Monday, April 29, 2024

Kim Petras pulls festival shows due to ‘some health issues’

Kim Petras has cancelled her summer 2024 festival shows amid "some health issues and under medical advice." The 31-year-old...
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Duke and Duchess of Cambridge keeping godparents on ‘the down low’


Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are keeping their ideas for their second child's godparents on "the down low".
Duchess Catherine and Prince William - who have 21-month-old son Prince George together - are due to welcome their second child later this month and royal expert Victoria Arbiter has spoken out about the importance of choosing the child's godparents.
She explained: "It's an important role. A godparent is there to provide religious guidance. It's also somebody who is there other than a parent or family member that a child could turn to. Some royals have had as many as 12, so the possibility of people to be named can be a little tricky."
The Duke and Duchess named family friends of the late Princess Diana, a former royal aide and an old university friend as George's godparents after his birth in 2013, with Catherine leaving her sister Pippa and William his brother Prince Harry off the list.
Victoria told HELLO! magazine: "William and Kate are so keen to keep things on the down low and pretty chill. They want someone who is close to them and that they can trust. We won't find out who the royal couple has chosen for their new bundle of joy until the baby's christening, but there's already buzz about who could possibly take on the coveted role."

Woman bets over £2,000 on royal baby being girl named Alice


A woman has bet more than £2,000 on the royal baby being a girl named Alice.
The unidentified woman from Chelmsford in Essex will win £3,398.90 if Britain's Duchess of Cambridge - who is also known by her maiden name Kate Middleton - gives birth to a baby girl later this month and decides to name her Alice.
The gambler opened an online account with Ladbrokes before placing three bets totalling £989.50 on the baby being a girl at odds of 8/13.
The mystery customer then went on to place a further £456.66 on the second child of Duchess Catherine and Prince William being named Alice at odds of 3/1 before betting another £710 when the odds were cut to 2/1.
Ladbrokes' Jessica Bridge told The Sun newspaper: "It's hard to imagine she knows as much, if not more, than Kate and William.
"But it's a very peculiar and specific wager to have from a new account. Time will tell if she knows something we don't or if she's just got a hunch."
While Alice is now the favourite if the royal couple welcome a girl, Elizabeth is in second place with odds of 5/1 while Charlotte is at third with 6/1.
Meanwhile, James is the favourite boys name with odds at 8/1 followed by Arthur at 10/1.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed their first child, Prince George in July 2013.

Cressida Bonas dating Wolf Hall actor Edward Holcroft?


Cressida Bonas has been spotted on a date with 'Wolf Hall' actor Edward Holcroft.
The 26-year-old beauty - who previously dated Britain's Prince Harry - was seen enjoying a trip to the cinema with the up and coming actor earlier this week.
However, friends of Cressida's insist she is still single and claim she and the 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' actor are just "close friends".
The rumoured couple - who are both managed by the same acting agency - were seen at the Westfield Centre in White City, west London watching their mutual pal Lily James in 'Cinderella'.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "They seemed to be very close indeed, they were hugging and kissing.
"He's a striking guy and they seemed to be having fun."
Meanwhile, it was recently claimed the dance graduate would take the 33-year-old royal back if he asked her to marry him.
A source said previously: "Unless there's a proposal attached, she's not interested."
Cressida is said to be enjoying single life at the moment, however, insisting she is a "strong, independent woman".

Pippa Middleton slammed for eating whale meat


Pippa Middleton has come under fire for eating whale meat.
The 31-year-old beauty - who is the younger sister of Britain's Duchess of Cambridge - wrote about eating whale in a travel column earlier this week and has now been slammed as "cruel" by animal-rights groups.
Speaking about her ski trip to Norway in the Daily Telegraph, Pippa wrote: "We dined on smoked whale carpaccio (which tastes similar to smoked salmon but looks more like venison carpaccio), followed by a signature rustic Norweigen dish of salted cod in tomato, with hunks of fresh homemade bread to mop up the sauce."
Those against the killing of whales for food have now hit back saying her comments were "ill-advised", "disappointing" and "cruel".
Vanessa Williams-Grey of Whale and Dolphin Conservation wrote on the organisation's website: "This is really disappointing news, particularly as Pippa is so high-profile.
"Killing whales is cruel, there is no humane way to kill them and many are slaughtered using brutal harpoon grenades.
"It might have been better for Pippa to take a whale-watch trip in Norway. She may then have thought twice about condoning and indeed, promoting, this cruel and unnecessary trade."
It is unknown what Pippa's brother in law Prince William thinks of the issue as he is an avid campaigner against the poaching of animals.

Prince William: The EU must take tougher stance on poaching


Britain's Prince William is campaigning for the European Union to take a tougher stance on poaching.
The 33-year-old royal has joined a campaign for the EU to "get their house in order" when it comes to the illegal trade, which sees approximately 2,500 wildlife products seized throughout the member countries every year.
According to the Daily Express newspaper, he said: "Our children should not live in a world without elephants, tigers, pangolins and rhinos. Enough is enough. We are not asking for your money.
"We are asking for your voice and your attention. We are asking you to join our side. It's time to choose between critically endangered species and the criminals who kill them for money."
Experts claim the official figures are only the tip of the iceberg and estimate that those items seized only represent around 10 per cent or less of the total amount of illegal products being smuggled through Europe.
According to those calculations, the real figure could be in excess of 25,000 every year while shocking figures released by the wildlife charity, the Born Free Foundation show that staggering numbers of tigers, rhinos, elephants and other endangered species are being illegally slaughtered so that they can be used for high-value items such as medicine, food or sold to be kept as pets.
The charity is now attempting to pressure the EU to impose an action plan with measurable targets to reduce the illegal trade, with the Prince supporting their argument as a keen activist against poaching.

Queen hosts luncheon for Order of the Merit

Britain's Queen Elizabeth hosted a luncheon for members of the Order of the Merit at Windsor Castle yesterday (15.04.15). The 88-year-old monarch was accompanied by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh and a number of high profile guests including Sir D...

Duchess of Cambridge lookalike gets death threats


A lookalike of Britain's Duchess of Cambridge gets death threats from Internet trolls.
Heidi Agan, who makes up to £3,000 a day as a lookalike of the Duchess, has confessed she's suffered with anxiety after being targeted by bullies online.
She said: "It's pretty weird getting death threats from internet trolls on Twitter and Facebook.
"I deliberately kept my pages open for all the nice people that want to get in touch but some people use the internet to say stuff to me they would never dare say to my face.
"If someone is jealous or doesn't like what I do they can spit it out on heir computer and don't have to deal with me saying something back to them.
"If you're in the public eye, even as a lookalike, you have to take the rough with the smooth.
"I've had to stop reading anything about myself, good or bad, because it knocks my confidence and makes me feel terribly about myself.
"I suffered from quite sever anxiety and had to have hypnotherapy, which thankfully has worked."
The 34-year-old beauty and single mother admits she's also been bombarded with bizarre requests from men who fantasise about Duchess Catherine, who is also known by her maiden name Kate Middleton.
She told the Daily Express newspaper: "People started messaging me, wanting pictures of my feet. Some even want to hire me so they can rub my feet because it's their dream to rub Kate's. I politely decline.
"Then there are the marriage proposals and people asking me out on dates. I've had 15 offers of marriage from strangers."

Dame Maggie Smith dines with Queen Elizabeth


Dame Maggie Smith joined Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle for a "dine and sleep" event.
The 'Downton Abbey' actress was one of a select few to be invited to join the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on Monday (13.04.15) at Her Majesty's Berkshire residence for an event where guests dine together before staying the night.
The meeting took place during Easter Court, where the Queen takes up residence at Windsor Castle for a month between March and April each year.
In addition to her "dine and sleep" events, the Queen also holds investitures during her month at the castle.
Dame Maggie was one of 20 guests, who also included the Archbishop of Canterbury, Prince Andrew and Bank of England governor Mark Carney, while previous events have seen the actors Daniel Craig and his wife Rachel Weisz and Helena Bonham Carter attend.
The 80-year-old star is no stranger to the British royals having been made a Dame in 1990 and a Companion of the Order of the Companions of Honour for her services to drama in the Queen's birthday honours in 2014.


Windsor Castle employees to strike for first time in 900 years


Windsor Castle employees are to go on strike for the first time in 900 years.
Wardens at the Berkshire residence of Britain's Queen Elizabeth could be set to refuse to give tours to paying visitors after voting in favour of industrial action yesterday (15.04.15).
The action could start from the end of the month and would have a "significant impact" on visitors, the Public and Commercial Services Union has said.
The wardens - who are stationed at the entrance, in the grounds and inside the castle - are protesting against years of pay restraint that has seen them earn below the living wage of £7.85 an hour or £9.15 in London.
A deal was agreed last year on the grounds they would get additional allowances this year for the extra services they've been providing out of "good will" and the wardens insist their issue is with their employers rather than the Queen or her family.
One of the wardens told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "We're all very loyal to the Queen and the royal family. We wouldn't work here if we weren't.
"We feel part of England's heritage. Our gripe is with the managers who run the castle in their name and keep us on such low pay it's almost impossible to have any decent standard of living. That's why we're taking action."
The wardens voted 84 per cent in favour of action short of a strike, which could be set to start from the end of April.

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