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Queen photographed for new exhibition


Britain's Queen Elizabeth, Prince William and the Duchess of Cornwall have been photographed for a new exhibition.
Taken by Hugo Rittson Thomas, the series of portraits show members of the royal family from several angles at once and will form part of an exhibit named 'The Queen's People'.
Speaking about the project, Hugo said: "It was a privilege to photograph her majesty and other members of the royal family and to blend the history and traditions of royal life with a modern photographic style. I hope people will enjoy seeing these photographs as much as I enjoyed making them."
The glossy images of the three royals shows them in their traditional uniforms, with The Queen wearing a red coatdress designed by her personal dresser Angela Kelly, as well as the Waterloo badge of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and black court shoes.
Meanwhile, 33-year-old father-of-two William was photographed in his Irish Guards military frockcoat while Duchess Camilla, 68, wore a Bruce Oldfield-designed outfit and a brooch which was gifted to her by Her Majesty on her 60th birthday.
The images form part of an exhibit of 50 formally posed portraits which will run from August 19 to September 19 at the Eleven gallery in London.

Cressida Bonas’ parents ‘don’t approve’ of new beau


Cressida Bonas' parents don't "approve" of her new boyfriend, Edward Holcroft.
The parents of Britain's Prince Harry's ex-girlfriend are not a fan of her latest crush - who she reportedly began dating last month - and much preferred her former royal beau, who she dated from 2012 to 2014.
A source revealed: "Cressida is upset with her parents because neither have met Ed. Cressie is really into Ed and desperately wants her parents to meet him and for them to approve. She has been giving them the full silent treatment.
"Usually they are very welcoming of Cressida's friends. Harry spent quite a bit of time at Jeffrey's house in Norfolk. Mary and Jeffrey got on well with Harry. They approved of him."
And the 25-year-old model's parents, 1960s model Lady Mary Gaye Curzon and Old Harrovian businessman Jeffrey Bonas, are believed to not be confident in their daughter's choice in partner because they believe actors can be "non-committal", despite the fact she has also carved out a career in acting.
The source continued: "They are not convinced she should be with an actor. I think they feel actors tend to be flighty and non-committal."
Meanwhile, another source described the 27-year-old 'Wolf Hall' hunk as "fabulous" and admitted they were perplexed by Cressida's parents disapproval.
They told the Daily Mail newspaper: "The thing that is so baffling is that there is nothing not to like about Ed. He's Hugh Grant handsome, has been singled out by Harvey Weinstein as the next big star, and is a fabulous actor with a great future."

Queen Elizabeth to mark longest reign with railway opening


Britain's Queen Elizabeth will mark becoming the longest reigning monarch by opening a railway line.
The 89-year-old monarch will surpass her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria's record on September 9 and will mark the occasion by travelling by steam train from Edinburgh to Tweedbank near Galashiels to open the Borders Railway - the UK's biggest new domestic railway line for more than a century.
Keith Brown, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure in the Scottish Government, said: "It is a great honour for us that Her Majesty has chosen to mark this milestone by leading the celebrations for the opening of the Borders Railway.
"The people of the Borders and Midlothian have waited almost half a century to see the return of their railway and it is fitting that these two such historic events coincide.
"This will be a double celebration and we are also ensuring that the people who have campaigned, worked hard and shown such patience throughout this process are able to play a full part in the celebrations, with a separate day dedicated just to them."
Elizabeth - who became Queen on February 6 1952, aged 25 - will be accompanied on the journey by the Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, with the event acting as a visible reminder of her love of Scotland, a year after the nation held an independence referendum.
The Queen and her husband Prince Philip will be part of opening celebrations at Edinburgh's Waverley Station before embarking on their journey, with the details being announced by Buckingham Palace and the Scottish Government as they finalise preparations for the £300 million line's opening.

Prince Harry’s bike up for sale


A golden bicycle given to Britain's Prince Harry has been put up for auction.
The two-wheeled vehicle was spray-painted gold by members of the Student Volunteer Army and presented to the British royal during his trip to New Zealand in May, although he was unable to take it back to England "due to shipping issues".
The description of the item on trademe.co.nz reads: "A glorious bike made for a Prince, was done up by members of the student volunteer Army as a gift for prince Harry on his visit to the University of Canterbury. However due to shipping issues Harry was not able to take the bike back home with him."
Although the 30-year-old prince was unable to take it home, he did "examine and touch" it, according to the listing, even though he wasn't allowed to ride it on the day.
The seller revealed: "Unfortunately due to the weather the day he visited he was unable to ride it, although he did examine and touch the bike."
And fans of the red-haired royal have been quick to get involved in the charity auction - which is raising funds for the victims of March's Vanuatu cyclone which claimed the lives of 11 people - with bids already exceeding 325 New Zealand Dollars (£137), despite the fact it will not end until 9pm on August 12.
The listing added: "All money from the auction will go towards helping the relief effort after the Vanuatu cyclone. The bike has had a full service and so is beautiful to ride."

British royal residences visitor numbers drop


Profits from Britain's royal residences fell by 24 per cent last year.
The latest accounts show the attractions earned £6.9 million from April 2013 to March 2014, but these profits fell to £5.2 million the following year - a decrease of £1.7 million.
The accounts filed by Royal Collection Enterprises also show the total number of visitors at the attractions fell by more than 80,000 from the previous year's total of 2.55 million, with an 11 per cent decrease in visitors at London's Buckingham Palace alone.
The Daily Mail newspaper reports sales of merchandise have also plummeted by 19 per cent, with the huge drops being blamed on the "Kate effect", suggesting the public are losing interest in the royal family following the royal wedding of Duchess Catherine and Prince William in 2011.
In the year subsequent to their wedding at Westminster Abbey, profits surged with £10 million in ticket sales being recorded as well as a record number of visitors at Buckingham Palace as members of the public rushed to see the Duchess' wedding dress which stood on display.
A spokesman for the Royal Collection Trust explained: "The decrease is largely due to the absence of a special royal event."
Since the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge got married, other milestone events have included the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the 60th anniversary of the Coronation.

Prince Charles: Society has pushed nature into the background


Britain's Prince Charles claims society has "pushed nature into the background".
The 65-year-old royal has made clear his views on sustainability in the past but has now insisted we put "an economic value" on nature in order to protect it.
He said: "I think above all else you have to - and I've been trying to say this for a long time - you have to put an economic value on what nature gives us.
"For so many years, hundreds of years, we've pushed nature into the background and we've exploited, we've taken, we've put nothing back.
"And we somehow imagine that we are separate from nature, it just exists somewhere else, that you go on exploiting."
The prince went on to say it's vital there is an "integrated approach" to farming between small and large firms because food manufacture by "gigantic corporations" will be bad for food supplies in the long-term.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4 for two editions of their programme 'On Your Farm' about biodiversity and rural communities, he said: "I happen to think the small farmer, the small holder, is absolutely crucial to the maintenance of food security.
"It can't all be done by gigantic corporations.
"Some of them try but a lot of them are not interested in biodiversity or culture or rural communities.
"So actually putting biodiversity at the heart of farming systems is absolutely crucial because of water supply and all the things that nature actually gives us in the long-term."

Sarah Ferguson moves out of Prince Andrew’s home


Sarah Ferguson has moved out of the home she shared with Britain's Prince Andrew.
The pair - who divorced after a decade of marriage in 1996, but have remained close ever since - have lived together at the 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor since 2008 but she has now moved to a ski chalet in Switzerland which they purchased together earlier this year.
A spokesman for the 55-year-old writer confirmed the move, describing her as an "independent unit".
He said: "She will be spending the majority of her time in Switzerland.
"She is now very much an independent unit with a lot of professional commitments."
Prince Andrew, also 55, is believed to be staying in the house - which belonged to the Queen Mother before her death in 2002 - along with the couple's younger daughter Eugenie, 25, while 26-year-old Beatrice lives in London.
Speculation about the move was sparked when a removal van was seen taking boxes and furniture from the residence on July 24 before arriving in Verbier, Switzerland, four days later.
The chalet - named Chalet Helora - was bought as a "family investment" earlier this year for the price of £13 million and features seven bedrooms, a swimming pool, a large sun terrace and six staff members.
The news comes as Sarah's rumoured relationship with internet tycoon Manuel Fernandez heats up, with a source previously suggesting they are "besotted" with each other.
However, Prince Andrew and Sarah have stayed close friends since their split with the Duchess admitting she would be homeless without her ex-husband and Andrew once describing themselves as "the happiest divorced couple in the world".

Britain’s Prince Charles creates apple ‘gene bank’


Britain's Prince Charles has created a "gene bank" for apples.
The 66-year-old royal has planted 1,000 varieties of rare and historic apple trees at his Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire in an attempt to protect the future of the much-loved fruit.
David Wilson, who manages Home Farm, where the trees are being grown a short distance from the estate, said: "The main reason for planting the orchard was genetic conservation, which is a theme the Prince of Wales regards as one of the central strands of sustainability."
The Prince - who celebrated his 10th wedding anniversary with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall earlier this year - insists the fruit is grown organically and has embarked on the mission to save rare trees after becoming concerned about the lack of variation in supermarkets.
According to David, Charles wants there to be a wider genetic mix on sale instead of a few dominant varieties, so has included trees brought to the UK by a Roman general and another from Isaac Newton's garden for the orchard.
He added: "We depend on fewer genes than ever for our food due to control of breeding programmes by global companies.
"This theme extends to rare breed livestock and old varieties of cereal as well as vegetables."

Prince Charles appointed to new roles in New Zealand military


Britain's Prince Charles has been given three new New Zealand military positions.
The eldest son of Queen Elizabeth has been appointed Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal New Zealand Navy, Field Marshall of the New Zealand Army and Marshal of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, by his mother.
Chair of Monarchy of New Zealand, Dr Sean Palmer, said: "While these positions are honorary and do not have an operational role, they are important.
"Royal appointments are both an honour for the regiment or defence force as well as a reminder of the forces loyalty to the head of state who represents all New Zealanders."
The British monarchy have long held positions within the military in the country and Prince Charles now shares the roles with his father Prince Philip, making them both the preeminent ceremonial officers in the branches of the nation's defence forces.
The 66-year-old royal has served as Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Air Force since 1977 and was awarded the New Zealand Armed Forces Award during his last visit to the country in 2012.

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