Thursday, February 26, 2026

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Princess Victoria planning home birth


Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria is reportedly planning a home birth.
The 38-year-old princess and husband Prince Daniel - who already have three-year-old Princess Estelle together - reportedly feel the Hala Palace would provide the perfect atmosphere to welcome their second child into the world next month, Swedish publication Svenskdam reports.
Victoria's final official engagement is to take place today (15.02.16), however she is expected to continue working until as late as possible, just as she did while expecting Estelle.
Royal spokesperson Margarate Thorgren said: "The royal family have engagements that are not on the official calendar."
Last week, Victoria attended the Global Change Awards - an event set up by H&M to recognise innovative ideas that will improve sustainability in fashion - at Stockholm's City Hall in a stunning midnight blue floor-length lace gown.
The couple announced they were expecting their second child back in September, but have not revealed the gender of their unborn tot.
However, the princess - who has been rumoured to be expecting twins - joked Estelle isn't interested in having either a little brother or a younger sister to play with.
She quipped recently: "What she really wants is a hamster!"

Duchess Catherine urged to be bolder


Britain's Duchess Catherine has been advised to be more daring with her make-up.
The 34-year-old royal faced criticism last week when she stepped out with noticeably thicker eyebrows but make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury thinks that, rather than tone down her look, the duchess should be more experimental.
Referring to an upward flick of eyeliner at the outer corner, Charlotte told the Daily Mail newspaper:
"I haven't worked with Kate, but I think she'd look incredible with a feline flick.
"She's got beautiful eyes and wonderful skin. She could do a lot of different looks if she wanted."
Charlotte has previously worked with the likes of Amal Clooney and Sienna Miller and would love to count Catherine - who has children Prince George, two, and Princess Charlotte, nine months, with husband Prince William - among her clients.
She added: "I would love to do her make-up. I love the Royal Family."
The duchess - who famously did her own make-up when she got married - faced a backlash over her bushy brows when she attended the the 75th anniversary of the Royal Air Force Cadets service, her first engagement as its Honorary Air Commandant, earlier this month.
One person tweeted: "One is clearly thicker than the other.."
Another wrote: "Painted eyebrows don't look good on anybody."

Duchess Catherine’s expensive flight


Britain's Duchess Catherine took a £3,000 helicopter flight home from London.
The Duchess of Cambridge made a return trip between London's Kensington Palace and her family home of Anmer Hall in Norfolk - which was 110 miles and took just 45 minutes each way - on February 7, a day before Queen Elizabeth made a similar journey from Norfolk to London by train at a cost of just £54.90.
A Kensington Palace spokesman told the MailOnline: "The Royal Household makes careful decision about transport plans and always seeks to travel in the most appropriate way possible considering the arrangement for an official engagement."
Catherine took the Queen's Flight - used by royal family members on official engagements - from Anmer Hall to Kensington Palace in order to attend an 11am service in London to mark the 75th anniversary of the Air Training Corps, her first engagement as its Honorary Air Commandant.
She then changed clothes before flying back to Norfolk at around 1pm.
Royals are permitted to take flights between residences according to Buckingham Palace's visits committee, but the queen regularly chooses to travel to and from Sandringham - where she has been staying since late December - by train.
The queen had boarded the 10.54am train from King's Lynn station - the nearest to Sandringham - to King's Cross, arriving in the first class carriage five minutes before departure.
Station manager Graeme Pratt said: "It's an honour to have her use the train service. I asked her if she enjoyed her stay in Norfolk, to which she said she did."

Britain’s Princess Anne to open university centre


Britain's Princess Anne is set to open a new learning facility at the University of the West of Scotland.
The 65-year-old royal will officially open the new Atrium centre at the education establishment's Paisley campus, which has spaces for meetings as well as a cafe.
In a statement, Craig Mahoney, the principal and vice-chancellor at the University of the West of Scotland, said: "We are absolutely delighted and hugely honoured that HRH the Princess Royal will officially open the new state-of-the-art Atrium at our Paisley campus. UWS is strategically committed to providing sustainable, contemporary and inspirational learning environments.
"We aim to be the most technologically enabled university in the UK, with the most modern, outstanding and varied pedagogic methods of delivery. This will underpin our person-centred approach to learning that prepares graduates for future success. The university's continued investment in facilities and services place its students in a particularly strong position in the sector."
Mr Mahoney also spoke at his "pride" about having the Princess Royal attend the event to mark the occasion.
He added: "We are extremely proud of our Paisley campus and are particularly pleased that the Princess Royal will also get the opportunity to view new facilities across the campus and meet a range of colleagues involved in these new developments and their use."

Britain’s Prince William helps save three-year-old boy


Britain's Prince William helped to save a three-year-old boy choking on nuts.
The 33-year-old royal was on duty with the East Anglian Air Ambulance when he was called to help a young boy struggling to breathe.
Mother Donna Swyers told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "They are things he's eaten in the past. Then he was indicating that he couldn't breathe properly - he was pointing to his throat. Prince William was the pilot. There were two doctors onboard. They checked Luke out - they were concerned for him.
"Luke's lips were swollen when they got to hospital. My mum said he must have had a reaction. We thought it must be something in the yoghurt now we think he must have an allergy."
Luke was looked after by the two doctors on board the air ambulance and given a toy to play with as they transferred him to the grounds of Bishop's Stortford College so he could be driven in an ambulance to nearby Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, east England.
Meanwhile, this is not the first lifesaving mission the Prince has completed as part of his work with the Air Ambulance.
In his first week with the charity, he rescued a man suffering a heart attack.

Britain’s Duke of Cambridge attends funeral for Henry Worsley


Britain's Duke of Cambridge joined mourners to remember the late Henry Worsley.
The 33-year-old royal attended a service at St Paul's Church for the Antarctic explorer, who tragically passed away mid-expedition last month.
Following the service, retired Colour Sergeant Andy Whatley, who served with Mr Worsley, told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: "He was an absolute legend, a fantastic man. People were told to come in colourful clothes because, let's say, Henry didn't tend to do things in the customary way, his attitude was 'why should it always be the same old, same old'. He was a gentleman and he has gone well before his time."
And Prince William was also on hand to attend a private celebration of Henry's life at the Mandarin Oriental hotel.
Meanwhile, the Prince previously praised Henry for his "courage" and being such an inspiration to others.
He said: "We have lost a friend, but he will remain a source of inspiration to us all ... Henry Worsley has achieved a great deal over this epic journey, and I am immensely proud of all his efforts.
"The courage he has shown is a source of inspiration for the wounded servicemen and women who benefit from his support of The Endeavour Fund."
Henry is survived by his wife Joanna and their children Max and Alicia.

Britain’s Duchess of Cornwall handed Honorary Degree


Britain's Duchess of Cornwall spoke of her personal connection to osteoporosis as she collected her Honorary Degree from the University of Southampton.
The 68-year-old royal was presented with the recognition by the university, which is based in the south of England, and remembered her late mother, who tragically died of the condition, which gives sufferers brittle bones.
Speaking to the audience, she said: "When my mother died in 1994, I knew scarcely anything about osteoporosis, but I was determined to find out more - and to find a way of helping other people avoid the same excruciating pain and disregard that she encountered in those bad old days."
Clarence House's official Instagram account also shared pictures of the day, including one of the Duchess accepting the honour from a member of the university.
The caption reads: "The Duchess, President of the National Osteoporosis Society, and a previous speaker for the International Osteoporosis Foundation, has been a champion for all who work with, or suffer from this debilitating disorder. This is a role close to The Duchess's heart, having lost her mother and grandmother to the disease.
"Her Royal Highness's work has been recognised today by The University of Southampton who have awarded her with an Honorary Doctorate of Science."
Duchess Camilla then toured The Centre for Hybrid Bio Devices Laboratory at the university where she met and chatted with researchers.
Another post on the site reads: "After receiving her Honorary Doctorate of Science, The Duchess visits The Centre for Hybrid Bio Devices Laboratory in the Institute for Life Sciences building at The University of Southampton. #UoSRoyalVisit #WomenInSTEM (sic)"

Katherine Jenkins becomes Invictus Games ambassador


Katherine Jenkins is the first celebrity to be named an ambassador of Britain Prince Harry's 2016 Invictus Games.
The 'Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming' hitmaker is honoured to support this year's Paralympic-style games for injured veterans to be held in Orlando, Florida in May.
She said: "Supporting the men, women and families who serve our country has always been an important part of my life, and I am extremely honoured to serve as an ambassador for the 2016 Invictus Games.
"I look forward to celebrating and honouring the sacrifices of veteran and active duty service members and their families from around the world in May."
Whilst Vicky Gosling, the co-CEO of the 2016 Invictus Games, added: "We are thrilled to have Katherine Jenkins serve as a friend, advocate and ambassador of the 2016 Invictus Games.
"Her commitment to those who serve is exceptional, and we're excited to stand side by side as we welcome our wounded warriors and their families in Orlando. We are looking forward to announcing more Ambassadors as we approach the Invictus Games."
The 2016 Invictus Games will see 500 athletes from over 15 countries to compete in a number of sports including cycling, swimming and wheelchair rugby.

Britain’s Prince Charles meets faith leaders


Britain's Prince Charles held a private meeting with local leaders of different faiths as he visited St John's Church.
The 67-year-old royal attended the talk at the church in Southall, west London.
Reverend Mark Poulson, the Archbishop of Canterbury's adviser for inter-religious affairs, told the Evening Standard newspaper: "They talked about their own experiences, their own backgrounds and encouraged him [Charles] and thanked him for contributing to the debate."
The faith leaders meet on a regular basis as part of the Southall Faiths Forum and whilst they initially had their differences of opinion, they have come together for the "common good".
Whilst visiting the church, the Prince of Wales also met with members of the community who had got involved with activities at the venue.
One group of women were being taught English through a "craft and conversation" project where they made reusable shopping bags out of cloth.
Meanwhile, the Prince was busy yesterday (10.02.16), having visited Ashley Primary School's additional learning facility, the Harmony Centre.
A post on the school's official website reads: "He was greeted by a superb exhibition of the children's learning in the school hall, followed by a visit to some of the classrooms. He then officially opened our new Harmony Centre by cutting a vibrant green ribbon."

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