Thursday, February 28, 2019

Half Term Went Swimmingly For George And Charlotte!


Cambridge Family At Amner Hall
The Cambridge family returned to London on Sunday, marking the end of half term holidays for George and Charlotte.

The family spent the half term at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall. The prince and princess would have had fun exploring the Sandringham Estate - perhaps using Anmer Hall's tennis courts or riding ponies.

Baby brother Prince Louis in now 10 months old and the Duchess recently told a member of the public that the Louis is a very fast crawler. No doubt he enjoyed the company of his siblings. 

Catherine took the older two children to a luxury Norfolk hotel complex on the Tuesday to use the swimming pool. According to the Daily Mail:

Wearing a maroon swimsuit, she tried to blend in amongst relaxing couples but onlookers quickly spotted the family during their half-hour splash about. 


Kate, 37, apparently organised swimming races for the children and afterwards they practised little dives off the side. The royal trio then all went into the sauna and steam room. 
Arriving Back At Kensington Palace
One onlooker told the Mail: ‘Kate looked stunning. She had full make up one while she was in the pool. And she had drop pearl earrings and her engagement ring. ‘Her hair up in a butterfly type hair clip and looked extremely elegant.’ 

The royal fan said that both George and Charlotte were impeccably behaved. ‘The children were very well behaved and both were practising their diving from the side,’ they said. 
‘Kate was organising little races for them and they did it around four or five times. She said "ready, steady go" and did a downward chopping action in the water to indicate the start of the race.’ 

Apparently George, naturally, won all the races. They said: ‘He was swimming front like a dog paddle style and jumping in from a squatting position the side. 
'Charlotte was doing sitting dives. She was squatting on the side with her arms up in dive position, she kept saying "Look mummy I’m diving in". 

‘Kate was very encouraging. At one point George went under and Kate had to grab him, he became a bit tearful and clung to her but then he soon went off again.’ 
Neither the little prince and princess had arm bands on and were ‘super confidant’ in the water. 
Both William and Kate are good swimmers themselves and are clearly keen to pass on confidence in the water to their children. 
‘Both the children swam unaided and were super confident,’ the source said. ‘They went under the quite forceful jets in the water. Kate politely asked us if it was ok for them to switch it on. 
‘They were doing little jumps off the side into her arms. Kate did not move from their sides. George did ask to go outside to use the hot tub but she said "No". 

‘When the children tried to jump in the water , Kate frequently indicated "No" and shook her finger and then she pointed out the no diving signs to both children who then seemed appeased. 
‘They went into the steam room and sauna for a four or five minutes each. ‘From my experience, both are usually out of bounds to children under 14.’

Monday, February 18, 2019

Half Term For George And Charlotte


The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have cleared their diaries for this week for a very special reason. Prince George, 5 and Princess Charlotte, 3 are enjoying half term break from Thomas's Battersea and Willcocks Nursery School respectively.

This time in 2016, when Charlotte was 10 months old the Cambridge family headed for a snowy holiday in the French Alps. Photos were released upon their return and they were able to enjoy the break in relative privacy.

Whether they head to the ski slopes for Prince Louis' first winter holiday or stay at their country home Anmer Hall in Sandringham remains to be seen. 

Meanwhile, Catherine took young Louis for a stroll in Kensington Palace Gardens on Valentine's Day. By all accounts the Duchess was friendly to passers-by and was dressed in skinny jeans and coat.

And for Baby Sussex news...

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are still hoping to move into Frogmore Cottage in Windsor in March. The new home is being renovated at a cost of 3 million pounds but there is still much work to be done including roofing. 

Harry and Meghan's baby is due in the spring but dates are not known. Perhaps early April? The couple are hoping to be in their new home in time for the baby's arrival so depending on building works they may still be in Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace.

It has also emerged that the Cambridge and Sussex courts will also split soon. Until now Prince William and Prince Harry shared staff but this is to change. 

When the Queen passes away and Prince Charles becomes King, William will be invested as Prince of Wales and also assume the title Duke of Cornwall. The Duchy is a huge business and alongside William's new roles in the royal firm, it will mean his responsibilities will be very different to that of Harry.



Saturday, February 2, 2019

Baby Sussex


The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have certainly had a busy time since becoming engaged in November 2017.

Meghan moved to London from Toronto where she was an actress on the television series Suits. The couple has been living in Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace but will move to Frogmore Cottage, Windsor in March before the birth of their first baby. 

Since their wedding at St George's Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle last May, the couple has quickly established Meghan as a "working Royal" and introduced her to royal engagements which she frequently now does solo.

The day after arriving in Australia for a tour in October, Meghan and Harry announced they were expecting a baby in the northern Spring. The tour took in Australia which was hosting Harry's Invictus Games, Tonga, Fiji and New Zealand. 

On a few occasions the tour program was altered for Meghan to have rest days as pregnancy fatigue and jet lag took their toll. Other than that, the couple won over fans and Meghan was able to do a crash course in royal engagements. 


The Duke and Duchess have been renting a home in the Cotswolds for the past year. The property has not been identified and is quite inaccessible, ensuring privacy away from the press and public. 

It was assumed that a larger home would be found for the Sussexes in Kensington Palace where Harry grew up in Apartments 8 & 9. Brother William and the Cambridges are in Apartment 1A. However, it was recently announced that the Queen had gifted the couple Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. 

Frogmore Cottage was split into five apartments but rapid building works are turning it into a large home for the new family. The tax payer will cover the cost of the renovation and restoration but the Duke and Duchess will pay for the furnishings themselves. 

Little is known about where Meghan plans to have her baby. Frimley Park Hospital is close to Windsor and is where Sophie, Countess of Wessex had her and Prince Edward's two children Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn.

However, it has been revealed that staff at the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington have been asked not to take leave in April. The Lindo Wing is where William, Harry, Zara and Peter Phillips, and the children of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester were born. More recently, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte entered the world here.

New homes and renovations, a new country in which to live, marriage, baby on the way and a whole new career and way of doing things under the gaze of the media and public. It certainly been a whirlwind for the new Duchess of Sussex.


Baby Harry
Frogmore Cottage