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Duchess Catherine’s Downton Abbey awe


Duchess Catherine was in awe of the 'Downton Abbey' costumes when she visited the set of the TV series.
The royal - who has been praised for her style - chatted with costume designer Anna Robbins when she met the cast and crew at London's Ealing Studios earlier this year.
Michelle Dockery, who plays Lady Mary Crawley, told OK! magazine: "She talked extensively to Anna Robbins, our costume designer. She has a history of art degree so that was the bit she was interested in. It's lovely seeing people's reaction when they come on set. Even Kate, you could see how in awe she was with what she was seeing! It was lovely to see how she reacted."
And Michelle admitted meeting Catherine was one of the "most exciting days on set" for the 'Downton Abbey cast and crew.
She said: "It was one of the most magical days. The excitement and the anticipation leading up to the moment she stepped on set was amazing. She is so gorgeous. Her presence was beautiful and she is so friendly. I've been privileged enough to get to know her sister Pippa and brother James [Middleton] - they're a lovely family."

More date nights for Prince William and Duchess Catherine


The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are reportedly planning more date nights.
The couple - who tied the knot four years ago and have children Prince George, two and six-month-old Princess Charlotte together - are said to have asked Queen Elizabeth to arrange their schedules so they can spend more time together.
Catherine and William are planning a trip to Mustique but also want to enjoy more date nights in London.
A source told America's OK magazine: "Kate and Wills are determined to keep the romance alive and put their love first."
William and Catherine got engaged in 2010 with William revealed he proposed on a holiday in Kenya.
He said: "I had been carrying the ring around with me in my rucksack for about three weeks before that and I literally would not let it go, everywhere I went I was keeping hold of it because I knew this thing, if it disappeared I would be in a lot of trouble and because I'd planned it, it went fine. You hear a lot of horror stories about proposing and things going horribly wrong - it went really, really well and I was really pleased she said yes."
Catherine added: "It was very romantic. There's a true romantic in there."

Queen Elizabeth sued over diamond


Britain's Queen Elizabeth is being sued over a diamond.
The royal Koh-i-Noor stone in the Queen Mother's crown is worth a reported £100m and is currently part of Britain's crown jewels but a group calling itself the Mountain of Light claims the diamond was stolen from India and have demanded the UK government returns it.
The diamond was presented to Queen Victoria in 1850, by the Marquess of Dalhousie, the British governor-general of Punjab.
According to the British Independent newspaper, David de Souza from the group said: "The Koh-i-noor is one of the many artifacts taken from India under dubious circumstances. Colonisation did not only rob our people of wealth, it destroyed the country's psyche itself," he said.
Bollywood star Bhumicka Singh, added: "The Koh-i-noor is not just a 105-carat stone, but part of our history and culture and should undoubtedly be returned."
British MP Keith Vaz previously called for the diamond to be returned this month, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the UK.
He said: "What a wonderful moment it would be, if when PM Modi finishes his visit, he returns to India with the promise of the diamond's return."

Princes William and Harry offered Hewitt letters


Prince William and Prince Harry were offered the chance to buy James' Hewitt's letters written by their mother.
The former cavalry officer had a high-profile affair with Princess Diana, who died in 1997, and James has recently been accused of trying to sell correspondence from the princess and William, written almost 30 years ago.
His Los Angeles-based dealer Gary Zimet revealed he first offered to sell the letters to the princes, via their lawyers Harbottle & Lewis, before putting them on the market.
He told the Mail on Sunday: "I thought it was the decent thing to do. It was easy to find out who their lawyer is from the internet, so I wrote to Mr Tyrrell and attached scans of the letters and cards and wrote, 'Kindly advise if William and Harry would be interested in acquiring these letters and cards which I am selling on behalf of James Hewitt.'"
Meanwhile, James' friend Alan Darlow has claimed he had no plans to sell the letters but just wanted to put Mr Zimet off and quoted a large sum in order to "discourage him".
He told The Times: "[James] had made it quite clear he did not wish to sell. He therefore gave him a high figure to discourage him."
However, James admitted to trying to sell the letters 10 years ago, saying: "I was offered £10 million and was interested to see if that was bona fide and it turned out not to be."
Mr Zimet said he initially approached Hewitt about selling the letters, who agreed and asked him to be discreet.
He said: "I am ultra aggressive about going after material. About 18 months ago I wrote a letter to 'James Hewitt, Devon' and it got to him.
"I was told privacy was paramount because Hewitt was worried about the fall-out if it became public. He needs money, pure and simple."

Pope Francis to visit Queen Maxima?


Pope Francis may visit Holland to meet Queen Maxima.
The 78-year-old Pontiff and the 44-year-old royal were both born in Argentina and Pope Francis recently revealed he would consider a trip to the Netherlands to meet the queen.
According to online publication trouw.nl, he told Dutch reporters: "The door is not closed, it is not impossible. And now that the Netherlands has an Argentine queen, who knows."
Meanwhile, Queen Maxima has recovered after being admitted to hospital in The Hague late last month.
The royal had to cut short a state visit to China when she was diagnosed with a kidney infection. She flew back to Holland and was admitted to hospital for treatment.
Her husband Willem-Alexander stayed on in China and complete his itinerary with Chinese officials.
After the news that Maxima was returning to Holland early was announced, King Willem-Alexander tweeted: "Many thanks for all the wishes for a speedy recovery. I will pass them on to my wife."
However, she has made a swift recovery and the couple are currently on a visit to the UK.
Willem-Alexander became king in 2013 after the abdication of his mother, Queen Beatrix and the couple have three daughters together.

Prince Charles meets pen pal


Britain's Prince Charles met his pen pal in New Zealand.
The heir to the British throne and his wife Duchess Camilla are currently on a tour of the country where they met Tibbeth Smith, 80, who sends Prince Charles a birthday and Christmas card every year.
She said: "He gave me a peck on the cheek. Charles is my favourite without a doubt and I was just so happy to meet him. I don't write to anyone else - just Charles and Camilla.
"I get letters back from them, but they are never signed. I told Camilla about all of the letters and she said it was nice to be able to put a face to the name. I gave her a big hug too. It was absolutely wonderful."
"I sent them one when they got married too. I was so very happy when they got together.
Tibbeth said meeting the pair was a dream come true for her and she had been eagerly anticipating their visit to New Zealand.
She told Stuff.co.nz: "I was so excited to meet them. To be so close to him, oh I never dreamt that was going to happen."
"I haven't been able to sleep for a week and I don't think I'm going to sleep tonight after that."

No stylist for Sophie, Countess of Wessex


Britain's Countess of Wessex doesn't use a stylist.
Countess Sophie, 50, has been named on Best Dressed lists alongside Duchess Catherine and Amal Clooney thanks to her own impeccable fashion taste.
A boutique owner, whose shop Sophie often buys from, told PEOPLE: "She looks incredible. She does it all herself, and a very good job she is doing too."
Sophie previously admitted she "wrestled" with the fact her style and fashion choices would be talked about by others but has since learned it is a part of being well known.
She said: "I remember having a chat with somebody and them saying, 'You know you've got to understand that this is part and parcel of what you're doing. When you walk into a room, yes people are going to talk about what you're doing there, but they're also going to want to know what you're wearing.'
"I sort of wrestled with that one for a little while and slightly caved in at the end of the day."
Talking about her own personal style, she added: "I know what I like and what I don't like, but I have never had a stylist. I have a couple of places for clothes and I've being going to (hatmaker) Jane (Taylor) for years."

Prince Daniel opens up about kidney transplant


Sweden's Prince Daniel has spoken out about his kidney transplant.
The royal - who married Crown Princess Victoria in 2010 - admitted he wasn't previously comfortable talking about the procedure but wants to encourage other people to donate organs.
He told the Swedish magazine Dagens Industri: "I didn't think it was much fun to discuss it. It was something that felt private. But I recently came to see that I need to be able to contribute in any way I can. If you are willing to receive a donated organ, either for yourself or for a relative, then you must be willing to donate yourself."
Daniel's father donated a kidney to his son and the prince said he saw immediate results.
He explained: "When the kidneys aren't working properly, the blood becomes poisoned. Just a few hours after the transplant, I felt so clean and clear, it was amazing."
Daniel and his wife - who he met when he was her personal trainer- welcomed a daughter Princess Estelle in 2012 and Victoria is currently pregnant with their second child.


Prince William’s emotional tribute to fallen friends


Britain's Prince William paid an emotional tribute to his friends who died in Iraq and Afghanistan on Remembrance Sunday (08.11.15).
The second-in-line to the British throne attached a handwritten note to a wreath of poppies as the country united to remember those who have died at war.
He wrote: "For Jo, Lex and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country."
The note refers to Joanna Dyer, a 2nd lieutenant who trained alongside William, and Major Alexis Roberts, who was his platoon commander at Sandhurst.
Lieutenant Dyer died in a roadside bomb blast near Basra, Iraq in April 2007 while Major Roberts was fatally injured in an explosion en route to Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan in October 2007.
William joined his grandparents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, brother Prince Harry, uncle Prince Andrew and aunt Princess Anne at the ceremony at the Cenotaph in London.
His wife Duchess Catherine watched from the balcony of the Foreign Office building alongside Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Princess Anne's husband Timothy Laurence and King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.

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