Week in Review: Jan. 8 – 14, 2012

Hello Royal Watchers! Apologies for the lack of updates this week, I was quite sick for a few days – blogging is a little difficult when you can’t stay awake! Now that I am on the mend and caught up on all of my regal news, thought it would be a good idea to compile all of the week’s headlines in one post.  This is a simple post to get back in the swing of things and share the week’s news. I was hoping to do more in-depth posts on major stories, however that was just not possible this week. I promise to be back with clever posts soon and continue to work on taking this site to the next level.

There was not shortage of headlines this week; from controversy to accolades, royal news was all over the map:

The Duchess of Cambridge

As always, Catherine was a daily fixture in the news this week- from a milestone birthday to show-stopping fashion moments, she has held our attention..

• US Weekly: Inside Kate Middleton’s Intimate 30th Birthday Party – Monday, January 9 marked Kate’s 30th birthday and of course, the rumor mill was churning as to how she celebrated and what gifts she received. The truth is we may never know the exact details of her first birthday as a royal, but it is always fun to guess!*
• Marie Claire: Kate Middleton’s Wedding Dress Up for Design of the Year – It was announced this week that the McQueen gown that left the world speechless on April 29, 2011 is up for the Design Museum’s Design of the Year Award, 2012. The Sarah Burton creation is up against the McQueen Savage Beauty exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as the 2012 Olympic Torch, to name a few.
• The Huffington Post: Kate Middleton ‘Boosts UK Economy By £1bn’: Shoppers Copy Duchess Of Cambridge’s Style – Women yearning to be more like the fashionista Duchess, or “Copy Kates” as they have been dubbed, have reportedly boosted the British economy with more than £1billion spent to be just like her.
• Hello! Magazine: Our readers vote dazzling Duchess the most elegant woman of 2011 – Hello! Magazine readers have voted the always classy Duchess of Cambridge as the most elegant woman of 2011 – is anyone really surprised?

* More on Catherine’s Birthday: Happy 30th Birthday to The Duchess of Cambridge, A Birthday Present to Kate

The War Horse Premiere

• BBC: War Horse premiere attended by duke and duchess – Prince William and Catherine attended the Jan. 8 London premiere of ‘War Horse’ on behalf of The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry. Despite the rain, the duo dazzled the red carpet; William in a sharp tux, and Kate in a lace Alice Temperley gown. *
• PrinceofWales.gov: A Speech by HRH The Duke of Cambridge at the War Horse UK premiere

* More on The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the ‘War Horse’ Premiere: William & Catherine Attend ‘War Horse’ Premiere, Jan. 8th 

Royal Gifts – 2011

• PrinceofWales.gov: List of Gifts Given to TRH The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Official Overseas Tours During 2011 – Perhaps one of the most talked about royal headlines of the week, a list of items gifted to the royal couples on official overseas visits from the past year was released by the palace.
• PrinceofWales.gov: List of gifts given to TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall during overseas tours in 2011 – A complete list of gifts TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall received in 2011 – from an electricity monitor to books.
• PrinceofWales.gov: List of gifts given to TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during overseas tours in 2011 – A full list of items gifted to the newlyweds in their first months of marriage, including many presents you wouldn’t suspect – from a sleeping bag to an iPad.

Diamond Jubilee

• London Evening Standard: Fit for a Queen: first sight of barge to lead Diamond Jubilee river pageant – An 88 foot rowbarge will be gifted to The Queen after it leads the family in the June 3rd Queen’s Diamond Jubilee pageant down the Thames River. The gift will become the first state barge in the monarch’s possession in nearly a century
• Travel with Val: Upper East Side British Candy Store Looks Forward to a Jubilee Year – This is not a story that has made major royal headlines, in fact, unless you are from the New York City area you may not have heard of it. It is not a necessarily a news making story, but for us Americans it is something to look forward to in 2012. For those of us who can’t make the hop across the pond, this NYC British candy store – The London Candy Company – will be all decked out and serving the most extensive selection of British candies this side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Miscellaneous Royal Happenings

• Architectural Digest: Prince Charles Unveils Dumfries House – Architectural Digest takes an exclusive look inside Dumfries House, the historic country house HRH Prince Charles lead in restoration and redecoration
• CNN: Duchess of York faces charges over Turkey children’s home film – This is a headline sure not to disappear from the news quickly, as it was announced this week The Duchess of York is facing charges over secretly filming children at an orphanage in Turkey.
• Google+: Clarence House – Clarence House joined social networking site Google + this week.
• Gadling: The British Museum has great lineup for 2012 – Another lesser known story that caught my travel news hungry eye this week – a fascinating list of a stunning lineup for The British Museum in 2012.

A Birthday Present to Kate..

What do you get the princess who has everything? In honor of Catherine’s 30th birthday, I pose a challenge to all of you royal watchers – make a donation to The Duchess’ chosen patronages. In the week leading up to her milestone birthday, Catherine announced the charities she would support as Royal Patron, including volunteer position. If you are looking to celebrate the big day along with HRH, make a donation and help support the causes close to her heart.

• The Art Room –  Donations Page
• East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices – How to Help
• Action on Addiction – How You Can Help
• National Portrait Gallery – Support Page
• The Scout Association – Get Involved

Every donation, small or large, can make a difference. If you are from the area, hands on help can take your dedication to the cause one step further. Happy Birthday to The Duchess of Cambridge – let’s help her kick off her 30th year right!

Are you going to donate? How are you celebrating Kate’s big day? Leave comments!

Happy 30th Birthday to The Duchess of Cambridge!

Today is Catherine’s 30th birthday! This milestone birthday follows what was an over-the-top year for the newlywed, with 2012 expected to be another top year. To celebrate Catherine’s big day, here are 30 fun facts about the new princess.

1. Catherine was 29 years, three months when she married Prince William, making her the oldest first-time royal bride.
2. Catherine’s middle name is Elizabeth.
3. When she was two-years-old, the now Duchess of Cambridge and her family moved to Jordan for her father’s work.
4. During her gap year, Catherine studied at the British Institute in Florence, went to Chile to participate in a Raleigh Interntaional Programm undertook a Raleigh and crewed on Round the World Challenge boats.
5. As Kate prepared to celebrate her 25th birthday just five years ago, a group of fans launched the Unofficial Kate Middleton Fan Club. Their first announced meeting was held outside one of Middleton’s favorite nightclubs, Boujis.
6. After graduating St. Andrews, Catherine worked as a part-time buyer for Jigsaw Junior.
7. As part of her work with her family’s business, Party Pieces, Catherine launched the junior brand First Birthdays in 2008.
8. Catherine wore two dresses designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen on her wedding day.
9. The Duchess carried out 34 official engagements since her wedding.
10. It is rumored that Catherine’s favorite alcoholic drink is a crack baby; made of vodka, champagne and passion fruit juice. Cheers to the birthday girl!
11. While attending Marlborough College, Catherine completed her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.
12. Catherine played field hockey at St. Andrews University.
13. Catherine drove a 2001 Volkswagen Golf while at University.
14. On Jan. 5, 2012, The Duchess of Cambridge’s chosen patronages were announced – Action on Addiction, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, National Portrait Gallery and The Art Room.
15. The Duchess has also announced she will volunteer with the Scout Association – at the age of 8, she joined the Brownies.
16. Her pet name for her husband is “Big Willie.”
17. The Duchess graduated St. Andrews with a degree in History of Art.
18. Since her marriage to Prince William, Catherine’s official titles are: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn, Baroness Carrickfergus.
19. Catherine was born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
20. Before launching Party Pieces, her father was a pilot and her mother was an airline stewardess for British Airways.
21. The sheer dress worn by Catherine that caught Prince William’s eye cost approximately $40 to make, and is valued at $160,000 now that the two are married. K
22. William and Catherine both lived in St. Salvatore’s Residence Hall their first year at St. Andrews.
23. Catherine’s engagement to Prince William was announced on November 16, 2010.
24. Catherine will be honorary colonel of Princess of Wales Royal Regiment.
25. When Catherine was 13, she scored a mere 2 out of 10 in her school’s beauty ranking – look who’s laughing now kids!
26. As stated in their engagement interview, Catherine reportedly had the Levi’s guy hanging on her wall as a young girl.
27. In the year following their engagement, William & Catherine received approximately 60,000 fan mail messages.
28. The Duchess has a scar on her head from a childhood operation; the scar was first revealed when she attended her first solo engagement in October, 2011.
29. Catherine has a passion for photography – this was evident on her tour of Canada in the summer of 2011 as she snapped photos of her husband from the sidelines.
30. More than 600,000 visitors made their way to Buckingham Palace from July – October, 2011 to view Catherine’s wedding dress – smashing the previous record of 420,000 visitors.

(Sources: PrinceofWales.gov, People.com, BBC)