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At the same time, there is a strong possibility he may return to the front lines [...]]]> Prince Harry has a lot to be excited about. On Wednesday, he officially completed his 18-month training in flying Apache helicopters and won the prize for best co-gunner pilot.

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At the same time, there is a strong possibility he may return to the front lines of Afghanistan. The Prince served in Helmand province for 10 weeks, from late 2007 to early 2008.

If he serves again in the war-torn country, he will be in more danger than before. The Taliban have shot down British aircraft at times, and who’s to say the global media would agree on a blackout during his deployment, as they initially did the first time around?

Last April, His Royal Highness said in an interview that he wouldn’t learn to fly helicopters if he couldn’t serve in the RAF.

“I’d just be taking up a spare place for somebody else if they didn’t have me going out on the job, ” he said.

During a celebratory dinner at RAF Wattisham, Apache Force Commander Col Neale Moss congratulated the new pilots – Prince Harry being one of 20 – describing the training as “extremely challenging”.

“They are assessed continually to ensure that they are up to the challenge of operating one of the most sophisticated attack helicopters in the world,” he said of the graduates.

“This requires composure, dedication and hard work.”

If the Prince does go back to Afghanistan, it won’t be until later this year.

Sources: BBC, Sky News

Check out more photos of [...]]]> While her husband is away in the Falklands, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, made her first public solo engagement by touring the Lucian Freud preview at the National Portrait Gallery. Her Royal Highness, who has a degree in History of Art, became patron of the gallery last month.

Check out more photos of Catherine's solo engagement here!

Catherine saw the artwork set to be put on display and met with the art world’s famed including Freud’s daughters Bella and Esther and the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

She also met Sue Tilly, who posed naked for four Freud portraits. When asked how she would feel having the Duchess see paintings of her in the nude, Tilly, age 54, laughed it off.

“I’m not embarrassed about her seeing me naked – I’m a human being,” she said before the event. “It’s art, you know. Poor woman, I’m sure she’s seen things before.”

The Duchess got rave reviews for her first solo engagement by the gallery’s director.

“The Duchess was extremely attentive and I think really interested in not just the chance to see the full range of Lucian Freud’s work but very interested to see the differences in technique,” said Sandy Nairne.

Catherine’s visit to the National Portrait Gallery comes as St. James Palace confirms that she will sit for her own official portrait soon.

A Palace spokesman said: “The Duchess is happy to do it some time in the future. There haven’t been any decisions about who the artist will be, this is being discussed.”

Sources: Telegraph, Sky News

Click here to learn [...]]]> February 6th marks the day, in 1952, that the then Princess Elizabeth of York receives news of her father, King George VI’s death while touring Kenya. With that, the 25 year old became Queen Elizabeth II and has been the head of state for the United Kingdom ever since.

Click here to learn about the British monarchy

As Britain and the Commonwealth marked Her Majesty’s 60th anniversary on the throne, many reflected on how the Queen has always put duty first and has earned the respect of not just many in her realm, but all over the world.

Earlier on Monday, she renewed her vow to serve the country and told her subjects she was deeply moved” by the support for the Diamond Jubilee.

“I hope we will all be reminded of the power of togetherness and the convening strength of family, friendship and good neighbourliness, examples of which I have been fortunate to see throughout my reign and which my family and I look forward to seeing in many forms as we travel throughout the United Kingdom and the wider Commonwealth,” Her Majesty said.

However, Monday was any other ordinary day for the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip. They went to Norfolk to visit the King’s Lynn Town Hall before going to Dersingham Infant and Nursery School. The main celebrations of her ascension will be between June 2nd and 5th.

In London, there was a41-gun salute was held in Hyde Park, followed by a 62-gun salute at the Tower. There also was a 21-gun Royal Salute at Edinburgh Castle.

Laura Skrzynski, who had come to Norfolk from London was eager to get a glimpse of the Queen.

“I love that the monarchy is above politics and feel that the Queen represents that best of all. She stands for integrity and respect and I am inspired by her faith. She has been a constant through all our lives,” she said.

Queen Elizabeth II, age 85, has seen 11 prime ministers come and go – with David Cameron being her twelfth. She’s also seen six Archbishops of Canterbury. She has traveled on state visits to places no British monarch has ever toured – such as Eastern European nations, the Middle East, China, and last year’s historic visit to the Republic of Ireland. She has also seen numerous advances in technology and society.

As Her Majesty appears to surpass Queen Victoria as the longest reigning British monarch ever – she’s got four years to go – one could only imagine what else would happen.

Sources: BBC, Telegraph

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The first charity Her Royal Highness will be involved in is The Art [...]]]> 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.

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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

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The 90 year old Prince was taken to Papworth Hospital in Cambridge for “precautionary tests.” The hospital is Great Britain’s [...]]]> 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.

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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.

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 [...]]]> 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.

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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

Check out more images of the event here

William and Harry wore tuxedos, while Catherine looked amazing in a black [...]]]> 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

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 [...]]]> 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