Introducing The Princess of Cambridge!

Did today even happen? I feel like I’ve been bamboozled! Kate went into hospital, had a baby and left all in the same day – TWELVE HOURS. Further proof that I was right and she is, in fact, a legitimate superhero. Kate totally made up for the long wait with this one. Here’s a recap:

6am – Kate admitted to St Mary’s Hospital

8:34am – Kate gives birth to her second child, a princess!

4:00pm – Prince William leaves the Lindo Wing to pick up Prince George from Kensington Palace

4:20pm (approximately) – Prince William returns to the Lindo Wing with his first-born son to meet his new baby sister. World goes mad. How is Twitter still even functioning? His hair. His cheeks. His shorts. His matching outfit with dad. The kiss from William. That wave. Reminder: the cuteness has just begun.

6:00pm – The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leave the hospital with their new daughter, the first Princess of Cambridge in 180 years. Kate, HOW ARE YOU EVEN REAL?! Flawless. Yellow and white bespoke Jenny Packham dress, hair down in her classic full curls. And heels. She gave birth hours ago and was wearing heels.

via Emily Nash, @emynash, The Sun

So, we have a new princess. Kate is a superhero. We want to be here. But we can’t. We are merely humans. We are not worthy. Bow down. Cursty. All that. This is the best and most insane day that has happened. I need to sleep. Adrenaline high. Send help.

All that’s left is the name….. Congratulations once again to the family and we hope you enjoy your first night at home together!

It’s a PRINCESS! The Duchess of Cambridge Gives Birth to a Girl

“Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a daughter at 8.34am”

In this edition of “while you were all sleeping like normal humans on a Saturday morning…”

Just two and a half hours after being admitted to the famed Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital, The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to her second child, now fourth-in-line to the throne. IT’S A GIRL!  CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE!

Official Announcement from Kensington Palace

I can’t even believe this is happening. I was asleep 2 1/2 hours ago. Talk about a change of pace from Prince George’s birth (although the 4am wakeup call is exactly the same, the waiting all day for the birth announcement is totally different).

The baby princess was born at 8 lbs, 3 oz and mother and baby are said to be doing well. The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry (who is currently in Australia) have all been informed of the news.

We all thought girl, we all hoped girl (healthy and happy of course being the first hope) – THIS IS SO EXCITING.

When you’re all, “What a long week, can’t wait to sleep in on Saturday!” and Kate is all, “nah, that sounds boring.”…. I will let it slide that I was literally staying one mile away from the hospital this time last week and was yet again woken up in the middle of the night for the royal baby. Seriously, thank goodness I stocked up on Fortnum & Mason’s Royal Blend tea while I was over.

I CAN’T EVEN THIS IS SO EXCITING.

News on the name will be released in due course; remember we did not learn of George’s name until the family were home at Kensington Palace and The Queen had met the newborn and heard the name. (I’m still holding strong on Charlotte). Will Prince George visit his new baby sister? Will the family leave the hospital today? All we know thus far is that we have a new HRH Princess of Cambridge and that, right now, is enough for me.

STAY TUNED…and CELEBRATE!!!!!!!!!!!

How to keep busy during the #GreatKateWait2

The date is April 28, 2015. Royal watchers are growing restless. People are stealing poor Terry Hutt’s sleeping bag. William and Kate even sent coffee and croissants to the die-hards camping out at the Lindo Wing. I went to London and NOTHING happened. We are growing restless. Everyone is bored. The royal world is in distress. How can we possibly occupy our time, other than watching a door? I mean, the world is starting to think we’re all a little bonkers with this door watching obsession.

Here I am staring at the Lindo Wing door on one of Kate’s rumored due dates – April 23.

Here are my suggestions for passing the time – yet still maintaining peak royal excitement levels – during the homestretch of #GreatKateWait2..

Watch William & Kate – The Lifetime Movie on Netflix

Sorry but I think this is only a viable option for the Americans. I may or may not have tried to watch it while I was in London but my IP address blocked it. So, good option for Americans or hackers.

Look at these photos of Prince Harry

Remember that time Prince Harry went to Lesotho and took the most heart-stoppingly beautiful photos with children and Chris Jackson sent us all into the hospital? You’re welcome for reminding you.

Plan your visit to royal Britain

A pilgrimage to the royal motherland is a must for every royalist. Be honest, you spend 99% of your day dreaming about visiting Buckingham Palace or running into Kate shopping in Kensington.

Read “The Royal We”

If you haven’t read it already, I’m really disappointed in you. (It also means you don’t listen to me). If you have read, hip hip to you, and start reading it again!

Donate to Charity

A non-royal activity to keep you busy but we all know the royal family are extremely passionate about not only their own charities, but helping anywhere and anyway they can. It was just announced that Prince Charles made a sizeable donation to the earthquake recovery efforts in Nepal. I am going to shamelessly draw your attention to Team Rubicon, where skilled military veterans put their knowledge, passion and expertise to good use in times like these. My cousin just deployed to assist in the recovery, and something tells me Captain Wales would be a huge supporter of this cause.

Hang in there royal baby watchers, it can’t be too much longer. Can it?

#GreatKateWait2 is ON!

Now in the second week of the most royal month ever, we are receiving new information about the impending arrival of the new royal baby. The fearless UK royal press pack showered us all with updates after a briefing from the palace earlier today.

While no official due date has been given (April 25th has been rumored), we have learned more about The Duchess of Cambridge’s “late April birth.”

Here’s what we know:

There will be NO crazy #GreatKateWait outside the Lindo Wing this time around. Cue sigh of relief from the press pack who probably just want to watch their cellphones from the comfort of their own home instead of watching a door from the sidewalk. Accredited media will only be allowed to take up allocated positions outside the Lindo Wing after the Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington.

Once Kate has been admitted, a press release will go to reporters followed by Twitter and Instagram announcement from Kensington Palace two minutes later. Pro tip: turn on those KP Twitter notifications royal watchers!

Here is the kicker: If all of this activity happens after 10pm local time, the announcement will be held until at least 8am the following morning. That is 3am for the East Coast of the US. If you’ll recall from HRH Prince of Cheeks’ birth, us east coasters were woken up at about 4am with the news from Jesal that Kate had gone into labor. Then we found out George had arrived in the middle of the work day – #realworldproblems. DEAR NEW BABY, PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS TO US AGAIN. But, to avoid all of the sleep issues for this particular royalist, please just be born April 23 – 26 when I am in London. Preferably the 23rd because my schedule is much more flexible that day.

Just like with George, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will return to Kensington Palace after leaving the hospital with their newborn, but after a few days they will move onto their new Anmer Hall residence at Sandringham. Prince William, who is currently finishing his training with Bond Air Services, will take a two week paternity leave following the baby’s arrival. Kate’s maternity leave will be much longer – and longer than with George – and we are unlikely to see her in an official capacity until the autumn.

While Kate is currently not in London, she plans to return soon to be closer to the hospital where she intends to give birth (although contingency plans are in place near her parents home in Berkshire and Amner Hall in Norfolk). William will have a bit longer of a commute to the big event – about a two hour drive back to London.

Okay new prince or princess (it was also confirmed today that William and Kate do not know the sex of the baby), we can’t wait to meet you!

Oh Hey April, You’re Going to be AWESOME

Happy April everyone! This month has the potential to be seriously epic. So much Royal activity my head is spinning.

There is a royal baby on the way. The Duchess of Cambridge is due to give birth to her second child (in under two years oh hey thanks Kate xx), at some point this month. While the pre-birth hype isn’t as high as it was ahead of Prince George’s birth, we are all secretly – and some of us not so secretly – super excited to watch a door again. Well, not so much the door but SO much welcoming another Cambridge baby into this world.

Aside from the pure fact that Kate is about to have a baby, it’s *when* she could have the baby that’s adding to the potential epicness of it all. How about April 21? The baby would share a birthday with its great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. Or what about April 29? Mom and Dad’s fourth wedding anniversary? I think my royalist heart just exploded at the thought. No matter what, there will be a lot to celebrate this month. They may as well just rename “April” to “Royal.” And by they, I mean the whole world.

Oh and let’s not forget, The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan comes out on April 7. That’s next Tuesday. Baby, you can arrive that day – the fug girls deserve it.

The Royal We: If You Don’t Read it… BYE.

This past weekend I came home from the perfect ten-day tropical holiday to dreary, cold and way-too-noisy New York. As you can imagine, I was quite depressed in that cab ride back to my apartment. Then, I got home and had a package from Beverly Hills waiting for me. Things seriously turned around from there. My favorite Twitter twosome, Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks, aka @fuggirls, had sent me an advanced copy of their novel, The Royal We. Reading face on. Like, I actually had two week’s worth of TV to catch up on (including the premiere of The Royals and two episodes of Scandal) and I totally blew it off until I finished this book. I can pretty much end my review right there. Don’t worry, I’m not.

I have to admit, when Jessica told me back in 2013 that she and Heather were headed to Britain on a royal recon mission for their new book, I had seriously high expectations (which I didn’t tell them at the time, my bad J!). The Royal We far exceeded all of them. That rarely happens nowadays when it comes to royal reading. Well, any reading for that matter. TBH, I should not have been surprised that I read the book in 2 days – would have been one but I was seriously jetlagged and had to tap out with 100 pages left (the book is nearly 500 pages FYI). This totally makes me some sort of prodigy, right? Reading a book that big in a matter of hours? No, okay, moving onto the good stuff..

 Long story short, if you love the royals you will fall head over heels for this heart-warming novel inspired by our favorite soon-to-be-parents-for-the-second-time couple. If you don’t love the royals but you can appreciate getting totally lost in a book, a world that only exists in your wildest dreams, or have any interest in reading a good book whatsoever, you will still fall head over heels.

The story follows Rebecca “Bex” Porter, an American girl who heads to England for a year abroad and ends up bunking with the future king, Nicholas Wales. Hey fuggirls, get out of my daydreams, k? You think you might know the rest from there (the book is written in my favorite style – flashing back and forth between events, so you do know *something* upfront, but not everything), but you don’t. You so don’t. (Also, I’m incredibly impatient hence my love for books written this way. Again, H & J get out of my head, wouldya?) Obviously there is a romance. Obviously there is regal drama. But it goes deeper than that. And for royalists, just when you think you know what the next line is, because obviously we all know everything there is to know about William & Kate’s love story, they throw a twist at you.

While I very quickly got lost in the witty repartee that we have all come to know and love from Heather and Jessica on Twitter and in their royal round-ups, I also found myself taking mental notes (and some actual notes) throughout my Bex and Nicholas journey of the similarities between the W & K love story and the actual royal family. Well, what we know/think we know about it all. From the tartan McQueen coats and navy sailor striped t-shirts on her to the blue suits on him to meeting a prestigious British university and the ginger-haired, partying “spare” brother who loves his blondes, it is spot on. Yes, I obviously found myself drawn to the brother, Freddie, the most. H & J did their research, including lengthy descriptions of The Queen’s tiaras that left me salivating. Even the made-up newspaper headlines were exactly what you would see splashed across the front pages in the UK “We’re so Bea-xcited!”

I laughed, I cried, I yearned, I got lost in a world that most us royalists dream about on the reg. I’m a very emotional person and this book has a lot of emotions. It was perfect for me. I could go on for ages, but I’m already typing myself into reading it again and seriously, I need to get some actual things done in life  after my The Royal We vortex so I’m going to stop.

The book hits shelves on April 7th (less than two weeks, and very aptly timed for the Cambridge anniversary) and you can pre-order it here. In the meantime, the ladies have very kindly posted the first seven chapters for free on their website! Fair warning: I would refrain from reading the chapters until April 6th because you will want to devour it once you start. Once you read the book you will understand why I bolded/italicized that word.

So many congratulations to Heather and Jessica and thank you for allowing me to read it early. xx

Commonwealth Day 2015

I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. 

– Queen Elizabeth II, 21 April 1947

Today is Commonwealth Day, marked in the 53 member countries of the Commonwealth; an important date on The British Monarchy’s calendar. In her reign, Queen Elizabeth II has made more than 200 visits to the member nations around the world, the largest of which is Canada.

As is tradition, Her Majesty released a special message to the realm today:

The theme of the 2015 Commonwealth Day is ‘A Young Commonwealth;’ honoring that the Commonwealth, and the world in general, “can only flourish if its ideas and ideals continue to be young and fresh and relevant to all generations.” Very apt, in my opinion, as the young royals continue to take on more responsibilities on behalf of their grandmother and the brood keeps growing (ahem, royal baby number 2!)

The day will be marked with a service at Westminster Abbey today – 1,000 schoolchildren will attend, nodding to this year’s theme.

One simple lesson from history is that when people come together to talk, to exchange ideas and to develop common goals, wonderful things can happen.

Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall to Visit USA Next Month

It was announced this morning that The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will undertake a visit to the USA in March at the request of the British government. Charles and Camilla will visit this great nation March 17 – 20, to be exact, and make stops at our capital, Washington D.C. and Louisville, Kentucky (just under a 2 hour flight away).

It’s like, why don’t the royals just move here already? They caan’t get enough. Harry, William and Kate (+ one crumpet in the royal oven) – all in an official capacity in the last two years. Weddings, bachelor parties, c’mon guys, why are you so obsessed with us?

All jokes aside, it is wonderful to see another high ranking royal visit hit this side of the pond in such a short time span. The Oval Office hasn’t seen this much royal action probably ever – Prince William in December, his father in March.

According to the official release, the visit will heir Royal Highnesses will undertake various engagements promoting the UK’s partnership with the United States in areas such as sustainability and climate change, youth opportunities, corporate social responsibility and promoting historical and cultural links. That last one is perhaps my favorite, and the most mainstream, as the UK and US have always maintained a “special relationship” since well, we broke up a couple hundred years ago.

In particular, the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta is a highlight of not only the “special relationship” calendar year, but THR’s visit next month. The Prince of Wales will mark the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta during a visit to the National Archives where he will view the “Charters of Freedom” and the 1297 version of the Magna Carta, which is embodied in the American Bill of Rights and the Constitution. Magna Carta is not only a highlight on this side of the pond for 2015, but is being widely celebrated throughout Britain all year.

Looking forward to welcoming another royal duo to this side!

PS – I will not be covering the visit as I will be lounging on a beach in our furthest state – Hawaii. I know, you feel so awful for me.

14 Reasons to Love Prince Harry this Valentine’s Day

 

Let’s be honest, we love him 365 days of the year, but something about a mushy Hallmark holiday makes a girl want to love on Prince Harry even more. Even though I hate Valentine’s Day, I will never pass up an excuse to list out the reasons why Prince Harry is amazing. Don’t fight me on this, these are all 100% proven facts.

1. His red hair. He has a shade all his own. Not too bright, just right.
2. His freckles when he gets a little bit of sun.
3. His piercing eyes
4. The way he is with kids
5. The way he looks in a suit
6. The way he looks in a uniform
7. He’s funny
8. He loves his family
9. His devotion to Queen & country. Because it’s not enough to be a prince and spread the UK love across the world, he also went into battle to serve and protect.
10. He’s charitable
11. He’s a good dancer. I’m using the term “good” loosely here..
12. He’s sporty
13. He knows how to have fun
14. There is no one like him in the world. Others have tried, and failed miserably. There is only one Prince Harry. And he’s amazing.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Prince Charming. We love you. Or, at least I do. 

Happy Birthday to The Duchess of Cambridge!

Ain’t no birthday like a royal birthday! The Duchess of Cambridge is celebrating her 33rd birthday today, and KKHO is wishing her the happiest of days!

Royal birthdays are just like everyone else’s birthdays, except they’re celebrated in historic homes and palaces and there’s always the chance of unwrapping a tiara. I celebrated my birthday two weeks ago and my dad got me an inflatable crown, so that’s always a solid back-up option if you’d like to pretend you’re Kate.

Our favorite pregnant royal is said to be spending her birthday “privately,” with Prince William and Prince George according to People Magazine and rumored to be at Anmer Hall. Pretty logical conclusion as the young family just moved into their newly renovated property on the Sandringham Estate and spent the holidays there. However she celebrates, whomever she celebrates with… we all know we wish our invites hadn’t gotten lost in the mail.

Happy Birthday Kate!