Wednesday, September 25, 2024

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Katy Perry set out to create a "celebratory" feel with her new album '143'. The 'Lifetimes' hitmaker's latest record...
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Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s honeymoon location to be solar farm


The historic estate where Britain's Prince Charles and Princess Diana spent their honeymoon is being turned into a solar farm.
The land on the Broadlands Estate in Hampshire - where Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip also honeymooned - is to be developed into a solar farm the size of more than 80 football pitches.
The country house - which is owned by Lord and Lady Brabourne - will be the home to 57,000 solar panels.
Broadlands Estate's manager Richard Jordon Barker previously claimed the proposal was "vital" to the estate and would not create traffic or noise issues.
And planning inspector Sukie Tamplin insisted the pros far outweighed the cons of the project.
She explained: "In terms of the landscape, I have found that there would be some harm, but that this would reduce over time as the landscaping and biodiversity measures mature."
The decision marks the end of a second lengthy planning battle over proposals for the estate, which was the former home of Lord Mountbatten.

Sweden’s Prince Nicolas baptised

Sweden's Prince Nicolas was baptised yesterday (12.10.15). Princess Madeleine and her husband Christopher O'Neil were joined by 150 guests at the christening of their newborn son Nicolas Paul Gustaf near Stockholm. The service was also broadcast live...

Duchess Catherine meets with bipolar sufferer


Britain's Duchess Catherine met with a girl who suffers from bipolar disorder on World Mental Health Day.
The 33-year-old royal - who has children Prince George and Princess Charlotte with husband Prince William - bonded with Emma Peacock, 19, after learning she'd been misdiagnosed with ADHD at the age of eight despite being bipolar.
Emma told Duchess Catherine: "I made the mistake of telling my friends first. That was not a good idea. Because they didn't understand, they stigmatised it and I was excluded."
Offering her sympathies to the teenager, Catherine asked whether she'd found it hard to discuss her condition with her mother as she too doesn't like to worry her family.
Emma responded: "I was so scared my family would worry, you always want to protect your family, so I found it really hard."
The brunette beauty - who attended the event at Harrow College in north London with her husband, the Duke of Cambridge - also spoke to the girl's mother Nadine, asking how her daughter's diagnosis had affected her.
According to People magazine, Nadine said: "When your child is going through such difficulties and anxieties, and struggling with mental health, it is heartbreaking. A lot of her friends wouldn't talk about it because it was taboo."



Portraits of Royal Family unveiled at auction this week


The earliest portraits of Britain's Queen Elizabeth are to be unveiled at an auction this week.
A stunning collection of photographs of the Royal Family, which date back to the 20s, are set to go on sale at the Dominic Winter auction house in Cirencester, Gloucestershire on Thursday (15.10.15).
Auctioneer Chris Albury said: "These royal photographs form a wonderful series of up close and captivating portraits across four generations of British royal family life.
"It is very interesting to see so many photos like this all together.
"It is almost like time lapse photography following The Queen from newborn up until her teens and later, when she becomes a mum."
The images - taken by royal photographer Marcus Adams - were accidentally uncovered at the late photographer's home in Wiltshire earlier this year after his widow passed away.
The collection includes snaps of Queen Elizabeth II from the age of 12, her sister Princess Margaret, her son Prince Charles, daughter Princess Anne and parents Elizabeth and George VI.
Marcus Adams and his father Walton and son Gilbert were some of the leading royal photographers in the 20th Century.
They were frequently commissioned by George VI and Queen Elizabeth to document their young family through the years.
The set of photos are expected to fetch up to £300, except a collection of ten standard portraits of the Royal Family, which is expected to go for £500.

Prince Harry ‘proud’ of England’s Rugby World Cup


Britain's Prince Harry has spoken of his pride at having England host the Rugby World Cup.
The 30-year-old royal - who is vice patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) - and his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, welcomed 400 guests to Buckingham Palace last night (12.10.15) to mark England's staging of the prestigious tournament.
Prince Harry said in a speech: "Although only half way through, we have witness some truly memorable moments, and one or two upsets!
"Each nation has played with a level of commitment that has made this such an exciting and unpredictable tournament, engaging new fans like never before.
"It has also grown into the largest tournament to date.
"We have seen capacity crowds and new Rugby World Cup attendance records."
Expressing his disappointment at England getting knocked out of the competition by Australia earlier this month, he added: "England may no longer be represented on the pitch, but as a nation we are incredibly proud to be hosting such a successful tournament."
Meanwhile, Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw - who led his team to victory against Samoa on the weekend and will now face Australia in the quarter finals - revealed Harry gave the Aussies "a bit of stick" for defeating England.
He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Prince Harry asked us how we were getting on. He's quite relaxed and he knows his rugby.
"He admitted [supporting England] and he was giving the Aussie guys a bit of stick as well for what's happened in recent weeks."
And England player James Haskell confessed it was an honour to be invited to Buckingham Palace despite not reaching the quarter finals.
He said: "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet the Queen.
"I drive by Buckingham Palace a lot and have always wondered what it's like to be inside."

Queen and Prince Harry to welcome rugby stars to Buckingham Palace


Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry will welcome stars of the Rugby World Cup at a reception at Buckingham Palace this evening (12.10.15).
The Queen - who is patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) - and her grandson will be accompanied her husband Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh and her daughter Anne, Princess Royal at the event later this mo
In addition to players from competing teams, the 400 person strong guest-list will also feature players' partners, staff and volunteers from the tournament and senior officials from England Rugby 2015, the RFU and World Rugby and Rugby World Cup Ltd.
Prince Harry - who is vice patron of the RGU, honorary president of England 2015 and a dedicated England fan - is expected to make a short speech at the glittering reception.
This comes after he spoke of his love of rugby at a welcoming party for the 20 nations competing in the sporting event.
He said: "As a passionate rugby fan, I will share in the rollercoaster of emotions with millions of other fans around the world between now and October 31.
"I believe that this World Cup - more than any before - has the potential to grow the game, both at home and abroad, by inspiring children of all backgrounds, and encouraging men and women of all ages and abilities, to embrace rugby."

Monaco’s Princess Stephanie thought she should have died with mum Grace Kelly


Monaco's Princess Stephanie thought she "should have died too" when her mother Grace Kelly was killed in a car crash.
The 50-year-old royal and her famous mum were travelling home from their farm in Rocagel, France, when they were involved in an accident on September 13, 1982, which subsequently led to the death of the actress the next day.
Stephanie, who was 17 at the time, has admitted it took her a long time to get over the loss of her mother because she was wracked with anger and torment for many years.
Speaking in France's Point de Vue magazine, she said of Grace's death: "After I got over my anger, got past the sense of injustice that was inside me, instead of feeling sorry for myself, I said, 'Wait! Logically, you should have died too."
However, the brunette beauty later realised there must have been a reason she didn't die along with her mum on that tragic day and it encouraged her to fulfil her dreams in life.
She explained: "[I thought], 'If I was kept alive it was for a reason. You have a place in this world. You have to find it.' "

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have ‘playful’ relationship


Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a "playful" relationship.
The royal pair, who have been named the world's most powerful couple, tied the knot in 2011 and have children Prince George, two, and five-month-old daughter Princess Charlotte together and, although they have their hands full with their brood and duties, relationship experts believe their romance is so strong because they have fun together.
Body language expert Judi James told MailOnline: "The men of the royal family are often celebrated sporting figures, whilst their wives sometimes take a slightly more compliant role. I think William loves the fact that Kate joins in and they can share these moments, but also that they have this competitive, playful side to their relationship."
She added: "It shows that, despite being the future King and Queen of England, they are actually a rather normal couple, too, who like to joke around with each other."
And it's believed their mutual love of sport is what drew them to one another in the first place.
Dating site eHarmony.co.uk's relationship expert, Jemima Wade, said: "Having something in common is a great way to bond early on in a relationship. Both Kate and Wills are rather sporty, even going as far as wearing matching jackets during a sailing event, and the pair were snapped just last week at the Rugby World Cup, too. If you're both invested in a hobby together - like sports - then the emotion and shared passion attached to this is powerful stuff."

Prince Charles’ poetry clips


Clarence House has released clips of Britain's Prince Charles reading poetry to mark National Poetry Day.
The royal residence in London shared a series of short podcasts of the 66-year-old Prince dictating works by Robert Burns and Dylan Thomas to promote the annual campaign.
The royal - who is the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip - recorded the poems over a series of years but they were pulled together in celebration of the national day.
National Poetry Day, which is held on October 8, aims to encourage more people to read poems, while celebrating the talents who have created the works over many years.
Clarence House shared the moving clips via its official Twitter account along with the hashtag '#NationalPoetryDay.'
Meanwhile, Charles has a busy year coming up as he and his wife Duchess Camilla, 67, are set to tour New Zealand next month as part of a six-day trip.
The royal couple, who haven't visited the country for three years, are set to jet to Taranaki on the North of the island after they bypassed it during their last tour.
New Plymouth Mayor, Andrew Judd, told Stuff.co.nz: "They haven't truly visited the country if they don't come to Taranaki. There's just so much to see and enjoy."
Charles and Camilla's itinerary is yet to be officially announced but details surrounding the trip are due to be released next week by the Department of Internal Affairs.

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