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Prince William to fly in new job this summer


Britain's Prince William will start flying in his new job as an air ambulance pilot job in the summer.
Royal sources have told BBC News that the Duke of Cambridge will still start the position in the spring, as has been previously announced, but he won't actually take to the cockpit of a helicopter until later this year.
William - whose wife Duchess Catherine is currently pregnant with their second child, who is due in April - will be based at Cambridge Airport, where he will work with the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA).
The 32-year-old prince - who has 17-month-old son Prince George with Catherine - will work for company Bond Air Services, who have two helicopters for the charity's use in Norwich and Cambridge, east England.
His £40,000-a-year salary is to be donated to charity and he was recently said to be very excited about starting a new job.
He wrote: "His Royal Highness is hugely excited and motivated about this opportunity.
"He sees this as public service in its truest sense, helping people in the most difficult of circumstances on the front line. He sees it as a privilege to be able to serve in this way."

Duchess Catherine to visit pottery factory


Britain's Duchess Catherine will visit a British pottery factory today (18.02.15).
The 33-year-old royal will head to Stoke-on-Trent, central England, to take in a new range of mugs being made at Emma Bridgewater to raise money for East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), which offers care and support for life-threatened children and their families in the east of England.
A series of messages on the Kensington Palace official Twitter account read: "Today The Duchess of Cambridge will visit @EmmaBridgewater to see a range of mugs being produced to raise money for @EACH_hospices
"A range of mugs designed and produced by@emma_bridgewater to raise funds for the EACH hospice Nook Appeal. The Duchess of Cambridge is Patron of EACH hospices and introduced the charity to@emma_bridgewater pottery.
"Most @EmmaBridgewater pottery is made by hand in their factory in Stoke-on-Trent, the home of British pottery (sic)"
What's more, the pregnant duchess - who has 17-month-old son Prince George with husband Prince William and is pregnant with their second child - will also head to Smethwick, central England, to visit an Action for Children centre, a charity which speaks out and supports the vulnerable kids in the UK.
Another message on the Kensington Palace Twitter account read: "The Duchess of Cambridge will also visit an @actnforchildren centre in #Smethwick to learn more about how they support vulnerable children (sic)"

Prince Philip: Royals had ‘nightmare’ week after Diana death


Britain's Prince Philip described the week after Princess Diana's death as a "nightmare" for the royal family.
A letter half-written and half-typed from the prince to his niece, Princess Margarita of Baden, has revealed his thoughts on the devastating days following the late Princess of Wales' fatal car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997 - and the note has now been sold at auction for £2,300.
According to the Daily Mirror newspaper, the letter, which was dated September 5, 1997, was personally signed by Philip and features his reactions to the criticism the royals faced for their apparent lack of public mourning.
He also spoke about the reaction to him and wife Queen Elizabeth "forcing" Diana and Prince Charles' sons, Princes William and Harry, to church in Balmoral, Scotland, shortly after the incident.
He wrote: "We have even been criticised for 'forcing' the boys to go to church on Sunday, the day of the accident."
Philip insisted in the note that churches are used for praying in and that the death of the princess - who was just 36 years old - was difficult enough to deal with.
Philip and Queen Elizabeth faced criticism from members of the public at the time for not speaking publicly about Diana's death or flying the Union Jack at half-mast over Buckingham Palace.
However, the family did release a rare statement four days after her passing.
It read: "The princess was a much loved national figure, but she was also a mother whose sons miss her deeply.
"Prince William and Prince Harry themselves want to be with their father and their grandparents at this time in the quiet haven of Balmoral."

Prince Charles and Camilla attend Marigold Hotel premiere


Dame Judi Dench wished Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla a happy night off as they attended 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' world premiere last night (17.02.15).
The royal couple were guests of honour at the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund (CTBF) Royal Performance in London's Leicester Square, and Judi was delighted to see the pair in attendance at the event and hopeful they would enjoy the film.
Speaking on the orange carpet, the 80-year-old actress - who plays Evelyn Greenslade in the movie - told PEOPLE magazine: "I hope they enjoy it and have an evening off."
Judi and her co-stars, including Dame Maggie Smith, later met the royal couple inside the cinema and shared stories.
Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, dressed to impress for the occasion by wowing in a floor-length plum gown which she teamed with a stunning four-strand diamond and ruby necklace.
Charles, 66, also dressed elegantly for the event in a sharp black suit complete with a black bow tie and white shirt.
The heir to the throne - who is a keen gardener - couldn't take his eyes of the wonderfully-attractive yellow and orange-tinted marigolds which decorated the world premiere at the Odeon theatre.
As well as attending the event to see the movie, Charles and Camilla, 67, were also supporting the CTBF, a charity which supports those working behind the scenes in film and TV.
Several other stars from the movie also walked the same orange carpet as the royal couple at the event, including Celia Imrie, Diana Hardcastle and Tena Desae.
Fellow actress Thandie Newton was also in attendance, accompanying her screenwriter husband Ol Parker.

Princess Anne opens CAB offices


Britain's Princess Anne opened a Citizens Advice Bureau's new offices yesterday (16.02.15).
The 64-year-old royal - also known as The Princess Royal - headed down to Exeter, south west England, for the grand opening of the Exeter Citizens Advice Bureau's (CAB) new place of work, and chairman Dennis Mardon was delighted with the princess' presence.
He is quoted by the Exeter Express and Echo newspaper as saying: "We were delighted to welcome The Princess Royal to our new offices. Our volunteers and paid staff work very hard and it was wonderful to be able to show her the work we do here. She took a great interest in what we are doing and we are very grateful for her support.
"Last year we helped more than 16,000 clients in the Exeter area deal with their problems. This relocation has been a major step forward in confirming the bureau as one of the key support organisations for Exeter and the surrounding area."
Anne met both volunteers and members of paid staff at the new offices, where she was given a guided tour by chief executive Steve Barriball.
Citizens Advice Bureaux offer free, confidential, and impartial advice from over 3,500 locations up and down the country.

Prince William helped with Villa job search


Britain's Prince William asked the Ghana football manager to takeover at his favourite club, Aston Villa.
The 60 year old has revealed the 32-year-old royal was keen for him to take the hot seat the Birmingham-based club, but the former Chelsea boss insists he is happy in charge of the African side and would've only left for Villa if William was the club's chairman.
He told Sky Sports: "I met Prince William and he asked me, 'Why don't you come to Aston Villa?'
"I said, 'When you become the chairman, I will come.' As long as my name is mentioned, I feel good with this, but not more than that. I want to continue with Ghana."
William is known to be a big fan of the Premier League outfit - who recently appointed Tim Sherwood as their new manager - and has vowed to bring his and wife Duchess Catherine's 18-month-old son Prince George up as a Villa fan.
Speaking in October 2013, the prince - who is president of the Football Association - said: "When Villa thrash Man U at Villa Park, my son will be there."
Just one month after those comments William attended a game at Villa Park between the home side and Sunderland but unfortunately he didn't witness any goals and the tie ended in a 0-0 draw.
William is not the only big name who supports Villa, he shares the allegiance with the likes of Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler and England cricketer Ian Bell.
The prince may be thinking himself lucky that he didn't follow his father Prince Charles' footsteps in supporting Burnley, who are currently second bottom in the Premier League.

Duchess of Cornwall appointed WoW president


Britain's Duchess of Cornwall has been appointed president of the Women of the World (WoW) Festival.
Camilla was named head of the global event - which celebrates the achievements of women and girls worldwide - yesterday (16.02.15) at a reception ahead of the spectacle, which runs from March 1-8, and admitted she was "touched and flattered" to have been offered the position.
In a speech made at London's Southbank, Camilla said: "Ladies and Gentlemen, I was very touched and flattered to be asked to be the President of this ground-breaking Festival by Jude Kelly, its indomitable founder, and I need hardly say how delighted I am to be able to celebrate the Southbank Centre's fifth Women of the World Festival with you all here this evening.
"I was just going to say I would l like to have got you all to give a round of applause for Jude, but we've just done that! She is indomitable, and without her none of us would be here tonight, so thank you Jude."
Camilla also called for the festival goers to keep spreading the word about WoW and help make the festival even bigger than it was last year.
She added: "Many of you here today have told me about the great diversity of the work you are involved in - supporting victims of domestic violence, campaigning against the horrific practice of FGM, encouraging young women in business, promoting women in sport - to name but a few and my hope is that you will continue this all-important work and make WoW an even bigger and better occasion every year! Thank you very much."

Prince William’s China tour prep gathers pace


A photo exhibition has opened in China ahead of Prince William's visit next month.
The Duke of Cambridge - who does a lot of work for wildlife conservation - will be visiting the country from March 2-4 and he will now be able to take in pictures from the winners of the 2014 British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA) at Beijing's Natural History Museum.
Andrew Key, Chargé d'Affaires of the British Embassy, said: "The photographs include magnificent shots of wildlife that showcase the peaceful co-existence of humans and nature. I am glad that we are able to bring these photographs to a Chinese audience, in advance of the visit of the Duke of Cambridge, who has a keen interest in wildlife conservation."
The exhibition, which opened today (17.02.15), is hosted by the British Embassy Beijing, in partnership with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), and will run until March 6.
The 33-year-old royal's visit to China will make him the most senior royal to visit the nation since 1986 when William's grandparents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip undertook a tour of China.
However, the visit was marred by the Duke of Edinburgh as he was famously overheard describing Beijing as "ghastly" and telling British exchange students: "If you stay here much longer you'll all be slitty-eyed."

Duchess Catherine note amazes girl, 5


A five-year-old girl was left "amazed" when she received a letter from Duchess Catherine after portraying the royal in her school play.
Scarlett Gillis sent a note to the duchess after playing her in school production 'A Tale of Two Birthdays' at her school in Manchester, north west England, as well as pictures of her in costume, and the youngster was shocked to receive a response from the 33-year-old royal praising her.
The royal mail read: "It was most kind of you to enclose the photographs of yourself wearing your wonderful red dress for her to see.
"She was interested to learn that you played the part of her in your school play.
"The Duchess of Cambridge hopes that you had a most enjoyable time."
A shocked Scarlett admitted she was "really happy" to receive a response from the duchess - who has 18-month-old son Prince George with husband Prince William - as well as a picture of the royal.
She is quoted by the Daily Express newspaper as saying: "I was amazed, I didn't really think she would have time to reply to all those letters, but I was really happy and glad when I saw the letter and photograph of her she'd attached.
"I thought she was beautiful."
Scarlett addressed the duchess - known as Kate Middleton before her wedding to William - as "your royal highness" in her note and admitted she is longing for the day when the pregnant royal becomes queen.
She wrote: "My name is Scarlett and I am 5 years old. My school is called St Bedes. In my nativity I played you. I got a new red dress just like yours. I hope you like the picture of me.
"I can't wait for you to be queen. I think you are lovely, yours sincerely, Scarlett xxxx. (sic)"

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