaica as part of celebrations for his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, officials said.

The 27-year-old’s stop in Brazil is designed to “enhance the partnership between the United Kingdom and Brazil”, St James’ Palace said, adding that the visit had been organized by the foreign ministry.

In a move that has angered Brazil’s neighbour Argentina, Harry’s elder brother the Duke of Cambridge is due to complete a six-week mission as a rescue pilot in the disputed Falklands Islands early this year.

Argentina has complained that the Duke’s mission, falling just ahead of the 30th anniversary of a short but bloody British-Argentine war over the islands, is “a provocative act”.

The Royal Air Force has insisted the Duke of Cambridge, second in the line of succession, is going as part of a “normal squadron crew rotation”.

British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday accused Argentina of “colonialism” towards the Falklands, which are British-held but also claimed by Buenos Aires.

Foreign Secretary William Hague, who is currently in Brazil, said on Thursday that Britain was launching its “most ambitious effort to strengthen ties with Latin America in 200 years”.

“The days of our diplomatic retreat from your region are over,” he said.

Harry, who is training to become an army pilot, will arrive in Belize on March 2, kicking off a series of trips by British royals to celebrate the queen’s 60th year on the throne.

William, 29, and his wife Catherine will travel to the Asia-Pacific region, while heir to the throne Prince Charles and his wife Camilla will visit countries including Australia and Canada.

The world tour adds to events in Britain marking the jubilee, including a massive pageant on the River Thames involving up to 1,000 boats, while the queen, 85, and her husband Prince Philip, 90, will travel widely in Britain.

With several months to go before Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Diamond Jubilee it was recently announced that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales agreed to become patron of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.

To read more about the announcement please click here. 

Finally, organizers reveal the “…1,000-boat Diamond Jubilee flotilla…” that will, well, float down the Thames on June 3, 2012 in honor of Her Majesty’s big day. Click here to watch a video news clip. 

This evening at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University, His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh and His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco attended a fund-raising gala dinner for the Scott Polar Research Institute as well as to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Scott expedition to the South Pole.

Other attendees at tonight’s gala included Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Cambridge University Vice Chancellor Professor Leszek Borysiewicz, and the descendants of Robert Falcon Scott.

To watch a video please click here. 

Source: Press Association

Photo courtesy of Daylife/WPA

With Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s upcoming 60th anniversary of the accession to the British throne several books have been published including, Elizabeth the Queen: the Life of a Modern Monarch, by Sally Bendell-Smith.

Making the publicity rounds, Ms. Bendell-Smith spoke with Vanity Fair magazine as well as appearing on the American television morning show, Today.

Click here to watch the Today Show program.  Or, Click here to read the Vanity Fair interview.

Photo courtesy of Random House Publishing

Beginning on March 26, 2012, a new exhibition will premiere at Kensington Palace entitled, Diana: Glimpses of a Modern Princess. This exhibit showcases some of the late princess’s most memorable gowns.  According to the site, Historic Royal Palaces:

The dresses, which will be displayed alongside fashion illustrations and photographs, will reflect some important and memorable moments in Diana’s public life – from the famous black strapless evening gown by Emanuel which has never been on public display before to a stunning sleek black cocktail dress by Gianni Versace which she wore several years later. source

To learn more about this exhibition please click here.