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Britain’s Prince Harry praises graduates


Britain's Prince Harry celebrated young sports graduates yesterday (14.01.15).
The 30-year-old royal attended St James's Palace for a graduation event for young people who have taken part in the Coach Core programme, which aims to train sports coaches for work within their communities.
Speaking at the event, he said: "It gives me great pleasure to be here today to congratulate the first cohort of coach core graduates.
"When my brother, Catherine and I launched the Coach Core programme back in 2012, we had a vision of young people being inspired to become amazing sports coaches for their communities and beyond: Young people, who would in turn, inspire others to change their lives through sport."
The royal - who is the son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana - also praised those who had supported the 33 students through the programme, which was founded by the Royal Foundation.
He continued: "All those graduating today have also worked fantastically hard in getting to this point. Completing the Coach Core programme has, I know, not been easy - but then trying to be the best you can be, isn't easy.
"Today's graduation marks a success for all those involved - graduates, coaches, mentors, friends, family and all those who have supported the programme so generously."
The ceremony was also attended by NBA players Dikembe Mutombo and Carmelo Anthony, with the latter presenting Harry with the gift of a basketball shirt and size 15 basketball shoes.

Royals reveal gift list


The British royal family have revealed the list of gifts they received in 2014.
Presents given to the royals included a "selection of condiments", crates of mangoes, and a decorated ostrich egg.
The son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, received the most presents, 770, being presented with 219 games and toys alone during a trip to New Zealand and Australia last April.
Items received included: "121 items of clothing, 120 books, 5 textile items, 1 piece of stationery, 18 pieces of sporting equipment, 1 plaque, 3 pictures, 7 photographs, 4 perishable items, 1 musical instrument, 5 ornaments, 1 piece of jewelry, 9 household items, 219 games and toys, 2 DVDs, 2 coins, 4 CDs."
The parents of the 17-month-old prince also received a selection of gifts during the multi-week trip, including pearl earrings, a "length of cloth," a polo mallet, sheepskin boots and a surfboard.
A further 40 presents were given to the couple during their three-day trip to New York in December including four pillow cases and a dressing gown for George from Upper East Side hotel, The Carlyle.
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama also presented gifts to Prince William during his stop-off in Washington, giving the couple a basket of honey, two books and a teddy bear for their young son.

Duchess of York: Diana would have been ‘naughtiest’ grandmother


The Duchess of York thinks Britain's Princess Diana would have been the "naughtiest" grandmother.
The duchess, Sarah, believes the former wife of Prince Charles would be extremely proud of her sons Princes William and Harry, and would have loved William's 17-month-old son, Prince George.
Speaking about what the princess would have been like as a grandparent, she said: "[Diana] would have just been the naughtiest, funniest and the best ever just because she loved her boys so much and she would be so proud of all of them and what they've achieved."
The royal died at the age of 36 in 1996 after being involved in a car crash in Paris, but the duchess, 55, is sure she would have been thrilled to see her sons are so happy, and would have enjoyed the company of William's wife, the Duchess of Cambridge.
She continued: "They really are extraordinary boys and Katherine is incredible.
"I just think it is all goodness and we need to hear more about goodness and Diana would have loved that."
As well as praising the young royals for their close bonds with each other, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew gushed over "squishy" Prince George.
Speaking on 'The Meredith Vieira Show', she added: "I believe in love. I believe in just that goodness of love and I think they are a beautiful example of a great family, totally in love and with that delicious little George, so squishy, you know you want to eat him."

Duchess of York criticised for blender promotion


Sarah, Duchess of York has been criticised for linking Imperial College London to a questionable diet plan.
The 55-year-old royal is currently on a promotional tour of the US where she is endorsing a £65 ($100) blender - the Fusion Xcelerator - which she has associated with her work as an ambassador for the university.
Speaking on NBC's 'Today' show, she said: "I have just found out on my discoveries with Imperial College London... I'm an ambassador for the Institute for Global Health Innovation, and I found out that children, little children, are going to die before their parents because of obesity."
The duchess - also known by her maiden name Sarah Ferguson - went on to describe the device as "a solution for behavioural change," claiming to have lost 55lbs from using the emulsifier.
However, the prestigious scientific institution has now clarified her comments, explaining they do not endorse the Fusion Xcelerator and have no link to the product.
A spokesman told MailOnline: "Sarah Ferguson holds an unpaid role as an ambassador for Imperial's Institute of Global Health Innovation. The role is to raise the profile of the Institute and its impact.
"The commercial activities promoted by Sarah Ferguson in the interview with Today are not connected in any way to Imperial's staff or research activities, and the College does not endorse the suggestion of any possible link."
Scientists have also questioned the legitimacy of the device - which comes with a diet plan and fitness DVD - saying it has no distinguishing features from a regular blender.
Ayela Spiro from the British Nutrition Foundation said: "In terms of the particular product, no juicer or blender on their own can enhance how much nutrition your body will absorb. Any claims made about such products such that it accelerates weight loss, boosts energy and strengthens the immune system need to be treated with caution."
The duchess' spokesman told The Times newspaper: "She is not trying to use her association with the institute to promote her personal interests. She was talking about 'behavioural change', which is endorsed by the institute, and her own behavioural change."

Royals join Twitter and Instagram


The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Britain's Prince Harry have joined Twitter and Instagram.
The three royals have joined the social networks under the shared username @KensingtonPalace, and promise to share news about their day-to-day activities through the accounts.
The description of the Twitter account reads: "Updates, pictures and videos from Kensington Palace, about The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and their Royal Foundation."
The new accounts on Twitter will post alongside @BritishMonarchy which publishes news from Buckingham Palace and the Royal Family, and the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall's account, @ClarenceHouse.
The new account racked up almost 50,000 followers after the first few hours of being live, and posted updates including photographs and quotes from Prince Harry's day at St James's Palace in London where he met with young graduates from the Coach Core apprenticeship scheme which aims to inspire young people through sports.
As well as the Twitter account, the Instagram page quickly gained thousands of followers, and will run alongside the Clarence House and British Monarchy accounts which each have more than 60,000 followers.

Prince Harry’s African inspired garden


Britain's Prince Harry will have an African inspired garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
The 30-year-old royal enlisted the help of Matt Keightley to work on the garden for his Sentebale charity, which will be inspired by Mamohato Children's Centre in Lesotho.
The landscape designer - who works for Maidenhead-based firm Farr & Roberts said: "He is very keen to know about the details, from the colour of the stone to which plants we're going to use, when they will be ready, and so on. He wants to make sure it is exactly right.
The design for the Hope in Vulnerability Garden which will cover a 32ft x 72 ft plot will feature traditional African building techniques as well as a poppy which is native to the country, which the prince hopes to bring to the UK for the first time.
He said: "People have tried and failed in the past to germinate them here, and we won't know until a couple of weeks before the show whether we've been successful."
The designer, also 30, revealed Harry asked him to be involved with the project after seeing the garden he created for Help for Heroes last year.
Describing how the opportunity arose, he said: "Prince Harry, who had made a private visit to the Help For Heroes garden one evening last year, had requested that I design a garden for Sentebale, and it's not the sort of request you turn down.
"I went to a meeting at Clarence House with Prince Harry and the Prince of Wales, whose Prince's Foundation for Building Community is part of the project, and they liked my ideas but it was suggested I should go to Lesotho.
"I went out there last August, and it was exactly what I needed to get a starting point to make sure that what I come up with really feels authentic. I want people who see the garden to feel as if they are looking into Lesotho."
The garden - which will be available to view from May 19-23 - has been funded by eponymous charity, the David Brownlow Charitable Foundation.

Duchess of Cornwall’s brother’s death declared ‘accident’


The brother of Britain's Duchess of Cornwall died after damaging his "unusually thin skull".
Mark Shand passed away in New York in April 2014, and an inquest into his death has revealed he was twice the UK drink drive limit when he died, after falling and hitting his head following a night of partying.
The coroner, Mr Sheriff Payne said: "The post mortem showed there were no signs of a heart attack so sadly alcohol plays a prominent part of the outcome.
"It is also significant that he had a very thin skull in parts. What someone else with a normal skull might have survived he did not in this case."
The 62-year-old travel writer and conservationist is believed to have consumed a mix of five whiskies and a glass of champagne on the evening of his death, spending nine hours in a coma before he was pronounced dead.
The coroner in Dorset, south west England, went on to state the death of the 67-year-old's younger brother was a result of intra-cranial haemorrhage following the fall, which was entirely accidental.
He said: "I therefore record a verdict that Mark Roland Shand's death was an accident.
The tragic incident followed a Sotheby's auction in the city hosted by the Duchess' brother in aid of his charity The Elephant Trust, which raised nearly £1 million.
Alexandra Bowes-Lyon, 29, who works for the trust recalled the "sudden" incident, saying the fall happened when he exited the Rose Bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel to have a cigarette.
She said: "Mark suggested we went outside for a cigarette. We were standing outside just talking. I don't smoke but Mark was having a cigarette.
"He stumbled back and fell straight back. He took one step but then he fell straight down rather than stumbled."
"He had seemed just like normal Mark up until then - it was very sudden."
The coroner added: "It was an entirely unexpected event at the end of what was a very successful and enjoyable evening for his charity."

Duchess of Cambridge enjoys retail therapy


Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, went on a shopping trip in London on Monday (12.01.15).
The wife of Prince William - who celebrated her birthday last Friday (09.01.15) - was spotted enjoying some retail therapy in Chelsea earlier this week where she spent an hour in the department store, John Lewis.
An eyewitness said: "They shopped for at least an hour."
Despite the young royal being several months pregnant with the couple's second child, she insisted on carrying the three bags of items which she purchased and was accompanied around the store by two body guards.
The source told E! News: "She was with two security guards but Kate carried all of her own bags and they did not look light."
The Duchess - who has 17-month-old son Prince George - decided to conceal her growing baby bump in a bone-white pea coat for the trip, along with black tights and smart knee-high boots.
The 33-year-old Duchess - who is expected to give birth in the spring - also wore her brunette hair in a ponytail for the shopping outing and ensured she was protected against the plummeting winter temperatures with an evergreen scarf.

Britain’s Prince Andrew accused of foot fetish


Britain's Prince Andrew complimented his alleged sex victim on her feet, her diary claims.
A 24-page journal revealing the details of an alleged affair the Duke of York had with a 17-year-old woman has surfaced, in which she says he licked her toes and enjoyed foreplay in a bath.
In the diary - written in 2009, eight years after the alleged incident - Virginia Roberts claims to have been taken out to private members club Tramp in central London and fed alcohol by the Duke and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, before being brought back to Ghislaine's apartment.
She wrote: "I was doing my best trying to put on a good show for him by slowly undressing and started to pour a bath.
"The room quickly filled with steam as I turned to Andrew and began to kiss his neck and undress him.
"He was caressing every part of my naked body and filling my head with endless compliments about my figure."
After getting into the bath, Virginia, now 29, claims they, "continued with back and forth foreplay, touching, kissing, and him even licking my toes," before he whispered, "I love your feet. They are so ­irresistible."
The woman - who now has three children - said she "went with it," but that his character changed after the incident.
She added: "The entire affair was short-lived, ­afterwards he was not the same attentive guy I had known for the last few hours. [He] quickly got dressed, said his goodbyes and slipped out of my bedroom."
The 54-year-old royal strongly denies the accusations, with Buckingham Palace stating they are untrue.
A spokesman said: "It is emphatically denied that HRH Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts.
"The allegations made are false and without any foundation."

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