OHMYGOSSIP — Prince William’s Christmas note from his grandmother Queen Elizabeth is expected to fetch £1,400 at auction.
The handwritten message on official Buckingham Palace paper, which presumably was accompanied with a gift, reads: “William, I hope you enjoy opening this each day.”
The Executive Vice President of RR Auction in Boston, America said of the unique piece: “A seldom-encountered piece of correspondence from within the royal family, enhanced by its fitting Christmas time association.”
The listings also include a letter from King Edward VIII to addressed to a Captain Faussett his trip to Rome, Italy in 1981.
It reads: “My visit to Rome was semi-official ‘on duty’ & it was one long string of official visits, meals, receptions, etc & I had to make a speech in a place like the Albert Hall one night & I also visited the Pope… Oh!! This war how it does drag on though. It’s going to last another 10 years, that’s what I feel about it though. Of course the Americans are going to pull us through we should be done without them!! Please forgive such a rotten, dull & untidy scrawl but it’s written in the office where we are very busy & where I’m being interrupted the whole time! (sic)”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Harry has called for there to be clearer warnings about the affects palm oil has on the environment.
The 32-year-old royal stopped off at the Iwokrama International Centre on Saturday (03.12.16) where he spoke of his concerns over the use of the edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp of the fruit of the oil palms, and how it’s just as bad as tobacco smoke.
According to The Daily Express newspaper, he said: ” The demand for palm oil – it’s such a sad story.
“They should put a warning on palm oil like cigarette packets – you can use it but this is the damage it’s causing.”
Harry is known for his conservation work and spent the summer months helping relocate 500 elephants in Malawi.
He was involved in one of the biggest conservation projects in history and was praised by President Peter Mutharika.
Taking to Instagram at the time, Mutharika wrote: “I was pleased to note that His Highness, who is on a private visit to Malawi, is committed just like I am, to the conservation of wildlife and conservation and protection of nature (sic).”
Harry is not the only royal to take matters about the environment seriously.
His father, Prince Charles, recently expressed his fears for the planet.
The future king is a huge environmental campaigner and is very concerned about the “depressing trajectory” of wildlife loss on Earth and the impact it will have on Princes William and Harry.
He previously said: “As a father and grandfather I worry deeply about the world we are leaving behind for our successors. We are rapidly destroying our means of survival.
“Clearly we are not living within the environmental limits of our plants. Populations of vertebrate species have declined by more than half from 1970. We are on a deeply depressing trajectory to witness the sixth global mass extinction in our planet.
“We are ushering in a new era. It’s alarming to realise that after 4.5 billion years that a change in epoch has been due to the activities of just a single species.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — A cafe has opened in Melbourne inspired by Duchess Catherine.
Middletown Cafe in the Australian city was designed with the 34-year-old royal – who is married to Prince William – in mind.
The owner Dhamahuri, told The Cool Hunter of the new eatery: “Middletown is a beautiful space that welcomes everyone through its doors.”
And that Catherine’s “humble nature and unpretentious beauty embody the design and personality of the café”.
The Duchess of Cambridge is not only a style influence, It was recently revealed that she is a fan of adult colouring and has inspired a British illustrator’s next book.
Johanna Bamford, who was given an OBE for her contributions to art at Buckingham Palace, spoke with the 34-year-old hunk about his wife’s love for colouring.
According to The Sun newspaper, she said: “I think we’ve just seen the colouring community flourish.
“And Prince William actually said that his wife likes to colour in the Secret Garden, which was really sweet.”
The 33-year-old author’s trip to Buckingham Palace has inspired her book, which is set in a palace.
She explained: “It’s set in a castle, funnily enough, so I will definitely try to remember everything.
“I’m sure little snippets of today will feature in the book.
“I love all the really ornate picture frames and all the beautiful sculptures, and the candelabras are just stunning.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Harry admits there are both “good and bad” advantages to being a prince.
The 32-year-old flame-haired hunk opened up to youngsters at Joshua House Children’s Centre, in Guyana capital Georgetown, over the weekend about life as a royal.
When asked what it’s like being a member of the British royal family by one of the kids, he said: “It’s good and bad – there’s lots of privileges, of course, that you get from when you’re born; but with privilege comes responsibility.”
The visit to the children’s home was one of the final stops on Harry’s 15-day tour of the Caribbean.
During his trip he also met pop superstar Rihanna, 28, for the first time and the pair took a HIV test together for World AIDs Day to show how simple the test is and to encourage everyone to find out their HIV status.
Harry wanted to be tested with the Bajan beauty – who has 67 million Twitter followers – to have a greater “impact” on people around the world to go and find out their HIV status.
He explained: “We [me and Rihanna] had a conversation last night about it.
“We knew we were going to meet each at the concert and she has such an incredible reach and is respected across millions and millions of people, especially across America, so it was an opportunity that everybody in my position would have asked them to do it.
“[Rihanna] was more than willing and so happy to help and I am so excited for the impact it’s going to have.”
And he was also invited to Antigua for his future honeymoon to his girlfriend of seven months, Meghan Markle.
Harry attended a VIP bash at the official residence of the Queen’s representative, the Governor General, and in front of 300 guests the country’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne asked him if he’d like to visit with the ‘Suits’ actress and spend their wedding holiday in the West Indies should they tie the knot.
Browne told the crowd: “I believe we are expecting a new princess soon.
“I want you to know that you are very welcome to come on your honeymoon here.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Elizabeth Hurley thinks Meghan Markle would make a great addition to the royal family.
The 51-year-old beauty admires the ‘Suits’ actress, who has been dating Prince Harry for just over six months, and feels she is just what the royal family “needs” at the moment and she is desperate for her to marry the 32-year-old flame-haired hunk.
Speaking on the ‘Today’ show on Thursday (01.12.16), she said: “I think she’s enchanting.
“I want her to marry into the really royal family because to have somebody who’s talented, successful, a woman of her own, gorgeous and American – I think it’s what the royal family needs. I am behind it.”
News of their romance broke in October and was confirmed by Kensington Palace, who issued a statement on behalf of Harry asking for people to respect their privacy.
Harry said he was “disappointed” he hasn’t been able to protect the brunette beauty from the online trolls she has faced since the couple’s romance was made public.
It read: “His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public … the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.
“Prince Harry is worried about Ms Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her. It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms Markle should be subjected to such a storm. He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game’. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game – it is her life and his.”
Meghan’s relatives were also bombarded with messages and questions after the news of their romance broke.
And Harry also took the opportunity to insist he has “never been comfortable” with the curiosity around his love life.
The spokesperson added: “Since he was young, Prince Harry has been very aware of the warmth that has been extended to him by members of the public. He feels lucky to have so many people supporting him and knows what a fortunate and privileged life he leads.
“He is also aware that there is significant curiosity about his private life. He has never been comfortable with this, but he has tried to develop a thick skin about the level of media interest that comes with it.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Harry was seen as someone to “smash up” on the rugby field at school.
The 34-year-old royal has opened about his violent experiences playing the ball game as a youngster and how people would specifically target him.
In a new documentary called ‘Beyond The Tryline’, he admitted: “People would see me on the rugby field as an opportunity to smash me up and actually there was people in my own school during inter-house rugby competitions that would be me up, not beat me up but would put in bigger tackles because it was me. But certainly in school inter-house is where I got injured the most.”
The flame-haired hunk – who is dating ‘Suits’ actress – Meghan Markle – also details several injuries he has suffered over the years playing the game in the documentary.
He said: “So, look, I mean I was always prepared to take a few hard knocks.
“I like to think I managed to give a few back as well.”
Meanwhile, Harry will be the subject of a one-off ITV feature, which will follow the flame-haired royal’s “unforgettable” journey back to Lesotho in Africa where he started the charity Sentebale in 2006.
According to the press release, viewers “will bear witness as the Prince travels through the beautiful and challenging scenery to remote locations with his deeply personal aim of discovering the stories that he wants to tell to the world”.
‘Beyond The Tryline’ is released on December 5 and Harry’s documentary will air on ITV on Monday December 19 at 9.00pm.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Harry has joked about his sex life and how it’s a “myth” that royals don’t make love.
The flame-haired hunk went red-faced when he was asked racy questions when he underwent his HIV test with pop star Rihanna in Barbados on World AIDS Day on Thursday (01.12.16).
In a bid to avoid questions about his love life, he made a joke about royals and sex when he was told by HIV counsellor, Fabian Sergeant, that sex talk was allowed in barber shops.
Harry quipped: “One of the myths is the royalty don’t have sex. And that royalty has blue blood.”
However, Fabian took it to the next level and said another folk tale is that royals don’t do oral.
He said: “Another myth is that royalty does not engage in oral sex.”
And Harry was quick to end the conversation by saying he wouldn’t being visiting a local hairdressers.
He laughed: “I’m not sitting in that [the barber’s] chair.”
The 32-year-old royal and the 28-year-old pop beauty had only met a day before at the Toast the Nation event on Wednesday (30.11.16), which was put on to mark the 50th anniversary since the country gained independence, and Harry wanted to be tested with the Bajan beauty – who has 67 million Twitter followers – to have a greater “impact” on people around the world to go and find out their HIV status.
Rihanna joked that the flame-haired hunk “dragged” her out of bed to take the test.
In a joint video interview for the BBC, she quipped: “He sent his security, they showed up at my place and dragged me out of bed and here I am.”
Getting down to the serious reason for them taking it, Harry added: “No we had a conversation last night about it.
“We knew we were going to meet each at the concert and she has such an incredible reach and is respected across millions and millions of people, especially across America, so it was an opportunity that everybody in my position would have asked them to do it.
“[Rihanna] was more than willing and so happy to help and I am so excited for the impact it’s going to have.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Harry and Rihanna took a HIV test together in Barbados to raise awareness.
The 32-year-old royal and the 28-year-old pop beauty had only met a day before at the Toast the Nation event on Wednesday (30.11.16), which was put on to mark the 50th anniversary since the country gained independence, and Harry wanted to be tested with the Bajan beauty – who has 67 million Twitter followers – to have a greater “impact” on people around the world to go and find out their HIV status.
Rihanna joked that the flame-haired hunk “dragged” her out of bed to take the test.
In a joint video interview for the BBC, she quipped: “He sent his security, they showed up at my place and dragged me out of bed and here I am.”
Getting down to the serious reason for them taking it, Harry added: “No we had a conversation last night about it.
“We knew we were going to meet each at the concert and she has such an incredible reach and is respected across millions and millions of people, especially across America, so it was an opportunity that everybody in my position would have asked them to do it.
“[Rihanna] was more than willing and so happy to help and I am so excited for the impact it’s going to have.”
The ‘Work’ hitmaker was surprised by how “easy” and quickly she revived her results and says she agreed to it because she wanted to show just how simple it is to find out if you have the potentially life-threatening disease.
She said: “Mostly why I am here and I was excited to find out last night (30.11.16) from Harry, was that it is so easy and the results come back so quickly.
“You can find out really on the spot your status and it’s very discreet and the home testing is very affective.
“People are afraid of knowing their status and knowing in public in front of someone you don’t know.
“The home testing makes that easier, but we just did it in the middle of Heroes Square in Barbados and we just want to show people how easy it is to get tested and how you shouldn’t be afraid of knowing your status.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — ‘Great British Bake Off’ runner-up Andrew Smyth baked a cake for Prince William.
The 25-year-old baking enthusiast – who reached the final of the BBC One baking show – was told by the 34-year-old royal that he should have won the contest as he was really impressed with the cake he’d made in the shape of a Rolls-Royce jet engine.
And he even joked that he would be speaking with co-host Mary Berry about his position in the competition.
The Duke of Cambridge told Andrew: “Ah, you should have won. What’s going on? That’s amazing.
“I’m going to have a word with Mary [Berry]. You should have won.”
The prince was visiting Derby in The Midlands where Andrew works as an aerospace engineer.
Meanwhile, during his trip to Bombraider Transportation Rolling Stock, William got the chance to drive a Crossrail train.
Christopher Brittan, who tests the trains, said he was very good at picking up how to use the controls and even managed to drive at speeds of up to 30mph.
According to the BBC, he said: “He was good – he’s a pilot isn’t he – so I gave him the basics, and the traction brake controller, but he was good. Controlled. We went up to 30mph.
“It was easy, smooth, fast – his braking was sharp. He was very good.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Mike Tindall has thanked everyone for their well-wishes after it was announced he is to be a father for the second time.
The 38-year-old former Rugby player is expecting a child with his wife Zara Phillips, 35, – who is the daughter of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips – and confirmed the news on social media.
Taking to Twitter, he wrote: “Just a quick one to say thank you for the messages. We are very very happy about the little one on its way. 2017 is already starting well!! (sic)”
The new baby – which will be Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s sixth great-grandchild – is due in late spring, meaning Zara is around four or five months pregnant.
A royal spokesperson said: “The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and members of the Royal Family are delighted with the news.”
Earlier this year, Mike, 38, admitted he would love more children one day.
He shared: “In the long run yes [I would like more kids], but I’m not sure when that will happen …
“I don’t think there’s one best part [about being a dad]. It’s just great, full stop, it’s a lot of fun. Mia has got bundles of energy.
And the former rugby player – who married Zara in 2011 – revealed his daughter loves being outside and hopes she will turn to sports one day too like himself and Zara.
He added: “Mia is always out and about. Where we live is an outdoor lifestyle. I’d love her to be sporty but if it’s not her thing she’ll make those decisions. We’re there to support her in whatever she decides to do. I’d love her to play golf, it would give me a reason to go to the driving range.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Harry has spoken about the importance of HIV testing ahead of World Aids Day (01.12.16).
The 34-year-old royal has urged everyone to undergo a HIV test for the potentially deadly virus that attacks the immune system.
Speaking with HIV practitioner, Dr. Amok Kumar, Harry said: “I want to say to everyone who hadn’t been tested – get tested, regardless of who you are, your background, culture or religion.
“Because of the success of these drugs, which is great, we are now suffering from complacency and risk going back 10 or 20 years.”
The flame-haired hunk told Dr. Kumar that there is “no excuse” for not having the simple test.
According to the Daily Express newspaper, he said: “In a culture where we are obsessed with what we look like, and fitness – if you don’t know your status then that’s incredibly irresponsible.”
Today (01.12.16), World AIDS Day, Harry will be visiting the National HIV/AIDS Commission’s ‘Man Aware’ event at Heroes Square.
Earlier this year, Harry’s HIV test lead to a five-fold increase in testing for the infection.
He has inspired young people to get tested after he himself underwent the simple test earlier this month live on the internet.
The Terrence Higgins Trust set up a pilot scheme to offer the medical screening to thousands of people for free and has praised Harry for encouraging people to be checked after underwent his own test live on Facebook.
Taking to their official Twitter page, they wrote: “Brilliant! Prince Harry’s #HIV test plea led to a five-fold increase in requests during our self test pilot (sic)”
Harry recently joined Sir Elton John in South Africa as he signed the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS’ ProTest wall where he questioned why anyone wouldn’t want to take the test.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Queen Elizabeth attended her first royal engagement since the death of her close friend on Wednesday (30.11.16).
The 90-year-old monarch put on a reception in the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace for her cousin Princess Alexandra to mark 50 years of being a working member of the royal family.
It’s the first event the queen has been to since she lost her dear friend and cousin Margaret Rhodes, who died aged 91 on Friday (25.11.16).
The former lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother passed away after a short illness and Buckingham Palace said Elizabeth would not be commenting because it is a “private matter”.
A source said: “The Queen will be devastated to have lost her best friend. She grew up with Mrs Rhodes and they had so much shared history. They remained close throughout the Queen’s reign and Her Majesty continued to be a regular visitor at Mrs Rhodes’s Windsor home until very recently.
“One of the disadvantages of the Queen having such a long life is that she has had to say goodbye to so many dear friends and relatives.
“It is such a sad loss for Her Majesty, Mrs Rhodes’s family and everyone in the royal household. She was an extraordinary woman.”
Margaret was the youngest daughter of Sidney Elphinstone, the 16th Lord Elphinstone and his wife Lady Mary Bowes-Lyon, whose sister was the Queen Mother.
Mrs Rhodes was one of Queen Elizabeth’s bridesmaids when she tied the knot with Prince Philip in 1947 and also attended her coronation in 1953.
Speaking about the latter event, she said in 2012: “We had only just recovered from six or seven years of deprivation and blackouts and rationing – it was like the sun suddenly coming out behind a lot of very dark clouds and I think everybody felt that with a new young Queen, a whole new era was opening up. It was somehow exciting.”
Mrs Rhodes’ husband Denys died in 1981. She is survived by her four children; two daughters, Victoria and Annabel, and two sons Simon and Michael.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Rihanna met Prince Harry on Wednesday (30.11.16) during his trip to Barbados.
The 28-year-old R&B superstar, who is from the Caribbean island, was a special guest at the Toast the Nation event, which was put on to mark the 50th anniversary since the country gained independence.
According to a royal aide, the 32-year-old royal was only told 20 minutes prior to meeting the ‘Work’ hitmaker that he would be introduced to her.
He said: “We thought he would be meeting her for the first time at the concert later. He found out just before arriving. About 20 minutes before, that she would be here and sitting near his table.
“I think because all the timings have been changed around due to the bad weather, there is a certain degree of fluidity in the arrangements.”
The flame-haired hunk only spoke briefly with the Bajan beauty.
He shook her hand, and said: “Hello, it’s very nice to meet you.”
Later in the evening, Rihanna and Harry shared a stage at the Kensington Oval cricket ground in nearby Bridgetown.
The pop star sang to a 20,000 strong crowd to mark the nation’s independence milestone and was tasked with performing the Barbados national anthem with a children’s choir.
Harry had to read a speech on behalf of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, who he is covering for on his 15-day tour of the Caribbean.
He read: “Prince Philip and I send our warmest wishes to the Government and the people of Barbados on the occasion of your 50th Anniversary of Independence.
“Since you became an independent country in 1966, you have continued to flourish and grow into a strong and confident nation.
“The extraordinary talents of your people, from the cricket field to the music industry have been admired and recognised throughout the world. Barbados remains a favoured holiday destination for British people, not only for the incredible natural beauty of your country but because you have a great warmth and generosity of spirit.
“Over the years I have visited Barbados five times and you have kindly welcomed many other members of my family.
“Our countries have a shared history, shared values and an affection which continues to bind us in friendship. On this day of celebration, I send my congratulations to you on your Golden Jubilee of Independence.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Princess Anne has awarded Mercedes-Benz Trucks UK with a Princess Royal Training Award.
The 66-year-old royal handed out the accolade to 34 businesses at a ceremony at St James’s Palace in London to companies, which have shown outstanding training and skills development.
On the award, Vincente Connolly, Director National Sales Mercedes-Benz and FUSO Trucks UK, said: “I am delighted that our dedication to training and development has been recognised in this way. At Mercedes-Benz Trucks we place a premium on ensuring that our employees have the chance to learn and grow in their roles. We understand that this is not only good for them, but is also vital to the success of the business.”
The new honour was presented by the City & Guilds Group.
City & Guilds Group Chief Executive, Chris Jones added: “All of the successful organisations deserve enormous praise. I hope these awards have shone a light on how important it is for businesses to invest in training to boost their productivity, address skills gaps and develop their leaders. This has never mattered more than in today’s uncertain economy. I hope this year’s winners inspire other organisations to share their experiences, and put forward their training and development success stories.”
More information can be found at www.princessroyaltrainingawards.com

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OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Charles narrowly escaped death once when he was run over by a bus.
The 68-year-old royal was speaking with dignitaries at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, South England, near to where he went to University at Trinity College from 1967 to 1970, about the time he had a brush with death when he was travelling on a bicycle.
He told them: “How I survived being run over by a bus when I was on a bicycle just outside here I don’t know.”
While he didn’t delve further into the traumatic incident, Charles – who is married to Duchess Camilla – looks back on his time at university fondly and can’t believe that in 2017 it will have been five decades since he started at the college where he obtained a bachelor of arts degree.
He said: “For me it’s always the greatest pleasure to come back to Cambridge. I’ve always felt so lucky to be able to study at this university. It all went by in a flash and I’m horrified to realise that very shortly, next year in fact, it will be 50 years since I arrived!
“All I can say is time goes past unbelievably quickly … but I enjoyed it enormously.
“But it was a very special experience, as most of you probably know.”
At the museum, Charles and Camilla where greeted by Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Sir Hugh Duberly and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Harry reportedly wants to step up his royal duties.
The 32-year-old royal has proved to himself that he is capable of covering some of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth’s duties during his 15-day tour of the Caribbean on her behalf and according to a senior royal aide, Harry wants to do more to help.
Harry’s aide told the Daily Express newspaper: “It’s a very different tour for him, doing a lot of things on behalf of the Queen with many more formal bits. But so far it has exceeded his expectations about what he thought was possible.
“He thinks he can do these more formal duties on behalf of the Queen while retaining an authenticity in his work meeting a wide range of people from leaders down to young people.”
Another sign that Harry – who is known for his charming and cheeky nature – is growing up was his statement regarding his relationship with ‘Suits’ actress Meghan Markle.
The flame-haired hunk released a statement declaring his love for the 35-year-old beauty and also said he was “disappointed” he hasn’t been able to protect her from the online trolls she has faced since the couple’s romance was made public.
A statement released by Kensington Palace read: “His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public … the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.
“Prince Harry is worried about Ms Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her. It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms Markle should be subjected to such a storm. He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game’. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game – it is her life and his.”

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