William, Kate pose with children for ski holiday photos

Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and his wife Catherine, have taken their children on their first skiing holiday in France.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to share new photos of their family enjoying a short ski break pic.twitter.com/p9WU0h2H8E

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 7, 2016

This was their first holiday as a family of four and the first time either of the children have played in the snow pic.twitter.com/BXYjM0bdXs

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 7, 2016

PA Royal Photographer John Stillwell was invited to take the photographs of this happy family moment. pic.twitter.com/lLWONup8Wy

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 7, 2016

The trip to an undisclosed location was shrouded in secrecy, with only one photographer invited to take pictures of William and Kate with Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

The photos were taken on March 3, but only released on Monday (March 7) once the couple had returned to the U.K.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

How cute! British Royal Family celebrates Princess Charlotte's christening

Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge are no longer the biggest newsmakers from the Royal Family. Here comes adorable Prince George and cutie pie Princess Charlotte! See the adorable babies who will someday lead the United Kingdom.

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Britain's Prince William and his Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, bend down to their son Prince George as they leave after the christening of their daughter Princess Charlotte, at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham Estate in King's Lynn July 5, 2015.

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Prince George makes second outing for christening of the year

LONDON - After arriving to a global media frenzy, Britain's Prince George will make his second official appearance this week at a christening designed to be as low-key as possible for the world's most-hyped baby.

Prince George, third-in-line to the British throne, will be christened on October 23 in a private, 45-minute ceremony in the Chapel Royal at St James' Palace by the spiritual leader of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.

George will become the formal head of the Church of England himself if he accedes to the throne.

Few were surprised by Prince William and his wife Kate's decision to break with tradition and not hold the service in Buckingham Palace as is typical for royal christenings.

The royal couple, known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge since their 2011 wedding, have made it clear they are not sticklers for tradition and their informality has helped portray a more modern, relevant royal family in austerity-hit Britain.

So far the only official photographs of Prince George are family snapshots taken by Kate's father Michael Middleton.

The christening will be the first time in over 100 years that four generations of royals are photographed together, with a picture of Queen Elizabeth, her son and heir Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince George to be released after the event.

Although the christening will be held behind closed doors, tourists and well-wishers have already flocked to the 16th century St James' Palace built by Henry VIII in central London.

"In the States, the royals fascinate people, especially William and Kate who are young and approachable," said Sean Tyrrell, 44, a policeman from Manteca, California, outside the palace gate flanked by guards in red tunics and bearskin hats.

Style icon

German students Julia Magrian and Anne Krause, both aged 17, said they would be following the christening closely, keen to see what Kate wears. The "Kate-effect" is well-known, with anything the duchess wears prompting a sales rush.

"We like Kate because she is a link between royalty and the common people and she has great style," said Magrian.

Royal officials have released few details before the christening, allowing only one photographer and one TV crew inside the palace - unlike Prince George's birth when an army of cameramen camped outside St. Mary's Hospital for three weeks.

Millions of people around the world watched live coverage of the duke and duchess, both aged 31, leave the hospital with their sleeping son, the only public sighting of George to date.

His birth on July 22, along with a run of sporting success for Britain during an unusually good summer, was credited with boosting consumer spending in July and bolstering the popularity of Britain's royal family at home and abroad.

William and his party-loving brother Harry have been at the forefront of the modernization of the monarchy whose popularity suffered after the 1997 death of their mother Princess Diana.

British media have speculated on the guest list and whether Prince George will wear a replica of the gown used by Queen Victoria's eldest daughter in 1841 and worn by many royals since.

Bookmaker William Hill expected Prince William and Kate to opt for friends as the godparents for their first child and skip the royal tradition of choosing family or other royals.

Shopkeepers said the christening was unlikely to boost sales since little was available in terms of baby memorabilia.

"There's always demand for anything royal but licensing rules mean we're very limited in what we can provide," said Younes Nokra of the Crest of London store in Leicester Square.

Despite the christening being held behind locked gates, royal fans were still planning to descend on St. James' Palace to soak up the atmosphere and look out for Prince George.

"He will have a lovely christening dress on and I want to see him with his eyes open," Margaret Tyler, a royal enthusiast and memorabilia collector, told Reuters.

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US hails birth of Britain's royal baby

WASHINGTON - Americans thrilled Monday at news from across the pond that Prince William's wife Catherine had given birth, with President Barack Obama leading a chorus of well wishes.

"Duchess of Cambridge Has Given Birth to a Baby Boy, Palace Says," heralded The New York Times in one of many smartphone alerts from news media that ricocheted around the nation.

Obama and his wife Michelle, the parents of two school-aged daughters, wished William and Catherine "all the happiness and blessings parenthood brings."

"The child enters the world at a time of promise and opportunity for our two nations," the president said in a White House statement.

"Given the special relationship between us, the American people are pleased to join with the people of the United Kingdom as they celebrate the birth of the young prince."

Outside the White House, a group of mothers with children in tow cheered the royal birth.

"She had her baby? I didn't know," one woman told AFP. "It's a boy? How exciting!"

"No, I wanted it to be a girl," another said, but a third woman stated: "Nothing wrong with a boy... Another (royal) boy for the girls to crush on."

Even famously hard-bitten New Yorkers were caught up in the excitement.

"It's just so great. I heard about it on Twitter and then we had the TV on for like an hour in the office," secretary Melissa Klein told AFP.

"Don't ask me why, but it's a big thing for America."

At Tea and Sympathy, a British-themed restaurant in Greenwich Village, union jack bunting went up as soon as it was announced that Kate had gone into labor -- followed by blue "It's a boy" banners once news of the birth came through.

"There was a huge cheer, it was so exciting," restaurant manager Hayley Simmonds, originally from London, told AFP.

"Everyone seems to be ordering afternoon tea today. They want to have something special to celebrate."

News channels like CNN, Fox News and MSNBC broke into their regular programming for live reports from correspondents on the ground in London.

"It's really with a sense of excitement that the crowds are beginning to gather at Buckingham Palace," said one CNN reporter over a live aerial view that in fact showed just a few hundred at the gates.

Fox News, famous for its conservative editorial slant, pointed out that the British royal family enjoys "a higher approval rating" than Barack Obama.

"It establishes once again why Britain is such a great nation," Neil Gardiner, a British expat at the right-wing Heritage Foundation in Washington, told the channel.

Online, gossip websites tested the limits of lese majeste.

"The Duchess of Cambridge has finally given birth to the Cookie Monster that has been growing inside her like a parasite for the better part of a year," the achingly hip Gawker.com said.

"According to Buckingham Palace officials, Kate popped at precisely 4:24 PM GMT," added TMZ.com alongside an online poll asking readers if they thought "the royal heir will lose his hair" like his balding father and grandfather.

Two out of three responded yes.

On Twitter, celebrities fell over each other with congratulatory messages.

"It's a boy! So happy for my cousin Kate and the future King of England!" tweeted talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, recently informed by the New England Genealogical Society that she is indeed a distant relative of the future queen.

Fellow funny lady Joan Rivers quipped: "Congratulations to Kate & William on the birth of their baby boy! So relieved that his name won't include the words Ivy or Apple."

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Boy for Britain's Prince William and wife Kate

London - Prince William's wife Kate gave birth to a boy on Monday, the couple's first child and the third in line to the British throne, heralding celebrations in London and messages of goodwill from across the world.

"We could not be happier," Prince William said in a brief statement, after he witnessed the birth of his son at 4:24 p.m. (11:24 a.m. ET), an event that sparked an international media frenzy and the illumination of London landmarks in blue.

His office said Kate and the baby, weighing 8 lbs 6 oz (3.8 kg) and to be publicly named at a later date, were both doing well and would stay in hospital overnight.

Prince William phoned his grandmother the queen to give her the news, and also contacted his father Prince Charles and brother Prince Harry, all of whom were said to be delighted. The addition to the family is third in line to the throne after Prince Charles and William.

It might take some time for the name to emerge however. The announcement of William's name took more than a week, but bookmakers make George the favorite, followed by James.

As the birth of the queen's third great-grandchild was announced, a loud cheer went up from the well-wishers and media gathered outside St. Mary's Hospital in west London, where William was also born to the late Princess Diana in 1982.

"It is an incredibly special moment for William and Catherine and we are so thrilled for them on the birth of their baby boy," said Prince Charles, the heir to the throne.

Within minutes, messages of congratulations began flooding in, while crowds gathered outside the queen's London residence Buckingham Palace where an official notice was placed on a gold-colored easel at the main gates.

U.S. President Barack Obama was one of the first world leaders to welcome the birth.

"Michelle and I are so pleased to congratulate The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the joyous occasion of the birth of their first child," he said. "We wish them all the happiness and blessings parenthood brings."

The royal couple, officially known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, had arrived at the hospital shortly before 6 a.m. and entered through a back door to avoid massed ranks of British and international media camped outside the main entrance.

Kate and William, both aged 31, met when they were students at St. Andrews University and were married in April 2011 in a spectacular wedding broadcast around the world.

FRENZY

The royal birth has provoked a similar frenzy, with media keeping up a deluge of speculative reports for days beforehand and particularly throughout Monday.

"Right across the country and indeed right across the Commonwealth people will be celebrating and wishing the royal couple well," Prime Minister David Cameron told waiting reporters in Downing Street.

"It is an important moment in the life of our nation but I suppose above all it's a wonderful moment for a warm and loving couple who got a brand new baby boy."

Outside Buckingham Palace, there was a party atmosphere with well-wishers laying flowers and teddy bears, singing "God Save the Queen" and "Happy Birthday", and children waving flags.

"The build up to the birth has been so big I'm just happy it's finally come. I'm pleased it's a boy, you always want a boy really," said Alice Durrans, who rushed from a nearby restaurant after hearing the news.

Deborah Beeson, a banker from the United States, was ecstatic.

"It's wonderful. I got chills. I cried," she said. "You know America loves Kate. She's just beautiful, she has dignity."

There will be a 41-gun salute at London's Hyde Park and 62 rounds fired at the Tower of London on Tuesday to herald news of the birth.

The baby arrives at a time when the royal family is riding a wave of popularity. An Ipsos Mori poll last week showed 77 percent of Britons were in favor of remaining a monarchy over a republic, close to its best-ever level of support.

DARK DAYS

The dark days for the House of Windsor after the death of William's mother Princess Diana in 1997, which led to public anger at the royals, have been replaced with outpourings of support for William and Kate's wedding and the Diamond Jubilee for the queen last summer.

"It's been a remarkable few years for our royal family," Cameron said.

The couple, who have been living in a cottage in north Wales where William is based as a Royal Air Force helicopter pilot, will eventually take up residence with their baby at Apartment 1A at London's Kensington Palace when a 1 million pound refurbishment is completed later this year.

The palace was also William's childhood home.

The young royal couple have become global stars after some 2 billion people tuned in to watch their glittering marriage ceremony in 2011, while Kate is seen as a fashion icon.

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Kate Middleton goes into labor

Prince William's wife Kate was admitted to hospital on Monday in the early stages of labour as the world awaited the birth of a baby directly in line to inherit the British throne.

After weeks of global anticipation over the arrival of a new generation of British royalty, the royal couple, both 31, were driven from Kensington Palace to a private London hospital wing at around 6 a.m.

Dozens of international media waited outside the Lindo wing of St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington on a hot summer's day while royal fans waving Union Jacks were also starting to gather.

The baby will be born third in line to the throne and in the direct line of succession after Queen Elizabeth II's eldest son and heir Prince Charles, and then his eldest son William.

"Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted this morning to St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London in the early stages of labor," Kensington Palace said in a statement.

"Things are progressing as normal," a spokesman added.

The couple say they do not know the sex of the baby.

If it is a girl, then new succession laws being brought in across the 16 Commonwealth realms would mean that she could no longer be overtaken by any future younger brothers.

The birth is later than widely expected, adding to the sense of anticipation around a saga that began when William and the former Kate Middleton married with a huge fanfare in April 2011.

The pregnancy was announced in December when Kate was admitted to hospital with severe morning sickness.

Her early morning arrival at the hospital on Monday coincided with thunder and lightning as a huge storm over London brought the first rain for weeks after a major heatwave in Britain.

Kate has been admitted to the private Lindo Wing of the hospital, where a standard room and normal delivery -- which she is hoping for -- costs £4,965 ($7,775) for the first 24 hours, plus consultant's fees which can reach around £6,000.

The duchess is being tended by a top medical team led by the queen's gynecologist Alan Farthing and his predecessor Marcus Setchell.

William was born in the same hospital wing and media from across the globe are hoping for a repeat of the scene in 1982 when Charles and first wife Diana brought the baby prince out onto the steps to show him off to the world.

International press have been crammed cheek by jowl on the opposite side of the street for three weeks. Roughly 100 media were buzzing about Monday, with around 30 presenters lined up in a row delivering live broadcasts.

Yang Shanshan, from China's CCTV, told AFP: "We've been waiting for this for 10 days now. It was a long wait. We didn't show up every day but now of course we'll stay here till the baby comes.

"Hopefully the baby arrives at daytime."

Meanwhile, around 20 police officers were also stationed outside the wing and royal fanatics clad in British flags were beside themselves with excitement.

Prime Minister David Cameron sent his best wishes to the couple. "A very exciting occasion and the whole country is excited with them. So everyone's hoping for the best," he said.

The new arrival will be the monarch's third great-grandchild, and a first grandchild for Charles.

Dickie Arbiter, a former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth said the royal family were unlikely to visit once the new addition arrives. Charles was pressing on with a visit to the National Railway Museum in York, northern England.

"The family will be waiting like any other family for news of the baby," Arbiter said. "The queen will be the first to be informed because William will telephone her as soon as something happens."

According to the palace, the next statement will be issued when the baby is born.

The duchess made her final public appearance before giving birth on June 15, attending the queen's official birthday celebrations.

William and Kate live in a cottage at Kensington Palace when in London. In the last four weeks, the duchess has been splitting her time between there and her family's home in the Berkshire countryside, west of London.

Otherwise they are based on the rural island of Anglesey in northwest Wales, where William works as a Royal Air Force search and rescue pilot.

There has been a betting frenzy on the name of the royal baby.

"There is a clear view that the baby will be a girl so there are lots of activity around girls' names," a spokeswoman for William Hill told AFP. "Alexandra and Charlotte are the most popular."

Other favored names are Diana, Elizabeth and Victoria, with George and James picked by those who think the baby will be a boy.

Outside Buckingham Palace, the queen's residence, Josh Killoren from Melbourne, Australia told AFP: "I'm hoping it's a boy. I'm sick of seeing a girl on the side of our coins."

That earned him a smack from his girlfriend Connie Sourlatzis, 30, who was a lot more enthusiastic.

"These two have really brought some life back into the royal family. I'm a lot more interested in them now than I used to be," she said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Britain's royal baby: 10 strange facts

LONDON - There's still no sign of Britain's royal baby, even though the world's media have been camped for three weeks outside the London hospital where Prince William's wife Catherine is due to give birth.

As the "Great Kate Wait" continues, here are 10 things you might not have known about the little future monarch:



1. Genealogists say the baby will be distantly related to Dracula, the 15th century prince who inspired Bram Stoker's famous vampire. Experts have also traced the family tree back to an Islamic sultan who is believed to be descended from the Prophet Mohammed.

2. Finland has gifted William and Kate with a special 'baby box' received by all expectant mothers in the Nordic country, which includes infant clothing, bra pads and even condoms.

3. By custom, earlier royal births were witnessed by the interior minister, in order to ensure that the heir was legitimate. Luckily for Kate, this tradition ended in 1936.

4. The baby does not necessarily need to have a surname -- but if William and Kate want it to have one, they can choose between Mountbatten-Windsor, Wales and Cambridge.

5. World landmarks including Niagara Falls, Toronto's CN Tower and the fountains at London's Trafalgar Square will turn pink or blue to celebrate the birth, depending on whether it is a girl or boy.

6. The journalists camped outside Kate's hospital are almost crying with boredom after a three-week wait, but it was a different story when William was born in 1982.

His mother Princess Diana fooled the press by telling them her son was due on July 1 -- he arrived 10 days earlier, catching the newspapers completely offguard.

7. You can place your bets on everything from the baby's name to what its hair color will be. The bookmakers' favorite names are Alexandra for a girl and George for a boy.

But you could win big if William and Kate opt for one of the unlikelier choices -- Prince Wayne, for example, has odds of 500/1.

8. The baby already has its own Wikipedia page -- "Child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge."

9. Former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard has knitted a kangaroo for the baby.

10. Football superstar David Beckham has suggested that the royal couple should name their baby after him. "I think they should go for David," he said in an interview this week, adding: "If it's a boy."



source: www.abs-cbnnews.com