Happy Birthday Princess Charlotte

It has been several days of celebrations in the Cambridge household. In the past two weeks Prince Louis started nursery school and turned 3, parents William and Catherine marked 10 years as a married couple and now their only daughter Princess Charlotte turns 6 today!!

Princess Charlotte was born on 2nd May, 2015 in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, Paddington. Charlotte is currently 4th in line to the throne behind Princes Charles, William & George. 

Lottie, as she is known by those close to her spent the early years of her life at Anmer Hall, Norfolk. However the family is now based at Apartment 1A, Kensington Palace during term time.

The young princess is known for her cheeky, sassy side but at the same time is beautifully behaved in public.

 Charlotte enjoys tennis, swimming, dancing, riding her pony and is in her second year of schooling, year 1 at Thomas's Battersea in London.

Happy Birthday Charlotte!

 

                                

A Few More Pics

 

Cambridge Family Video

 As part of the celebration of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's 10th wedding anniversary, Kensington Palace has added a video of family to their Twitter account.

The 39 second video captured William, Catherine, George, Charlotte & Louis playing in the garden of their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall as well as a trip to the nearby beach. 

Here are a few still images from the video.

William & Catherine Married 10 Years Ago Today

 Prince William of Wales married Catherine Middleton on the 29th April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. The Queen bestowed upon William the Duchy of Cambridge and thus the married couple became Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. 

The couple has since gone on the have three gorgeous children- Prince George in 2013, Princess Charlotte in 2015 and in 2018, Prince Louis. 

Congratulations to William and Catherine. Here are some beautiful portraits that the couple released to mark the occasion.

New Louis Portrait

 

As predicted,  Prince Louis of Cambridge started at Willcock's Nursery School in
Kensington this week. 

The new milestone comes as the little prince turns 3 today. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have released a photo of Louis captured on his first day of nursery school.

Happy 3rd Birthday Prince Louis

 

23rd April is when England's patron, St George is celebrated. And so it was entirely appropriate that a new royal baby was born on this day in 2018. He is gorgeous and smiley His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge. 

Louis is the third and youngest child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and born 5th in line to the throne after his Grandpa Charles, father Prince William and siblings George and Charlotte.

Louis was born after a swift labour at 11:01am in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington. This is where William, George, Charlotte and many royal relations have been born since the late 1970s.

Prince William left the hospital for a short time mid afternoon and returned with George and Charlotte. George was still in his school uniform and was quite shy. Charlotte on the other hand was full of smiles and waves for the crowds. They stayed for a short while and were taken home by a rear doorway.

At approximately 5pm, William & Catherine stepped through those famous doors and introduced to their baby boy to the world. We later learned he was to be named Louis Arthur Charles.

Little Louis has spent most of his life based in London, living at Kensington Palace as his siblings attend school in Battersea. But most of the COVID-19 lockdowns have been endured at the family's Sandringham residence, Anmer Hall which has fields, animals, tennis court, swimming pool and lots of outside activities.

Louis has attended one Trooping The Colour balcony appearances and his first engagement was at London's Palladium Theatre last Christmas to watch a performance of Pantoland. 

The little prince was due to start nursery school last January but the lockdown put paid to that plan. It is hoped he will start this week at Willcock's Nursery School in Kensington which is also where Charlotte started her schooling. We will have to wait and see. 

Happy 3rd Birthday Prince Louis of Cambridge.

 

 

 

A recently released photo after Prince Philip's death. Pic taken in 2018.

Back To School For George And Charlotte

 School returns on Monday after the Easter break for Prince George and Princess Charlotte.  They have no doubt been enjoying some time at Anmer Hall riding their ponies, running in the countryside and playing tennis with younger brother Prince Louis.

The past week will have been somewhat sombre after their Great Grandpa Prince Philip died on the 9th of April. William and Catherine have no doubt spent some time explaining what this means in an age appropriate manner. With COVID restrictions still in place they will not have been able to see The Queen and learn to mourn by seeking and offering solace. 

It is likely that Louis who turns 3 on the 23rd April, will begin nursery school this term. In non-COVID times, he would have started in January but this wasn't possible. Princess Charlotte attended Willcocks Nursery School in Kensington and it is almost certain this will be where Louis begins his schooling too. 

Having visited Willcocks myself, I can tell you it is situated behind Royal Albert Hall and is very discreet. Hopefully Kensington Palace will issue some updated photos to commemorate Louis' birthday and starting nursery school. 

Funeral Livestream Link

 For those who would like to watch the funeral of Prince Philip without television commentary, here is the livestream link on the Royal Family Youtube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCY4b6GGkb4

Windsor Castle - Inside The Grounds ( World Exclusive Photos)

 

To help you get behind the scenes of today's events, here are some photos inside the grounds of Windsor Castle and St George's Chapel that I took on my last visit.

Quadrangle outside State Apartments

Leaving State Apartments heading to St George's Chapel

Almost at St George's Chapel on the right

Entrance to St George's Chapel

Blog Author Inside Windsor Castle Grounds

Funeral Of HRH Prince Philip Today

 

Funeral preparations are under way for Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband, who died on Friday 9 April aged 99.

This is what we know about the event. NB It will be late evening in Australia AEST when coverage begins

Where will the funeral take place?

The ceremonial royal funeral will be held at St George's Chapel, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, at 15:00 BST on Saturday 17 April.

Prince Philip's body is now resting in the private chapel at Windsor Castle.

The duke is reported to have requested a funeral of minimal fuss and has not lain in state - where members of the public would have been able to view his coffin.

The procession and service will be televised.

Who will attend the funeral?

Coronavirus restrictions in England mean only 30 people, socially distanced, are allowed to attend funerals.

The guest list includes members of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's families, including three of his German relatives.

Among the 30 are:

• The Queen, who will lead the mourners
• The Prince of Wales with his wife the Duchess of Cornwall
• The Princess Royal with her husband Timothy Laurence
• The Duke of York
• The Earl of Wessex with his wife the Countess of Wessex and their children Viscount Severn and Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
• The Duke of Cambridge and his wife the Duchess of Cambridge
• The Duke of Sussex
• Peter Phillips, the eldest son of Princess Anne
• Zara Tindall, daughter of Princess Anne, and her husband Mike Tindall
• Princess Beatrice, the elder daughter of the Duke of York, and her husband Edoardo Mapelli
• Princess Eugenie, the younger daughter of the Duke of York, and her husband Jack Brooksbank

Attendees are expected to wear masks in line with government advice. The pallbearers and clergy are not included in the number of attendees.

What will happen on the day?

The duke will have a ceremonial funeral, rather than a state funeral. There is a subtle difference - state funerals are usually reserved for monarchs, although wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill was given a state funeral. The Queen Mother had a ceremonial funeral in 2002, as did Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.

On the day of the funeral, the coffin will be moved from the private chapel to the State Entrance of Windsor Castle. It will be placed on a modified Land Rover, that the duke himself helped design, to be carried the short distance to St George's Chapel.

By 14:15 BST, the Quadrangle in Windsor Castle will be lined by the Household Cavalry and the Foot Guards, along with military detachments from units that had special connections with Prince Philip on the grass.

From 14:20 BST, those members of the Royal Family and The Duke of Edinburgh's family not taking part in the procession leave Windsor Castle by car for St George's Chapel.

At 14:40 BST, the bands in the Quadrangle stop playing and the coffin will be carried out and placed onto the Land Rover.

Members of the Royal Family walking in the procession will leave the State Entrance after the coffin and take up their positions.

Behind the Land Rover will be Princes Charles, Andrew, Edward and Princess Anne, as well as grandsons Princes William and Harry. They are joined by Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and the Earl of Snowdon. Members of the duke's staff will follow behind them, including his private secretary Brigadier Archie Miller Bakewell, a personal protection officer, two pages and two valets.

At 14:45 BST, the procession begins. Led by the band of the Grenadier Guards, the procession will move from the Quadrangle to Horseshoe Cloister. The band is followed by the Major General's party and military chiefs of staff. The Land Rover follows, flanked by pallbearers from the Royal Marines and other regiments and corps associated with the duke. The Royal Family members and staff follow behind.

The Queen will travel at the rear of the procession in the State Bentley and will enter St George's chapel through the Galilee porch.

The procession route will be lined by personnel from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, The Highlanders, 4th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Royal Air Force.

Guns will be fired by The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery from the East Lawn throughout, as a bell tolls in the Curfew Tower, at the west end of the castle.

At 14:53 BST, the Land Rover will arrive at West Steps of St George's Chapel, and be met by a guard of honour and band from the Rifles Regiment, who will play the national anthem.

Members of the Household Cavalry will line the West Steps and a Royal Navy "piping party" will pipe a nautical call known as "the Still" as the coffin is carried up the steps to the chapel.

The coffin, draped with the duke's standard, with a wreath and the duke's naval cap and sword on top, will be met by the dean of Windsor, together with the Archbishop of Canterbury, for the service.

Only the members of the Royal Family will enter the chapel - the rest of the procession will remain outside.

At 15:00 BST, a minute's silence will be held nationwide, in memory of the duke.

The start and end of the Silence will be signalled by a gun fired by The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery.

Inside the chapel, the funeral service will begin as the coffin is carried to the Quire, and placed on a platform called a catafalque. A small choir of four singers, who will be in the nave of the chapel, will sing pieces of music chosen by the duke.

After the service, the duke will be interred in the royal vault.

The duke's coffin is draped in his personal flag, his standard. The flag represents elements of his life, from his Greek heritage to his British titles.

When the duke got engaged to the then Princess Elizabeth in 1946, he renounced his Greek title and became a British citizen, taking his mother's anglicised name, Mountbatten.

The Mountbatten family is therefore also represented on the standard, alongside the castle from the arms of the City of Edinburgh - he became Duke of Edinburgh when he married.

A number of objects reflecting Prince Philip's life and recognising his service to the country will be displayed on cushions on the altar in St George's Chapel.

These include the duke's insignia - medals and decorations awarded to him by the UK and Commonwealth countries - his field marshal's baton, Royal Air Force wings and insignia from Denmark and Greece

The period of national mourning ends on the day of the funeral.

The Royal Family will continue to observe mourning for another week - but members will attend engagements wearing black mourning bands where appropriate.