Tag Archives: Duchess of cambridge

ISSA SPRING/SUMMER 2013: The Garden of Eden

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The Issa woman journeys to the romantic setting of the Garden of Eden for Spring Summer 2013. One of Kate Middleton’s favourite brands, the collection brimming with bright colours, bold natural prints and feminine dresses which offers her dreamy outfits to while away those leisurely balmy evenings in. Prints have been inspired by the all-encompassing tropical leaves and plants, dotted with dazzling, colourful flowers and exotic fruits, thanks to afternoons of endless sunshine. Spot the prowling tigers and birds flying overhead; a whimsical twist to Issa’s classic and flattering shapes.

Echoing the purity of the setting, come a series of long, languid chiffon and satin dresses. Playful knitwear dresses, which are key this season, feature in jacquards of bright neon colours with extravagant floral embroidery, dusted across halter necklines and hems. Vivid brights continue into coquettish eyelet cotton voile dresses and weave front dresses.

Slip into a vibrant, exotic leaf printed pyjama suit for a stroll through paradise, for the epitome of sleek chic. Iconic dresses remain in the collection, transformed this season by asymmetric draping and fold details which disappear into the waist band with the flattering fit the Issa woman has come to expect.

 

Never one to shy away from a love story, SS13 delivers a collection for the Issa woman to seduce in. The bright orange and pink hued party dresses, are ideal for cocktails at sunset. We see a dramatic turn after sun down, as she slips into a polished black halter or a beautiful embroidered cocktail dress and becomes truly irresistible.

Kate Middleton Tops Vanity Fair Best Dressed List

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Kate Middleton has Topped Vanity Fairs Best Dressed List again. Katie Nicholl has also written an in-depth story on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. According to Vanity Fair.

“There’s a happiness in the House of Windsor generally at the moment for the first time ever,” a royal pal tells Vanity Fair contributor Katie Nicholl in the September issue. “Charles and Camilla are genuinely happy. William is happy because Charles is troubled less, and he has Kate to share his future with,” the friend adds. And while the pair have dazzled Britain and Olympic watchers the globe over with their Games-related appearances—Kate’s fashionable turn in Christopher Kane at the opening ceremony only confirms her status atop the 2012 International Best-Dressed List—they innately prefer a life out of the spotlight, one categorized by homey activities like cooking and walking puppy Lupo three times per day. Nicholl gets their friends and those in their orbit talking for a those in their orbit talking for a blockbuster piece on Kate’s married life—revealing, among many other details, that:

Despite their lean physiques thanks to deerstalking, tennis, and Buckingham Palace swims, Will and Kate are foodies, and tuck in regularly to homemade roast chicken (Kate does the cooking and shopping, and employs no cook at their home on the Welsh island of Anglesey). They also own a sausage-maker (!) to make their own links, and for the holidays, Kate puts away jars of homemade strawberry jam and plum preserves to dole out as gifts. On the average day off, the pair just potter around, “making tea and toast,” per a family friend who recently swung by to find them living a simple home life on Anglesey.

They splash out for DVD box sets. Right now, the royal couple are obsessed with The Killing, which they recently devoured in a marathon session—and they often stay in to binge on various new series rather than hit up society events.

The duchess’s schedule requires up to five clothing changes per day. The rigorous outfit swapping attendant to royal protocol is said to stress out the duchess—not that the stress shows.

And even though the bill for her couture and jewels was printed in the tabloids with raised eyebrows earlier this year—$55,000 for six months of duties—Kate defrays the cost by bargain-shopping. The duchess also continues to decline the services of a royal dresser, preferring to personally shop for herself at chains like Topshop.

Kate Middleton Has To Curtsy To ‘Blood’ Royals.

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Kate Middleton may now be the Duchess of Cambridge, but she has been told that she must bow to ‘blood’ royals when her Prince is not around.

Middle-class Middleton has come a long way but the Queen has updated the Order of Precedence to account for the Duke of Cambridge’s wife.

Kate must curtsy to the “blood princesses”, the Princess Royal, Princess Alexandra, and the daughters of the Duke of York, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie when Prince William is not around as she does not have any blue blood in her veins.

When her husband is with her she only has to curtsy to the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

If Kate thinks she has it bad then give the Countess of Wessex is probably even less happy, she has to curtsy to Kate even when William is not there.

The last time the order was updated after Prince Charles married Camilla the Countess of Wessex then had to curtsy to Camilla. According to a courtier: “She didn’t like it one bit,”

The Queen has changed the Order of Precedence “on blood principles”

What do you think? Would you curtsy to The Queen or another member of the Royal household?

Prince William Turns 30: Let’s have a cocktail.

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A BIRTHDAY BEVERAGE FIT FOR A KING
– Supermarket creates Royals’ favourite cocktail for a less-than-princely sum –

Prince William inherited £10 million from his mother on his 30th birthday today, and the Queen also got a 16% pay rise. For those with less money you can enjoy Prince William’s favourite tipple but without the £135 price tag – thanks to supermarket Aldi who has recreated the royals’ favourite cocktail, the famous Mahiki Treasure Chest, for less than a fifth of the price.

Coined the “Aldiki”, the cocktail is recommended to be served in a treasure chest, just like the original, which is enjoyed by royals, actors and musicians alike at trendy London bar, Mahiki.

Costing just £25.80 and serving 16 people, the Aldiki is an exotic mix of rum, brandy, peach schnapps and fruit juice from the supermarket’s award-winning drinks range – topped off with a celebratory bottle of sparkling wine.

Expert mixologist and cocktail guru Michael Stringer, who created the Aldiki especially for Aldi, has created a video demonstrating how to recreate the drink at home in time for the Prince’s 30th.

Michael said: “Mahiki’s Treasure Chest is deservedly a world-famous drink, but for anyone on a tighter budget, the Aldiki is a great alternative. The top quality range of spirits available at Aldi means that Brits who like to be creative with their cocktails can afford to experiment at home without breaking the bank.

“The Aldiki is a refreshing and theatrical cocktail perfect for a right royal celebration – and it proves that you don’t need a regal budget to party like a prince.”

The supermarket is sending the Aldiki ingredients to Kensington Palace today, to congratulate the Prince on reaching his milestone and encourage him to try out the tasty tipple at the party the Duchess of Cambridge is reportedly throwing for her husband.

An Aldi spokesperson added: “We wanted to help our customers celebrate this special date in a fun but affordable way. And what could be more fitting than raising a glass to the Prince in the style that he enjoys most – but at just a fraction of the price.

“We’re hoping the Aldiki might even receive the royal seal of approval from Kensington Palace.”

To create your own Aldiki cocktail at home, simply view the how-to video at www.aldi.co.uk, or follow the recipe below:

THE ALDIKI (Serves 16)
1. Pour several handfuls of ice cubes into your treasure chest or punch bowl
2. Add 800ml apple juice, 800ml pineapple juice, 250ml orange juice, and stir
3. Squeeze in the juice of 4 fresh limes
4. Make up your sugar syrup by dissolving 6 tablespoons of caster sugar in 200ml boiling water. Leave to cool before adding to the cocktail mix
5. Add the following award-winning Aldi spirits to the blend:
a. 400ml Old Hopking White Rum
b. 600ml Old Hopking Dark Rum
c. 200ml Cocobay White Rum & Coconut
d. 200ml Oscar’s Peach Schnapps
e. 250ml Napoleon Brandy
6. Top with a bottle of chilled Veuve Olivier Sparkling Brut sparkling wine
7. Stir to blend and add more ice cubes if desired
8. Finally, add a selection of chopped fresh fruit (eg. pineapple, lemon, orange and passion fruit) to garnish

Celebrities don’t cut it with children.

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In a world seemingly obsessed with celebrity, it is heartening to know that celebrities don’t cut it with children.

Celebrities aren’t that important to children after all according to research out today, despite the panic over the burgeoning celebrity culture.

When school children were asked to pick the most important people in Britain, celebrities ranked significantly lower than royals and politicians, with showbiz mogul Simon Cowell getting less than half as many votes as David Cameron (20 per cent versus 45 per cent).

The research among 650 UK school children, conducted for Galt Toys by leading child research experts ChildWise, showed Ant and Dec were important to only 21 percent of children and chart topper Harry Styles just 13 per cent. Daniel Radcliffe has lost his magic, only receiving 8 per cent of votes.

It isn’t great news for David Beckham either who ranked lower than Boris Johnson with 13 per cent of the votes versus 14 per cent. Cheryl Cole was important to just 11 per cent of children.

Brit winner Adele gets just 6 per cent of votes and Victoria Beckham trails in last with only 4 per cent.

John McDonnell, Managing Director of Galt Toys commented: “Children aren’t as frivolous as adults fear them to be. Our findings show it’s good news for the Royals in Jubilee year with the Queen topping the importance poll by a significant margin (91 per cent) and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in second and third place.”

The Royal family can’t rest on its laurels though as second in line to the throne Prince Charles lagged behind Prince William and the Prime Minister, coming in fifth place. Prince William got more than double the number of votes as his father (53 per cent versus 25 per cent).

Which of these British people do you think is most important?

Britons are prouder of their history, NHS and army than of the Royals.

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While 2012 celebrates the Diamond Jubilee and London hosting the Olympics, it is history that makes people most proud to be British.

A survey commissioned by Channel 4 from Ipsos MORI found that more people (45%) are proud to be British due to the country’s history than they are because of the Royal Family (28%). And more people cite the NHS (37%) and the armed forces (36%) as a source of pride than they do the Royals. British sports teams come in at a lowly 10%. Bringing up the bottom of the table is British business, with only 4%.

Overall, which two or three of the following, would you say makes you most proud to be British?

1. Our history (45%)

2. The NHS (37%)

3. British Army / armed forces (36%)

4. The Royal Family (28%)

5. Our culture and arts (24%)

6. Our system of democracy (22%)

7. Having a free press / media (15%)

8. British sports teams (10%)

9. Our position in the world (5%)

10. British business (4%)

Timed to coincide with, Make Bradford British, a documentary series exploring what it means to be British, the survey also found that a ‘good sense of humour’ (45%) topped the poll when people were asked what are the best characteristics of British people, followed by friendly (34%) and tolerant to all sections of society (30%).

But while being funny may be the best British characteristic, of those surveyed, half (50%) said the worst was drinking too much. Ignorance of other cultures (33%) and complaining too much (23%) were also cited. And a fifth of respondents thought the worst characteristic was being lazy (20%).

Tea topped the poll not only as people’s favourite drink (38%) but also what they thought was the country’s national drink (65%) proving that we are a nation of tea lovers.

While fish and chips is seen as the national dish by four in ten Britons (41%) just one in ten (9%) say it is their favourite food. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding tops the poll as the nation’s favourite dish (33%).

And while 15% enjoy a curry as their meal of choice, only 8% think it’s the national dish.

Make Bradford British continues on Thursday 8 March at 9pm on Channel 4

The Hunt For Prince Harry

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Channel 4 film follows ‘Harry Hunters’.

Since the marriage between Kate Middleton and Prince William, Prince Harry has been thrust into the spotlight as the most eligible bachelor in Britain. Third in line to the throne, the remaining handsome Prince has become an object of desire for girls across the globe. A brand new Channel 4 documentary, First Cut: The Harry Hunters is set to follow five girls who are determined in their quest to snag their very own Prince Charming.

The film follows 21-year old American friends Cassie and Whitney who grew up in rural Iowa, watching Disney movies and dreaming they would one day marry Prince Harry. They know that to achieve your dreams you have to be prepared to go the distance. Cassie and Whitney have done their research and have a plan – to hit his favourite haunts – from Polo clubs to exclusive Mayfair nightspots.

However, they have strong competition from the ‘queens’ of the social network in East London. School friends Joy and Jade know Prince Harry’s whereabouts at any time, day or night. Twitter is their medium of choice – whether Harry’s partying in Croatia or flying Apache helicopters, they will know within seconds. 16-year old Joy even has an engagement ring for the Prince when the right moment comes to propose.

And finally 14-year-old Flora who hangs out in Chelsea, London and avidly reads the newspapers to know what Prince Harry is up to each week. However, she is determined to impress her teenage heart-throb by working hard at school in her hopes to become an intelligent Princess.

Channel 4 Commissioning Editor Aysha Rafael says: “The Harry Hunters shares the romantic age-old dreams held by thousands of young girls around the world. They fantasise of fairy tale dresses, extravagant royal weddings and for that special day when they finally meet their Prince Charming.”

First Cut: The Harry Hunters is directed by first time producer and director, Emily Hughes and is executive produced by Emily Renshaw-Smith and Peter Dale.

First Cut is a collection of original and bold documentary films by up and coming first time directors and part of Channel 4’s continuous commitment to nurturing new and diverse talent. It first launched in 2007 and now in its sixth year and is commissioned by Aysha Rafaele.

Prince William is St Giles Trust's 50th Anniversary Patron

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Tonight, staff at St Giles’ Trust are celebrating after Royal endorsement from His Royal Highness Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge. He has agreed to become Patron of St Giles Trust for 2012 – the very year they will celebrating their 50th Anniversary. 
 
The Duke’s Patronage highlights his interest in affording people of all ages and stages of their lives – and especially those who feel disengaged or excluded from society – the opportunity to develop a sense of purpose and realise their true potential. 

Rob Owen, CEO of St Giles Trust, said: 

“We are honoured and delighted that the Duke of Cambridge will be our patron for our important 50th anniversary year.  By supporting us, he is leading by example in helping some of the most excluded, disadvantaged people in society who really need support.  We are very much looking forward to working with Prince William over the coming year.”
 
This will be the third generation of Royal endorsement St Giles Trust has enjoyed, with previous support from the Queen Mother who opened the original day centre in 1963 and HRH Prince Charles when he opened their premises in Camberwell in 1995.

St Giles Trust started out as a soup kitchen in the crypt of the still standing and used nearby church St Giles Church. St Giles Trust’s work has continually evolved to meet the needs of society’s most vulnerable. Their valued work includes work with the homeless, illiterate, innumerate, gang and community work and supporting people back into work.

As many as one in five of their staff are ex-offenders or ex-service users and they remain an organisation supporting people who have fallen through the gaps in the state’s safety net.

The Prince previously visited the charity in March 2009 when he met clients and staff at the charity’s head office in Camberwell, South London.