On Monday, Prince Albert II of Monaco and his fiancee Charlene Wittstock arrive in Dublin, Ireland for a three-day state visit. It is a bit unusual for royal couple to travel abroad officially before their marriage, but they've also had one of the longest royal engagements in recent history. They announced their engagement last summer, months before Prince William of Wales and Katherine Middleton, but the British couple will still make it to the altar months ahead of the Monagesques. Charlene, like Catherine, also has a lot to live up to: her future husband's mother was also glamorous and popularly beloved and also died in a tragic car crash.
04 April 2011
Today's Pic: Charlene in Ireland
On Monday, Prince Albert II of Monaco and his fiancee Charlene Wittstock arrive in Dublin, Ireland for a three-day state visit. It is a bit unusual for royal couple to travel abroad officially before their marriage, but they've also had one of the longest royal engagements in recent history. They announced their engagement last summer, months before Prince William of Wales and Katherine Middleton, but the British couple will still make it to the altar months ahead of the Monagesques. Charlene, like Catherine, also has a lot to live up to: her future husband's mother was also glamorous and popularly beloved and also died in a tragic car crash.
03 April 2011
Today's Pic: Princess Training for Girls
If only I were 10 years old again...
This week, Jerramy Fine offered young girls a sneak peak of her upcoming Princess Prep camp in London. With three sessions offered, the princesses will experience etiquette lessons, tea at Kensington Palace, horse riding in Hyde Park, a royal wedding walking tour, a day at Hampton Court Palace, visits to the crown jewels a d Buckingham Palace, volunteer work with a royal charity, a night at the theatre and more. They are planning an interest meeting in New York in May. If you are interested, check their web site.
Ms. Fine is the author of the delightful book, "Someday My Prince Will Come," which follows her own youthful quest to become a princess herself. You can read my review here.
Or buy the book from Amazon:
02 April 2011
10 Things You Don't Know about Prince William
6. He was the youngest royal globetrotter.
Prince William spent his first birthday on the other side of the planet in Australia. His mother, reportedly, refused to leave him behind when she and Prince Charles went Down Under for an official royal tour. William stayed with his nanny in one place while his parents periodically bounced back to him from various locations. This added complication to an exhausting tour schedule was never again repeated. Like royal babies before him, he was left at home in the future. William did not go on royal tour again until, as teenagers, he and his brother accompanied their father to Canada.
7. He did not spend a lot of time with his parents.
As a child, Prince William spent a lot of time without either of his parents. Not only were the Prince and Princess of Wales often traveling for their royal duties, but they also sent William to boarding school. So even when they were "home" in London, he was often away at school. Once Charles and Diana began leading separate lives, William's time away from school had to be split between the two of them, decreasing how much time he could spend with either of them.
8. However, he did enjoy time with both of his parents.
Even though Diana died when William was 15 and Harry 12, the media and much of the public give her full credit for how well they turned out. Surely Charles at least deserves some credit for how they dealt with that overwhelming grief. Since Charles is less popular and did most of his parenting in private, his contributions are often overlooked. While Diana took her boys on well-publicized visits to theme parks and fast food restaurants where the photographers were sure to follow, their time with their father was usually spent away from the prying lenses enjoying the royal family's traditional country activities, deerstalking, fishing, etc. Sometimes at the beginning of an extended holiday with dad, Charles did invite the media for a brief photo shoot. In fact, he and the boys had a short photo call at Balmoral just days before Diana's death and it was at Balmoral that Charles and the Queen kept the grieving young princes away from the media frenzy in the days following her tragic death.
9. He almost didn't walk behind Diana's cortege.
Reportedly shy as a youngster and completely overwhelmed by his mother's loss, Prince William nearly decided not to walk with his father, brother and uncle Spencer on the day of Diana's internationally televised funeral. This anxiety explains the surprising appearance of the then 76-year-old Prince Philip among the walking mourners. It's widely reported that there was little love lost between the elderly prince and his late daughter-in-law, but he offered to walk to help provide more support for his grandsons. The strength of that grandfatherly bond is perhaps reflected by the fact that Philip walked right beside the wavering William.
10. He could save your life.
If you find yourself in a precarious situation along the Welsh coast, the team sent to assist you could very well include an officer called William Wales. Princes of the past rode to the rescue on a trusty steed; Prince William takes a more modern approach: he arrives in a Sea King helicopter. As a search-and-rescue pilot, Prince William has already flown several such missions, a few of which have received media attention. It's reported that university applications surged when he announced where he would study. Let's hope these same folks aren't risking their lives in order to try to meet the prince today.
Read Items 1-5 in my Yahoo article.
For more about Prince William and the royal wedding:
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