Prince Harry and Cressida Bonas in London last week.
Billed as a private, family affair, the christening of Prince George is so exclusive even some royals are said to have missed out on an invitation, but Prince Harry’s girlfriend, Cressida Bonas, is said to have made the guest list.
The relationship has been rumoured to be getting serious for a few months now, but reports that the 24-year-old dance graduate will be by Harry’s side at the christening, are the clearest indication yet of how close the couple really is.
A source close to the couple reportedly told theMail on Sundaythat Harry had asked media-shy Cressida to accompany him to the christening on Wednesday.
“She’s very, very nervous, about everything,” the source said.
“But Prince Harry is being very protective of her and wants her there.”
The couple, who have been dating for about 18 months, have kept their relationship largely out of the limelight but have been spotted out together twice in the past month.
Prince Harry has reportedly assured Cressida the ceremony, with a guest list of only 60 and no paparazzi to be in attendance, will be a private affair.
It is also expected that Kate’s sister Pippa will be accompanied by her boyfriend stockbroker Nico Jackson, and her brother James with his TV presenter girlfriend, Donna Air, indicating the young royals are taking a more informal approach to royal engagements.
After three long months in hiding, Kim Kardashian stormed back into the limelight at Paris Fashion Week with blonde hair and a dramatic new fashion-forward wardrobe. But what onlookers couldn’t stop talking about was her conspicuously altered face.
Since giving birth to her daughter North West in June, Kim has spent week after week holed up at her newly single mum Kris Jenner’s mansion in the Hollywood Hills.
Now it appears that behind those closed doors, she’s undergone a series of procedures.
Kim, 32, who has admitted to trying Botox in the past, is firmly denying having any cosmetic surgery since giving birth to the child she shares with rapper Kanye West. But experts insist she has had work done.
Read more in this week’s Woman’s Day, on sale October 21.
Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge has already booked in her hairdresser for her Australia tour when she visits with her husband Prince William in 2014.
Catherine, who is known for her beautiful locks, has secured Sydney-based hairdresser Joh Bailey, who tended to Princess Diana’s hair when she was in the country in 1996.
Dates of their tour are yet to be confirmed, but Catherine is expected to follow in Diana’s footsteps and bring Prince George along with them on the tour.
See some of Catherine’s best hair moments here!
Kate’s classic look.
Hat hair: Kate is an expert at picking hair pieces that suit her hairstyle.
Feature fringe: Kate wears her hair slightly pulled back making a feature of her fringe.
Beautiful bun: Kate opts for elegance with this pulled back style.
Stunning: On her wedding day Kate’s only hair request was that William recognises her.
Best accessory: Kate makes her hair her best accessory in this outfit.
Fresh faced: Kate knows when to let her face be the feature.
All natural: Despite being a fan of blow-dries, Kate shows off her natural locks.
You know how there are some combinations which when put together for the first time, you cannot imagine how or why they haven't been mixed before? The majesty of Australia's most iconic landmark, Uluru and the sweep of a symphony orchestra are one such combination. And at the weekend just gone, the pair were brought together for the first time, creating the most sublime serendipity.
The majesty of Australia’s most iconic landmark, Uluru and the sweep of a symphony orchestra are one such combination. And at the weekend just gone, the pair were brought together for the first time, creating the most sublime serendipity.
Imagine the scene. Just as the sun cast its last rays for the day on Uluru, setting the famous rock ablaze, the lights came up on a roofless stage which had been plonked for the weekend in the red sand at her feet. Under a cloudless, star-filled sky, and (for the lucky few at least) as waiters served fresh-grilled barramundi fillet and topped glasses with perfectly-chilled sauvignon-blanc, the Darwin Symphony Orchestra set about making a little bit of history: becoming the first symphony orchestra to play in the shadow of the country’s most recognisable outback destination.
“I’ve never played a concert hall this big,” said jazz legend James Morrison as he took the stage on the second night of the programme and stared upwards. “I mean, look at the ceiling on this place.”
Earlier in the evening, we had been lucky enough to experience dining al fresco, desert-style, with a delicious three-course meal served under the stars — part of the nearby Yulara resort’s Sounds of Silence dining experience. As the sun dipped below the horizon and the 40-degree heat started to leech from the day, the wine flowed to the accompaniment of seventy classical musicians tuning their instruments.
Across two nights of inspired musical programming, the 1500 ticket holders who had flocked to the heart of the country for a night of dust-infused culture were treated to the sublime singing talents of charismatic Australian soprano Emma Matthews who, together with leading tenor, James Egglestone, vividly brought to life a Viva Verdi-themed concert.
Under the expert direction of DSO artistic-director and chief-conductor, Matthew Wood, we meandered through fifty-odd years worth of compositions by Italian maestro, Giuseppe Verdi. The orchestra played masterfully, Egglestone performed wittily, but the evening belonged to Matthews, who not only seemed to be having the time of her life, but made easy work of the highest notes — despite the best efforts of an army of omnipresent flying bugs to distract her.
During a second night of symphony-orchestra programming, conceived under the title “Sounds of Australia”, ARIA award-winning didgeridoo prodigy William Barton brought a resonant, indigenous flavour to proceedings — his masterful manipulation of this most ancient of instruments unfurling as a bright yellow moon snuck over the horizon.
Jazz legend James Morrison and didgeridoo prodigy William Barton take the stage.
And then came James. Not only is Mr Morrison a consummate showman and a ridiculously talented musician, but after all these years he retains an almost childlike wonder for all things musical, infecting audiences with his enthusiasm. From Louis Armstong to Duke Ellington, we were treated to a jazz masterclass. What that man cannot do with a sax, trumpet or trombone is quite probably not worth doing.
And all under the silent, watchful gaze of Uluru — standing sentinel in the darkness only a few kilometres away.
That a trip to the Red Centre features on the travel bucket list of most Australians is not the least bit surprising. The deep terracotta of the sand, a blue sky that seems to go forever and the vivid lime greens of ghost gums that hug the base of Uluru rightly make the landmark one of the country’s most iconic.
Yulara Resort, comprising five separate hotels, from two-star to five-star, plays host to the more than 300,000 visitors who flock here every year.
The resort’s high-end accommodation facility, Sails In The Desert, has just undergone renovations, leaving it with rooms which are as well-appointed as their surroundings are spectacular. Cultural programs run year-round for all visitors to Yulara’s five hotels, with free performances daily from local Aboriginal dance and theatre troupes. And the range of food on offer belies the resort’s distance from the nearest providores. Dinner at Arnguli
Grill in the four-star Desert Gardens hotel complex is rated by those in the know as the premier dining experience at Yulara, and rightly so. Whether you indulge in the macadamia-encrusted salmon or twice roasted duck, you’ll leave impressed.
Operated by the Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, which is in turn owned by the Indigenous Land Corporation, the Yulara resort complex has an Indigenous Training Program which attracts young Australians from all over the country. In the last five years, the program has seen indigenous employee numbers at Yulara increase from single digits to the more than 180 who work there now. It’s a corporate initiative which unsurprisingly adds to the visitor experience.
But the resort exists for the rock, and all activities are geared towards it (and it’s lesser known, but no less spectacular monolithic sister, Kata Tjuta or, The Olgas, as they were once known).
Sunrise tours are popular — and with good reason. Watching Uluru change from a dull grey hulk on the near horizon to a flaming ship on a red desert sea is one of life’s great experiences. You can circle the rock on the back of a Harley, fly around it in a helicopter or take it in from the vantage point of a bike saddle.
But on foot, with a local, indigenous guide explaining the Dreamtime stories that have been passed down for millenia, has to be the best way to experience Uluru. Our guide’s name was Cassidy. His family name was Uluru, and it was just one of the reasons we all listened reverently to his commentary as we walked around the monolith’s base and were all suitably humbled in his presence.
But this weekend was about history-making of a more modern-kind. And as the 70 musicians comprising the Darwin Symphony Orchestra struck the final note in their two night programme, you felt you had been part of something pretty special.
It was too dark to say with any real certainty — and it may have been the combined effects of the wine, heat and general festive atmosphere — but I could have sworn I heard the rock rumble its approval.
Showing off her volleyball skills and at times her super flat tummy, the Duchess of Cambridge made her first solo appearance since giving birth to her son Prince George less than three months ago.
Sporty Kate took part in a lively volleyball game as part of a workshop for SportsAid, an organisation that works with young men and women, to which she is patron.
The Duchess hit back some knockout shots, standing gamely at the net during the game, and didn’t let her towering high heeled wedges and tight skinny jeans put her off her game.
The Duchess of Cambridge made her first solo apperance since giving birth.
She attended a SportsAid event in East London.
The sporty Duchess joined a volleyball game.
Mothers have been marvelling at the new mum’s incredibly flat tummy.
She met with young sportspeople during the workshop.
It is believed she left Prince George at home in Kensington Palace with his dad.
Kate played an active game despite wearing super high heels.
We’ll see more of Kate at Prince George’s christening this week.
Aussie legend Paul Hogan and his wife of 23 years have separated.
Linda Hogan filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, TMZ reported.
The pair are yet to determine who will get custody of their 15-year-old son Chance.
Linda, 55, has said she wants joint legal and physical custody. This will also include substantial spousal support, with 74-year-old Paul worth a reported $20 million.
The couple, who met on the set of Crocodile Dundee in the mid-1980s and married in 1990, separated last month and Linda has since changed her surname back to Kozlowski.
This will be Paul’s third divorce. He was previously married to Noelene Hogan, who he divorced and then remarried. The pair split up for good in 1986 and the break-up went down in Aussie history as one of the ugliest celebrity divorces ever.
Kiara and her brother Ben at the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne after her surgery
For 976 days Kiara Lloyd waited for the gift of life.
It’s an unfortunate record to hold, but Kiara has waited longer than any other child for a new heart.
Born healthy, Kiara suffered pneumonia a number of times as a toddler. When she was just two and a half years old, she had a trip to the doctors to treat a nasty stomach bug.
“We were told her liver was enlarged and from that tests were carried out that showed she had a heart condition. We knew she was sick, but the diagnosis was horrific,” Kiara’s mum, Nicole, says.
Kiara had a rare and life-threatening heart condition called restrictive cardiomyopathy, and her parents were told unless she had a transplant, their little girl would be dead by the time she was six.
So began the waiting game.
The Royal Childrens Hospital Melbourne is Australia’s only paediatric heart transplant facility, and has performed 116 life saving transplants since its inception in 1988.
Living in Sydney meant Kiara and her family had to stay within an hour of the airport, so they could leave at a moment’s notice for the lifesaving operation.
“Kiara was placed on twice-daily medication, and while that kept her from hospitalisation, she didn’t grow at a normal rate,” Nicole says.
For more than two and a half years, Nicole and her husband Craig would live in limbo, not knowing if their daughter would survive.
Cognitively Kiara was perfect: she loved arts and craft and devoured books. But she had no energy to run or play with kids her age.
“Until her transplant, she used a pram as she was small and weak,” Nicole says.
“We took her to ballet class, but she would sit on the side for much of the class, too tired to participate.”
The one day in late 2008, Nicole received the call she was so desperately waiting for.
“I was having a coffee with my sister and I was told a suitable heart had been found. Within 40 minutes Kiara and I were headed on a plane for Melbourne,” Nicole says.
Surgery began soon after they arrived at hospital, and seven hours after it started, the complex surgery finished and 5 year old Kiara’s new life began.
“She was kept in an induced coma for 4 days, and then in hospital for a further 3 months while she was rehabilitated,” Nicole says.
“The first thing I noticed about her was her colour. For years she had a blueish tinge, and suddenly she had perfect olive skin again.
“During rehab Kiara built up her leg muscles again, and she learnt to run and ride a bike for the first time.”
Kiara’s story is truly miraculous, and could have ended very differently had a suitable donor not been found.
Dr Robert Weintraub, the senior cardiologist at the Royal Childrens’ Hospital Melbourne, says Australia’s organ donation rates rate poorly internationally.
“Our donation rates are significantly below those comparable countries in Europe and North America,” he says.
“Without the courage and generosity of organ donors and their families, none of these donations would be possible.”
Today, Kiara is a slightly small, but completely healthy 11-year-old girl.
She takes medication three times a day and will for life, but otherwise can do anything a normal pre-teen would do.
“She practices ballet for 5 hours a week, and has recently taken up touch football,” Nicole says with happy disbelief.
“I am acutely aware another child died for Kiara,” she adds.
“But it was their family’s amazing act in a time of crisis that helped our daughter live.”
To be considered for organ donation you must register first, and inform your family of your wishes. To find out more, visit www.donatelife.gov.au
Heartthrob Prince Harry is used to women squealing like schoolgirls in his presence, but joining a state school women’s rugby team for a training session was a first for him.
The 29-year-old royal played coach for a day taking part in a training session with a number of state school rugby teams in his role as Patron of the Rugby Football Union All School Programme.
Ex-England rugby star Jason Robinson joked with Harry that the team was looking for a new winger and wanted to test him out.
“I think I’m already past it,” the Prince joked.
Prince Harry joined in the game with enthusiasm.
The Prince is routinely chased by girls, but not like this.
With the Stonehill High School team.
He is patron to the RFU All School Programme.
He wasn’t afraid to get into the game.
But it looks like he’ll stick to his day job.
Meanwhile his brother presented an OBE to Andy Murray.
Prince William presents Andy Murray with his medal.
Looking every bit the King-in-training, Prince William slipped into his grandmother’s shoes with ease hosting his first investiture ceremony to present an OBE to tennis champion Andy Murray.
The Scotsman was awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire for ‘Services to Tennis’ following his US Open and Olympic victories.
The Duke of Cambridge smiled proudly and talked to Murray while presenting the medal to the Wimbledon winner.
“He asked about my recent back surgery which I had a few weeks ago and how I was feeling after Wimbledon,” Murray said, and added he had given the second-in-line a ribbing about his handwriting.
“I teased him a bit as he had sent me a note before Wimbledon wishing me luck and his wife had written me a letter afterwards,” the cheeky sports star said.
“Her handwriting was beautiful and I told him how fantastic it was compared to his.”
Murray, who has met the Prince a few times before, said he seemed very relaxed — perhaps more so than the OBE recipient himself who was worried he might not make the ceremony after routine drug testers showed up at his home ten minutes before he was supposed to leave for Buckingham Palace.
“In the middle of a drug test hahaha I’m goin to be late!!” he said on Twitter before the ceremony.
“It’s part of the job but when you have a day like today you are looking forward to, it’s the last thing you need,” he said later.
Later in the day he shared a picture of his dog, Maggie May, who has a significant social media following herself, showing off his OBE medal on Twitter.
Along with Murray, Prince William presented awards including an OBE to Vicar of Dibley producer Jon Plowman, and administering his first knighthood to Sir Kenneth Gibson for his services to education.
It is the first ceremony of the Duke’s royal career, who having given up operational duties with the RAF is said to be in a ‘transitional’ year and considering his future public service options.
Kim Kardashian has come out of hiding to reveal her sexy post-baby figure — and opened up about the secret to her stunning weight loss.
The 32-year-old reality star, who suffered cruel taunts about her fluctuating size during her pregnancy, went into seclusion immediately after the birth of her first baby, North West, to rapper Kayne West, back in June.
But now, just four months later, the reality star is having the last laugh, showing off her slimmed-down signature curves posting an image of her new body on Twitter.
Earlier this week she also took to Twitter to declare: “I’ve actually been doing the Atkins diet & luv it.”
Kim’s been following an eating regime that was originally devised by Robert Atkins in 1972.
Atkins advocated ramping up your metabolism and burning fat by eliminating carbohydrates from your diet in favour of proteins such as nuts, chicken, cheese, fish and eggs.
Based on a process called ketosis, the diet works by forcing your body to burn stored fat for energy instead of relying on carb intake.
Advocates say you can lose up to 6.8kgs in your first two weeks.
It’s a program with millions of fans worldwide, despite it being tough to stick to.
Reinvented in 2010 with new book The New Atkins For A New You, the diet now promotes the same fat-burning principles but includes a wider variety of foods that allows the gradual incorporation of healthy carbs into your eating plan.
In Australia, radio host Fifi Box signed up as the face of the New Atkins after the birth of her first child Beatrice.
While it has its fans, the Atkins diet is not for everyone.
The Mayo Clinic warns that side effects from eliminating carbs from your diet can include headaches, dizziness, weakness, fatigue and constipation. They also advise that it is not suitable for people with kidney disease or women who are pregnant or breast feeding.
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