Check out the new Royal Roundup at:

http://www.royalroundup.com/

See you there!

Best,
Ella Kay

Welcome to the first of our Wacky Windsor Wednesday posts!  And the first story is a humdinger…

According to the Mail Online, The Prince of Wales has made his music video debut!  That’s right, the same Prince Charles who everyone thought was stodgy and boring is apparently a rock god in his spare time!

…not exactly.  But the music video part is true.  British rockers Oasis have spliced footage of Prince Charles into their latest video, which tells the story of “the double life of a fictional royal.”  Balcony scenes apparently feature prominently, and clever editing makes it look like there’s a brand-new member of the royal family out waving to the masses.

I still think that HM The Queen deserves her own video; after all she did such a great job in that Spitting Image rap video a while back.  Perhaps a remake of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”?

Royal Roundup Readers,

I’ve found the scope of this blog a little too wide to keep up for the time being (as I’m sure many have noticed by the drop-off in posting), so I’ve changed up the way that I’ve been blogging about the British Royal Family:

The Wills & Kate Update is where you can find regular news, gossip, pictures, and more about Prince William and his erstwhile girlfriend.

Watching the Windsors is the place to find my essays and editorials on all aspects of the Royal Family.

Mad Hattery! (under construction) is the continuation of my favorite part of this blog, where I weigh in on the millinery hits and misses made by the ladies of the British Royal Family.

I won’t be deleting this blog, so all of the previous content will stay where it is. But for regular new posts, please check out one of the above links. Thanks, and happy reading!

Best,

Ella Kay

The wedding ceremony of Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer in sixteen parts. This is the BBC’s broadcast of the event, with commentary by Tom Fleming and others.

Part One (9m 35s): Diana arrives at St. Paul’s Cathedral; description of her dress; State Trumpeters’ fanfare; description of the bridal bouquet; the long bridal procession with Earl Spencer, bridesmaids (Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones (Chatto) as primary bridesmaid), and pages; Charles, Andrew, and Edward take their places; the wedding ceremony begins. Music includes “The Prince of Denmark’s March (Trumpet Voluntary)” and “Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation.”

Part Two (10min 1s): Hymn singing continues; Dean of St. Paul’s introduces the marriage service; the Archbishop of Canterbury continues the ceremony with the vows; Earl Spencer gives away the bride; Diana flubs Charles’s name; Andrew hands over the ring; Charles flubs a line during the giving of the ring; bride and groom kneel in prayer. Music includes “Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation.”

Part Three (9min 23s): The Archbishop of Canterbury pronounces them man and wife; choir sings as Charles and Diana are seated; lesson read by the Speaker of the House of Commons. Music includes “Let the People Praise Thee, O God.”

Part Four (10m 1s): Lesson continues; address by Archbishop of Canterbury; choir sings as bridge and groom move to the high altar. Music includes “I Was Glad.”

Part Five (9 m 48s): Choir continues to sing; prayers; Diana is called “Princess of Wales” for the first time; the Lord’s Prayer. Music includes “I Was Glad.”

Part Six (9m 23s): Hymn chosen by Diana; blessing from the Archbishop of Canterbury; the National Anthem is sung; Charles and Diana proceed out to sign the registers; the families move to the Dean’s aisle. Music includes “I Vow to Thee My Country,” “God Save the Queen,” and “March from the Overture to the Occasional Oratorio.”

Part Seven (9m 35s): Music continues as the registers are signed; the family begins to return to their seats. Music includes Handel’s “Let the Bright Seraphim in Burning Row” and “Let Their Celestial Concerts All Unite.”

Part Eight (9m 48s): The families return to their places; trumpet fanfare from the Whispering Gallery as Charles and Diana return (Diana sans veil now); the Prince and Princess bow and curtsy to the Queen; they begin the long walk to the Cathedral’s West Door, followed by bridesmaids, pages, Andrew, Edward, and Lady Sarah, the Queen and Earl Spencer, Prince Philip and Frances Shand-Kydd; Charles is given his cap and gloves; the crowds roar as they leave the church; the bride and groom are helped into a carriage; the bells of St. Paul’s begin to peal; the carriage procession begins. Music includes Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance No. 4 in G.”

Part Nine (9m 48s): The carriage procession continues; bells at more London churches begin to ring; the Queen and Earl Spencer get into their carriage; the bride and groom move onto the Strand; even more church bells ring as the bridal carriage passes; the Queen and Earl Spencer leave St. Paul’s, escorted by Blues and Royals; Prince Philip rides in a carriage with Mrs. Shand-Kydd; bride and groom pass Charing Cross and Trafalgar Square.

Part Ten (9m 48s): Charles and Diana pass under the Admiralty Arch and down the Mall; the procession slows as they approach Buckingham Palace; the Queen and Earl Spencer’s carriage moves down the Strand; “God Save the Queen” plays in the background; Charles and Diana’s carriage moves around the memorial to Queen Victoria; the bridal carriage enters the grounds of Buckingham Palace; in the quadrangle, they are cheered and welcomed by children of the royal staff and household; they reach the grand entrance of the palace.

Part Eleven (10m 1s): The Prince and Princess are helped from the carriage; Charles helps with her dress, and they disappear inside Buckingham Palace; the Queen and Earl Spencer ride down the Mall, followed by Prince Philip and Mrs. Shand-Kydd; the crowd sings “God Save the Queen”; the Queen and Earl Spencer arrive at Buckingham Palace; the parents of the couple, along with the Queen Mother and Prince Andrew, enter the palace; other members of the royal family arrive, including Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, Captain Mark Phillips, Viscount Linley, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Princess Alexandra and the Hon. Angus Ogilvy, Sir James Ogilvy, and Marina Ogilvy (Mowatt); the crowd crushes toward the balcony of Buckingham Palace; BBC live coverage breaks for some coffee-talk discussion of the ceremony.

Part Twelve (9m 53s): The crowd continues to stream down the Mall toward the Palace; Tom Fleming estimates half a million people on the Mall; the crowd chants “We want Charlie!”; disabled Londoners gather inside the Palace gates; Tom Fleming cracks up at a “Hello Mum” sign and kills time by providing trivia about the size of St. James’s Park in relationship to Monaco.

Part Thirteen (9m 53s): More crowd footage; Prince of Wales glimpsed through balcony window; the windows are opened; Charles and Diana appear on balcony; pages and bridesmaids, including Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, join the couple; the Queen appears with Earl Spencer; the Queen Mother, Prince Andrew, and the rest of the Windsors and Spencers join them; Charles and Diana wave and return inside the Palace; the families follow the couple back indoors; crowd sings “Rule, Britannia!”; Charles and Diana return to the balcony with the bridesmaids and pages; they return inside again; crowd chants, “We want the Queen!”; the Queen, Prince Philip, Charles, Diana, and bridesmaids and pages return to the balcony; the party leaves the balcony for a third time and the inner doors open.

Part Fourteen (8m 47s): One of the pages, Edward van Cutsem, peeks out over the crowd; the Queen Mother appears; the royal family comes out behind her, and then the Waleses follow; the Prince and Princess kiss, and the crowd erupts; the family exits the balcony again; the balcony windows are closed; brief fritz of the broadcast, which after a few seconds reveals Charles and Diana leaving Buckingham Palace in an open carriage, having changed clothes; children shower them with rose petals; Fleming describes Diana’s pink dress and hat in great detail; blue and silver balloons are attached to the back of the carriage; the royal family all gathers to wave them off; the carriage drives off down the Mall toward Waterloo Station; Andrew Parker Bowles is mentioned as one of the riders accompanying the carriage.

Part Fifteen (9m 45s): The couple continues down the Mall; Prince Andrew converses with one of the little bridesmaids back at the Palace; they drive past the Horseguards Memorial; the carriage is given a royal salute; the procession moves onto Whitehall toward Westminster; footage of other visits by Prince Charles to rail stations over the years; the carriage passes the Cenotaph and the Houses of Parliament, and crosses Westminster Bridge and into Lambeth; messages of congratulations are displayed in hospital window.

Part Sixteen (9m 20s): Procession continues; Tom Fleming reveals that Andrew and Edward were responsible for the crazy coach decorations; they drive around the back of County Hall; they turn onto the approach road to Waterloo; the procession moves straight into Waterloo Station; the carriage stops at Platform 12, with a red carpet waiting; Charles and Diana get out of the carriage and greet some railway officials; Diana kisses the Royal Chamberlain on the cheek; they climb aboard the train and wave farewell; the green flag waves, and the train pulls out of the station; Charles and Diana pull back the curtains and wave from the window of the car; a shot of the signatures on the register at St. Paul’s as the broadcast signs off.

Get ready, Yorkie fans: your favorite girls are about to be unleashed on the royal world like they’ve never been before!

Because the girls cost the royal family a significant amount of money every year — reportedly in the vicinity of £250,000 for security detail alone — royal watchers report that they’re going to pay The Firm back by embarking on a larger schedule of royal duties.

Bea is finishing up a gap year and will start her studies at London’s Goldsmiths College later this year.  Eugenie, who just finished at Marlborough College and made a splash by streaking at her school, is just starting her gap year.  The Daily Telegraph quotes a source close to the princesses, who claims, “They will do their bit for the Royal Family, but they want to make their mark on life first – do well at university, pursue a successful career and be independent.”

Beatrice will start work for Springboard for Children soon and will continue her role within her mother’s charity, Children in Crisis.  Eugenie reportedly wants to work with a charity called Kids Company.

Hopefully they will still find a way to sashay around England in ridiculous hats.

We’re going to be playing around with some new organizational ideas for The Royal Roundup this week — don’t mind us. All of your news and gossip will still be here!

Queen Elizabeth

• hosts guests from Abu Dhabi and 8,000 others at a palace garden party (The National, The Associated Press, Straits Times, The Press Association)
• gets some tips on how she should shake up her garden parties (HeraldNet)
• signs on with Prince Charles to help the government build eco-towns (Telegraph, Guardian)

Prince Charles

• bestows awards (Coventry Telegraph, OneIndia)
• gets an ITV birthday celebration (Digital Spy, Metro, Monsters and Critics)
• is praised by environmentalists and foodies (PerthNow, Guardian)
• will visit Cornwall (Cornwall24)

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

• was caught with a golliwog toy in her car (Daily Mail, Times Online, Monsters and Critics, Guardian)
• visits the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show with Prince and Princess Michael of Kent (Hello!, Telegraph, The Press Association, The Press Association)

Prince William

• helps with hurricane exercises in Montserrat (Telegraph)
• gets US medal for help in drug bust (Fashion.ie)

Prince Harry

• builds schools in Lesotho for Sentebale (The Associated Press, Monsters and Critics, ITV.com, TeleText, The Mirror, Daily Mail, Independent Online, The Sun, Scotsman)

Chelsy Davy

• may be thinking about dumping Prince Harry (Gay Socialites, Fashion.ie, Showbiz Spy)
• overindulges at a party in South Africa (Monsters and Critics, Infos Jeunes France, Bild.de)

Prince Andrew

• speaks at a UK trade event (Design Week)

Princess Beatrice

• flies EasyJet (Telegraph)

Princess Anne

• visits the Isle of Man (Manx Radio, Manx Radio, Isle of Man Today, Isle of Man Today)

Zara Phillips

• has a new horse to ride (Hello!, Daily Mail)

Mike Tindall

• pleads guilty to driving drunk (The Mirror, Monsters and Critics, Reading Evening Post, Times Online, Radio New Zealand, Telegraph)

Prince William is chalking up all the skills necessary to live in a posh royal residence on the Mall: first, he does surveillance for a massive cocaine bust, and now he’s helping with hurricane drills!  When a Category 5 hits London, the Brits will know they’ve got an experienced triage man in their midst:

Think that little hurricane “victim” knows that he’s talking to a prince?  (Possibly the cameras may have raised some suspicions.)

We’re sure this is a big important meeting, but we’re distracted by the amazing giant map on the wall.

Glamour shot, Royal Navy style — this would be an excellent one for Kate to tape up on her wall, we think.

So, whether you believe the royal watchers who claim that the Queen wants Kate to get a job or the ones who claim that she’s supposed to bide her time and stay unemployed, it looks like Kate is getting some work done.  She was photographed last week (we know, we know, we hate being late — blame the holidays) getting into her car after apparently working a long day at her parents’ company, Party Pieces:

While doing stock photography for Mom and Dad’s business isn’t perhaps the career that some royal watchers would choose for Kate, it looks like she is getting a little work time in while her beau is away catching pirates and confiscating cocaine on the high seas of Barbados…

Uh-oh, Chelsy — surely the Queen will not be amused by these snaps.

The royal girlfriend, whose boyfriend, Prince Harry, has had his own fair share of scandalous photographs splashed across the pages of the tabloids, has certainly outdone herself with these pics.  After an evening spent watching a streaking extravaganza at a Cape Town racecourse, Chelsy apparently overindulged and forgot to worry about the dangers of a camera (or, perhaps, a camera phone?).  She was photographed smoking a cigarette and horsing around with friends.  One photo shows her in a mock-lesbian kiss with a female friend; another apparently shows her riding on a male friend’s shoulders, with her short skirt playfully stretched over his head.

The pictures are so scandalous that the Daily Mail, who had posted them with an article online, removed them from their website only a few hours after they were put up.  They’re currently online at a German tabloid website.

While we’re not really fond of judging people for the occasional behavioral slip, especially when alcohol and rowdy friends are concerned, we fear for what this means for Chelsy’s chances at the title of Princess Harry.  One of Prince Andrew’s girlfriends, Koo Stark, was dropped after steamy pictures of her were unearthed; likewise, Sarah Ferguson caused major embarrassment for the royals when her famous “toe-sucking” photos were published.  Having fun is one thing — being photographed having too much fun is really another.

With Harry and Chelsy’s relationship already reportedly on the rocks (apparently because of her qualms over his partying with military buddies, natch), we wonder if these pictures won’t be the final nail in the coffin for the prince and his Zimbabwean babe.

Welcome to a super-giant edition of The Royal Roundup!  We’re still recovering from our holiday excitement, so posts will be slowly trickling in this week, but we’ve got some fun stuff planned, so stay tuned!

News

• The Queen and Prince Philip open new water project: The Press Association
• Prince William to receive US medal for Caribbean drug bust: Hello!, Monsters and Critics
• Prince Andrew’s Scotland visits: Mobile Entertainment
• Princess Anne’s Scotland visits: Aberdeen Press and Journal
• Buckingham Palace in need of major repairs: Zee News, Liverpool Echo, Daily Mail
• Prince Charles makes a major “green” investment: Forbes
• Charles and Camilla at Royal Agricultural Show: The Press Association, Kenilworth Today, The Press Association, Aberdeen Press and Journal, Telegraph
• Duchess of Cornwall becomes patron of pony charity: BBC News, Sommerset County Gazette
• Prince Edward’s Coronation Clock visit: Epsom Guardian
• Prince Andrew at Wimbledon: Telegraph
• Princess Eugenie gets her own coat of arms, and she and Bea take on more royal duties: Sky News, Telegraph, Sky News
• William Tallon photographs and memorabilia hit the auction block: First Post, Telegraph, AFP, Associated Press, PR-Inside.com
• Zara Phillips to appear on “Strictly Come Dancing”: Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Stuff.co.nz
• Prince Charles to celebrate 60th birthday with a big TV concert event: The Hindu, The Sun
• Mike Tindall pleads guilty to drinking and driving: International Herald Tribune, TeleText, Telegraph

Gossip

• Questionable pictures of Chelsy Davy out in South Africa: Daily Mail
• Chelsy Davy to visit troops in Afghanistan?: Now Magazine, Monsters and Critics, Fashion.ie
• Prince Charles paid Camilla’s sister to redecorate his house: Telegraph, Daily Mail
• Now Kate Middleton shouldn’t get a job?: Telegraph, Osoblog
• Kate advises Chelsy on how to pick her friends: Daily Mail
• Chelsy and Harry’s relationship on the rocks?: Times of India, Economic Times, Daily Star, Daily News & Analysis
• Chelsy watches streaking race in Cape Town: Monsters and Critics, Daily Mail
• Is the Duchess of York ready to take her romance public?: Daily Mail
• Princess Beatrice’s jaunt to the French Riviera: Daily Mail

Pictures

Charles and Camilla at the Coventry Royal Agricultural Show

Prince Andrew in the royal box at Wimbledon

Camilla finds an equine friend at the Royal Agricultural Show