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Duchess Camilla poses for selfie


Britain's Duchess Camilla posed for a selfie with a teenager yesterday (12.02.15).
The 67-year-old royal - who is married to Prince Charles - toured The Arthritis UK Centre for Adolescent Rheumatology in London and took the time to meet with patient Danny Roberts, 13, and posed for a picture with him.
Danny said afterwards: "It was fantastic to meet the Duchess of Cornwall. She was really interested in why I'm at University College Hospital and wanted to find out more about how I'm being treated.
"It was really nice of her to come and see us and be so concerned."
During her visit to the facility - which is the first in the world to be dedicated to how and why the disease affects teenagers - Camilla was shown immune cells in a microscope which are being used in a research project working out how stress and puberty affect the immune system.
Dr. Liam O'Toole, CEO of Arthritis Research UK said after the visit: "We were thrilled that we were able to showcase examples of our research at the Arthritis Research UK Centre for Adolescent Rheumatology to the Duchess of Cornwall.
"Her Royal Highness was shown research looking at how puberty and stress can impact a teenager's immune system, as well as practical technological solutions being developed to help young people better manage their condition."
The engagement was Camilla's second of the day, as she earlier called to Holland Park School and praised a group of "very brave" children for reading a scene from Shakespeare's 'As You Like It' in front of her.
She said: "I'm very impressed by you all; you're very brave to read it all out loud! There's real talent here."
Camilla looked at several classes, including Latin, History and English before presenting a creative writing prize to pupil Mukahang Limbu.

Boris Johnson: US want British monarchy


Boris Johnson believes Americans "secretly want" to be ruled by the British royal family.
The Mayor of London hosted his weekly LBC Radio show from New York yesterday (12.02.15) and of the US-based callers, only one had a question about something other than the monarchy, and so he suggested their fascination was down to a desire to be reunited with their former colonial rulers.
He joked: "What does this show you?.
"Deep down, in a primal way, they regret the fundamental schism of 1776 and they wish that we were in a single commonwealth of English-speaking peoples again united under Her Majesty.
"That's what they secretly want. They have been deprived of it too long, that blissful pride that goes with a hereditary monarchy."
Among the questions the politician faced were what type of sandwiches are eaten at Buckingham Palace and the names of Queen Elizabeth's beloved corgis, but he showed his royal knowledge was lacking as he struggled with the answers.
Discussing the food choices, he said: "I don't know. Ham from Bucking?"
And asked about the dogs - who are named Holly and Willow - he said: "I haven't got the faintest idea what they are called. Basil? Eric?"
During the show, Boris also admitted he hadn't spoken to the monarch since she asked if her surprise appearance in a James Bond sketch - which culminated in a body double parachuted out of a plane - at the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony had been a success.
He said: "She very innocently wanted to know whether people thought it was funny and I said it was brilliant.
Asked whether he really hadn't spoken to the queen since then, he replied: "I don't get to see the queen that often.
"What do you think I do? Spend my whole time round Buckingham Palace sucking up to the monarchy?"

Prince Andrew promoted


Britain's Prince Andrew is to be promoted to a naval vice-admiral.
The prince will receive the honour on his 55th birthday next week after it was approved by his mother Queen Elizabeth " in line with long-standing convention covering military promotions" for royals, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.
And the Royal Navy feel the promotion for Andrew - who joined the service in 1979 as a Seaman Officer and served as a Sea King helicopter co-pilot during the Falklands War before ending his active service in 2001 - is deserved for the "contribution" he has made over the years.
In a statement, the Royal Navy said: "Following his active service, His Royal Highness has been hugely supportive of the Royal Navy and has undertaken a vast amount of work for the service over many years.
"This promotion on the occasion of his 55th birthday recognises that contribution."
In 2009, the navy established a policy that means royal family members are promoted in line with their still-serving peers to mark a continued contribution to the service.
Andrew was made a commander in 1999 and was an officer of the Diplomatic Directorate of the Naval Staff at the Ministry of Defense when his service ended.
On his 50th birthday, he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral.

Duchess Catherine: Prince George loves art


Britain's Duchess Catherine likes painting with Prince George.
The 33-year-old royal - who is expecting her second child with husband Prince William - helped decorate a mural at the Portsmouth headquarters of the Ben Ainslie Racing Visitor centre yesterday (12.02.15) and revealed her 18-month-old son has already inherited her love of art.
Art teacher James Waterfield from Park Community School in Leigh Park, Havant, said: "I was so worried about getting paint on her fantastic white coat.
"She told me she was painting yesterday with baby George and she should have brought him down because he loves doing all of this."
Catherine also stopped to chat to construction workers still working on the facility, which is hoped to open in May, and was presented with special hi-visibility vests printed with the words 'The Boss' for her, 'The Future Boss' for George and 'The Boss's Best Friend' for her beloved pet dog Lupo.
Project Planner Clare Logan said: "I was just telling her about my role which is the coordination of everything that needs to be done on site.
"The programme is pretty critical, it's pretty intense.
"I gave Kate the hi-vis vests as a gift - one for her which said The Boss, one for George which said The Future Boss and one for their little dog which said The Boss's Best Friend.
"William didn't get one."
William was likely to be unimpressed at missing out on a gift, and later in the day Catherine admitted her husband - who famously supports soccer team Aston Villa - would be "very annoyed" after she was presented with a Portsmouth FC top for George by school pupils during a visit to the 170-metre tall Spinnaker Tower.
Lucy Burroughs, head girl of Mayfield School who gave her the gift, said: "She said William would be very annoyed because he's a massive Villa fan."
Inside the tower, Catherine was able to get a good view of the racecourse for the America's Cup World Series event and tried her hand at a power grinder, a hand-operated device for winding in sails.
Sailing legend Sir Ben Ainslie said: "It was great to have her here and she was looking well.
"She's very interested in everything. She was really interested in how we are designing the boats and in the most secretive parts of that.
"There are a lot of very smart people working very hard on that."



Prince William’s wedding items sold


A menu, order of service, invitations and pictures from Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding will be auctioned off next week.
The memorabilia from the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Duchess Catherine, who was then known as Kate Middleton, is one of several royal lots going under the hammer next week, with two cheques written by the Queen Mother, a signed photo of Queen Victoria and handwritten letters penned by Princess Diana are among the items in the sale.
The collection of royal memorabilia, which spans almost 200 years, was amassed by Devonshire royal 'ephemera expert', Jim Hanson and is said to be "extraordinary".
Auctioneer James Grinter said: "Jim Hanson was an extraordinary collector.
"He started from an early age collecting cheese labels, before moving on to marbles which he traded in the school playground.
"After giving up farming in Devon in the late 1970s he concentrated on travelling the world, trading and exhibiting stamps, and then turned his attention to royal memorabilia in his later years, before his death."
Also going up for sale is a rare black and white portrait of Princess Diana, which is signed 'Diana 1993',a menu from the dinner King Edward VIII held the night before he announced his abdication and a letter from the Queen Mother written in the third person to describe her gown preferences for King George VI's coronation.
The note says: "The Queen is writing a line to Madame Handley Seymour to tell her that the dress for the Coronation (according to precedent) ought to be beautifully embroidered by some school of needlework. So that the Queen thinks that the Royal School of Needlework ought to do the embroidery."
The items will be auctioned at Reeman Dansie's Royal memorabilia sale in Colchester on February 17th.

Sheridan Smith wanted to hug Queen Elizabeth


Sheridan Smith wanted to "hug" Britain's Queen Elizabeth when they met.
The 33-year-old actress was among the guests at a Buckingham Palace reception held in honour of the monarch's son Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, on Tuesday (10.02.15) and she had to restrain herself when presented to the queen.
She tweeted: "I know many fabulous queens!. But tonight I met THE queen. She's adorable & if I hadn't have been arrested I'd have hugged her #unforgettable.(sic)"
The 'Gavin and Stacey' actress had earlier admitted she was "nervous" of the meeting, but was desperate to ask for a picture with the 88-year-old queen.
She wrote: "Would I get removed if I asked the Queen for a selfie???! So nervous. (sic)"
The reception was held to celebrate the couple's recent birthdays and to praise their patronages for their good work and the prince was delighted with the number of people who attended the event, of which representatives of the various organisations they support had been invited.
He said: "It's an extraordinary thing. I think 110 out of the possible 125 organisations and affiliations are present this evening, which is really very, very impressive. We are very grateful for all that support."
Sophie added: "Thank you for everything that you do, regardless of what is it that you do. In fact I actually tried to write down all of the different organisations and what they stood for and actually my pen ran out.
"I also remember quite a long time ago saying I don't want to take on too much and now I look at all of you and think, 'Oh dear, it must have gone horribly wrong somewhere.' Hopefully we're doing something right, so thank you for choosing us to represent you and what you do."

Sophie Wessex makes plastercasts


Britain's Countess of Wessex joined children at a castmaking workshop yesterday (11.02.15).
Sophie - who has children Lady Louise, 11, and James, Viscount Severn, seven, with husband Prince Edward - chatted with a group of youngsters at the fracturing and plastering activity on a visit to Bracknell Urgent Care Centre in Berkshire and helped them create a plaster cast on a toy dog.
She then officially opened the minor injury facility, unveiling a commemorative plaque for her visit.
She then travelled to nearby Maidenhead to open the £626,000 Boyn Grove Library and impressed those she met with her friendly demeanour.
Joanna Apted, whose four-year-old daughter Martha presented the countess with flowers, said: "She was really lovely, especially with the children. She got down to their level and interacted with them."
Sophie also visited the Boyn Grove Community Resource Centre, which is situated next door to the library and is used by adults with learning disabilities and those living with dementia.
She was given a tour of a sensory room and garden and chatted with staff, volunteers and service users.
Day service manager, Julia Harris, told the Maidenhead Advertiser newspaper: "She was wonderful and chatted to our volunteers who work in the cafe.
"We are all very proud of all our staff here."

Duchess Camilla commiserates with boxers


Britain's Duchess Camilla commiserated with her regiment after they lost a boxing match on Tuesday (10.02.15).
The 67-year-old royal met soldiers from 4th Battalion The Rifles - of which she is honorary colonel - yesterday (11.02.15), a day after they had lost eight bouts to one to the Parachute Regiment, of which her husband Prince Charles is Colonel-in-Chief and hailed their sole victor "a hero".
She told 20-year-old Rifleman Jack Brown: "You're the hero of the hour. I'm glad to see your nose is still straight."
And Camilla - who entered the ring with some of the fighters in their gym at the Bulford Camp base in Wiltshire - showed concern for Corporal Mark Zareh, who was sporting two black eyes.
She asked: "Ooh, are your eyes all right?. I hope you're OK."
The 27-year-old soldier - who lost his three-round bout on a split decision - replied: "I've got some superficial damage but I feel fine.
"There were a lot of people there last night, including some of their officers, who thought the decision should have gone the other way."
Camilla - who inspected the soldiers after her arrival was greeted with a traditional fanfare bugle - later moved on from the gym to be given a tour of the regiment's arsenal of armoured vehicles before meeting the wives and children of some of the battalion.
The visit will be her last before the Rifles move to new barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire, this summer

Duchess Catherine plays ukulele


Britain's Duchess Catherine played the ukulele during a private engagement on Tuesday (10.02.15).
The 32-year-old royal - who is expecting her second child with husband Prince William - visited the Bethlem and Maudsley Hospital School in Beckhenham, South East England, and happily engaged with the children who were having a music lesson, as well as chatting about her 18-month-old son Prince George.
Headteacher Dr. John Ivens said: "One of the boys managed to teach the Duchess a couple of chords on the ukulele. She kept up with them. There's a career there.
"The duchess is very good at listening to what people are saying to her, especially children, and responding in a thoughtful way.
"Clearly it was very important for her to understand how young people get to a situation that they need to be an in-patient at such a young age.
"It was clear that her intention in coming was to find out more about this area. She talked a little bit about that with the children and about what George likes. It was lovely."
Catherine followed up the visit with another private engagement yesterday (11.02.15), with a meeting to discuss the Royal Foundation's support for children's hospices.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said: "It was a standard meeting of the Foundation. They were mainly focusing on palliative care issues."

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