Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate 60 years on the throne on Sunday. (Photo: WENN.com)
St. Paul’s Cathedral has released a special prayer for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. It will be used during a special service June 5.
This is the prayer:
God of time and eternity,
whose Son reigns as servant, not master;
we give you thanks and praise
that you have blessed this Nation, the Realms and Territories
with Elizabeth,
our beloved and glorious Queen.
In this year of Jubilee,
grant her your gifts of love and joy and peace
as she continues in faithful obedience to you, her Lord and God
and in devoted service to her lands and peoples,
and those of the Commonwealth,
now and all the days of her life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Duchess of Cambridge is often on best-dressed lists, but her husband fell off GQ's best-dressed Brits this year. So, you're telling me this blue sweater and jeans aren't cool? And is Kate smacking her head thinking, "I told him not to wear that." (Photo: WENN.com)
Prince William is viewed as being far behind his wife when it comes to his fashion sense.
GQ released it’s annual U.K. Best Dressed list and Wills isn’t even on it. Prince Harry slipped from fifth last year to 25th. Prince Charles was on the list – barely – at #50.
Topping the U.K. list was rapper Tinie Tempah.
“This year has seen a real shake-up of the best-dressed list, with a record number of new entries, as well as a surprising tally of re-entries,” GQ said.
The Duchess of Cambridge is the Headwear Association's Hat Person of the Year. She's seen in this file photo from Canada Day in Ottawa in 2011. (Photo: Andre Forget/QMI AGENCY)
Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, has been named Hat person of the Year by the Headwear Association.
I didn’t even know there was such an association, but there is. And the company is based in California.
“In an online poll, Kate received a an overwhelming 91% of the vote, beating Rachel Zoe (4%), Ne-Yo (2%), Justin Timberlake (1%), Bruno Mars (1%) and Charlie Sheen (1%),” the association said on its blog.
This is the third annual Hat Person of the Year award. Previous winners include Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt.
The association’s favourite hats include the one Kate wore to Canada Day in Ottawa.
“Our favorites are the stunning velvet cabernet hat by Rose Cory that Kate wore this Christmas, and the exquisite maple leaf headpiece by London milliner Sylvia Fletcher of Lock & Co., established in 1676, worn on her visit to Canada,” the association said. “Hats off to you, Kate. Your style is impeccable.”
If you're in need of a vacation someplace warm, you could follow in the Duchess of Cambridge's family's footsteps and go to Mustique. (Photo: Screengrab, mustique-island.com)
Winter has finally arrived in much of Canada – sure, we’ve had a few hits of the cold temperatures and snowy weather – but much of the country is now feeling what we should be feeling in January.
And many of us are now also dreaming of going someplace warm!
I went to Cuba last January for a wedding and I have to admit, it made me realize how wonderful a trip south can be for the soul. Before that, I scoffed at the idea of a mid-winter trip. We’re Canadians – we can handle a little cold (it makes us appreciate summer). But now, I’m itching to get somewhere warm.
So, hmm, maybe I could go to St. Lucia right now. I’d be joining Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and her family down there.
Actually, Kate is said to be in Mustique with the Middleton clan, which is nestled in the Grenadine Islands of St. Vincent in the Caribbean. And the website for the destination says it’s for those looking for “privacy and luxury” – which means I can’t afford it. (The Daily Mail reports a villa costs upwards of $23,000 a week). The website also has a video of a woman riding a horse in the ocean – so you know that’s gonna cost mega money to stay there.
While Prince William wasn’t with Kate when she flew out this week, he’s reportedly joining her later just ahead of his deployment to the Falkland Islands in early February.
Maybe, like me, you can’t really get away right this moment. Perhaps March is better for you.
How about Belize, the Bahamas, Jamaica or Brazil? You could catch a tan and see everyone’s favourite red-headed royal, Prince Harry. He’ll be down there as part of the Diamond Jubilee royal family world tour. He’s in Belize March 2 and 3, the Bahamas March 3-5, Jamaica March 5-8, then Brazil from March 9-11 for the tour, then remaining on until March 15 for private time.
So many options, snowbirds. Or, if you can’t afford a trip, turn on the heated blanket, close your eyes and dream you’re on the beach in Mexico.
Clarence House is now on Google+. (Photo: Screengrab)
Clarence House, the press office for the Prince of Wales, his wife and his sons, is now on Google+.
“Clarence House has joined social network Google+ adding to its number of other existing social media channels,” it announced earlier this week. “Google+ allows users to post updates, links, photos and videos and adds to a number of other social media channels used as part of Clarence House’s online communications.”
Clarence House is also on Facebook, Twitter, Storify, and is linked to the Royal Family’s official accounts on Flickr and YouTube.
The Duchess of Cambridge has some pretty big fans out there. But is it OK that she also has critics? (Photo: WENN.com)
There are people who are simply in love with the Duchess of Cambridge.
Kate can do no wrong in their eyes — her hair is perfect, her fashion sense is impeccable, her life is a fairytale — and anyone who criticizes her is in for a tongue-lashing. Heck, say you don’t like one of her outfits and it’s like you’re personally attacking some fans (I got some pretty nasty comments about my own looks and opinion after I dared write about her outfits from 2011 and – in perhaps a failed attempt at humour – rated them as like, dislike and meh).
I’ve seen it on Twitter, Facebook and fansites – there are those who question Kate, and those who fiercely defend her, no matter what (even if there’s no real criticism in the first place).
But is Kate worthy of such unquestioned love and adoration?
There are some who do openly point out Kate’s flaws. But do they love to hate Kate?
“I wouldn’t say I hate Kate, that’s much too strong a word. She just hasn’t done anything worthy of my respect yet,” @HMtheRedQueen told me via Twitter.
@RoyalForumMoron is another account that appears to take shots at Kate, but the writer says it’s not hatred or jealousy — it’s a case of looking into her past and understanding Kate is far from perfect.
“There are extremists in both camps” when it comes to love and hate, @RoyalForumMoron told me as we chatted via direct messages on Twitter.
“I really don’t hate her or anyone else, but what most logical people saw before the wedding were several red flags.
“The broad themes were she had problems with work ethic, waiting around for a man, being at their beck and call,” @RoyalForumMoron wrote. “Her values are questioned by some, including why a university-educated woman would choose to wait nine years for a man that showed no real commitment (all documented in the press), no charity work, except if able to offer booze and wear a tight outfit.”
@RoyalForumMoron notes “there are many documented stories of Prince William blowing her off, yet she waited.”
And, “She snagged him in a see through dress, so what does that say to a Jersey Shore generation, sexy outfits, no commitments will get you? Untold titles and riches.”
While some might say @RoyalForumMoron can be harsh, the writer said that’s not the case.
“My feed has many a jest in it! But my underlying theme is why is she the best? What has she achieved?”
And I think there is no harm in questioning this.
No doubt, this post will generate some hate for this Kate – as any time something is said about the duchess that isn’t favourable, die-hard fans come out and leave comments.
“You will notice the people that do like her attack the people that don’t while the people that don’t like her will attack the opinion,” @RoyalForumMoron said.
For the record, I did ask a few Kate lovers to comment on this story. None of them got back to me.
I’m wondering, though, in a world of celebrity obsession, is it OK to hate Kate? Is it OK to say, “She’s not as fabulous as she’s made out to be?” Or are we all so starved for the good news stories, that we look to stories about her and Prince William, and maybe the Royal Family to some extent, and say, “These people bring us good news. Don’t tarnish them.”
Am I saying I hate Kate? Far from it. I got up and watched the wedding. I went to Ottawa on Canada Day to see her and Prince William – and I will openly admit they are the reason we went to the 2011 event.
But I don’t think it should be sacrilegious to question why she has done so little on her own yet, and why she’s only taken on four patronages.
So, you tell me:
NOTE: Point taken – there was a commenter who noted my poll and headline should match. You’re right – I should have tried to do that and I didn’t. But thank you for commenting and taking part in the discussion.
The Liberals have voted against severing ties with the monarchy at their convention in Ottawa. (Photo: WENN.com)
Reports coming out of the Liberal convention this weekend indicate party members have voted against the idea of severing ties with the monarchy.
On Sunday, the final day of the convention in Ottawa, QMI Agency’s Kristy Kirkup tweeted 67% of voters said no to the resolution, which the Young Liberals of Canada brought to the table.
This isn’t really a surprise. While it’s one of those topics people like to discuss, this isn’t the time for the Liberals to start that discussion. The Grits viewed by many as a broken party who really needs to focus on rebuilding its team – not dividing people over their views on the monarchy.
Canada Post has created a Diamond Jubilee Keepsake Folder Volume 1 (1952-1962) and Volume 2 (1963-1972) – and just 150,000 will be available. It includes a mini-pane of four stamps, a postcard depicting all the stamps that will be issued in the series (there would be, one can assume, six volumes).
Canada Post saw huge success in 2011 when they released royal wedding engagement and royal wedding stamps. No doubt, royal fans will be making their way to post offices to grab these, too.
The Duchess of York has been charged by Turkish authorities for filming inside an orphanage there in 2008. (Photo: Mr. Blue/WENN.com)
Sarah Ferguson is in trouble in Turkey – but this time, people aren’t embarrassed by her actions.
The Duchess of York has been charged for secretly filming inside an orphanage during a documentary in 2008 where she wanted to expose how children were being treated.
The Daily Mail said it was not clear why Ferguson was charged more than three years after the film aired in England.
She faces a maximum prison term of 22.5 years if convicted, Mirror reporter Richard Palmer tweeted. Palmer also said the chances of her being convicted are “quite high” but it was unlikely she’d ever return to Turkey to serve the time.
A spokesman for Fergie said claims by Turkish officials at the time that the duchess was launching a smear campaign against Turkey are false.
“She is apolitical, therefore she has no political motivation. This is all about the welfare of children,” the spokesman said.
Fergie’s daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, also worked on the documentary, but there was no word on them being charged.
The documentary, called Duchess and Daughters: Their Secret Mission, reportedly includes footage of children being tied to beds, women covered in feces, and a child who wasn’t allowed outside who crawled along a corridor just to feel the sun on his face.
The Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress is up for a fashion award. (Photo: WENN.com)
The Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress is up for a Design Museum’s fashion design award.
The gown, created by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, is one of 10 fashion pieces in the running.
The Design Museum’s Design Awards are “the Oscars of the design world,” the museum’s website says. Winners will be announced in April.
Kate’s gown wowed crowds in London on the day of her April 29 nuptials to Prince William. It was also the most closely-guarded fashion secret of the year, and she managed to keep both the dress and the designer under wraps for months leading up to her big day.
