It was the biggest day of Alexandra Knatchbull’s life and Prince Charles was there to support her every step of the way, making the amazing gesture of walking the bride down the aisle.
The Prince came to the rescue when Alexandra’s father, a close friend of Charles’ and the godfather of Prince William, Lord Brabourne was too sick to give his own daughter away
Even Queen Elizabeth was on hand to support her son, and enjoy the festivities with her husband Prince Philip.
Prince Charles was only too happy to step in for his ill friend.
He was honoured to perform the wedding duties for Alexandra.
Princess Anne also made an appearance to toast the happy couple.
Prince Charles was best man at the Lord’s own wedding and also serves as his godfather.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip joined in the festivities.
Even Princess Anne can’t resist a fancy wedding.
As she walked down the aisle towards her fiancé Thomas Hooper, Alexandra looked stunning in a classically cut white gown with cap sleeves and an intricate lace veil.
Prince Charles looked proud as punch to be performing this extraordinary honour for his dear friend.
See Prince Charles talk about his love for his mother in this clip. Post continues.
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Charles linked arms with the blushing bride before entering the church at Romsey Abbey in Hampshire to begin their walk.
Royal family members from around the world also attended the service, including Queen Sophia of Spain, Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan and Princess Sarvath al-Hassan.
They provide love, companionship and for some people, they can provide a whole new take on life.
Guide Dogs are a very special kind of dog, providing independence to many visually impaired people around Australia. And today, 16 Labrador recruits received their harness, marking their graduation as Guide Dogs.
The graduation ceremony took place at the Guide Dogs Centre in Glossodia, NSW where all those involved in their training – from puppy raisers to trainers – watched them parade down a red carpet.
One of the 16 wonder-dogs who graduated today was Statler, a beautiful blonde Labrador who was raised as a puppy by Ashley Leggett.
Before commencing his intensive training at the Guide Dogs Centre, Statler lived with Ashley, who cared for him from eight-weeks until 14-months old, teaching him basic obedience and of course, showering him with love and affection.
“When we picked him up, we fell in love with him instantly,” Ashley said.
“When mum and I found out he was graduating, we just burst into tears. The first thing we though was ‘He’s going to get a human!’”
Another person who was involved in the “graduating class” of today was trainer Carla Zakrzewski.
“It’s like watching a child graduate,” she laughs.
Carla has spent the past five months training the recruits, following their 12-month stint with puppy raisers.
“They come to us and we start training them to be Guide Dogs,” she explains.
“No day is the same with them but our overall training sees us taking them out to residential areas before ending up in the city.”
Carla training one of the recruits
Edie Derry, Photofresh Photography
The demand for Guide Dogs has never been greater. This coming year, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT needs to match 20 new Guide Dogs with new owners as well as replace 41 retiring Guide Dogs.
“It has taken more than $35, 000 to breed, raise and train each Guide Dog so the graduation [is a] celebration of all the hard work and training over the past two years to the life-changing dogs to the all-important working stage of their life,” Guide Dogs Service Manager, Paul Adrian said.
In NSW and ACT alone, there are around 100, 000 people living with uncorrectable vision loss.
“With these figures predicted to increase by more than 50 per cent by 2030, the demand for Guide Dog services is ever increasing,” Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Acting General Manager Fundraising, Natalie Moses said.
Sinclair, a member of the “graduating class”
One person who knows all-too well the benefit of these wonderful dogs is Lorene Mathis.
Lorene was declared legally blind at birth, however she spent a significant part of her life relying on others to get her around safely.
It was only when her third child began preschool that she contacted Guide Dogs NSW/ACT and was introduced to her first dog, Claire, who she “worked” with for close to eight years.
“Before I got a guide dog, I’d fall over all the time. I was also highly anxious and would get stressed by normal everyday situations. One time, I was crossing the road and I stepped out at the wrong time and I was sworn and beeped at.”
However, having her guide dog with her has given her a new sense of independence.
“People can automatically see that I’m not stupid or clumsy – I just can’t see what I’m doing!”
Razzle, who will now be entering the work force.
At the graduation ceremony, each dogs gets introduced and they get their moment to shine – walking down a red carpet in front of all those who helped them get to this point.
“These dogs provide so many people with a level of independence they’ve never known,” Carla explains.
“When I go out and see my dogs with their new owners – and seeing that level of trust they have in each other – it’s beautiful.”
Puppy Raiser Ashley also agrees.
“It was the best thing I’ve ever done.”
So, to the graduating class – Clooney, Narmee, Pearl, Sinclair, Violet, Piper, Statler, Possum, Quiggley, Quinbe, Quinton, Quizzy, Razzle, Rory and Sebastian – keep up the good work!
To help Guide Dogs Australia raise and train more dogs, call 1800 484 333 or, click here.
We’ve already fallen in love with his singing talents from watching Carpool Karaoke, and now James Corden is melting hearts once again with his latest talk show segment, also starring Anna Kendrick.
The Late Late Show host enlisted the help of the Pitch Perfect actress to deliver an epic medley of all our favourite pop love songs.
Anna and James make the perfect entertainment duo!
From the hits of Adele to Whitney Houston, there’s no note to high for the talented duo as they sang and danced their way through the greatest hits while changing in between costumes and sets.
The performance titled, Soundtrack to a Love Story, began with Anna singing Dionne Warwick’s 1967 hit I Say a Little Prayer before she transitioned into Chris de Burgh’s Lady in Red as James sang along.
Check out James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke segment with Michelle Obama! Post continues.
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The pair then broke into an upbeat dance routine as they sang The Weeknd’s Can’t Feel My Face.
Cher’s classic Believe and Whitney Houston’s ballad I Will Always Love You were also performed with absolute enthusiasm.
The final results are in and Britain has decided to leave the European Union.
The result was extremely unexpected, and finished up with 52% voting out.
All 32 areas of Scotland voted to stay along with Northern Ireland, but Wales voting for Brexit. Britain’s 52% equates to more than 16.5 million people.
Not a lot will change straight away, but the ripple effect will be huge. The referendum is not binding and will have to be voted on by the government and prime minister.
British Prime Minister David Cameron voted Remain which could put his leadership in danger. He himself called the election and led the Remain campaign, so he may face calls to step down.
Throughout the day as the votes were being counted, exchange rates have skyrocketed and plummeted, with the pound being the lowest it’s ever been since 1985.
The Australian dollar could weaken, and markets of all sorts — stocks, futures, oil, butter – could be thrown into disarray.
In terms of trade, Britain is only a minor player, as our focus is the Asia-Pacific region and giants such as China, Japan, South Korea and India.
This Brexit vote could also have an impact on the outcome of the July 2 federal election.
Malcolm Turnbull told reporters the vote showed the need for strong leadership. “It is a reminder that there are always going to be challenges in the global economy and that is why you need to have strong and stable government here in Australia.”
Prominent commentators took to Twitter to say their opinion:
As Blake Lively gears up for the worldwide release of her latest film The Shallows – in which she spends majority of her time on screen in a bikini, the blonde beauty reveals her secret to bouncing back after the birth of her sweet daughter, James.
In an interview with E! News, the Gossip Girl star revealed that filming for the shark attack thriller began just eight months after she and husband Ryan Reynolds welcomes their first child.
“I had an amazing trainer. I was fortunate to have Don Saladino help me out and he just kicked my butt in the best way, in the most healthy way,” she quipped, revealing the celebrity trainer who shaped her incredible figure for the movie.
“It was also eight months after having a baby so my body was already completely different than what it normally was.
“Not just aesthetically but also your muscles are different, your body, everything is just shifted and changed.”
Showing off her decolletage, the star stunning in an edgy tutu at the Los Angeles premiere of The Shallows.
Revealing her gruelling daily fitness regime, the 28-year-old said, “It was like training for a marathon, but a marathon is one day – this was six weeks straight, six-day weeks, no lunch breaks, thirteen-hour days, four-foot waves at all times.”
“By the time I was done with the movie, I had muscles that I had never had before.”
And in case any of you out there had a spare thirteen hours to work out, the star’s trainer Don revealed to People exactly what Blake’s workout week looked like.
“We would do an upper body workout Monday, lower body Tuesday. Wednesday was a playful pool workout where she would do laps,” he says.
“Thursday was upper body, Friday lower body, and Saturday we were focusing on the accessory movers: the arms, the shoulders.”
Watch Blake on the set of The Shallows in the video player below! Post continues…
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Back in April, the couples exciting news was confirmed by a close friend.
“Blake is absolutely thrilled and so is Ryan,” the insider said to People at the time.
We can’t wait to meet James’ little brother or sister!
The couple, who married in September 2012, can’t wait to welcome more kids into their family.
Bloating, cramping, short tempers, and tender breasts are very common PMT symptoms that have long been the bane of womankind. Without the luxury of time off every month we simply have to get on with it regardless of feeling volatile and tender.
For about 10 days a month Emily Smith becomes a slave to her premenstrual syndrome. Her emotions are ruled by hormones and she doesn’t feel like she’s very nice to be around.
“I lose my nut over the tiniest of problems and messes and emotionally I question all the decisions I have made and are making. Just one cross word or a misplaced comment and I will let loose a barrage of nasty comments,” Emily says.
But it’s not just her emotional wellbeing that is affected by her PMT. Her body also suffers from the unavoidable monthly cycle.
“I also get very bloated and start to question my eating habits, lifestyle choice and end up feeling even more depressed,” she says. “I am usually bent over in pain for the first two days and have to take medicine or use a heat pack. If I can I crawl into bed just to put my feet up as the pain travels to them as well.”
Emily has tried Rescue Remedy and cutting junk food and alcohol to see if it made a difference, but after one month of abstinence, it didn’t seem to make a difference. Perhaps she was cutting out the wrong things?
Researchers at the University of California have discovered a link between premenstrual symptoms, period pain and a biomarker for inflammation in the body called high sensitivity C-reactive (Hs-CR) protein.
Of the 3000 women studied during the research, they discovered that women with elevated levels of Hs-CR were more inclined to suffer symptoms such as bloating, cravings, cramping and mood fluctuations.
“The significant relationships of specific groups of PMS with elevated Hs-CR protein levels have potential clinical implications for treatment and possibly for prevention by advising women about the factors associated with inflammation and the potential for treatment with anti-inflammatory agents,” they wrote.
“These results suggest that inflammation may play a mechanistic role in most PMS, although further longitudinal study of these relationships is needed.
“However, recommending to women to avoid behaviours that are associated with inflammation may be helpful for prevention, and anti-inflammatory agents may be useful for treatment of these symptoms.”
We have been treating PMS with anti-inflammatory drugs for a while without really fully understanding why they made a difference to the monthly symptoms. With this definitive research, we not only understand specifically why anti-inflammatory drugs alleviate symptoms but can also recommend further lifestyle changes that may also reduce inflammation and further mitigate the issue.
Refined carbohydrates, sugar, processed and red meats are foods known to inflame the system so reducing these in your diet may offer you relief from PMS.
Conversely, increasing your intake of anti-inflammatory foods such as green leafy vegetables, nuts and fatty fish may also yield a positive result and allow you to weather the PMT storm a little easier.
As Prince Harry is announced to attend a charity concert in Kensington Palace Gardens later this month, his former girlfriend Chelsy Davy was celebrating the launch of her new jewellery label.
The 30-year-old lawyer looked excited to be reunited with her friend and Harry’s cousin, Princess Eugenie, at the AYA launch party on Tuesday.
Chelsy couldn’t hide her excitement as she greeted Princess Eugenie!
The pair posed for photos and Chelsy was seen giving Eugenie a warm embrace, clearly thrilled to see her royal pal.
The royal reunion comes just days after Chelsy – who split from Harry in 2010 – admitted she’s still close to her ex.
Still close! Chelsy and Harry are still friends despite splitting in 2010.
“I think we will always be good friends,” the blonde star told The Sunday Times.
Although they called time on their seven-year relationship, Chelsy has remained in the same social circle as the prince, often attending the same parties.
Watch Prince Harry as he wins hearts on the field! Post continues below.
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Meanwhile, Harry is set to attend the concert hosted by his charity Sentebale on June 28.
With headlining artists Coldplay taking to the stage, the event will raise funds for adolescents living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.
An osteopath charged with raping and indecently assaulting a patient claims that the intimate way he touched his alleged victim has been ‘misinterpreted’.
When it comes to massage or similar heath treatments, is there a grey area between what sort of touch is ok and what isn’t?
It sounds like a ridiculous question – it would be fair to assume that health care professionals are well aware of patient boundaries and fully understand where the line falls.
However, a Bondi Junction osteopath charged with raping and indecently assaulting a patient claims that the intimate way he touched his alleged victim has been misinterpreted.
Police allege that 38-year-old Gene Scorringe assaulted a 23-year-old patient during massages on two occasions in March. He has pleaded not guilty.
Scorringe’s barrister, David McCallum, said that while his client intends to plead not guilty he does admit that there may have been “inadvertent or accidental touching.”
“He’s not saying the nature of the techniques were not in any way intimate or could not have been perceived to have been that way by the complainant,” McCallum told the Sydney Morning Herald.
While we don’t know if Scorringe is guilty, we do know that there is nothing “accidental” or “inadvertent” about rape. Rape is rape. No grey area, no blurred line.
Detectives arrested Gene yesterday
But, when it comes to inappropriate touching, it is easy for patients to be confused about where the line falls – especially during treatments such as massage or osteopathy where touch is an essential part of the treatment.
Becky*, 31, says that she felt utterly violated after receiving a “dodgy” massage while on holiday in Laos.
“I went into the cubicle and the masseuse asked me to strip off completely save for my towel. He was breathing really heavily over me the whole time – it just felt really horrible.
“I definitely left there tenser than I’d gone in,” she recalls.
While there wasn’t anything concrete to complain about, the fact that Becky felt so uncomfortable is a sign that something wasn’t quite right. So why didn’t she stop the massage and leave?
Becky’s experience is not uncommon. In fact, many women have experienced confusing or tense moments during a treatment in which they’ve felt uncomfortable about the way they’ve been touched.
Often these instances are brushed to one side, we think we imagined it, or that it is a normal part of the treatment. Even so, when something doesn’t feel right, why is it easier to let it go than to speak up?
Psychologist Mandy Edkins says that women might find it hard to speak up in the moment because they are in a vulnerable position.
“We assume that the ‘professional’ knows best, he is the holder of knowledge and, often, whose help and expertise is required for physical or mental health treatment.
Edkins notes that this can create a huge power differential, whereby women feel unable to speak out for fear of anger, rejection or withheld assistance.
She also notes that if you’re not familiar with the assessment or treatment procedure you are likely to accept what happens at face value because you trust that the health care professional knows what they’re doing.
“You may not even realise that something was inappropriate until you share your experiences with others at a later date,” Edkins explains.
Edkins says that anyone who feels they’ve been touched inappropriately is likely to feel shocked, foolish, or violated.
Of course, it is not our responsibility to stop male health practitioners from acting wrongfully.
All healthcare specialists need to ensure that the line between professional and inappropriate is never crossed. There is no grey area.
Sadly, Scorringe’s 23-year-old patient may have discovered this the hard way.
Looks like Megan Fox won’t be a single mum after all!
Megan’s marriage to Brian Austin Green is back on, according to Franklin Fox, Megan’s dad.
The doting father says that his daughter’s divorce plans have been pushed aside and that Megan’s relationship with the father of her children is on the mend.
The 65-year-old dad revealed: “All I can say is that they are together and they are happy.”
“I’ve met Brian a ton of times now and he is a great guy.”
The expectant-mum is positively glowing in her third pregnancy!
And he couldn’t stop gushing about his daughter either, confirming baby number three will be a boy.
“Megan is an amazing mum and I can’t believe she is going to have three boys.
“Becoming a grandfather has been a wonderful experience and brought us even closer together,” he confessed.
Watch Megan talk about her sweet sons in the video player below! Post continues…
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Megan and Brian have a history with having an on-again off-again relationship.
The pair got engaged in 2006 before briefly called off the engagement in 2009.
They married in 2010 after they managed to salvage their relationship.
They had two children together, Noah, three, and Bodhi, two, and then 10 months ago decided to call their marriage off, supposedly for good this time.
But clearly everything is on the up again, with Megan’s once-estranged father now thrilled the pair have mended their relationship and give it another go.
The couple’s adorable sons Noah, three, and Bodhi, two can’t wait for their new sibling.
The on-again off-again pair have been together for over a decade.
Or maybe just what the wife believes is an appropriate compromise… sorry husbands!
A lot of us can relate to these hilarious snippets into married life, so click through to see the funniest tweets from wives – they’re guaranteed to make you giggle!
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