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His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge has begun a six week deployment to the Falkland Islands’ military base off the coast of Argentina. This has sparked diplomatic tensions between the South American county and the United Kingdom as they both went to war over these chains of islands in 1982. The Argentinians are calling Prince William a “conquistador”.
 Click here for Prince William military pics The Prince, who is a search and rescue pilot with the RAF, “will arrive on our soil in the uniform of a conquistador, and not with the wisdom of a statesman who works for peace and dialogue between nations,” the country’s foreign ministry said.
Since the announcement that William will be deployed on the Islands, both countries have been trading a war of words. Argentina accuses Britain of trying to divert attention away from its economic troubles.
“The governments should avoid the temptation of inciting debates that transform patriotism into bullying with the aim of distracting public attention from political decisions to reduce spending in the context of structural crisis and high unemployment,” the foreign ministry’s statement said.
It added, “Britain insists on ignoring U.N. resolutions, weakening diplomatic efforts and increasing the risk of more wars.”
At the same time, the U.K. is accusing Argentina of colonialism since the country also claims the Falklands.
“The key point is we support the Falkland Islanders’ right to self-determination, and what the Argentinians have been saying recently, I would argue is actually far more like colonialism because these people want to remain British and the Argentinians want them to do something else,” he said.
In response, Argentine President Cristina Kirchner accused Mr Cameron of “mediocrity bordering on stupidity”.
Prince William is of course, not expected to do any diplomatic tasks while stationed on the Falklands. He will be leaving the Islands sometime in March, right before the 30th anniversary of the war that killed more than 600 Argentine soldiers killed and 200 Britons.
His uncle, Prince Andrew, served in the war.
Sources: AP, Telegraph
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were at the London premiere of the Steven Spielberg directed film, “War Horse”. The movie is about an English horse sent to the French battlefields of World War I. Their Royal Highnesses went to the premiere to in aid of the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry.
 Click here to see more photos of the premiere It was raining during the event, so while walking up the red carpet at the Leicester Square cinema, Prince William held an umbrella for wife, Catherine, who wore a black lacy dress by Alice Temperley.
The couple met with the actors of the film, which is based on a novel and a play. They even chatted with Spielberg, who has met William during previous events.
“This is my first royal premiere for the Duke and Duchess, having done them before for the Queen and the Queen Mother. This is a wonderful occasion tonight. This is so exciting. I get a buzz.”
The Oscar-winning director praised the two for bringing 600 British soldiers to the premiere.
“It’s a great honor that they’ve given up their time and also given up their charity and it’s wonderful because it was their idea to bring the veterans here, so they could share this evening,” he said.
Some of the troops, both former and serving, come from the Duke’s regiments, such as the RAF Search and Rescue, Irish Guards, Royal Air Force Coningsby, Scotland Royal Naval Command and Submarines Royal Naval Command.
Sources: AFP, BBC
It was announced shortly after midnight in the United Kingdom that Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, is now the patron of four charities. The organizations range from the arts to addiction.
 Click here to see more pics of the Duchess The first charity Her Royal Highness will be involved in is The Art Room, which gives art lessons to children with emotional and social problems, such as low self esteem and autism. Catherine has a degree in History of Art, so this choice seems natural for her.
Founder and director Juli Beattie said, “We’re absolutely delighted, we’re overwhelmed and thrilled. This is just fantastic, it will raise the profile of the charity and get people to see the work we are doing.”
Another natural choice for her patronage is the National Portrait Gallery in London.
In addition, the Duchess will be involved in Action in Addiction, which Nick Barton said, “It’s not an easy subject for some people but I think this sort of patronage will change that.”
Also to be a place close to her heart is the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices. In November, she visited the latter in a low profile manner in order to see if the being patron of the Hospice – known as EACH – was up her alley.
A couple, named Grant and Charlotte Clemence, were supported by EACH when their newborn daughter died of a rare heart condition last May. Mrs. Clemence had this to say about Catherine: “The Duchess showed genuine interest to all the families and staff she met and it really will be a great boost for EACH.”
Finally, she will be a scout volunteer in Anglesey, where she lives with Prince William, who works as a search and rescue pilot. Having been a Girl Scout as a child, Catherine will help out with the local chapter. This is because she and William want to give back to the tiny Welsh island they call home.
“The Duchess has an incredibly busy life, which makes it all the more inspiring that she has chosen to volunteer alongside us,” said UK chief scout Bear Grylls. “I think what’s lovely is that she’s going to feel exactly the way young scouts feel when they first join: a little bit nervous, but that’s what scouting’s all about. You’re part of a big family.”
The Duchess took her time to carefully choose her patronages and reportedly wanted to compliment her husband’s patronages.
Sources: BBC, ITN
It announced not too long ago that Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was rushed to the hospital due to chest pains.
 View more photos of the Duke here The 90 year old Prince was taken to Papworth Hospital in Cambridge for “precautionary tests.” The hospital is Great Britain’s main heart and lung transplant center, as well as its largest specialist cardiothoracic facility.
Philip was with the Queen and her family at the Sandringham estate in rural Norfolk for the Christmas celebrations.
BBC reporter Peter Hunt said it was not clear if Philip will stay in overnight.
Former BBC royal correspondent, Jennie Bond, noted how quickly Buckingham Palace informed the public about the Duke’s health.
“Either this is more serious and therefore they felt they really must issue a statement, or they’ve simply moved with the times and it’s going to get out in social media.”
Note: I will keep you informed for the rest of the day about anything new about Prince Philip and his health.
Sources: AP, BBC
UPDATE 6:22pm – Buckingham Palace released a statement saying the Duke of Edinburgh underwent an operation for a blocked coronary artery. It was treated by a coronary stent.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stopped Centrepoint this Wednesday, to bake Christmas desserts with the charity’s beneficiaries. Prince William is patron of Centrepoint, which focuses on helping homeless youth.
 Click here to see more photos at Daylife.com The Prince also was the star of the evening when he busted out his hip-hop dance moves. It happened when 18 year old Vanessa Boateng told His Royal Highness what she thought of his Irish Guards uniform that he wore for his April wedding to Catherine.
“William asked us what we thought about what he wore to his wedding. He said, was his suit dapper?” said Boateng.
“I said: ‘No, your swag was on point.’ He repeated my words and said ‘swag’, then he started doing this dance.”
The dance involves brushing imaginary dust off your shoulders as another person does the same. It is supposed to mean that you have trendy clothes.
Later on, William and Ms. Boateng did the dance – now known as the “Swag Dance” – for the rest of the 80 residents of the shelter.
This move will clearly make the Duke more popular with those benefiting form Centrepoint. He has been patron since 2005 and used to visit the shelters as a child with his mother, the late Princess Diana.
And Centrepoint may be a tradition for future royal generations.
“He said he’s going to make his children come there and I can discipline them,” Boateng revealed, according to the Telegraph.
But William was not the only royal warming hearts at the shelter. His wife, Catherine, made a cookie for Tasha Barbi’s 18th birthday.
“She said ‘This is for you, your birthday cookie’,” Miss Barbi explained.
“I love it, I’m never going to eat it, it’s beautiful I’m going to cherish it.”
To see video of William’s Swag Dance, click here.
Sources: Press Association, Telegraph
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, along with Prince Harry, were at the Sun Military Awards Monday night. It was a night to honor British troops for their service to the United Kingdom.
 Check out more images of the event here William and Harry wore tuxedos, while Catherine looked amazing in a black velvet strapless Alexander McQueen gown. She also wore an impressive necklace that was a wedding gift from a not-yet revealed person.
The trio chatted with servicemen and women at the Imperial War Museum before the actual ceremony. It was then Harry gave a speech where he both praised the troops and talked about his military career. The 27 year old Prince had spent the past several weeks in the United States learning to fly Apache helicopters.
He said: “I am a young Army officer, a serving soldier. Like my brother, I share many of the same hopes, the same aspirations to go on operations, and the same fears as all those who serve our Queen and country.
“By an accident of birth, though, it falls to 564673 Captain Wales humbly to express – on behalf of my comrades-in-arms and people up and down the country – the admiration we feel for the extraordinary men and women we honor here tonight.”
He added: “It’s often said of our armed forces that they are ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Well, I don’t entirely buy that. Ordinary people don’t run out under withering enemy rocket and heavy machine gunfire to rescue a wounded comrade.
“Ordinary people don’t brave monsoon conditions dangling on a winch line to rescue 13 people, each in turn.
“For that matter, ordinary people don’t put their lives on the line for distant folk, such as the Afghans, who need our help and are now turning their country round because of it.”
Harry also spoke warmly of the families of the troops.
“The strength and courage it must take to see your husband or your wife, your father or mother, son or daughter, head off into the unknown – and to support them doing it – I can hardly even imagine,” he said. “So, to our amazing, brave families, I know I join every single service man and woman in saying from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”
The Sun Military Awards, or Millies as Britons call it, were also attended by soccer star David Beckham, along with sons Brooklyn and Cruz, Gordon Ramsay, Jimmy Carr, and Frank Lampard.
Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg were also there. They held a reception at 10 Downing Street and Clegg said this to the troops: “You shouldn’t just be proud of the servicemen and women with you in your work, and you shouldn’t just be proud on behalf of your families and communities but I hope you do also know that you make the whole nation very, very proud indeed.”
Source: Telegraph, Daily Mail
Most members of the House of Windsor gathered at or near the Cenotaph to mark Remembrance Sunday, the day Britons reflect on those who died fighting for their country.
 Click here for images from the ceremony at Daylife.com Queen Elizabeth II led the memorial with members of the government, including Prime Minister David Cameron and other politicians, plus religious and military leaders.
In addition, more than 7,000 former soldiers marched past the Cenotaph along with 60 war widows.
After the march, at 11am local time, there was a two minute silence as the Big Ben chimed.
To end the silence, artillery fire echoed around the area. Buglers of the Royal Marines played the melody of The Last Post – which often signals the end of a soldier’s day.
Then Her Majesty laid a poppy wreath at the memorial, followed by her husband, Prince Philip.
 Click here to see images at Zimbio.com The rest of the royals who laid wreaths did so according to seniority: Charles, William, Andrew, Edward, Anne, and the Duke of Kent.
Watching from the balcony of the Foreign and Commonwealth building were the two Duchesses, Camilla and Catherine, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex and wife of Prince Edward, and also Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the husband of Princess Anne.
The way it goes in the family is that since those were not born royal, they cannot lay wreaths during Remembrance Sunday. They can lay memorial wreaths during other events such as state visits, just not at the Cenotaph.
Prince Harry was the one senior royal not in the country today. Instead, he attended his Army Air Corps’ remembrance service parade in Arizona, where he is training as a Apache helicopter pilot.
This year marks the 90th year since the Royal British Legion began holding Remembrance Sunday ceremonies.
Sources: BBC, Telgraph, Daily Mirror
 Click here to see more related photos It was announced Thursday the Prince William, second in line to the British throne, will spend six weeks next year deployed to the Falklands. His Royal Highness will be doing search and rescue duties, as he already does in the RAF.
The RAF said in a statement Flight Lieutenant William Wales, as he is known in the military, would “complete a routine deployment to the Falkland Islands as part of a crew of four personnel during February-March 2012″.
“This deployment forms part of a normal squadron crew rotation and will form part of Flt Lt Wales training and career progression as a search and rescue pilot within the RAF.”
Having the Prince in the Falklands during that time will come on the 30th anniversary of the 74 day Falklands War, where Britain and Argentina battled over the chain of islands.
Some say having the future King of the U.K. in the Falklands would show the country’s further insistence that they own those islands.
Argentine President Cristina Kirchner once said her country’s sovereignty is “non-negotiable”. In June, she also called Britain a “crude colonial power in decline”.
Meanwhile, Prince William is said to be very pleased over his deployment. He had often spoke of not having his status prevent him from being treated like any other serviceman.
However, his wife, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge will not be able to join him. The couple will experience a six week separation.
Source: Sky News
The heir to the British throne arrived in Tanzania Monday to begin his four day visit to the East African country. With him is Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, who has never been there. Prince Charles’ last official visit to Tanzania was back in 1984.
 Check out more photos here at Zimbio The couple started the day at the State House in Dar es Salaam, where dozens of schoolgirls greeted them by cheering and waving British and Tanzanian flags. President Jakaya Kikwete and First Lady Salma Kikwete also greeted the two. After receiving military honors and posing for the media, Prince Charles and President Kikwete held talks inside.
After that meeting, Charles and Camilla visited the charity workshop, Wonder Workshop, which makes jewelry out of scrap metal, glass and wood. It also employs 33 people suffering from polio. Their Royal Highnesses decided to give jewelry making a try.
The Duchess asked 28-year-old Neema Mohamedy, who was sitting beside her: “Are you going to show me what to do? I’m not normally very good at this.”
A couple of times Prince Charles struggled with the tiny beads he was given and Camilla offered her glasses. He refused them, only to be given smaller beads. “That’s not fair!” he jokingly complained.
Also during their visit to Wonder Workshop, Charles and Camilla got a look at an alligator made of scrap metal.
During their four day visit, the couple will go to Arusha, in the north of Tanzania and the semi-autonomous republic of Zanzibar, which is an island of the coast of the country.
The main reason the Prince and the Duchess are in Tanzania is to mark its 50th anniversary from Great Britain.
Source: AFP, Press Association
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are currently on a five day visit to South Africa. They are to highlight both social and environmental issues during their trip.
 Click here for more photos of the 1st day The couple arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday, but their itinerary began the next day with a visit to Walter Sisulu Square, or Freedom Square, in Kliptown, Soweto. There, they were welcomed by the Soweto Gospel Choir, with 24 singers and a drummer, singing songs by Miriam Makeba. Also, local children gathered to see the royals.
“It was so cool, I liked that. It’s so long I want to see the Prince,” said Boniswa Msibi, an 18-year-old Soweto high school student who shook hands with Prince Charles. “We’re so happy that they’re coming into Soweto to see us and are not afraid of us.”
Charles and Camilla met with models who showcased traditional Zulu clothes. At one point, the Duchess was given a Zulu hat by Nthabiseng Dibakoane, a local businesswoman who specializes in hand-made bags, hats, shoes and ethnic dresses. Camilla – and the media – were delighted that she tried on the hat.
The Duchess tried to pay Dibakoane for it, but she insisted Camilla keep the hat for free.
The couple then went to the monument to the Freedom Charter, which began the fight against white-minority rule by declaring: “South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white.”
Afterward, Charles went to Pretoria to discuss the environment with business leaders while Camilla visited a women’s shelter. The pair reunited later on to meet with Graca Machel, the wife of Nelson Mandela. She showed them his personal archives at Mandela’s foundation in Johannesburg.
Mandela did not meet with the royals because he is reportedly not seeing visitors.
In the evening, Charles and Camilla had dinner with Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and his partner Gugu Mtshall.
 Click here for photos from day 2 On Friday, the two were faced with a dark chapter in British and Zulu history when they went to Ulundi, site of the last battle of the 1879 Anglo-Zulu War.
They met with Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini at his Ondini Palace in the KwaZulu-Natal province where they reflected on the war.
Our relationship hasn’t always been entirely smooth but it has always been characterised by deep admiration and respect,” said Charles in his speech. “Our meeting is but the latest in a long line and brings our relationship into the 21st century.”
“Our great nation, the Zulus, and the British share a very rich history that is both good and not so good,” Zwelithini said in his speech. “Our meeting today marks a new beginning between our nations, an era of mutual respect and cooperation.”
Both the Prince and the King exchanged gifts – Charles gave Zwelithini a silver cup, similar to the one Queen Victoria gave Cetshwayo, the Zulu King the British forced into exile after destroying his palace and ending his people’s independence. Zwelithini in turn gave Charles a portrait of Cetshwayo.
Later Friday, the Prince and the Duchess went to a game reserve to see how black rhinoceros is being protected. Charles spotted one at the reserve but Camilla did not. The black rhino is an elusive, endangered animal.
Sources: AFP, Press Association, South Africa.info,
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