Royal round up, week ending November 30th 2013 - United Kingdom

A round up of all the news from Europe's royal houses, for the week ending November 30th 2013, starting with the British Royal Family....

 

United Kingdom

 

Prince William made headlines around the world when he jumped on stage and joined Taylor Swift and Jon Bon Jovi in a version of Livin' on a Prayer at a fundraising event for Centrepoint held at Kensington Palace on November 26th 2013.  The prince had invited the charity, of which he is patron, to hold their annual Winter Whites Gala at his London home and guests, who paid a minimum of £500 for a ticket, were treated to a champagne reception and dinner before a concert.  Jon Bon Jovi was also presented with an award for his humanitarian work with his Soul Foundation in the US but it was the photos of him singing with the future king of Great Britain that made big headlines.

 

 

William, Duke of Cambridge with Taylor Swift and Jon Bon Jovi at the Centrepoint Winter Whites Gala at Kensington Palace on November 26th 2013

 

Earlier in the day, the Duke had visited London Zoo with his father, the Prince of Wales, for the first official meeting of his new initiative, United for Wildlife which aims to bring together leaders in conservation to tackle issues facing endangered species, including the illegal trade in wildlife.  Father and son had a close encounter with some Sumatran tigers which the Duke of Cambridge described as 'fantastic'.

 

 

The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge, first and second in line to the British throne, meet a Sumatran tiger at London Zoo on November 26th 2013

 

On the evening of November 28th 2013, the Duke of Cambridge attended a dinner at Buckingham Palace for the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre.  On November 29th 2013 he visited a homeless shelter in Birmingham run by the charity, St Basil's, which is affiliated to Centrepoint.  It's also taking part in an initiative called End Youth Homelessness and the prince was showing his support for that scheme as well.  But he refused to give any more musical performances - he was reminded he had never rapped in public and he replied that he 'drew the line' there.  He went on to visit the new Library of Birmingham in the city centre where he attended story time with some children before receiving books for his own baby son and a reader card for Prince George to use in the future.

The Duke of Cambridge meets schoolchildren as he leaves St Basil's in Birmingham after a visit on November 29th 2013

On the evening of November 28th 2013, the Duchess of Cambridge was at the annual SportsAid awards held at Supernova, Embankment Gardens, London.  The duchess is the patron of SportsAid and the organization's annual ball celebrates some of Britain's most promising Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls.  The duchess presented the One to Watch Award to Amber Hill, a sixteen year old shooter from Berkshire.

 

 

Kate, Duchess of Cambridge wore an Alice Temperley dress for the SportsAid Ball in London on November 28th 2013.  She is seen here presenting the One to Watch award to sixteen year old

Amber Hill from Berkshire.

 

And at the end of the week it was announced that the phrase 'royal baby' was the most searched for on Yahoo UK and Ireland in 2013.  The coverage of the birth of Prince George was the site's most popular overall story, most searched for news story and the biggest obsession of its users.

 

 

Prince George of Cambridge is already setting records - coverage of his birth was the most searched for story on Yahoo in 2013

 

Prince Harry finally made it to the starting point of his South Pole trek after a delay caused by bad weather.  The prince is due to start his race to the pole on December 1st 2013 as part of a British team taking on crews from America and the Commonwealth to raise funds for Walking with the Wounded.  Prince Harry spoke to reporters while waiting to leave for base camp and joked with them that he thought his brother, Prince William, was jealous of him because he could enjoy a few weeks away from a 'screaming child'.

 

 

Prince Harry, team patron of the British crew, with actor Dominic West who is the patron of the Commonwealth competitors in the South Pole 2013 event which is raising money for the charity Walking with the Wounded.  The two were photographed together at the end of November 2013 as they waited to head to the base camp to start their trek

 

Queen Elizabeth II's week began on November 25th 2013 with a reception at Buckingham Palace for senior civil servants, the Permanent Secretaries, which was also attended by the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.  The Queen held several audiences on November 26th at Buckingham Palace including two historical ceremonies in which she accepted the end of service of one Treasurer of the Household (the Rt. Hon. Sir John Randall) and met his replacement (Gregory Hands MP) as he began his tenure.  Sir John Randall was obliged to relinquish his wand of office which was then passed on to Gregory Hands.  The Duke of Edinburgh also held an audience on November 26th at Buckingham Palace, meeting two fellows of the Honorary Fellow, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining of which he is an Honorary Fellow.  Professor Jonathan Binner and Jan Lewis presented the duke with the Bessemer Gold Medal for his outstanding support of the industry.

 

 

The Duke of Edinburgh receives the Bessemer Gold Medal from Jonathan Binner and Jan Martin on November 26th 2013

 

There were more audiences for Queen Elizabeth II on November 27th when she received the new ambassadors from the United States and Malta who presented their letters of credentitals at Buckingham Palace.  She also held an audience of farewell for two of her Baronesses in Waiting and one of her Lords in Waiting before meeting one of her new Baronesses in Waiting and two new Lords in Waiting.  Later in the day, the Queen met members of the family of artist Albert Namatjira and then held an audience with the Prime Minister, David Cameron.  The Duke of Edinburgh spent the day visiting the Government Communications Headquarters London to see an exhibition marking 100 years of intelligence and security.  In the evening, the duke attended the annual dinner of  the Royal Yacht Squadron in London.

 

 

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh view some of the work of the Australian Indigenous artist, Albert Namatjira, at a reception for his family at Buckingham Palace on November 27th 2013

 

The Queen held an investiture at Buckingham Palace on November 28th 2013 and on the same day, Prince Philip held several receptions at St James' Palace for young people who have reached the Gold Standard of the Duke of Edinburgh Award.  He was back at Buckingham Palace to hold a lunch for members of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of which he is patron.  And at the end of the week, the Queen visited Windsor where she unveiled two stained glass windows marking her Diamond Jubilee at the town's Guildhall.

 

 

 

Queen Elizabeth II in Windsor on November 29th 2013 to unveil stained glass windows marking her Diamond Jubilee

 

The Prince of Wales spent November 25th in Wiltshire where he carried out a number of engagements linked to the farming community.  He visited Sherston Old School Community Interest Company in Sherston before moving on to Rural Innovation Centre at Harnhill Manor Farm, Cirencester where he met representatives from the Duchy Originals Future Farming Programme.  In the afternoon, he visited Gloucestershire where he spent time at the Regent Arcade Shopping Centre in Cheltenham to see a Business in the Community Business Class Programme in action.  He was back in London that evening where he attended the annual Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium.  The Duchess of Cornwall was also at the show which included performances by Robbie Williams, John Bishop and a taste of Harry Hill's new spoof musical based on the X Factor.

 

 

The Prince of Wales meets Robbie Williams and Ollie Murs at the Royal Variety Performance in London on November 25th 2013

 

The Earl of Wessex, who is the patron of Badminton Scotland, was at the finals of the Scottish International Badminton Championships at the Emirates International Sports Arena in Glasgow on November 24th 2013.  On November 25th 2013 he held a lunch for the Lord-Lieutenants of the Wessex region at Buckingham Palace.  On November 26th 2013, the earl visited Gloucestershire where he opened the  Door Youth Project in Stroud which aims to help young people who have encountered major problems in life.  Later that day he presented the Queen's Award for Enterprise to Renishaw Plc in Wootton-under-Edge. 

 

 

The Earl of Wessex at the Door Youth Project in Stroud, Gloucestershire on November 26th 2013

 

Later in the day he moved on to Bristol where he opened the Bristol Technology and Engineering Academy at Stoke Gifford, in the northern suburbs of the city.  And the earl, who is patron of Bristol, Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Limited went on to open the new gorilla enclosure at Bristol Zoo.  On November 27th he attended several meetings linked to the Duke of Edinburgh Award, of which he is a Trustee.  The same day, the Countess of Wessex visited the London College of Fashion, of which she is patron, where she met students.  In the evening, the countess attended the Old Masters Dinner at Hertford House in London.

 

 

The Countess of Wessex with students at the London School of Fashion on November 27th 2013

 

The Princess Royal was in Scotland on November 26th 2013 where, as Chancellor of the University of the Highlands and Islands, she attended a reception for the West Highland College the moved on to Foundation Day at the Nevis Centre, An Aird, Fort William.  There was another Foundation Day for her on November 27th, this time for the University of London of which she is also chancellor.  Earlier the same day, the princess had attended at a conference about making restorative justice work - she is patron of the Restorative Justice Council - which was held in London.  And on November 28th, the princess attended the annual meeting of the Royal National Children's Foundation in London - she is their patron. 

 

 

 

The Princess Royal at the Foundation Day of the University of the Highlands and Islands, Scotland on November 26th 2013

 

The Duke of Gloucester began his week on November 25th 2013 by attending the unveiling of the King George Tupou V of Tonga commemorative plaque by King Tupou VI of Tonga in Cleveland Square in London.  On November 26th, the duke chaired the panel of judges for the British Expertise International Awards and the following day, he attended the launch of Wellesley House School's "Hungry for History" campaign at the East India Club in London which aims to get children of all ages interested in history.  On November 28th 2013, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester attended the National Churches Trust's Sixtieth Anniversary Celebratory Service in Westminster Abbey and in the evening the duke was at Clement Danes Church in the Strand in London for the Friends of St Clement Danes annual concert.  On November 27th 2013, the Duchess of Gloucester as Chief Patron, Hope for Youth Northern Ireland was at a charity swim between the House of Lords and the House of Commons and between Junior Swim Ulster and Chelsea and Westminster Youth Swimming Club at the Porchester Hall in London.

 

 

The Duke of Gloucester with two actors in a re-enactment of the events around the Battle of Waterloo at the launch of Hungry for History in London on November 27th 2013

 

The Duke of Kent helped Weston under Penyard Church of England Primary School in Herefordshire celebrate their 150th anniversary with a visit to the school on November 26th 2013.  That same day he visited  Haigh Engineering Limited and Tudorville and District Community Centre, both in Ross-on-Wye.  On November 27th the duke attended a reception given by the Polish ambassador at the Polish Embassy in London to support the Wojtek Memorial Trust and on November 28th he attended the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn Dinner in London - he is a Royal Bencher.