Prince Charles and Camilla visited the Isles of Scilly today, July 2, 2009. The group of more than 50 islands and islets are located southwest of Cornwall. The biggest islands are St. Mary’s and Tresco, both of which were on the royal couple’s tour.

Among the stops of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall’s visit were the Gig Boat Club,Trenoweth Horticultural Centre, and the Harbour Quay. The royal couple boarded a boat to get from St. Mary’s to Tresco. At one point, the Duchess had to take off her shoes, probably to avoid getting them stuck in the sand.

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Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, are on their annual Summer Tour of Wales. The royal couple, who own a farmhouse estate in Wales called Llwynywermod, started their visits on June 23, 2009 at Brecon. On June 24, they went to the Ecodysgu holistic education center in Tondu.

Ecodysgu, a holistic community-based education center, is the winner of this year’s award for the best integrated health project in the UK, given by The Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health. Ecodysgu offers workshops set in 42 acres that include woodland and pasture. It is also the winner of The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services.

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Prince William celebrated his 27th birthday today, June 21, 2009.

The usual fare of wedding rumors, career discussions and vacation getaways are present in articles covering the prince’s special day. The Sun even has a report of Prince William and girlfriend Kate Middleton going off for a romantic weekend (which Prince Harry and some friends joined) as “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”.

Happy birthday, Prince William!

Image: Zuma Press

In addition to a videotaped interview of Prince William and Prince Harry at the RAF base in Shawbury, I also have these photos of the brothers in their uniforms. We see a glimpse of the two beside and at the controls of the helicopters. The brothers are accorded no special titles while in training: they are simply known as William Wales and Harry Wales.

The media event was held to focus on the status of the princes’ training as helicopter pilots.

More photos below:

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Prince William and Prince Harry held a media event about the current stages of their military careers.

The princes are sharing a house while they both undergo helicopter training at the Royal Air Force base in Shawbury in Shropshire. The directions of their careers are different at this point. Prince William is focusing on becoming search and rescue pilot for the RAF (correction on the AP report) while Prince Harry is learning to become an Army helicopter pilot.

Prince Harry has said that he wishes to return to Afghanistan to see action as a helicopter pilot. Prince William also has expressed a desire to be deployed.

Ladies Day, the third day of Royal Ascot, is one of the highlights of the event that combines British horse-racing and fashion in a signature way. It is the ladies’ day to shine with the most unique hats seen anywhere.

Queen Elizabeth was very stylish in her blue and white combination. Here she is arriving with Prince Philip today, June 18, 2009:

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Today was the second day of the 2009 races at the Royal Ascot. The festivities continued with even more horses and, of course, lovely hats.

Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by Prince Philip, was pretty in hot pink and white. Also in the photos below are Prince Charles, Prince of Wales; Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

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It’s that time of the year when we get to see the gorgeous fashions at the Royal Ascot Races. The British royals are, of course, out in full force in their beautiful hats. Queen Elizabeth was especially sunny during Day 1 of the races.

The five-day racing event is sure to attract not just the horse fans, but also the fashion elite. This is a see-and-be-seen event, and is a chance to show off the most outrageous hats ever seen. Not for the royals, though. The royal ladies stick to more conventional, though equally lovely, toppers, while the men keep to their tophats.

More photos below:

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Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, officially opened the Healthy Bones Service of Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, Devon on June 9, 2009. The service includes the new Healthy Bones Mobile DEXA Unit, which was launched on the same day.

The mobile unit was added to the facility in order to bring bone density scanning services to people who do not have immediate access to hospitals, such as those in rural areas or who have transportation issues. These scans are necessary to monitor bone health and prevent osteoporosis.

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Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich, celebrated his 88th birthday today, June 10, 2009. He was born in Corfu to Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg.

The day was just like any other working day for the prince consort. Prince Philip met with foreign travel writers to promote British tourism, and attended a reception for the Special Boat Service Association.

Prince Philip celebrated his birthday with a private party, with just a few simple public events to commemorate it. The Scots Guards played Happy Birthday during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Both the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery and the Honourable Artillery Company fired gun salutes.

Happy birthday, Prince Philip!!!!

Image: Zuma Press