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The British Royal Family has defended the refurbishment of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Kensington Palace apartment, following reports it will cost the taxpayer about £4 million ($6.5 million).
Extensive work, including construction of a new roof, will be carried out.
The total cost has yet to be confirmed by the royal household but it will be published next week.
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Kensington Palace apartment repairs will cost the taxpayer about $6.5 million
A spokeswoman said there had previously been no running water and the couple had paid for all internal furnishings.
She added asbestos was removed and an overhaul of the electrics was carried out.
Prince William and Kate Middelton’s London apartment was designed by Christopher Wren and was the home of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon.
The princess remained there after their divorce and lived there until her death in 2002.
The living space was last refurbished in 1963.
A spokeswoman for the couple said: “This is the duke and duchess’s one and only official residence. It is here that they plan to stay for many, many years to come.
“We also had to take into account the fact that Kensington Palace is a scheduled ancient monument, and all elements of the refurbishment had to be agreed with English Heritage.
“The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge paid privately for all the internal furnishings, including carpets and curtains.
“They were also at pains to ensure that the specification is not extravagant.”
Prince George has been photographed walking for the first time.
The prince was walking with the help of his mother, Kate Middleton.
Prince George’s tentative steps were captured on Sunday as Princes William and Harry lined up on opposing sides in the Jerudong Trophy at Cirencester Park Polo Club (photo Getty Images)
Prince George’s tentative steps were captured on Sunday as Princes William and Harry lined up on opposing sides in the Jerudong Trophy at Cirencester Park Polo Club.
It is believed to be the first time the baby prince has been seen taking to two feet in public.
Prince George – who is third in line to the UK’s throne – will turn one next month.
He was also seen playing football on the sidelines of the charity polo match.
According to Clarence House, it was an “impromptu family day out”.
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Karen Houghton, Kim Kardashian’s aunt, has revealed that the reality star is set to rip off Prince William and Kate Middleton’s royal wedding with her multi European city bash.
She revealed that Kim Kardashian even attempts to out-dress the Duchess of Cambridge.
Karen Houghton said: “Kim loved the British royal wedding and is a huge fan of Kate Middleton. She was just so caught up in that day and very impressed by it, and how it played out on TV around the world.”
She added that Kim Kardashian could be sporting a crown.
Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and their 150-strong wedding party jet out to Italy today for the ceremony at the 16th-century Forte di Belvedere in Florence (photo Splash News)
“She really loves Kate and the princess has been a huge inspiration as far as her wedding plans are concerned.
“Kim saw how visually stunning the royal wedding looked and wants to replicate that. Kim and Kanye want something just as traditional and classy.”
“Kim saw how the fashion world has reacted to Kate and wants to be just like her. She could wear a crown or tiara made from real diamonds.
“Kim wore a crown with her wedding to Kris Humphries and I believe she’s thinking of doing it again.”
Karen Houghton will not attend the wedding after a fallout with Kim Kardashian’s mother – her elder sister, Kris Jenner. She said: “I wish I could be there, but I don’t think it’s fair to go when there’s a cloud of unrest hanging over Kris and I.
“This is Kim’s big day and she doesn’t need any distractions in that sense.”
Meanwhile, over in Paris, where the Kardashian clan has gathered, 33-year-old Kim had a pretty sedate hen party on Thursday night.
With 20 friends and her sisters, it was hosted in Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s favorite hangout, Hotel Costes. Afterwards the ladies took a tour of Paris by night, stopping to pose for pictures and selfies by the Eiffel Tower and the famous pyramid at the Louvre.
Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and their 150-strong wedding party jet out to Italy today for the ceremony at the 16th-century Forte di Belvedere in Florence.
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Prince George threw food at his cousin Mia Grace Tindall, when they first met, Mike Tindall revealed.
In an interview with the Mirror on Monday, Mia’s father Mike Tindall, who is married to Zara Phillips (Prince William’s first cousin), revealed it was total “carnage” when it came to the two babies.
Prince George threw food at his cousin Mia Grace Tindall, when they first met
“I don’t think Mia will remember that day. She was 2-months-old, but it was great. It was carnage,” the Gloucester Rugby player laughed on May 19.
“George was eating at the time,” Mike Tindall continued.
“He’d got to that stage where more food goes on the table than in his mouth.”
Meanwhile, baby Mia Grace, now 4-month-old, “was just chilling and sleeping,” her father said.
Mia’s mom, Zara Phillips, is the daughter of Queen Elizabeth’s second child, Princess Anne, making Mia 16th in line for the throne.
Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall married in July 2011 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Kate Middleton and Prince William’s baby boy, 9-month-old Prince George, is the third in line for the throne.
Cressida Bonas has reportedly been granted compassionate leave from her job after ending her two-year relationship with Prince Harry last week.
Cressida Bonas has reportedly been granted compassionate leave from her job after ending her two-year relationship with Prince Harry last week
According to sources, Cressida Bonas, who is currently working for a marketing company in London’s Soho, has been given compassionate leave from work, while she gets over the break up.
Cressida Bonas was photographed earlier this week looking tired and drawn as she made her way to the office, and hasn’t been seen since then.
When Kate Middleton and Prince William broke up in 2007, she was granted the same thing.
Prince Harry does not seem to be suffering the same difficulties; he has been living it up at Miami pre-wedding celebrations for his friend, Guy Pelly.
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Prince Harry and Cressida Bonas have split up after less than two years of relationship.
According to reports, the break-up was “said to be <<amicable>> and they remain <<the best of friends>>”.
Prince Harry and Cressida Bonas’ attendance at their first official engagement together in March had prompted engagement speculation.
They sat together and embraced in the stands at Wembley Arena at a We Day UK charity event.
Speculation had since mounted that Prince Harry would pop the question with his 30th birthday looming.
News of the split came as Clarence House announced Prince Harry would embark on a three-day official visit to Estonia and Italy next month.
Prince Harry and Cressida Bonas have split up after less than two years of relationship (photo Mirror.co.uk)
The trip, from 16 to 19 May, will see Prince Harry meet a range of servicemen from World War Two veterans to serving military personnel.
Prince Harry, 29, and Cressida Bonas, 25, were reportedly introduced by Princess Eugenie in the summer of 2012.
It was not long after their meeting that photographs of Prince Harry partying with a group of girls in a Las Vegas hotel room were front-page news across the world.
The couple then endured a five-month separation when the prince was deployed to fly Apache helicopters with the British army in Afghanistan.
Prince Harry and Cressida Bonas’ relationship resumed when he returned and the pair were often photographed together attending various events, like the Glastonbury music festival and a society wedding.
According to the Daily Telegraph, it was unwanted media attention and engagement speculation that led to the pair’s split, while the Press Association reported the couple decided to go their separate ways to allow Cressida Bonas to focus on her career.
Cressida Bonas completed a year-long contemporary dance course at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire in Greenwich, south London, last year, before securing a marketing job in the city’s West End.
She is the daughter of Old Harrovian businessman Jeffrey Bonas and Sixties “It girl” Lady Mary-Gaye Curzon.
News of the split coincided with Prince William and Kate Middleton’s third wedding anniversary.
Prince William and Kate Middleton famously broke up for several months four years before they married in 2011.
On Tuesday, Prince Harry visited Tedworth House in Tidworth, Wiltshire, where he met 25 athletes hoping to take part in the Paralympics-style Invictus Games.
Prince Harry’s most serious previous girlfriend was Zimbabwe-born Chelsy Davy. They had an on-off relationship while Prince Harry was training in the Army and overseas, and while Chelsy Davy was at university in her home country.
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Prince William and Kate Middleton have paid their respects to Australia’s war dead on the final day of their tour.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined military personnel, veterans and the public in Canberra to mark Anzac Day.
The Australian War Memorial held a service at dawn, in keeping with tradition, as a reminder of the dawn landing of troops on Gallipoli in 1915.
Prince William and Kate Middleton joined military personnel, veterans and the public in Canberra to mark Anzac Day
Later in the morning Prince William and Kate Middleton, appearing without their son Prince George, laid a wreath at the memorial.
Prince William and Kate Middleton, who have also visited New Zealand during their tour, joined figures including Australia’s PM Tony Abbott and Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove in paying their respects.
The name Anzac Day comes from the acronym used to describe the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
More than 500,000 Allied soldiers were involved in the Gallipoli campaign, an attempt to open the Dardanelles Strait in modern-day Turkey to Allied navies during World War One.
Tens of thousands of Allied troops, including more than 8,000 Australians, died in the campaign, which failed to achieve its military objectives.
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Prince George has met Bilby George at Taronga Zoo in Sydney during his first official engagement in Australia.
The two came face-to-face on Sunday at Taronga Zoo’s enclosure, where it was officially named the Prince George Bilby Exhibit as part of Australia’s gift following the prince’s birth on July 22 last year.
It had been anticipated that Prince George would make his only public appearance at the zoo, but it wasn’t confirmed until he was filmed being put into the car by his mother Kate Middleton.
Kate Middleton carried Prince George – dressed in dark blue shorts, a striped lighter blue-colored shirt, dark blue socks and shoes – as they entered the zoo.
Eight-month-old Prince George looked inquisitive, and was chuckling and looking at the cameras.
Prince George has met Bilby George at Taronga Zoo in Sydney during his first official engagement in Australia
Kate Middleton had changed out the dove-grey Alexander McQueen outfit she wore to church during Easter Sunday service, into a lemon cream broderie anglaise dress by a designer who did not want to be named. The dress had a fitted bodice and flared out to the knee.
After a quick photo op, the family headed into the enclosure where the meeting took place.
Prince William helped break the ice, when he enticed the bilby – renamed George – over with some food.
Kate Middleton held Prince George close to the glass wall dividing the pair, and he started to show a keen interest in the endangered marsupial.
Despite being a royal, Prince George proved himself to be a normal baby – eagerly grabbing the stuffed bilby present before throwing it on the ground – and sticking a card straight in his mouth.
This was Prince George’s second official function.
During the New Zealand leg of the trip, Prince George “hosted” a play group event with other babies his age at Government House.
After the very short engagement, Prince George returned to Admiralty House, while Kate Middleton and Prince William continued through the zoo, feeding tree kangaroos, walking past giraffes, enjoying a bird show, and taking in the rhino conservation display.
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On Good Friday, Prince William and Kate Middleton visited the Royal Easter Show at Sydney Olympic Park in Australia.
The Royal Easter Show is one of Australia’s largest events, attracting around 900,000 people over the course of two weeks.
Prince William and Kate Middleton watched a shearing demonstration, and the Duchess of Cambridge seized the opportunity to poke fun at her husband’s bald spot (photo Getty Images)
Kate Middleton, 32, opted to wear a local designer, Zimmerman. The Roamer Day dress, from the Summer/Swim 2014 collection, retails for $495 and arrives in stores this June; it’s previously been worn by Naomi Watts. She completed her look with $395 Stuart Weitzman Minx espadrille wedges.
Prince William and Kate Middleton watched a shearing demonstration, and the Duchess of Cambridge seized the opportunity to poke fun at her husband’s bald spot. Lyn Crejan, a farmer from Glenn Innes in New South Wales, showed them a tuft of alpaca wool that just so happened to be a similar shade to Prince William’s hair.
“The Prince was interested in the alpaca and as I showed it to them the Princess said he should put it on his head,” Lyn Crejan told reporters.
“She said, <<You need it more than me>>, and pointed to his head and he laughed.”
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Prince William and Kate Middleton have marked Easter Sunday by attending a church service in Sydney.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were greeted by cheering crowds outside St Andrew’s Cathedral in the city centre.
While at the cathedral, they signed the First Fleet Bible, which was brought to Australia in 1788 and bears the names of other members of the royal family.
Prince William and Kate Middleton then moved onto Taronga Zoo, where Prince George was introduced to a bilby, a rabbit-like marsupial.
Dressed in a blue striped shirt, blue shorts and black shoes, the young prince looked excited to meet the native animal, which was named George in his honor.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were greeted by cheering crowds outside St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney
Prince William and Kate Middleton then unveiled a plaque at the bilby enclosure, which was paid for by the Australian government to celebrate Prince George’s birth.
Earlier, the private church service was also attended by Australian PM Tony Abbott.
Archbishop of Sydney the Most Reverend Dr. Glenn Davies and Dean of Sydney the Very Reverend Phillip Jensen met Prince William and Kate Middleton on the cathedral steps before the service began.
The bible had previously been signed by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh as well as the Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales in 1983 on their visit to Australia with an infant Prince William.
Prince William and Kate Middleton also signed the prayer book of the First Fleet – the 11 ships that carried Europeans to Australia in the 1780s.
Kate Middleton wore a dove grey Alexander McQueen coat and Jane Taylor hat for the service, while her husband wore a suit.
After the service, they spent time speaking to members of the cathedral choir and children who had gathered nearby to see the royal couple.
Prince William and Kate Middleton have met Australian families whose homes were destroyed by wildfires last year.
The royal couple spent the day touring the Blue Mountains as part of the second leg of their trip Down Under.
They visited the town of Winmalee, which was ravaged by the fires in October, where they also talked to firefighters who battled the blazes.
One man who lost his house said the royal visit made those affected feel like they had not been forgotten.
Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince George arrived in Australia on Wednesday, having completed a tour of New Zealand.
On Thursday, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took in the sights of the Blue Mountains region, near Sydney, which suffered devastating bush fires and where hundreds of homes were burnt to the ground.
Adrian Harrison, whose house was destroyed, told reporters: “Here we are five months down the track after we lost our house and for them to come out now, it makes us feel like we haven’t been forgotten.”
The royals also vowed to return to the Blue Mountains – one of Australia’s most visited beauty spots.
Prince William and Kate Middleton will spend 10 days travelling across Australia, visiting its famous sites, honoring its war dead and meeting locals.
They visited Echo Point in Katoomba to see the famous Three Sisters rock formation, where they were also greeted by Aboriginal elders representing the indigenous landowners.
The elders presented Prince William and Kate Middleton with a possum skin coat for Prince George and a kangaroo coat for themselves.
“That’s fantastic thank you very much, he’ll love that – very warm,” Prince William said of the gift for his baby son.
Prince William and Kate Middleton visited Echo Point in Katoomba to see the famous Three Sisters rock formation
According to elder Aunty Sharon Brown, chairwoman of the Gundungurra Tribal Council, a baby would traditionally be given a possum cloak with another pelt added to the garment for significant milestones during its life.
They were also greeted by around 3,000 well-wishers, who lined crash barriers at Echo Point.
Anthea Hammon, joint managing director of Scenic World, which runs the visitor centre at the beauty spot, guided Kate Middleton, while Prince William spoke with Randall Walker, chief executive of Blue Mountains Lithgow and Oberon Tourism.
After speaking to Kate Middleton, who wore a Diane von Furstenburg wrap dress and wedges, Anthea Hammon said: “She loved it, it’s a pretty stunning day. She was amazed about how far you could see.
“I was talking to her a little bit about bush walking, she likes walking and there’s lots of places to walk here in the Blue Mountains. She said she was keen to come back.”
Randall Walker said Prince William had been “very impressed” with the views and was interested in the Aboriginal legend about it.
“He was surprised to learn it’s the most visited regional site in Australia,” he said.
The royal couple also did a walkabout, meeting the crowds who had waited to greet them.
Meanwhile, Prince William and Kate Middleton narrowly avoided a minor incident, which happened before they arrived in the town of Winmalee to meet the bushfire survivors.
Two men had allegedly harassed some locals, who had gathered to greet the royal couple, before being moved on by police.
A New South Wales Police spokesman confirmed: “At 12:10 [local time] today police stopped and spoke to two men aged 37 and 21 who were allegedly harassing members of the crowd who were gathered at the corner of Single Ridge Road and Vista Road, Winmalee.
“The pair were moved on from the area prior to the motorcade coming past.”
Prince George did not take part in the tour of the mountain region.
Prince William and Kate Middleton are expected to bring 8-month-old Prince George to Taronga zoo in Sydney on Sunday where an enclosure housing bilbys – a rabbit-like marsupial – will be named after him.
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For her arrival in sunny Australia, Kate Middleton opted for a yellow and white blocked Ryedale dress from the Roksanda Ilincic spring 2014 collection.
The Duchess of Cambridge accessorized with her trusty nude L.K. Bennett pumps for the occasion.
Kate Middleton opted for a yellow and white blocked Ryedale dress from the Roksanda Ilincic spring 2014 collection (photo Getty Images)
Prince William and Kate Middleton headed over to the iconic Sydney Opera House where more frenzied fans got a closer look at Kate’s new dress.
According to Hello magazine, Prince William wasn’t quite as impressed by Kate’s designer frock.
“William said I look like a banana!” Kate Middleton exclaimed to an onlooker.
Prince William, Kate Middleton and their son Prince George have arrived in Sydney for the next leg of their tour of New Zealand and Australia.
Prince George was in his mother’s arms as the royal couple emerged from a plane at Kingsford Smith Airport.
Kate Middleton carried the 8-month-old down the steps of the aircraft before she and Prince William were met by dignitaries.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will spend 10 days travelling across Australia, visiting its famous sites and honoring its war dead.
Australia’s PM Tony Abbott and Governor-general Peter Cosgrove, their spouses and other figures were among those who met Prince William and Kate Middleton as they descended from the plane.
Kate Middleton, wearing a yellow dress by Roksanda Ilincic, handed Prince George to his father as she accepted flowers from Joscelyn Sweeney, a 22-year-old with Down’s syndrome.
Prince William, Kate Middleton and their son Prince George have arrived in Sydney for the next leg of their tour of New Zealand and Australia (photo Reuters)
A lively Prince George, dressed in a white cotton babygrow with ships on the front, touched hands with the governor-general’s wife Lynne Cosgrove before his parents left for their first engagement at the Sydney Opera House.
Prince William and Kate Middleton completed the first leg of their trip Down Under with a tour of New Zealand.
They arrived in Australia on Wednesday for the second leg as a political scandal erupted, forcing one of the country’s senior figures to pull out of the official greeting party.
Barry O’Farrell resigned as premier of New South Wales just hours before Prince William and Kate Middleton arrived after a document emerged contradicting evidence he gave to an anti-corruption inquiry.
He admitted to a “massive memory fail” after he failed to declare a gift of A$3,000 wine.
The leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party had told an inquiry that he never received the wine and that he could not remember calling businessman Nick Di Girolamo, who sent him the gift in 2011.
Barry O’Farrell resigned after investigators unveiled a hand-written thank you note from him.
He had been due to greet the royal couple on the tarmac, and later at their visit to Sydney Opera House, but did not attend the welcome ceremony at the airport.
Barry O’Farrell was not replaced by another official.
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Kate Middleton enjoyed several glasses of local wine at an engagement at the Amisfield Vineyard in New Zealand on Sunday.
The Duchess of Cambridge told wine-makers that she was “really enjoying being able to drink again after having baby George”.
A source close to Prince William and Kate Middleton said: “Kate is not pregnant. They want a bigger family in the future, but she’s not pregnant right now.”
Prince William, 31, and Kate Middleton, 32, joined John Darby, 57, owner of Amisfield Vineyard, who gave the royal couple a tour of the premises. Standing tall in a pair of Stuart Weitzman wedges, Kate Middleton nearly toppled over when she hit a rough patch as she toured the vineyard. An eyewitness told Us Weekly: “She slipped and grabbed William’s arm to steady herself.”
Kate Middleton enjoyed several glasses of local wine at an engagement at the Amisfield Vineyard in New Zealand (photo AP)
At one point on the tour, John Darby offered the Duke and Duchess a glass of 2011 Amisfield pinot noir. The wine expert, who discussed the grapes and climate with the couple, explained: “When it gets very cold we use helicopters to stop the frost over the vines by hovering above and stirring up the cold air.”
Prince William exclaimed: “You’re joking! That’s an expensive way to do it!”
He added: “Wow! If you ever need a spare pilot, I’m here!”
John Darby later told reporters: “The Duchess did take a little sip, but I don’t think she’s a big drinker.”
He also explained: “We nearly moved on without the Duke or Duchess having a glass of our wine, but [Prince William] was keen to try it. He said, <<Hang on, let’s enjoy a glass of wine. We can’t pass up the opportunity>>.”
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Kate Middleton has visited a children’s hospice on the latest leg of the royal tour of New Zealand.
The Duchess of Cambridge was met by more than 40 children and their families at Rainbow Place in Hamilton, the AFP reported.
“There should be more places like this,” AFP quoted Kate Middleton as saying of the facility, which provides support for dying and bereaved children.
It was Kate Middleton’s first solo engagement on the 19-day tour which will also take in Australia.
She met youngsters and parents and had a briefing with the hospice’s chief executive before going to a Mad Hatter’s theme tea party in the gardens.
Prince William, meanwhile, was shown around Pacific Aerospace, an aviation firm in Hamilton.
Kate Middleton was met by more than 40 children and their families at Rainbow Place in Hamilton (photo Getty Images)
He was told about the P-750, an innovative light aircraft made at the plant.
“He talked about his friendly brotherly rivalry, with Harry flying Apaches and he’s been flying search and rescue,” the company’s chief executive Damian Camp told reporters.
“He said he still does some flying – all helicopter based – but not as much as he wants to.”
Prince William spent more than seven years in the military and was presented with his RAF wings in 2008.
Damian Camp added: “He said George has settled into a nice routine but was keeping mum and dad on their toes but they’re all enjoying their stay.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton reconvened in the nearby town of Cambridge where thousands of well-wishers lined the streets to greet them.
They opened a new velodrome in the town and met some of New Zealand’s cycling, rowing and canoeing elite.
And they were handed a tiny cycling jersey in the country’s colors for Prince George, who was not with his parents for this leg of the tour.
The tour has seen the royals race yachts, attend a state reception and visit a parent and baby class with Prince George in New Zealand before they head to Australia later this month.
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s trip is due to end on April 25 in Canberra.
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Prince William and Kate Middleton have attended a state reception held in their honor as they continue their tour of New Zealand.
The Duke of Cambridge told guests at the event in Wellington that New Zealanders were warm-hearted, generous people.
He said they also had “an instinctive sense of justice and freedom”.
In other remarks, Prince William joked about the loud war dance used by the New Zealand rugby team, saying his 8-month-old son, Prince George, did the haka at night.
Earlier, Prince William and Kate Middleton paid their respects to New Zealand’s war dead.
Prince William and Kate Middleton paid their respects to New Zealand’s war dead at the Blenheim War Memorial (photo Getty Images)
They laid a wreath in a service at the town of Blenheim’s war memorial, and later met some of the approximately 5,000 people who had gathered for the occasion.
Prince William also unveiled a new portrait of the Queen at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, by the artist Nick Cuthell.
On Wednesday, Prince George attended his first official public engagement at a “crawl-about” with babies of similar age at Government House in Wellington, with childcare group Plunket.
Prince George will not be making any more appearances during his parents’ 19-day tour of New Zealand and Australia.
Prince William also received a tiny teddy bear from a well-wisher and was given a friendship bracelet from a little boy and immediately put it on his right wrist.
The royal couple was also given a helmet for Prince George when they visited Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre.
Peter Jackson – the film director behind the Lord of the Rings trilogy and an aviation enthusiast – showed Prince William and Kate Middleton around the museum.
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Prince William and Kate Middleton took 8-month-old Prince George on the first official public engagement of their 19-day tour of New Zealand and Australia.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met fellow new mothers and fathers at Government House in Wellington along with not-for-profit childcare organization Plunket.
The parents were selected to reflect the diversity of New Zealand society.
Prince George appeared to remain calm even though there were tears from some of a similar age.
Prince George at the Plunket play group in Wellington (photo AFP)
Prince George went on a crawl-about with other children in the Blandor Room which had a large portrait of his great-grandmother, the Queen.
Prince William and Kate Middleton chatted informally with the parents of 10 babies, including a pair of gay fathers and a single mother.
Prince George was dressed in a blue dungaree shorts by British luxury brand Rachel Riley, a white blouse and soft blue pre walking shoes.
Prince William joked: “It’s madness, there are babies everywhere.”
The idea was to give the royal couple the chance to introduce the young prince to the world in a less formal way than usual. They also had the chance to swap experiences with other first-time parents.
Tristine Clark, New Zealand president of Plunket, said: “The parents are a spread of all the communities in New Zealand, including Maoris, Samoans, people of Chinese descent and gay couples.
“This is a very multi-cultural country and we wanted the duke and duchess to meet people from all backgrounds.”
The Royal New Zealand Plunket Society, widely known as Plunket, was founded in 1907 by paediatrician Sir Frederic Truby King.
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Prince William and Kate Middleton have carried their son, Prince George, off the plane at the start of a three-week visit to New Zealand and Australia.
It is the first official tour for the 8-month-old prince, who was awake in his mother’s arms as the trio were greeted at Wellington airport by New Zealand’s PM John Key and waiting media.
It was only the second time Prince George has faced the press.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were met with cold, wet and windy weather.
After greeting them on the tarmac, John Key tweeted: “The Royals have landed in Wellington. Let’s make them very welcome, New Zealand.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton arrive in New Zealand with Prince George
Prince William and Kate Middleton were then taken to Government House, the official residence of the governor general, where they received a traditional Maori welcome.
They were greeted with a nose-press, called a hongi, and met Maori warriors.
A minor controversy marked the start of the trip – which ends in Canberra on April 25.
Plunket, New Zealand’s national childcare agency, published photos of a baby seat facing forwards in the royal car, with critics claiming this contradicted Plunket’s advice that children of Prince George’s age should face the rear window.
Kate Middleton’s fashion choices are expected to be closely scrutinized during the tour and she arrived in New Zealand wearing a red coat with gold buttons – from British designer Catherine Walker, who was a firm favorite of Diana, Princess of Wales.
The Duchess teamed her outfit with a red pillbox hat designed by Gina Foster and a silver fern-shaped brooch, a symbol of New Zealand.
She has been loaned the diamond and platinum piece by the Queen, who had herself received it as a gift during a visit to Auckland 60 years ago.
Prince George was seen to be wearing a cream cardigan and matching shoes.
He will be taken to a few specific engagements throughout the trip, and the program stops on most days in the late afternoon to allow his parents to get back to him.
Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince George flew on a scheduled Qantas flight from Heathrow Airport, via Dubai, to Sydney where they transferred to a military plane.
Their engagements in New Zealand will see them take in a yacht race and visit a Maori tribe, a rugby stadium and a vineyard.
In Australia, their destinations include Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Queensland, Adelaide and Canberra.
Helping oversee the care of Prince George will be his newly-appointed nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, who stayed in the background as the royals received their official welcome to New Zealand.
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A new official photograph of Prince George with his parents, Kate Middleton and Prince William, has been released ahead of their tour of Australia and New Zealand.
The eight-month-old is pictured in Kate Middleton’s arms while Prince William holds their dog, Lupo.
In the image, taken by royal christening photographer Jason Bell, the family is looking through an open window at their Kensington Palace home.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are due to arrive in New Zealand on April 7.
They then fly to Australia on April 16 and their three-week tour ends on April 25.
In the new image, Prince George is wearing a pale blue jumper bearing his name, while Kate Middleton wears a cream-colored blouse and Prince William a shirt with rolled-up sleeves.
Prince George with his parents ahead of their Australia and New Zealand tour (photo Jason Bell)
Prince George, who is third in line to the throne, is not looking directly at the camera like his parents – instead, he is smiling at the black cocker spaniel next to him.
Other than a glimpse of the curtains, little of the Cambridges’ renovated Kensington Palace home can be seen in the photograph.
It is the first official picture of Prince George to be released since his christening last October.
The visit to Australia and New Zealand will be Prince George’s first official overseas tour. The trip echoes the Prince and Princess of Wales’s visit to Australia and New Zealand in 1983 when the couple took Prince William, then aged nine months, with them.
The tour will begin in Wellington, where Prince William and Kate Middleton will be greeted with a ceremonial welcome to New Zealand, called a Powhiri in Maori.
They will see a yacht race, visit a rugby stadium and a vineyard, and there will also be Maori engagements in Christchurch and Dunedin.
During their time in New Zealand, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend a ceremony in Blenheim to recognize the sacrifice of members of the Australian and New Zealand armed forces in the First World War.
There will be a similar commemorative ceremony in Canberra, Australia.
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Australian itinerary includes visits to Uluru in the Northern Territory, as well as Sydney and Adelaide.
They will also visit an area of the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, that was hit by bushfires last October.
Their 11-strong entourage includes Prince George’s new nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, and a hairdresser.
Prince William has made a number of official trips to Australia and New Zealand in the past, but Kate Middleton is yet to pay an official visit to either country.
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Prince George’s nanny is Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, Kensington Palace reveals.
The palace also asked for the nanny’s private life to be respected.
Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo has already started work as Prince George’s full-time nanny, the palace said.
The nanny will travel with the third in line to the throne and his parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton, to New Zealand and Australia in April.
Kensington Palace said the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were “delighted” Prince George’s nanny had joined them.
Prince George’s nanny is Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo (photo AFP)
Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, who is originally from Spain, trained at Norland College, a childcare training college in Bath, a palace spokesman said.
“As an employee of the Royal Household we would ask, please, that Maria’s privacy, and that of her family and friends, be respected,” said the spokesman.
“We will not be giving further details on Maria or her employment, except to say that the duke and duchess are of course delighted she has chosen to join them.”
The palace also said it was aware photographs had been taken of Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, and warned that these pictures were taken by a photographer who was not in possession of the correct permit.
It added that the pictures, which snapped Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo in Kensington Palace Gardens, consequently contravened the Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces Regulations 1997, and the issue was now “a matter for the Royal Parks Police”.
Prince George was born in London on July 22, 2013, and christened last October.
Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo is a full-time replacement of Prince William’s former nanny Jessie Webb, 71, who has looked after Prince George as and when the couple needed her.
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Prince George is having his first family vacation as he jetted away to the Caribbean with his mother Kate Middleton, Us Weekly reported.
Kate Middleton, 32, and 6-month-old Prince George traveled to the island of Mustique, and have also been joined by her parents Carole and Michael Middleton, brother James, and sister Pippa and her boyfriend Nico Jackson.
Prince George is having his first family vacation as he jetted away to the Caribbean with his mother Kate Middleton
Prince William joined the group last year at the same villa, but unfortunately couldn’t make it this time around as he has to continue with his Cambridge agricultural management studies.
Kate Middleton and Prince George will be heading home “[by the] end of next week,” a source told Us Weekly.
On February 11, Kate Middleton is expected to attend the National Portrait Gallery gala, her first royal engagement of 2014.
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Kate Middleton is not pregnant with baby No 2, despite tabloid reports suggesting that another royal child is on the way in 2014.
Star magazine wrote on its front page: “It’s official: Kate’s Pregnant Again!”
Kate Middleton is not pregnant with baby No 2, despite tabloid reports suggesting that another royal child is on the way in 2014
The tabloid says that pictures taken in early December of Kate Middleton pushing a stroller on the grounds of Kensington Gardens show a “developing baby bump”.
Star says that at a recent gala, Kate Middleton was “glowing”, rested her hand “gently on her stomach”, and appeared to have a “little bump”.
The tabloid further states that Queen Elizabeth was told the good news at a Christmas lunch, and that Kate’s mother, Carole Middleton, wants it to be named Diana.
Prince William and Kate Middleton are to visit New Zealand and Australia next April, Kensington Palace has said.
It is thought likely their baby son, Prince George, will also accompany them but a final decision will be made nearer the time.
If he attends, Prince George will be eight months old and on his first official overseas tour.
Prince William has made a number of official trips to Australia and New Zealand in the past.
Prince William and Kate Middleton are to visit New Zealand and Australia next April
While Kate Middleton is yet to pay an official visit to either country, she and her husband were in the media spotlight when they flew to Brisbane airport to catch a flight home at the end of their South Pacific tour in September 2012.
Their visit in April will echo the Prince and Princess of Wales’s visit to Australia and New Zealand in 1983 when the couple took William, then aged nine months old, with them.
Kensington Palace confirmed the visit but released no further details about the itinerary or how long it would last.
The statement said: “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit New Zealand and Australia in April 2014.
“Their royal highnesses have been invited to visit by the New Zealand and Australian governments. Further details on the exact dates and itinerary will be issued in due course.”
Kate Middleton attended the UK premiere of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom on December 5 wearing a gown that was already in her closet and a Zara statement necklace that cost less than $36.
The necklace, made up of five rows of clear crystal beads, is sold at Zara and retails for just 20 pounds, ($35.90).
Kate Middleton attended the UK premiere of Mandela movie wearing a gown that was already in her closet and a Zara statement necklace that cost less than $36
Kate Middleton, 31, paired the necklace with a cream-colored Roland Mouret “Lombard” dress.
The UK premiere of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom – based on the life of Nelson Mandela — coincided with the death of the first black president of South Africa.
Nelson Mandela died yesterday at the age of 95.
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Prince George’s christening has started at the Chapel Royal in London.
Prince George, who is third in line to the British throne, is being baptized by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The christening has been announced as a private event, with only senior royals, four members of the Middleton family, the seven godparents and their spouses invited.
Prince George, son of Prince William and Kate Middleton, was born in London on July 22nd.
The ceremony is expected to last about 45 minutes, after which Prince Charles will host a tea at Clarence House.
Prince George’s godparents, announced earlier, are Oliver Baker, Emilia Jardine-Paterson, Earl Grosvenor, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, Julia Samuel, William van Cutsem and Zara Tindall.
Prince George’s christening has started at the Chapel Royal in London
Zara Phillips, wife of former England rugby player Mike Tindall, is Prince William’s cousin, while the other six godparents are all friends of the royal couple.
Prince George is being baptized in a replica of the lace and satin christening gown made for Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter, Victoria, the Princess Royal, in 1841.
Prince William and Kate Middleton chose two hymns, two lessons and two anthems for the christening.
The hymns are Breathe on Me, Breath of God and Be Thou My Vision.
Lessons from St Luke and St John will be read by Pippa Middleton and Prince Harry, and the anthems are Blessed Jesu! Here we Stand and the Lord Bless You and Keep You.
After the ceremony, celebrity photographer Jason Bell will take a picture of Queen Elizabeth and Princes Charles, William and George together.
The photo will echo a 1894 picture from the christening of the future Edward VIII, showing him with his father, grandfather and great-grandmother – George V, Edward VII and Queen Victoria.
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