Tag: Queen

Royal Revelation

Naval College under Threat of Closure

The first time the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh met in 1939 – allegedly – was at the Britannia Royal Naval College, a historic naval college in Dartmouth, Devon.  It’s been an historic site ever since, having been used for training officers since 1905, including Princes Charles and William. But according to a recent memo from the Royal Navy, this may soon be closed as a way of saving money in the defense budget.

It is true that the couple had met many years before but it was only after this particular encounter that they began exchanging letters and, according to the report in today’s Daily Mail, the relationship “blossomed,” which resulted in their 1947 wedding.

The Memo

The memo got into the hands of the Press Association and was sent by the Maritime Estate Rationalisation Programme (MERP).  In it, it was claimed that “the officer training center near Dartmouth, Devon, could merge with the other ranks training center HMS Raleigh in Cornwall to become a training base for all naval personnel.”

There have already been various budgetary cuts in this line.  For example, in 2010, there was a cut to the Royal Navy’s budget from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).  This resulted in the “decommissioning of surface vessels but also forced all the Armed Forces to look at other ways of saving money, including looking to sell-off or re-use under-utilized land facilities.”

According to the memo: “In the post Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) environment, we – along with the other Services – have been developing options to address the challenge of maintaining or, where possible increasing the effectiveness of our estate, whilst at the same time minimizing the cost of running it by reducing the estate footprint.”

If this does happen, a huge part of history – and royal status – will be lost to the Brits forever.

The Royal Wedding: A Bit of a ‘Hair’ Do

There was so much discussion and hush-hush in the run up to the royal wedding on what Kate Middleton’s hair would look like. In fact, hairdresser James Pryce was said to have “lost sleep” over what he described as being the “gig of the century,” while on the actual day itself Kate was described as being “calm and collected.”

But at the end of Friday 29 April, while it’s true that Kate looked none other than the beautiful Princess she now is (or, more accurately, the new Duchess of Cambridge), it didn’t look like all that much time had gone in to doing her hair. That’s not an insult by any means since she probably looked as natural as the day she met her Prince William. But the amount of work that went into the hairstyle for the day did seem a little over the top.

So what was Mr. Pryce doing to prepare for the special day? He used a fake tiara purchased on Chelsea’s King’s Road along with the personal assistant from his salon to act as a stand-in for the Duchess-to-be.

Although however, to the average man or woman in the street Kate’s hair looked as regular as can be, those in the know would have got that it was pinned back in a “demi chignon” for her special day. She wanted it to look a bit different from her regular every day style of having it all down, so elected a part-up part-down look so she could still feel like herself but have a bit of a regal touch at the same time.

Her hair was also styled to adequately show off her dress in full detail. Atop her head was the 1936 Cartier tiara, on loan by the Queen who sported a most pleasant yellow outfit with a matching handbag. The question on everyone’s lips however, was “what on earth was she carrying in that bag?” Well, while Kate’s hairdo and dress were revealed on Friday, we will probably have to wait a very long time to find out (if ever) what the HM The Queen deemed so important as to be carrying with her to the 2011 royal wedding.

The Sun Won’t Come Out Tomorrow?

Wain, Wain Go aWay… for William

Oh no. And the planning was going so well. The Royals can clearly have everything they want for their special day; can’t they? Apparently not. There are some things that even money can’t buy and one of these is weather control. It looks like there is going to be rain tomorrow on the day of William and Kate’s nuptials. How totally British and quite expected and boy does it make for some great commentary.
The Brits are notorious in their obsession with the weather. It wouldn’t be shocking to find a Brit scheduling their evening routine around watching the nightly weather report to see what it’s going to look like outside the next day. So in some ways this is quite fitting for a British royal wedding.

No Sun Shine?

A few days ago it looked like the sun would continue to shine since Britain’s weather has been unseasonably glorious. But now weather reports are indicating the opposite. It looks like there could even be “thunder storms and brisk winds” or possibly lightning!

But this shouldn’t actually spoil the royal wedding. Of course, weather pitfalls have been taken into consideration already. Indeed, if showers do descend, Kate will be covered on her entrance into the Abbey with a “retinue of lackeys.” But onlookers might not be so happy with this as it would wreck their full glimpse of the beautiful bride. There would also have to be a change of plan for how the procession will go from the Abbey to the Palace after the ceremony. They would have to use the Glass Coach used by the Prince’s parents for their wedding rather than the intended open-top 1902 State Landau carriage. And who knows if that will put a damper on the celebrations since we all know what happened after that wedding.

Still, there is of course a chance that things will go off without a hitch and even if rain does fall, some have said that it will “only add to the Britishness of the occasion.” It also remains to be seen however what impact this will have on the street fairs that have been planned around the country.

Bad Hair Day?

It’s all very well that there are plans being set for possibilities of rain on the day but what will happen to Kate’s much talked about hairdo? Indeed, there has been almost as much discussion on how her chestnut locks will fall as her dress. Speculation abounded that it would be left down, to “complement her natural look.” But now the royal-to-be is engaged in discussions with hairdresser Richard Ward on what will be if the weather in oh-so-British style refuses to cooperate. It could be that Kate’s locks will be put up, being the “safest option to combat the elements.” Even if this does happen, it will look “elegant and simple.” And if she does go with this, onlookers will get much more of a glimpse of the Queen’s Russian fringe tiara that she is allegedly going to be wearing.

Whatever happens, come rain or shine, William and Kate are bound to make a perfect picture for their wedding album. And the festivities will be enjoyed by Brits and Americans alike, and no doubt, throughout the TV-broadcasting world.

Middleton’s Middle of Road Life?

 

Retail Therapy for Royal-To-Be

 

Who’s to say that Kate Middleton has to give up her regular life?  With just over a week to her big day, the royal-to-be was trying to enjoy a regular day out shopping, spotted in London’s King’s Road engaging in a bit of retail therapy.  And good for her.  It looked like she only had a couple of protection officers with her, with one of them in very casual clothing.

Still, there was no mistaking the class of the Queen-in-waiting who was dressed in a short-sleeved black wrap dress priced at £480 from Issa, perhaps not what a regular shopper would be clad in.  As well, her feet were adorned with tan court kitten heels, but these were hardly new as she has been seen in them four years ago!  Of course, her 19-carat sapphire and diamond engagement ring might have ultimately been what stood her out from the rest as the royal-to-be that she is.

Who knows what she was buying at Whistles?  Perhaps something for her honeymoon wardrobe; but the store refrained to divulge such information.  She was also spotted in Warehouse, a mid-market chain, engaging in a spot of High Street shopping.  

So Miss Middleton may be about to be a royal, but she still likes her fun girly retail outings like the rest of us.  And why shouldn’t she?  She’s still a girl at heart, no matter what her regal status might be.