09 Monday Jan 2012
Tags
British Royal Family, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, European royal families, Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince William Duke of Cambridge
The Duchess of Cambridge celebrates her 30th birthday today, 9 January 2012. HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY, CATHERINE, Duchess of Cambridge!
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend the premiere of Steven Spielberg's film 'War Horse', 8 January 2012
01 Friday Jul 2011
Posted in British Royal Family, Events
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, visit the National War Memorial and place a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This is their first stop during the nine-day tour of Canada. Ottawa is the start of a 12-day visit to North America which will take in some of the more remote areas of the country such as Prince Edward Island, Yellowknife and Calgary. The Royal couple will also join millions of Canadians to take part in tomorrow’s Canada Day celebrations which mark Canada’s 144th Birthday. Continue reading »
29 Friday Apr 2011
Posted in Anniversaries & Birthdays, British Royal Family
Tags
British Royal Family, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, European royal families, Kate Middleton, Prince William, Royal weddings
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge waves to well wishers as she and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge leave Buckingham Palace on April 29, 2011 in London. The marriage of the second in line to the British throne was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and was attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have also flocked to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the Royal Wedding.
29 Friday Apr 2011
Prince William and his new bride Catherine take part in the service on April 29, 2011 in London, England. The marriage of Prince William, the second in line to the British throne, to Catherine Middleton is being held in London today. The marriage of the second in line to the British throne is to be led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and will be attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have also flocked to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the Royal Wedding.
Their Royal Highnesses Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge greet well-wishers from the balcony at Buckingham Palace on April 29, 2011 in London, England. The marriage of the second in line to the British throne was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and was attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have also flocked to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the Royal Wedding.
19 Tuesday Apr 2011
Posted in British Royal Family, Royal Ceremonies
The design of the Arms was agreed and approved by Mr. Thomas Woodcock (Garter King of Arms and Senior Herald in England), who is based at the College of Arms in London.
Thomas Woodcock said:
The technical heraldic description of the Middleton Coat of Arms, known as a ‘blazon’ is Per pale Azure and Gules a Chevron Or cotised Argent between three Acorns slipped and leaved Or. Per Pale means that the Shield is divided vertically with one half blue (Azure) and the other half red (Gules). A Chevron Or means the gold chevron across the centre of the Shield. There arecotises either side of the chevron which are white (Argent). Slipped means ‘with a stalk,’ so the final part of the blazon – and distinguishing feature of the Shield – means three acorns with gold stalks and leaves. Coats of Arms are granted under the Sovereign’s authority. Since the fifteenth century, this has been delegated to three Kings of Arms in England. They now have jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, Coats of Arms are granted by Lord Lyon King of Arms. Like all applicants, Mr. Middleton started the process by submitting his request to England’s Earl Marshal, The Duke of Norfolk, who issued a warrant to the Kings of Arms agreeing to the granting of new Arms. In this case it fell to Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms (two of the three Kings of Arms) to grant the Middleton Coat of Arms by Letters Patent, as the Middleton Family live south of the River Trent, the historic division between north and south in England.
19 Tuesday Apr 2011
April 11, 2011 - Photo by Bauer Griffin
Between 08.15 and 09.45: The vast majority of the 1,900 guests will arrive at the Great North Door of Westminster Abbey ahead of the 11am service.
From 09.50: Governors-general and prime ministers of realm countries, the Diplomatic Corps, and other distinguished guests arrive at the Abbey.
10.10: Prince William and his best man Prince Harry leave Clarence House in a Bentley for Westminster Abbey, arriving five minutes later. The route between Buckingham Palace and the Abbey goes by The Mall, Horse Guards Road, Horse Guards Parade, through Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Square (the south side) and Broad Sanctuary.
10.20: Members of foreign royal families arrive at the Abbey from Buckingham Palace.
10.20: Kate Middleton‘s mother Carole Middleton and brother James Middleton leave the Goring Hotel for the Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 1027. Gallery: who’s who in the Middletons
10.25: Members of the Royal Family (except those listed below) leave Buckingham Palace for the Abbey, arriving at 10.30.
10.35: The following members of the Royal Family leave Buckingham Palace for the Abbey, arriving at 10.40: The Duke of York, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, The Earl and Countess of Wessex, The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence.
10.38: The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall leave Clarence House, arriving at the Abbey at 1042.
10.40: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh leave Buckingham Palace, arriving at the Abbey at 10.45.
10.48: The bridesmaids and pages leave the Goring Hotel, arriving at the Abbey at 1055.
10.51: The bride and her father Michael Middleton leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey in a Rolls Royce
11.00: The marriage service begins and is relayed by speakers along the route. There will also be big screens in Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square.
12.15: The carriage procession of the bride and groom with a Captain’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, followed by the Queen’s procession with a Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, leaves the Abbey for Buckingham Palace. The bride and groom will be in the 1902 State Landau, or the Glass Coach if it is raining.
12.30: The bride’s carriage procession arrives at Buckingham Palace.
1240: Members of the Royal Family and members of foreign royal families arrive at Buckingham Palace.
From 1240: Other guests for the reception arrive at Buckingham Palace.
13.25: The Queen and the bride and groom, together with their families, appear on the balcony.
13.30: Fly-past by the Royal Air Force and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
The service:
The Dean of Westminster will conduct the service, the Archbishop of Canterbury will marry Prince William and Miss Middleton, and the Bishop of London – a personal friend of the Prince of Wales who has known Prince William for many years – will give the address
The dress:
The design is a secret but Miss Middleton’s wedding gown is expected to be modest, with little flesh on show.
Bridesmaid and pageboys:
The couple have chosen four bridesmaids and two page boys who are a mixture of relations and the children of friends. Find out who’s who here. Prince Harry is best man and Miss Middleton’s sister Philippa is her maid of honour
The venue:
For 1,000 years the 11th century Westminster Abbey has been abackdrop to royal weddings, coronations and funerals
Flowers:
Tradition dictates that a royal bride’s bouquet contains a sprig of myrtle from the bush grown from the original myrtle in Queen Victoria’s wedding bouquet. Royal brides send their bouquet back to the abbey to be placed on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.
Music:
Westminster Abbey’s choir and the Chapel Royal Choir will perform, with the London Chamber Orchestra, the Fanfare Team from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force and the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry also taking part. Claire Jones, the Prince of Wales’s official harpist, will perform at the Buckingham Palace reception. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, the Queen’s composer, was commissioned to write a piece which he revealed will have a “Scottish feel”.
The ring:
Prince William will not wear a wedding ring, but his new wife’s will be made from gold given to the prince by the Queen. According to tradition, the Welsh gold for royal rings comes from the Clogau St David’s mine at Bontddu in North Wales.
The receptions:
Buckingham Palace, with its opulent State Rooms, is the focal point for the Queen’s reception for 600 guests in the afternoon, followed by the Prince of Wales’s dinner for 300 close family and friends in the evening.
The cake:
A traditional multi-tiered iced fruit cake featuring the “language of flowers” made by Leicestershire baker Fiona Cairns will be the centrepiece. A chocolate biscuit cake is also being made especially for Prince William by McVitie’s.
Wedding planning:
The man behind the big day is Prince William’s private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton.
Working closely with the Prince’s personal private secretary Helen Asprey, Mr Lowther-Pinkerton is in overall charge of the wedding – although the royal couple themselves are “calling the shots”.
The gift list:
No saucepans or towels for these newlyweds. The couple has requested donations to 26 charities instead. Close family are, however, likely to give personal gifts.
