OHMYGOSSIP — Queen Elizabeth has marked Commonwealth Day by promoting “respect and understanding” between the Commonwealth countries.
The 90-year-old royal has penned a moving message centred around the theme of peace for this year’s Commonwealth Day, which takes place on Monday (13.02.17).
The message – which will form part of the service at Westminster Abbey – reaches out to the 52 member states of the Commonwealth, including Australia, Canada, and Pakistan, and urges each country to “build peace” between one another.
The Queen noted in her speech, which is printed in the order of service: “The cornerstones on which peace is founded are, quite simply, respect and understanding for one another. Working together we build peace by defending the dignity of every individual and community.
“By upholding justice and the rule of law and by striving for societies that are fair and offer opportunities for all, we overcome division and find reconciliation, so that the benefits of progress and prosperity may be multiplied and shared.
“As members of the Commonwealth family, we can find much to be thankful for in the inheritances we have received from those who came before us. Through consensus and co-operation, great things have been achieved.”
The monarch will be joined by Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward at the ceremony, due to take place later on Monday.
During the service, Olympian Dame Jessca Ennis-Hill will carry the Queen’s baton for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, escorted by fellow athletes from the UK and Australia.
The baton will then set off on its global relay from Buckingham Palace.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, are reportedly applying for planning permission to build a two-storey basement under the orangery in Kensington Palace.
The 34-year-old royal and his wife Catherine – with whom he shares two children Prince George, three, and Princess Charlotte, 22 months – are set to move back into the Palace after William steps down from his role as an Air Ambulance pilot this summer.
Officials from Historic Royal Palaces have applied to build the two-storey basement in order to free up the palace suits that are currently in use, in order to make room for the couple’s staff.
A planning permission application submitted to Kensington and Chelsea council and obtained by the Daily Telegraph newspaper states: “The addition of a basement storey is required to allow for the accommodation of administration which must necessarily be moved out of rooms leased from the Royal Household in Kensington Palace.”
Whilst Prince William and Duchess Catherine have used Princess Margaret’s former apartment 1A in Kensington Palace as their official residence since 2014, they have spent most of their family time at their country home in Anmer Hall, Norfolk.
Now, the famous family will “increasingly base their family” at their official residence in the palace.
A statement released previously by the Palace said: “Since 2014 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have used Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace as their official residence when carrying out Royal duties, while basing their family primarily at their home in Norfolk.
“This arrangement has allowed The Duke to work as a pilot with the East Anglia Air Ambulance, a role he has valued hugely.
“Their Royal Highnesses love their time in Norfolk and it will continue to be their home.
“From this Autumn, however, The Duke and Duchess will increasingly base their family at Kensington Palace.
“As they have in recent years, Their Royal Highnesses are keen to increase their official work on behalf of The Queen and for charities and causes they support, which will require greater time spent in London.
“Prince George will begin school in September and Princess Charlotte will also go to nursery and eventually school in London as well.
“His Royal Highness will finish his role with the EAAA in the summer in line with his commitment to fly with them for two years.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Charles has met with the families of those still missing from the Yugoslav Wars.
The 68-year-old royal pledged his personal support to the families who had lost loved ones during the conflicts of the 1990s, in emotional scenes which saw Charles break royal protocol as he embraced those who are still searching for answers.
By the end of the war in 2001, an estimated 40,000 people had been reported missing, with 12,000 remaining unaccounted for to this day.
Prince Charles’ also gave an impassioned speech to the families affected by the war – which saw over 140,000 people killed between 1991 and 2001 in former Yugoslavia – where he expressed how deeply moved he had been when hearing stories from those who had gone missing during a visit to Kosovo last year.
He said: “In the months since I have thought a great deal about those stories and have been determined to do something to support you, the families, in your exceptional work to promote reconciliation and justice.
“Loss always brings grief but I know how easily loss can also bring despair at the pointless cruelty and destruction we witness in our world and at our own inability to understand it.
“When we do not know what has happened to our loved ones there is no closure to that grief – no remedy for our despair.”
And the Prince also said the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) – who have already helped to identify 28,000 of the 40,000 missing loved ones – will help to offer a “model of reconciliation”.
He added during his speech: “Only reconciliation offers the assurance that our children and grandchildren will not suffer the same agonies as our own generation has endured.
“It is my profound hope that your countries will be changed by your quest for truth through cooperation and that by working together with the International Commission on Missing Persons you will offer a model of reconciliation that will inspire others around the world.
“That work requires tremendous courage, the courage I believe we must all try to summon from the depth of our souls, however great the pain.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Harry is reportedly set to turn Princess Diana’s tiara into an engagement ring for his girlfriend Meghan Markle.
The 32-year-old royal has been dating the American actress since last year, and it is believed he is now looking at transforming his late mother’s emerald tiara into a sentimental engagement ring so he can pop the question to the brunette beauty later this year.
A source said: “Diana’s jewellery collection was left in trust for the boys and Meghan apparently loves emeralds. For Harry, like Wills before him, using his mother’s gems means the two loves of his life will forever be linked.”
Harry is reportedly working on “something incredible” with jewellers, so that he can give Meghan, 35, “the same sentiment” that his brother Prince William had when he proposed to his now-wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, using Princess Diana’s engagement ring.
The source added to the Daily Star newspaper: “After Diana died, the boys both chose a keepsake from Kensington Palace when they moved to Charles’ rooms in St James’s Palace. Prince William picked his mum’s Cartier watch, and Harry picked her sapphire and diamond engagement ring.
“But they had an agreement that whoever got engaged first would have Diana’s ring – and of course that was William and Kate. Harry wants the same sentiment when he proposes to Meghan, so he is working with the jewellers to design something incredible.”
Meanwhile, a source previously claimed that Harry would propose to the ‘Suits’ actress in the summer, as the pair have openly discussed taking their relationship to the next step.
They claimed: “They will be engaged by the end of summer. [They] have spoken candidly about their future. They see a life together.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Prince William made a joke about his brother Prince Harry giving fellow soldiers “lip” in Afghanistan.
The 31-year-old royal served as a former attack pilot in two tours of Afghanistan, and at the unveiling of a new memorial to honour the fallen heroes of both the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, the 34-year-old royal made a quip to one of his sibling’s former Gurkha colleagues.
Kaliash Gurung, 40, of the Royal Gurkha Regiment, met the flame-haired hunk in Afghanistan in 2007.
Speaking to him at the event in central London, William joked: “Well I hope he didn’t give you any lip! Tell him where to go!”
Kaliash spoke of how he felt “sent back” to the mortalities he witnessed during his time at war in the country and it was a very “emotional” day for him.
According to the MailOnline, he said: “Some of my very close friends lost their lives, some of my very close friends have been injured for life. It’s very emotional.”
Before the shrine was unveiled there was a religious ceremony, where Harry paid tribute to his fallen friends by reading out a biblical passage.
He said: “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under Heaven . . . A time to love and a time to hate, A time for war and a time for peace.
“From learning the hard way to stay onside with my Colour Sergeant at [military academy] Sandhurst, to the incredible people I served with during two tours in Afghanistan – the experiences I have had over the last 10 years will stay with me for the rest of my life. Inevitably most good things come to an end and I am at a crossroads in my military career.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Princess Diana “saved lives” with her dresses.
The head of design’s widower at Catherine Walker & Co, the late princess’ favourite design house, has revealed Diana – who tragically passed away in 1991 after being involved in a car crash in Paris – has revealed the extreme lengths they would go to make sure her outfits were respectful to the places she visited around the world.
In an interview with PEOPLE magazine, Said Cyrus said: “As with all our clients who are in the public eye and attend high profile events, we worked very closely with Diana to ensure what she was wore was appropriate and she — not the clothes — was the star.
“My wife and I spent a great deal of time researching what she wore for official visits abroad, even visiting countries in advance to make sure we had it right. We tried to ensure that our designs bridged her ambassadorial role for her own country and also paid respect to each destination.
“She will always be remembered for her humanitarian work. In the end, she used her dresses to save lives.”
Cyrus was speaking in the run up to the opening of the new exhibition ‘Diana: A Fashion Story at Kensington Palace’.
The curator of the new event, was once hailed the “Sun Princess of Versailles” by Italian-born French fashion designer Pierre Cardin when she visited the Palace of Versailles in the French capital three years prior to hear death in 1994,
Lynn said: “[She] was really well received.
“The couturier Pierre Cardin was at the event and said ‘We are at Versailles, the home of the Sun King, and now we have the Sun Princess of Versailles.’ Diana was a very proud ambassador of British fashion.”, recently said Diana – who had sons Prince William and Prince Harry with Prince Charles – was a “proud ambassador of British fashion”.
She was once hailed the “Sun Princess of Versailles” by Italian-born French fashion designer Pierre Cardin when she visited the Palace of Versailles in the French capital three years prior to hear death in 1994,
Lynn said: “[She] was really well received.
“The couturier Pierre Cardin was at the event and said ‘We are at Versailles, the home of the Sun King, and now we have the Sun Princess of Versailles.’ Diana was a very proud ambassador of British fashion.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Charles was deeply saddened to hear the news of Tara Palmer-Tomkinson’s death last month.
Dame Joan Collins has revealed the 68-year-old royal – who was thought to be the socialite’s godfather – appeared visibly “sad” when she passed on her condolences to him at an event for his charity The Prince’s Trust shortly after the model’s passing.
She said: “It was terrible, terrible news. A lot of people were broken up. Prince Charles, too. Shortly afterwards, I went to a thing for The Prince’s Trust and said to him: ‘I’m so sorry, Sir, about your friend Tara’. And he looked very sad. She was his godchild.”
The 83-year-old legendary actress was equally distraught when she found out that Tara had passed away at the age of just 45 because she remembers vividly how happy and healthy she looked when she attended the star’s book launch just last year.
Speaking to The Sun newspaper, she said: “I saw her [Tara] last year. She came to my book launch. She was full of life and talking about what she was going to be doing.
“She said: ‘I’ve been off the radar because I haven’t been well. I’m happy now I’m back’. It’s very sad. She was quite young.”
It was initially thought Tara had passed away as a result of a relapse but tests carried out on her body last month revealed she had died from a perforated stomach ulcer.
Her sister Santa Montefiore said at the time: “Today the Coroner’s report states that Tara died of natural causes – a perforated ulcer. She did not have a brain tumour. (sic).”
The brunette beauty had told the world last year that she was convinced she had just “weeks to live” after she was told she had a brain tumour and was suffering from a rare auto-immune condition which saw abnormal antibodies attack the cells and tissues.
However, it’s not known whether Tara had the tumour, which she said was on pituitary gland, removed prior to her death or whether she never actually had one.
Tara was laid to rest at the parish church in Dummer, Hampshire, just over a week ago.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Princess Charlotte is the boss in the Cambridge household.
The two-year-old daughter of Prince William and Duchess Catherine reportedly has a strong personality and is “ruling the roost” even over her older brother, three-year-old Prince George.
Samantha Burge, who is married to a warrant officer, spoke with Catherine at the unveiling of a new war memorial in London on Thursday (09.03.17) and got to speak to the 35-year-old beauty about her children.
She shared: “[Catherine] said that Charlotte is growing up really fast. She is the one in charge … We have both got two-year-olds and they are ruling the roost. It was a bit of a mummy chat.”
Catherine and William attended the service with Prince Harry and Queen Elizabeth, who officially opened the new shrine in remembrance of those who lost their lives in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
A religious ceremony was held earlier in the day, and Harry, 31, read out a biblical passage.
He relayed: “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under Heaven . . . A time to love and a time to hate, A time for war and a time for peace.
“From learning the hard way to stay onside with my Colour Sergeant at [military academy] Sandhurst, to the incredible people I served with during two tours in Afghanistan – the experiences I have had over the last 10 years will stay with me for the rest of my life. Inevitably most good things come to an end and I am at a crossroads in my military career.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — A toddler had a full-blown tantrum in front of Queen Elizabeth.
The youngster was introduced to the 90-year-old monarch on Thursday (09.03.17) at the unveiling of a new memorial in memory of the fallen soldiers of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the little boy called Alfie Lunn just couldn’t control himself when Her Majesty arrived, but she took it in her stride and laughed it off.
However, his mother Corporal Michelle Lunn didn’t tell him off too hard.
According to the Metro newspaper, she said: “They’re so unpredictable children, we tried our best. He was fine up until a few minutes before the Queen arrived.”
Alfie’s father Sergeant Mark, 29, was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery in war-torn Basra, and he and his 26-year-old wife were honoured to meet the queen, who they handed a bouquet of flowers as she spoke with them at event held at Victoria Embankment Gardens in London.
Prince William and Duchess Catherine joined Elizabeth at the service.
The couple were joined in the stands by the 35-year-old beauty’s parents Carole Michael Middleton.
Lord Stirrup, the chairman of the memorial project’s board of trustees, said the new shrine was “important” that the fallen heroes were “commemorated” in this way.
He said: “Literally hundreds of thousands of British military personnel and UK civilian citizens served this country in all sorts of various ways in support of those campaigns and we felt that it was extremely important that the way they had conducted themselves, carried out their duties and the service they had given to the nation was honoured and commemorated.
“So the memorial is exactly that, it’s to commemorate duty and service, it’s not about the campaigns themselves per se, it’s about those principles which are important in any civilised society and have always been an integral part of who and what we regard ourselves to be as a nation. We wanted to acknowledge the contribution of the many who had served.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Meghan Markle has addressed the “stigma” in India surrounding menstruation.
The 35-year-old actress and philanthropist – the girlfriend of Prince Harry – visited the South Asian country with the charity World Vision Canada in January, and in a new essay she has raised awareness of how teenage girls are missing school because they are too “embarrassed” to
go in when they are on their periods, the result of being uneducated and being forced to use rags in stead of proper sanitary towels.
Speaking in the piece published by TIME magazine about the taboo topic and the experiences she had meeting youngster over there, she wrote: “113 million adolescent girls between the ages of 12 to 15 in India
alone are at risk of dropping out of school because of the stigma surrounding menstrual health.
“During my time in the field, many girls shared that they feel embarrassed to go to school during their periods, ill equipped with rags instead of pads, unable to participate in sports, and without bathrooms available to care for themselves, they often opt to drop out
of school entirely.”
The ‘Suits’ star has called for proper education and for the people of India to be encouraged to speak up on the matter as the youths have been misinformed that they are being “injured” every month when they come on their periods.
She continued: “Many girls believe their bodies are purging evil spirits, or that they are injured once a month; this is a shame-filled reality they quietly endure.”
The brunette beauty used her time there to witness local women putting their skills to use to make proper pads for those living in some of Indian’s poorest areas.
Seeing their work has made her realise there are two important factors going forward, providing education, encouraging open discussion on the issue and providing proper menstrual hygiene products in all areas of
the world to prevent pupils leaving school and missing opportunities.
She concluded: “Beyond India, in communities all over the globe, young girls’ potential is being squandered because we are too shy to talk about the most natural thing in the world.
“To say: we need to push the conversation, mobilise health
initiatives, support organisations who foster girls’ education from the ground up, and within our own homes, we need to rise above our puritanical bashfulness when it comes to talking about menstruation.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall’s former home is on the market for £1.7 million.
The 35-year-old former Olympian and her husband Mike, 38, bought Hallery House in Cheltenham in 2011 for £1.2 million, but the current owners recently put it back on the market four years after the couple sold it for the escalated price.
They opted to move to Zara’s mother Princess Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire in favour of the Grade II listed property, which features a cinema room, two kitchens an a Jacuzzi spa.
Nick Chivers from commercial property consultancy Knight Frank has complimented the couple on the refurbishment work the did to the property in bringing it up to date and said it has some of the “coolest appliance” and best master suites he’s ever seen during his time as a home seller.
According to the Mirror Online, he said: “The Tindalls weren’t there that long but they refurbished it to what it is now.
“The current owners bought it from them and have gone on to improve it further by building a double garage which completes the package.
“They are selling for a change of lifestyle, they want something with more land.
“The house is detached, which is pretty rare for townhouses in Cheltenham, and there’s lots of great amenities close by.
“It has probably got one of the best master suites I have seen in a townhouse. It’s got the most extraordinary en suite – you could swing about 15 cats in there.
“But that doesn’t detract from the rest of the house, it’s a very nice house and it has some pretty cool appliances.
“The basement could be used as a separate self-contained apartment, so it’s a massively flexible property.
“The Tindalls did a great job of making it look very beautiful.”
Zara and Mike got married in July 2011 and moved into the luxury home shortly after they tied the knot.

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OHMYGOSSIP — The Queen will unveil a memorial to fallen heroes of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars today (09.03.17).
The 90-year-old monarch will head to Victoria Embankment Gardens in Westminster, London where she will host the tributes to soldiers who lost their lives on the frontline in the war-torn countries in 2003 to 2011 and 2002 to 2014 respectively.
The new shrine comes as Labour MP and ex-army Major Dan Jarvis – who served in both conflicts – urged how important it is that the UK to “learns from the mistakes” of both wars as well as remembering those who lost their lives.
In an essay penned for the Daily Mirror newspaper, he advised: “We need a memorial as a physical reminder of the sacrifices made.
“But the most important thing we can do is to learn from these two conflicts.
“We must ensure that old mistakes are not repeated and new mistakes are not made.”
Going forward, Jarvis feels that there needs to be more justification for starting wars and has called for all MPs to be informed by the Government of their plans.
He added: “It is the duty of every MP to scrutinise the basis of any future proposal to go to war and be able to justify it to their constituents. For them to do this, the Government needs to better share its intelligence with all our MPs.”
456 British troops lost their lives during Operation Herrick in Afghanistan and 79 died in Iraq.

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OHMYGOSSIP — The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are set to watch Wales’ Six Nations match against France on March 18.
The royal duo will cheer on Alun Wyn Jones’ side in the French capital as they complete their two-day trip to Paris next week, which will also see them meet people impacted by recent terror attacks in the country.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry, the younger brother of Prince William, is poised to attend the England versus Scotland Six Nations rugby match at Twickenham Stadium in London this Saturday (11.03.17).
The flame-haired royal is a long-time follower of the England national team and will be among the passionate home support for their all-important clash against their eternal rivals this weekend.
Confirming his attendance at the game, a post on the official Kensington Palace Twitter read: “Prince Harry, patron of @EnglandRugby, will attend #RBS6Nations England vs Scotland match at Twickenham on Saturday #ENGvSCO (sic)”
Prince Harry is, in fact, also a patron of the Rugby Football League and Greg Mulholland, the Group Chairman and Member of Parliament for Leeds North West MP, was thrilled by his appointment last year.
He said at the time: “Prince Harry is a huge fan of sport, and of rugby in particular, and I hope that that he will rekindle the Royal Family’s involvement in Rugby League.
“Rugby league is a fantastic sport and one that is embedded in local communities, where it is of huge importance to people, and it is also a sport played in towns and cities across the country. I hope that the Rugby League authorities will be able to work closely with Prince Harry to encourage more young people to play the game, get active and stay healthy.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — George W. Bush thinks Prince Harry is “charming”.
The 70-year-old American politician, who served as the US President from 2001 to 2009, met the Prince in Orlando last year at the Invictus Games and Bush admitted to being impressed by Harry’s dedication to the plight of army veterans.
He said: “Actually, he was [Prince Charming]. I wasn’t sure what to expect, he probably wasn’t sure what to expect from me either. He is a charming person and he cares deeply about the vets. I was very impressed by him.”
Bush admitted he has been especially impressed with Harry’s work surrounding the Invictus Games, which is a Paralympic-style sporting event for wounded soldiers.
He told People magazine: “What he’s done with the Invictus Games is really good.
“As a matter of fact, I’m going down to the Invictus training camp next week to say hello to our team and to some of the members I already know and tell them we want to help them.”
Meanwhile, a source close to Prince Harry recently suggested the royal will get engaged to his girlfriend, ‘Suits’ actress Meghan Markle, by the “end of summer”.
The duo have been dating since mid-2016 and it has been claimed that Prince Harry will pop the all-important question later this year, after the loved-up couple openly discussed taking their relationship to the next level.
The insider said: “They will be engaged by the end of summer. [They] have spoken candidly about their future. They see a life together.”
What’s more, it’s been claimed that the actress has accepted she will have to move to London from Canada in order to make their relationship work.
The source added: “Meghan feels a move to London is inevitable. It’s not like Harry can uproot.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — The Duchess of Cambridge’s private secretary is poised to leave her post this summer.
Kensington Palace has confirmed that Rebecca Deacon is stepping down from her position after ten years of service to the British royal family, the last four of which she has served as the Duchess’ private secretary.
A spokesperson for Kensington Palace said: “After a decade of service to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, Rebecca Deacon will be stepping down as private secretary to the Duchess of Cambridge.
“She plans to leave the household in the summer. Their Royal Highnesses are incredibly grateful for all the hard work and support Rebecca has provided over the past ten years and wish her well in the next phase of her career.”
Rebecca, 34, also played a key role in the Duchess’ wedding to Prince William and is frequently seen alongside the brunette beauty at various royal engagements.
Prior to joining Prince William and his wife, Rebecca worked for Prince Harry’s charity Sentebale – and has previously been described as the “perfect companion” for the Duchess.
An insider said: “She is the perfect companion because she is similar in age to Kate, is very organised and has lovely manners. She knows when to stand back and let Kate meet the public and when to step forward and introduce herself.”
Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that the Duchess was kept under watch by drones used by the South Wales police force during her visit last month.
The police force used the robot vehicle to watch over the royal as she visited the Multi-disciplinary Intervention Service Torfaen, a project which helps support children and their families with mental health issues.
A police spokeswoman said: “Using a drone will allow officers to gain vital information. As their capability develops they have been deployed for more general policing work.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are to meet Pope Francis at the end of March or at the beginning of April.
Clarence House has confirmed the British royals will meet the Pope as part of of a wider European tour – which will include their first private tour of the Vatican.
However, Clarence House has been unable to confirm a specific date for the tour, merely announcing that it will take place at some stage between March 31 and April 5.
Prince Charles’ European tour will also see the royal visit Romania and Austria, and will come amid Britain’s exit from the European Union – an issue which the Vatican has taken a keen interest in.
Confirmation of the royal visit comes shortly after biographer Penny Junor claimed Prince Charles will “push” for his wife to be given the title of Queen when he becomes the King.
She argued that the 68-year-old royal is determined to ensure his wife will be named Queen, despite potential opposition to the move on account of her status as a divorcee and the public affection for Princess Diana, Charles’ first wife.
She said: “Charles will push for this. He is so fiercely proud of her and I think would see anything less than the title of Queen as being a slight. And he has never been good at taking advice from people that disagree with him.
“But she has no desire to be Queen. She got into this position because she loved him and wanted to support him in his otherwise lonely role; she didn’t marry him because she wanted to be a Duchess or a Princess or even a Queen.
“But it is a very difficult subject because there will always be people who say that to make her Queen would be to reward adultery.”

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