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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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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Prince Charles kisses Queen Elizabeth’s hand during the Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 18, 2009.

The Chelsea Flower Show in London was the scene not only of fabulous flowers and gorgeous gardening exhibits today, May 18, 2009. During an advance visit, Prince Charles received the Royal Horticultural Society’s highest honor for his passion and commitment to gardening.

Queen Elizabeth presented the Victoria Medal of Honour to her son during the royal preview for the show, which opens tomorrow, May 19. The award cited the Prince of Wales for his “passion for plants, sustainable gardening and the environment”. There is only one other royal  who has received the medal. Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, was awarded in 1961.

More photos below:

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Prince Charles and Camilla attended a Royal Gala Performance at the White Lodge, The Royal Ballet School in Richmond Park, London on May 13, 2009.

Prince Charles, patron of The Royal Ballet, gave a speech before a performance of some of the students at the school. The school is considered one of the top ballet schools in Britain. Prima ballerina Darcey Bussell is its most famous former student.

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Prince Charles presented awards to talented musicians during a visit to London’s Royal College of Music today, May 14, 2009.

The annual awards ceremony honors outstanding performers in various musical fields. This year’s awardees include Swedish soprano Ida Falk Winland and harpist Daniel De Fry. Performances by the awardees capped the ceremony, which was held at the newly renovated Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall.

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Prince Charles, and Camilla joined the congregation at Westminster Abbey for the Commemoration, Celebration and Rededication Service of the 90th Anniversary of Combat Stress today, May 12, 2009.

The Combat Stress organization was founded in 1919 to aid soldiers who fought in World War I. It has since helped more than 100,000 military veterans through clinics and outreach services. Among the conditions that the organization treats are Post Traumatic Stress, depression and anxiety. 

The Prince of Wales is Patron of Combat Stress, after his grandmother The Queen Mother. In his speech, he briefly reviewed the history of the organization and launched “a new appeal to raise twenty million pounds over the next three years”.

Image: INF; via Prince of Wales website

Prince Charles, Camilla, and Prince Andrew gathered with Royal Navy servicemen to celebrate a century of naval aviation on May 8, 2009.

A Service of Thanksgiving was held at St Paul’s Cathedral, followed by a parade composed of Royal Guards from HMS Illustrious and veterans of the Royal Navy. The 6,749 personnel from the Royal Navy Air Service and Fleet Air Arm who have died in service over the past 100 years were commemorated.

After the service and parade, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and The Duke of York joined servicemen and their families at a reception at London’s Guildhall.

More photos after the jump:

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Prince Charles is harnessing the power of social media to spread awareness about the world’s rainforests. In this video, which was launched on MySpace, Prince Charles describes The Prince’s Rainforests Projects and a campaign that features several celebrities and, in a humorous twist to an old association, a large green frog.

This webcast is historic, in that it is the first time that a senior member of the British royal family has used a social networking site in an official capacity. For Prince Charles to choose this issue for such a milestone demonstrates 1) how close this is to his heart, and 2) how well he understands the need to get the message to those who can affect the most change.

Have you signed up yet? The rainforests need you and me.