Prince Harry issues warning to military personnel

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Harry has called on members of the British military to pay more attention to their mental health.
The 33-year-old royal – who served in Afghanistan during his Army days – has stressed to servicemen that their mental wellbeing is as crucial as their combat skills.
Prince Harry said: “Crucially, fighting fitness is not just about physical fitness. It is just as much about mental fitness too.”
The flame-haired royal, who launched the Invictus Games in 2014, also likened the challenge facing the military to the sort of task professional sports people regularly confront.
And he observed that, like sports stars, servicemen should be paying an increasing amount of attention to their mental wellbeing.
Prince Harry explained, according to PEOPLE: “Elite sports people now focus heavily on their mental approach to training and competing.
“They know that a perfectly fit body cannot win on the court, on the field, in the ring, or on the track if the mind is not focused. We have all seen professional athletes lose races or matches due to unforced errors. It is no different for anyone in high pressure roles.”
The royal – who has joined forces with British Defense Secretary Sir Michael Fallon to launch a new partnership to improve the mental health of military personnel – added: “I saw how important physical conditioning was and how we always warmed up before every run or loaded march to reduce the risk of injury.
“We should have the same approach to conditioning for our mental health too.”

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Prince Harry ‘is worth £30 million’

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Harry reportedly has a net worth of £30 million.
The 33-year-old British royal – who is currently dating actress Meghan Markle – achieved the majority of his personal wealth when he turned 30, which meant he was able to inherit the money and property that was left to him by his late mother, Princess Diana.
Allied to this, Prince Harry and his elder brother, Prince William, both gained access to a £450,000 per year investment profit when they turned 21, according to the Daily Express newspaper.
Prince Harry supplemented his inheritance with his salary during his time with the Army Air Corps, while he is also paid an allowance by his father, Prince Charles, with that money being used to cover most of his staff costs and wardrobe expenses.
What’s more, Prince Harry hasn’t had to worry about the cost of renting a house over the last few years, as he’s lived in Kensington Palace, a royal residence, since 2012.
Despite his personal wealth, former royal chef Darren McGrady recently claimed that Prince Harry and his brother were both fans of McDonald’s during their youth.
Darren said that their mother used to take the boys to the fastfood chain because they loved collecting the free toys they’d find in their meals.
He recalled: “I remember the Princess came into the kitchen one day and said, ‘Cancel lunch for the boys I’m taking them out, we’re going to McDonald’s. And I said, ‘Oh my god your royal highness, I can do that, I can do burgers.’
“And she said, ‘No, it’s the toy they want.’ Yeah, the boys loved McDonald’s, and going out to pizza, and having potato skins – sort of the American foods. They were royal princes but had children’s palates.”

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Duke and Duchess of Cambridge launch £2m mental health scheme

OHMYGOSSIP — The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have teamed up with Prince Harry to launch a £2million digital mental health scheme following the success of Heads Together.
The royal trio have revealed the money from The Royal Foundation – founded in 2009 by the threesome – will go towards “a start-up for digital mental health innovation” to help improve mental health in the UK by providing the public with more resources.
Speaking of a research project which measured the success of the Heads Together campaign that supported this year’s London Marathon, Prince William, 35, told HELLO! magazine: “I feel like it’s exam results day. This also shows that support at home is quite key, isn’t it? At the beginning, we were trying to understand why at home people weren’t sharing some of their problems.
“If we’ve at least made a big impression there we can work on the wider societal aspects. But I think it all has to start at home. If you can’t even have a conversation with your loved ones, there’s no way you’re going to go to HR at work.
“The only thing, trying to extrapolate the data from this, is that these individuals who have spoken have probably got a reasonably good support network around them.
“Are we missing a whole set of people who have either been in care or who have had very bad experiences at young ages, who have bad mental health already? How do we affect that demographic?
“You’d struggle to find a parent out there who wouldn’t want the well-being of their child to be taken care of at school.”
The prince was shocked to learn that three quarters of suicides in the UK are men.
He added: “That’s still a worrying statistic though, it really is.”

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Prince Harry told not to propose with emerald

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Harry has been advised not to propose to Meghan Markle with an emerald ring.
The couple have only been dating just over a year, but rumours about when they will take their relationship to the next level have been rife since the beginning of 2017.
And, although royal fans have been speculating that the 33-year-old prince will incorporate a piece of his late mother Princess Diana’s jewellery into the engagement ring, jewellery specialists have warned him to be selective about the stone he uses.
Tobias Kormind, founder of 77Diamonds, told the Express.co.uk: “Engagement rings are our core product. We are working on a concept where we will launch coloured stones.
“It’s interesting because at the high end these are performing really well – the sapphires and emeralds – because they are quite rare, and they are absolutely beautiful, and we all love colour. But I think its much better if you do earrings or pendants with those stones rather than the knuckle duster ring!
“Gemstones are softer, so over the course of a lifetime they won’t last, so unless its a ruby or a sapphire we do say, especially for engagement rings, that they are prone to chipping and breaking. Unless the stone was too soft to set we would never say no to creating it, but we would definitely advise against every day wear.”
But the flame-haired prince doesn’t have to stick to a white diamond as he could opt for a coloured one – a rising trend in today’s society – when he pops the question.
Mr Kormind explained: “Tiffany bought into a mine that produces a lot of yellows, so they made yellow diamonds a really big thing, and there was definitely a trend for yellow but I think that’s dissipated a little bit.
“There have been some amazing headline auctions where records have been broken on the blues and the pinks, but the problem is they are out of reach for most.
“A decent sized blue or pink costs hundreds of thousands of pounds. A one carat white diamond of decent quality would cost a few thousand – the equivalent blue would be about half a million pounds, a pink would be about £300,000.
“But if you think about the chemical probability of achieving a decent quality blue or pink diamond, it is very rare, so completely worth the money it is achieving at auction. You look at these stones and they like rare masterpieces; you can compare them to art.”

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge won’t hold hands in public

OHMYGOSSIP — The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge don’t feel the need to hold hands in public.
The royal couple – who have four-year-old son Prince George, two-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte and another little one on the way – have rarely been seen showing public displays of affection and, according to a body expert, it’s because they don’t like to parade their love while they’re both on official royal engagements.
Robin Kermode told the MailOnline: “It is very clear that William and Catherine are emotionally close, however, they do not seem to feel the need to prove their love – particularly when on official state business.
“They come across as a strong, independent couple and while they are always on show, they do not feel the need to ‘show’ their love for each other to the world.”
However, William’s brother Prince Harry has taken a different approach with his girlfriend Meghan Markle as they couldn’t keep their hands off one another last month when they watched the Invictus Games together in Toronto, Canada.
Although the pair are free to do as they please when the 33-year-old flame-haired hunk isn’t working, it’s believed their behaviour will change once the ‘Suits’ actress, 36, marries into the royal family because they’ll both be on “duty.”
Meanwhile, the couple – who have been dating just over a year – have been rumoured to be getting engaged for months now, but friends believe it’s only a matter of time before Harry makes the announcement that they’re set to get hitched.
A source said: “While Meghan may not be wearing a ring or a formal engagement announced, it’s fair to say they’re as good as engaged now.
“They’ve spoken about their marriage plans openly with each other, and friends and family around them are pretty much thinking about wedding attire already!”

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Woman charged after climbing Buckingham Palace gates

OHMYGOSSIP — A woman has been charged with being drunk and disorderly after she tried to jump the gates of Buckingham Palace in London over the weekend.
Jessica Davey, 35, of Queen’s Park, west London, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court this morning (09.10.17) after she was detained by police for trying to climb the front gates of the palace at 5.40pm on Saturday (07.10.17).
A Metropolitan Police spokesman told the Mail Online: “At 1740hrs on Saturday, 7 October officers in the area of Buckingham Palace observed a woman climbing the front gates of the palace. The woman, believed to be in in her 30s was quickly detained by officers before she gained access to the palace grounds.”
The woman’s bizarre behaviour drew attention from a small crowd of people, who were visiting the grounds, and they whipped out their mobile phones to record her.
The Met Police later confirmed her antics weren’t terror related.
The incident comes a few months after Buckingham Palace officials were forced to review security at the grounds after an intruder was caught breaking in back in May.
The late Princess Diana’s former protection officer Ken Wharfe believes better measures need to be put in place to protect the estate and the royal family after a 41-year-old man was able to roam around without being caught for seven minutes.
He said: “It is a long time. Ten seconds is a long time, a minute is a long time. In 10 seconds you could run 50 yards… into the front door where the queen lives.”
The mystery man scaled the perimeter wall in the mid-evening, setting off alarm bells, but he wasn’t found for almost 10 minutes as police searched the premises.
The 90-year-old monarch and her husband Prince Philip were in the grounds when the man broke in but they weren’t told of the incident until the following morning.

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Meghan Markle bombarded with wedding dress requests

OHMYGOSSIP — Meghan Markle has been bombarded with requests from numerous fashion designers asking if they can make her wedding dress when she marries Prince Harry.
The happy couple – who have been dating just over a year – are yet to get engaged, but designers are already begging her to choose them when it comes to making her glamorous frock for her big day because they know their nuptials will be the biggest royal shenanigan since the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge got hitched in 2011.
Speaking to the Daily Star newspaper, British designer Giles Deacon – who created Catherine’s sister Pippa Middleton’s dress when she married her partner James Matthews in May – said: “If Meghan Markle was in any way interested, I would be more than delighted. But I’m sure she’s got plenty of people on her list.”
Although the pair haven’t yet announced their engagement, friends believe they are basically at that stage in their relationship but the flame-haired royal is waiting until the right moment to make a formal announcement of the couple’s plan to marry.
A source said recently: “While Meghan may not be wearing a ring or a formal engagement announced, it’s fair to say they’re as good as engaged now.
“They’ve spoken about their marriage plans openly with each other, and friends and family around them are pretty much thinking about wedding attire already!”
It comes after Harry, 33, and Meghan, 36, were spotted on their first public engagement together as they attended the Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada.
Since Harry and Meghan started dating, the brunette beauty has reportedly been given round the clock security because of her high profile romance.
Meghan’s neighbour said: “She [Meghan] hasn’t been around much for the last few days – Friday night they were here. I tell you, when he’s [Harry] here, the street is full of police and security people. They just go straight in and they don’t come out.”

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Prince William taught to cook lasagne

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince William was taught how to cook lasagne to impress his wife.
The 35-year-old royal was told by chef Giada De Laurentiis what the “key to a great lasagna” was so he could impress Duchess Catherine.
She said: “I remember meeting him and he told me the exact same story and asked me what was the key to a great lasagna … [I told him] you’ve got to make sure that you have enough sauce to get a nice crust on top and you’ve got to let it sit before you cut into it. It has got to set, otherwise it’ll just be a pool of mess.”
The pair met at the Foundation Polo Challenge in Santa Barbara, California, when Giada was asked to cook for the royal couple.
She told POPSUGAR: “I was floored when they gave it to me. There’s been a lot of things that I’ve done, and in my work life, it’s probably one of my highlights … I was hoping that if they picked me, somehow I would give him a tip when we met about what makes a great lasagna.”
Prince William and Duchess Catherine’s relationship is going from strength to strength after it was revealed the couple are expecting their third child.
A statement from Kensington Palace about the royal couple – who have Prince George, four, and Princess Charlotte, two – shared: “Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that the Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their third child. The Queen and both their families are delighted with the news.
“As with her previous two pregnancies, the Duchess is suffering from Hyperemisis Gravidarum. Her Royal Highness will no longer carry out her planned engagement at the Hornsey Road Children’s Centre in London today. The Duchess is being cared for at Kensington Palace.”

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Home birth enquiries soar as Duchess Catherine announces she is expecting third child

OHMYGOSSIP — The number of home birth enquiries has soared since Duchess Catherine announced she was expecting her third child.
The 35-year-old royal announced her and her husband Prince William – who are already parents to Prince George, four, and Princess Charlotte, two – were expecting another child and Private Midwives, the country’s largest private provider of home birth services saw a 44 percent increase in enquiries.
Duchess Catherine is reportedly keen to have a home birth this time around.
Linda Bryceland, director of midwifery, quality and safety at Private Midwives, said: “We’ve seen a definite rise in interest surrounding home births following the Duchess of Cambridge’s announcement, with many of the services she and other A-listers utilise becoming more readily accessible and affordable, we’re seeing expectant mothers being presented with more and more options. It’s now even easier to tailor birthing care and plan a journey that suits mothers-to-be.
“As well as a rise in awareness, there is also an increase in professional career driven women who in the current economic climate do not want to take time off work for antenatal appointments – their partners also frequently struggle to get time off to attend antenatal appointments.”
The research also revealed that almost a third (29 percent) of people would prefer to give birth in their home. And for those who wanted to give birth in a hospital, over half of them (62%) would like to have their baby in a birthing suite, similar to what the likes of Amal Clooney and Cheryl Tweedy had.

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Meghan Markle’s large diamond ring

OHMYGOSSIP — Meghan Markle’s engagement ring could have a “large diamond with a few little diamonds set around it”.
Rumours are rife that Prince Harry will be proposing to the ‘Suits’ actress and now former jeweller to the royals Stephen Barnard has revealed what kind of ring he thinks he will propose with, if he chooses to.
He said: “I think if Harry were to propose it would be a ring with a large diamond, with a few little diamonds set around it. I think it will be stylish, I think it will be a large cut diamond, with maybe a dozen or so pave stones, lots of little diamonds all set together, around it.
“I don’t think he will choose a sapphire like his mother’s. Precious stones are dated. She is young, vivacious, American and stylish. I don’t think they will be very traditional. I think they will be more modern. I think it will be platinum, with maybe a few eternity rings to go with it.”
And Stephen also revealed some details about the iconic ‘Swan Lake’ necklace he helped make for the late Princess Diana.
He added to the Daily Mirror newspaper: “When I was working at Garrard’s you never knew who you were making things for, that was kept private for the buyers and we never spoke about it. We were just given paintings with the designs on. We never met any of the customers. We would know we were making for someone important, and by what you were making, someone wealthy.
“The most memorable piece I made was for Princess Diana. I didn’t know who I was making the necklace for at the time, I only found out at a later date after she had died that it was for Diana. It’s something that you hold with you all your life. It’s very exhilarating to make something like that.”

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Prince Charles: Plastic is on the menu

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Charles says plastic is “on the menu” as he warned of the increase in waste pollution in the seas.
The 68-year-old royal was speaking at the Our Ocean Conference in Malta where he warned it could eventually be the case that every wild caught fish that is eaten will contain plastic.
He said: “As many of you know so well, the eight million tonnes of plastic that enter the sea every year – through our own doing I might add – is now almost ubiquitous.
“As the Prime Minister said, f or all the plastic that we have produced since the 1950’s that has ended up in the ocean is still with us in one form or another, so that wherever you swim there are particles of plastic near you and we are very close to reaching the point when whatever wild-caught fish you eat will contain plastic. Plastic is indeed now on the menu!”
And the Prince of Wales urged for more recycling rather than the “throw-away, convenience lifestyles” we have come to get used to.
He added: “Faced with such damaging effects on the ocean from plastic waste from the throw-away, convenience lifestyles of many around the world, it is, I believe, utterly crucial that we transition to a circular economy. A circular economy allows plastic (along with many other substances) to be recovered, recycled and reused instead of created, used and then thrown away.
“On our increasingly crowded planet this economic approach has to be a critical part of establishing a more harmonious relationship between humankind and the ocean that sustains us all and also provides a mechanism for the benefits of a sustainable Blue Economy to be reaped.”

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Prince Charles claims pirates have been ‘fantastic’ for marine life

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Charles claims the increase in pirates has been “fantastic” for marine life.
The 68-year-old royal has appeared to credit the pirates in and around Somalia for improving the fishing stocks in the ocean around that area because fishermen are too scared to cast their nets out there over fears they will be kidnapped.
Charles told Sky News: “As a result, there hasn’t been any fishing there for the last ten or 15 years. And from that there has been a fantastic explosion of bigger and bigger fish.”
And in a speech made at the Our Ocean Conference in Malta, the Prince of Wales called for the protect of coral reefs as he says their economic value is highest when they are in tact.
He said: “As we have just seen, ladies and gentlemen, in that amazing, if stark, film, coral reefs are perhaps the clearest litmus tests we have to gauge progress relative to the impact of an unsustainable Blue Economy. These incredible ecosystems host about two-fifths of all marine species on just two per cent of the seabed, they protect many vulnerable coasts from storms, are nurseries for the young of commercially valuable fish and provide food and livelihoods for more than one billion people.
“Coral reefs’ economic value is, then, truly vast, at least while they are still intact. The fact that we seem to have catastrophically underestimated their vulnerability to climate change, acidification and pollution and that significant portions of the Great Barrier Reef off Australia’s Eastern coast have been severely degraded or lost over the last few years is both a tragedy and also, I would have thought, a very serious wake-up call. Are we really going to allow ourselves the dismal comfort of accepting that in the long run we will only be left with a tiny fraction of them?”

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Prince William honours Africa’s wildlife warriors

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince William paid tribute to the “unrelenting dedication and commitment” of Africa’s wildlife warriors at the Tusk Conservation Awards on Wednesday (04.10.17).
The 35-year-old royal was unable to make it to the event in Cape Town, South Africa to honour the winners in person but he did appear on video link to thank the winners for their big efforts in conserving wildlife.
He said: “I worry a great deal that our generation is not meeting our moral obligation to leave this planet in better shape than we inherited it. Our children and grandchildren will not thank us if we fail in our duty to reverse the decline in so many species.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu was on hand to present The Prince William Award for Conservation in Africa to Rian Labuschagne, who has dedicated his life to help preserve some of the world’s most endangered species.
Tusk CEO Charlie Mayhew said: “Thanks to Rian, Chad has witnessed one of conservations’ great success stories unfold with the revival of Zakouma National Park and its decimated elephant population.”
It comes after Prince William gave an impassioned speech where he spoke of his fears that the African elephant will be distinct within the next two decades.
He said: “By the time my daughter Charlotte was born last year, the numbers of Savannah elephants had crashed to just 350,000. At the current pace of illegal poaching, when Charlotte turns 25 the African elephant will be gone from the wild. We have the chance to say that rhino horn does not cure anything and does not need a legal market.”

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Princes William and Harry are McDonald’s fans

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince William and Harry were fans of McDonald’s.
The royal princes loved eating “all sorts of American foods”, according to former royal chef Darren McGrady, when they were growing up and would particularly like visits to the fast food chain so they could have the toy in the kids meals.
Darren said: “I remember the Princess came into the kitchen one day and said, ‘Cancel lunch for the boys I’m taking them out, we’re going to McDonald’s. And I said, ‘Oh my god your royal highness, I can do that, I can do burgers.’
“And she said, ‘No, it’s the toy they want.’ Yeah, the boys loved McDonald’s, and going out to pizza, and having potato skins – sort of the American foods. They were royal princes but had children’s palates.”
The royal family have very formal meals together and like to dress up for their dinner.
He added: “They would come in for afternoon tea by the log fire in outdoor clothes, and then they’d all change for dinner. They’d come down in dressy ball gowns, and sit at the table – like a ‘Downton Abbey’ dinner. All the fine china was brought out. At the end of the meal, a bagpipe player would walk around the table.”
And Darren has revealed that the family really like to “let their hair down” when they are at Balmoral.
He told MarieClaire.com: “Balmoral is where the royal family really let their hair down. They relax and have fun. You see them all the time. At Buckingham Palace, the Queen was too busy and the kitchens too far from her apartment – so we never saw her.
“At Balmoral, we’d see her all the time. They were much more relaxed and had more free time. Philip would cook out on the grill. He’d come down to the kitchens and discuss what food we’d have: ‘Do we have any salmon that any of the family have caught? The queen’s been picking strawberries with Princess Margaret, let’s have those for dinner.'”

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Prince William’s surprise visit to Belfast

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince William made a surprise visit to Northern Ireland on Wednesday (04.10.17).
The 35-year-old royal was on his own as he visited Belfast for a day without his wife Duchess Catherine, who is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum as she is pregnant with the couple’s third child.
His first stop was Inspire, a charity and social enterprise which focuses on promoting wellbeing across the island of Ireland.
During that visit, he spoke to former Manchester United player Pat McGibbon, whose brother Philip took his own life in 1993. Pat now runs a football programme in County Armagh to help people build resilience through sport.
Pat said: “It’s very important to him and I can totally understand that. He was very personable in everything he said and it was great for him to give up that time and interact with the adults and the kids.”
He also spoke to pupils from Our Lady and St Patrick’s College in Belfast, who are raising awareness about mental health issues.
Nicola McCarry, a teacher at the school, shared: “He asked would this project be across all schools in Northern Ireland, and while there are pockets of very good practice there, I suppose mental health being completely embedded into the curriculum is still a box we have to tick. But he said this is where it starts really. He was very interested in what the young people had to say and their views.”
Following that, the Duke of Cambridge – who has Prince George, four, and Princess Charlotte, two, with the Duchess of Cambridge – travelled to the Titanic Quarter and watched as the Lagan Search and Rescue lifeboat service took part in a rescue mission.
After watching the live demonstration, he met with volunteers from the lifeboat service as well as the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service and later attended a private dinner for the Irish Guards Association.

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Queen Elizabeth’s favourite music

OHMYGOSSIP — Queen Elizabeth is a big fan of the Beach Boys.
The 91-year-old monarch bought an iPod back in 2005 and was gifted a second one by then President Barack Obama back in 2009 and now royal expert Ingrid Seward has revealed what could be on the most played list on the music device.
Ingrid, author of the upcoming book, ‘My Husband & I’, which details Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s marriage, told Vogue magazine: “The Queen is a big fan of musicals, traditional hymns, and Scottish ballads, and even the Beach Boys’s songs, especially ‘California Girls’.
“She also likes Elton John and all kinds of military music. She plays the piano herself and has a pitch-perfect singing voice. Whether or not she has much time to listen to music on her iPod I am not sure, but I rather doubt it. If she doesn’t understand anything or it goes wrong, there are plenty of young footmen around who are pretty savvy with technology.”
It comes after the Queen’s cousin Lady Elizabeth Anson revealed some of her favourite music.
She said: “The Queen loves the theatre and musicals like Showboat, Oklahoma! and Annie Get Your Gun. These were the tunes that remained in one’s head and were very danceable to. The Queen is a fantastic dancer. She’s got great rhythm …
“We did a lot of singing at Kensington Palace. Nobody thought it was odd after dinner if we put on a record and all sang Doing the Lambeth Walk, so music has always been part of her life.”

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