Day 3 of Prince William’s unofficial visit Down Under was very very busy! He was greeted by a crowd of admirers (and a very lucky girl, who gave him a kiss on the cheek!) then met the Governor of Victoria, Professor David de Kretserhad, at the Government House in Melbourne.

One of the most significant segments of the day was his visit to areas in Melbourne that were affected by bush fires last year. Among these areas were Flowerdale and Kinglake West. Prince William talked to residents in a temporary village in Flowerdale. Among the prefabricated houses, he enjoyed a barbecue …read more

Prince William’s second day in Australia was as busy (or even busier!) as the first. On Wednesday (Australian time), he continued his stay in Sydney, meeting more members of the government and the community.

Prince William took part in a live firing exercise with the Australian Army’s 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment at the Holsworthy army base. The visit with members of the military was William’s idea.
After the visit with the military, Prince William turned his attention to the crowds gathered at the Royal Botanic Gardens. Hundreds of people went out to see the young prince, who is on his second …read more

Prince William wrapped up his trip to New Zealand on Tuesday, and flew to Australia for an unofficial tour. He was welcomed to Sydney by Australia’s Governor General Quentin Bryce, with whom he had lunch. He also met Australian singer Delta Goodrem, cricket player Michael Clarke and Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham during lunch at Admiralty House.

Another welcome ceremony waited for Prince William at the Redfern Community Centre. There, an Aboriginal elder performed a traditional smoking ceremony (a cleansing ritual involving setting fire to fresh leaves and allowing the smoke to waft over the participants). Later, Prince William met members of …read more

Prince William’s second day in New Zealand was spent mostly in Wellington, the country’s Creative Capital City.
His first stop was at the National War Memorial which honors the men and women who had given their lives in the course of duty. He inspected the guard during a ceremony and then laid a rose on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. He was accompanied by Prime Minister John Key.

Prince William then proceeded to Wellington to open the building of the Supreme Court. Upon his arrival, he was greeted in the traditional Maori way: The ‘hongi’ is performed by pressing one’s nose …read more

Royal fever has come to the lands down under with the visit of Prince William to New Zealand. Prince William arrived in Auckland on January 17, 2010 and promptly began a round of engagements in his first official overseas trip on behalf of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

On his first day, Prince William visited Eden Park, which is undergoing renovations in preparation for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Auckland’s Mayor John Banks and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key joined him at the Park. The prince got a chance to demonstrate his rugby skills during a pickup game with  members …read more

Over the Christmas break, photos emerged of Kate Middleton playing tennis with her family. Did you see the images when they were posted elsewhere online? I did, and remembered the paparazzi ban that Queen Elizabeth issued in November (The British royal family will take legal action against photographers taking photos of the family in “private” situations).
When I saw Kate’s tennis photos, I wondered how the ban would play in her situation. While she and Prince William have been together for years, she is not officially part of the royal family, not until they get engaged, anyway. But with the current …read more

Prince William showed today just how busy and varied a working royal’s schedule can be. Over the course of a few hours, the prince visited a school, a hospital and a military base.

Prince William’s first engagement of the day was at the St Barnabas Hospice. He was accompanied by his aunt, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, during the visit which allowed time for chats with both patients and staff.
In the afternoon, Prince William opened the Life Skills Centre of Eresby School. The school, located in the town of Spilsby, provides training and educational opportunities to students with learning difficulties.
Prince William once more …read more

A double portrait of Prince William and Prince Harry was unveiled today at the British National Portrait Gallery in London. This is the first ever portrait of the royal brothers by themselves, instead of in a group.

The painting is by artist Nicky Philipps (photo below) and shows the princes in their Household Cavalry uniforms. It has an informal air to it, with Prince Harry sitting and Prince William leaning casually against a doorway in Clarence House. The sittings occurred in late 2008 and 2009, mostly in the artist’s studio in South Kensington.
Ms. Philipps has this to say about working …read more

I hope you had a happy time ringing in the brand new year and decade!

I’m so excited for 2010. It promises to be a great year for royal news. We have the wedding of Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling to look forward to in June. And maybe more?
We are still awaiting the date for Princess Madeleine’s wedding to Jonas Bergstrom. And royal watchers are all a-twitter with speculation that we’ll hear of another engagement announcement, this time from Prince William and Kate Middleton. There is much expectation of this, considering that Prince William, who has …read more

Here are some photos of the British royal family as they went to church on Christmas morning. We’ve already seen some of them in the video. But that was such a short clip that I think you’ll also enjoy seeing them better here:

images via Zuma Press

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