Royal Christmas Countdown: December 3rd 2014

To mark the arrival of December 3rd, it's the first glimpse of a Christmas speech on the Royal Countdown to the festive season. King Philippe of the Belgians made his first Christmas address on December 24th 2013 when he thanked everyone for the warm welcome he and his queen, Mathilde, had been given since his accession to the throne in July that year. He also talked about the many difficulties facing Belgium at the time and the importance of building relationships within the community.

The full speech, along with the other images from the Royal Countdown to Christmas 2014 can be found on the special page - just click the link above.

Royal Christmas Countdown: December 2nd 2014

She will probably be the star of a super cute Christmas photo this year but the special festive royal moment for December 2nd is Princess Estelle of Sweden posing for her second official set of snaps to mark the holiday season. The images were released by the Royal House in 2013 when Estelle was twenty months old.

A Christmas star is born as Princess Estelle of Sweden gets into the festive spirit

And all the photos from this year's Royal Countdown to Christmas can be found by clicking on the link.

Harry's secret

He wanted us all to #feelnoshame and he succeeded. Prince Harry kept everyone guessing by revealing that he was about to, well, reveal all. Monday December 1st at 1pm was the big moment. He promised to tell us something we didn't know as part of a campaign organised by his charity, Sentebale, for World Aids Day. #feelnoshame was a chance to share a secret that made you blush a bit to try and stamp out the stigma felt by children with HIV and AIDS. And what was Harry hiding? The fact that he gets nervous in public, that's what.

A still from the video in which Prince Harry shared his secret

The prince said he got 'incredibly nervous' before speaking in front of an audience no matter how big or small it was. And he added that he got 'anxious' when he had to walk into a room wearing a suit. He acknowledged that he might be joking and laughing on the outside but inside he was jelly.

Prince Harry has revealed his secret! Please get involved. Tweet your secret to #feelnoshame http://t.co/3I74F6Dfbn https://t.co/RlUAPr5GZx
— @Sentebale (@Sentebale) December 1, 2014

The prince made his admission in a short video published by his charity, Sentebale, which works with children in Lesotho. The prince helped found the organisation in 2004 and since then he has worked with it to help vulnerable children and 'the forgotten victims of poverty'. He also released another special video message to mark World Aids Day in which he talked again about the way that children and adults alike feel ashamed of having HIV and AIDS which means they never ask for medical care, He wants to end that stigma so that anyone with concerns they might have the condition talk about their symptoms to friends or family as well as experts so that they can get treatment and support.

Here's a special message from Prince Harry in support of @Sentebale's campaign for #WorldAIDSDay #FeelNoShame - http://t.co/u97jH5hyt0
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) December 1, 2014

Harry also went on to confess that he realises that now he's made his secret public he will probably get even more nervous when about to make a speech as he'll be thinking that everyone knows that the calm and cool exterior masks a worried prince. But the fact that he was willing to take that chance for his new campaign shows just how important it is to him to help children coping with HIV and AIDS #feelnoshame as they take on the world.

Royal Countdown to Christmas: December 1st

The countdown to Christmas is underway and opening the doors on an Advent Calendar is all part of the tradition. Every day from now until Christmas Eve there will be a new royal festive photo on the site to mark off the days until December 25th. We start with the Queen and her family on Christmas Day at Sandringham last year. Happy Royal Countdown to Christmas.

December 1st: The Queen

And all the photos - and more - can be seen on a special Royal Countdown to Christmas page.

Hunting for Edward

Some days are just bad days, some stories are just going to hit where it hurts. The publication of pictures in the Sunday Express and Mail on Sunday of the Earl of Wessex pointing a gun while his six year old son stands in front of him is a case in point. It's been picked up by other outlets and is now big news. Having a member of the Royal Family splashed across the media wielding a gun with a child nearby is only going to add up to negatives for the House of Windsor. But there is perhaps a much deeper issue behind it all.

The Earl of Wessex is in the middle of a media row over photos taken while he was out on a shoot with his son

The photo was taken while Prince Edward and Viscount Severn were taking part in a shoot on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk on Saturday. The picture appears to show the earl taking aim at a bird while James is in front of him rather than standing behind him and at the recommended safety distance of ten to fifteen metres. Buckingham Palace has said that the perspective of the photograph is misleading and that at no point during the shoot was James in front of his father.

Prince Edward appears to shoot over head of young son http://t.co/PJPLXx93kd pic.twitter.com/KMCeld80Xs
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) November 30, 2014

Gun experts, safety campaigners and countryside experts have all criticised the possibility that a child was in front of someone holding a gun and they have emphasised this should never happen. But there is a bigger question at stake as well. Because whenever hunting or shooting is mentioned, opinion is immediately polarised. It is a sport that many don't like and don't support which leads to a dilemma for the royals.  If many of their fans and followers - as well as those who aren't so supportive - don't get why they are doing something, will the very act of doing it always bring about negative publicity?

The Earl and Countess of Wessex with their children in a photo released to mark Prince Edward's 50th birthday earlier this year

Unfortunately for Prince Edward this will no doubt follow him around for a while. For some it may even become the defining moment of his year. The Earl of Wessex (along with his wife) has put in a huge amount of hard work for the Royal Family this year. Along with the countess, he has been a tireless supporter of charities and has taken on an even bigger role in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme which helps thousands of young people around the world learn valuable skills and contribute to their local communities. But being a royal today is, rightly or wrongly, inextricably linked with public image. And the image in the mind of much of the public now involves the earl and a gun.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex are hard working members of the Royal Family

It's not just our own Royal Family which faces the issue. Just this week the Danish Royal Family took part in its annual hunt. The Prince Consort's Scandi socks diverted some attention but there were lots of questions as well about royals taking part in a sport many don't support.  In Spain, the reputation of King Juan Carlos was seriously hit when he was photographed next to the body of an elephant he had shot during an organised hunt in Botswana. While there were criticisms of the king for taking an expensive holiday while many in his country struggled for work and money, the image of the then monarch next to the spoils of his hunt caused shockwaves.

King Juan Carlos of Spain was widely criticised for a hunting trip in 2012

It's not even the first hunting row for our own royals in 2014. Earlier this year, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry were criticised for heading off on a hunting holiday in Spain. The fact that news of the break emerged just as William was about to make a major speech for his United for Wildlife campaign caused an image issue. It blew over but it diverted attention from a major moment in the duke's royal career.

Hunting is controversial, there is no doubt about that. Attempts to change the laws on fox hunting caused massive protests on both sides. Any manmade interference with Mother Nature causes anger on all sides - take the recent government plans to introduce a badger cull in parts of England. As a result there were demonstrations and furious rows. When it comes to animals, passions run high.
  

The stellar popularity of William and Harry took a battering when they were seen hunting

Which means that even if this photo of Edward didn't appear to show James in front of his father it would most likely have still caused controversy because it involved hunting. It is a royal pasttime that goes back millenia but while we might happily absorb it as a backdrop in regal history, in the 21st century it is a permanent row waiting to happen. Some days are just bad days, some stories are just going to hit where it hurts. And when it comes to hunting, whatever way the photo is taken, there will be criticism. It's a royal dilemma with no obvious answer and one that we most likely we will hear about again.