By Rob Leigh

21 Mar 2012

Could a royal baby with the Duchess of Cambridge be his next mission?

Prince William has returned to Britain after his deployment to the Falkland Islands, St. James’ Palace has confirmed.

The Duke of Cambridge had been stationed on the Falklands since February.

And although he and the Duchess of Cambridge missed out on spending their first Valentine’s Day as married couple together, Wills did send wife Kate Middleton a bouquet of flowers and a card – despite being nearly 8,000 miles apart.

Kate admitted that she was missing her Prince “terribly” while they were separated as she busied herself with a number of royal engagements, including her first public speech .

Flight Lt. Wales, as the Duke is known in the Royal Air Force, was one of several pilots on call for search and rescue missions in the sprawling archipelago of 704 islands.

Local islanders say the Prince visited the hospital and made a trip to remote Sea Lion island – a paradise for penguins, sea lions and elephant seals.

The operation angered Argentina, which claims the islands 290 off its coast and refers to them as Las Malvinas.

Ahead of his arrival, the Duke was branded William the “conqueror” by Argentina’s Foreign Ministry while David Cameron and Argentine president Cristina Fernandez have accused each other of “colonial” behaviour.

The Ministry of Defence stressed before deployment that the mission was a routine one.

“The Royal Navy has had a continuous presence in the South Atlantic for many years.

“The deployment of HMS Dauntless to the South Atlantic has been long planned, is entirely routine and replaces another ship on patrol,” a spokesman said at the time.”

Last weekend it was reported that the couple are planning to start trying for a baby on William’s return .

It was claimed that the Duke and Duchess have been telling friends that after less than a year of marriage they are now ready to start a family.

They believe their Isle of Angelsey home near William’s RAF base is the perfect place for a baby’s first year while he completes his tour of duty.

A source was reported to have said: “They see it as a great opportunity to spend the early months as a family in the peace and tranquility of Anglesey, away from the pressure of public life.

“Anglesey is perfect for them. The neighbours are welcoming and protective, the farmhouse where they live has the best security, and they love the area. The plan is to start trying after he comes back.

“They’ve been telling friends they’d love a family and feel it’s a great time to get cracking.”

In an interview when they announced their engagement, William indicated children were a big part of their plans.

He said: “We’ll sort-of get over the marriage first and then maybe look at the kids. But obviously we want a family so we’ll have to start thinking about that.”

By Roya Nikkhah

10 Jul 2011

As the 12-day royal tour of north America ends in California, Roya Nikkhah reports on how the West Coast was won over

It takes a lot to impress a room of Hollywood celebrities – but the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Los Angeles left some of the world’s stars decidedly star-struck.

Yesterday, leading lights of the US film industry including Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman and Quentin Tarantino were invited to welcome the royal couple to Hollywood at a gala dinner for BAFTA, of which Prince William is patron.

The Duke and Duchess attended the “Brits to Watch” event at the Belasco Theater in downtown LA, to connect the best of young, upcoming British talent with Hollywood’s movers and shakers, with the hope of giving a leg-up in Hollywood to young acting talent, including Talulah Riley and Juno Temple, who were among the guests.

Amanda Berry, the chief executive of BAFTA, acknowledged that the couple’s presence was irresistible, even for Hollywood’s biggest names.

“Everyone wants to meet Catherine, so the response we’ve had to the event has been phenomenal. What they do as a couple is to help us reach a far wider audience, both in the industry and the public, than we would if they weren’t attending. Having them there highlights the importance of the visual arts and shines a bright spotlight on British skills.”

Stephen Fry, the British actor who had chatted to the pair at a reception on Friday, which was attended by 200 big hitters in the arts and academia, said: “Everyone is turning out to see them. Why are they such a big draw? Because having them here is like fairydust.”

During the reception, which was hosted by Dame Barbara Hay, Britain’s Consul-General, at her exclusive Hancock Park residence where the royal couple have been staying, another of the celebrity guests, Los Angeles resident David Beckham, said: “They are real superstars now. We’re so delighted they decided to come to LA – we feel really proud to have them here. Victoria [his heavily pregnant wife, who is due to give birth any day] is absolutely gutted she couldn’t make it along to see them.”

Earlier yesterday, the cream of Californian society turned out at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club to watch the Duke don his polo whites for a charity match in aid of the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry. It was rumoured that some players paid up to £60,000 to play alongside the Duke and catch a glimpse of the Duchess at a private lunch for 60 guests.

For the event, she wore a ‘De Gournay’, silver and marble grey hand-painted chinoiserie silk dress by Jenny Packham.

The Duke of Cambridge told members of the club, which is celebrating its centenary year: “My father, The Prince of Wales, and my brother, Harry, were as green as that grass out there when I told them I’d be here.

“Catherine and I have had a busy few days, so the prospect of being able to let loose this afternoon is wonderful for me. But that’s what sport is all about – be it polo or football – more specifically how sport helps young people to find purpose in life – is a key element to the Foundation that Catherine, Harry and I have established.”

The Duke did not disappoint on the field, scoring four goals for his team, Royal Salute, helping them to win the Tiffany trophy, which was presented by his wife.

The couple’s visit to Hollywood has prompted a frenzy of media interest, with more than 800 LA-based photographers applying for accreditation. The Los Angeles police have attempted to create a paparazzi-free zone around the Consul-General’s house, and neighbouring residents have been visited by police and asked to sign “no trespass” contracts, so that photographers found in their gardens can be arrested despite being on private property. Some locals have even been forced to erect screens around their houses to deter the paparazzi.

Today, the couple will end their north American tour with a visit to Inner-City Arts, an organisation helping children in Skid Row, a deprived LA neighbourhood. Instead of signing the visitors’ book, they will leave their handprints in clay.

They will then head to Sony Pictures Studios to meet military veterans and their families, to highlight the work of local charities helping to reintegrate servicemen and women into civilian society, before catching a flight for London this evening.

The tour will be seen as a triumph, achieving both its core aims of strengthening the monarchy’s ties with Canada and promoting British business abroad. The Duchess has certainly done her bit for the British fashion industry. Having worn a red Catherine Walker dress-coat in Calgary, she arrived in Los Angeles on Friday in a lavender “Peridot” dress by Roksanda Illincic, the Serbian-born British designer beloved of the Hollywood red carpet set.

She later changed into an emerald silk “Maja” dress by Diane von Furstenberg, the American designer, accessorised with her favourite beige platform stilettos and a leopard print DVF clutch.

Many royal observers have drawn parallels between the Duchess and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, with their shared taste for fashion, and a winning common touch.

Penny Junor, the royal biographer who covered the Prince and Princess of Wales’s first tour of Wales in 1981, said: “Kate definitely has Diana’s phenomenal social skills – that ability to talk to absolutely anyone of any age and background, so there is a slight deja-vu there when you see her in action with the crowds.

“Kate looks like she actually enjoys having the spotlight on her, too. But the difference here is that this couple clearly has a very close and genuine relationship.

“There’s no doubt their performance on this tour has had an electrifying effect on the monarchy and how it is viewed around the world. But now the challenge for Kate and the Palace is to learn the lessons of the past and try and keep her feet on the ground, which will be hard after so much public adulation.”

Kevin MacLeod, the Canadian Secretary to the Queen who accompanied the couple for the duration of their Canadian tour, was impressed by their performance, particularly that of the newcomer Duchess, who appeared equally at ease whether chatting with the Canadian Prime Minister, crouching down to speak with a young Inuit boy who played his drum for her in remote Yellowknife or embracing a six-year-old girl, seriously ill with cancer, in Calgary.

“I have been deeply impressed by the couple, especially Her Royal Highness, she has literally taken to it like a duck to water,” he said. “You only have to see the way she engages with the public – I stand in awe of her, she is new to this but already she’s a pro.

“The Canadians saw this young, dynamic couple who are the next generation of the monarchy and they have obviously been thrilled with what they have seen. They are a young couple very much in love.”

Brenda Hoerle, 51, of the Waterloo Region Record newspaper, reported on the Prince and Princess of Wales’s first tour of Canada in 1981. Watching the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on a walkabout in Ottawa, she noted how different the young royals behaved during their 12-day visit to North America.

“With Charles and Diana, the crowds were all screaming for her and urging her over, and Charles looked cross,” she said. “He came over to my side of the road and grumpily said: ‘I guess you’ll just have to put up with me.’ There was none of that with William and Kate. They were a unit. They are going to be a fabulous team.”

By LUCHINA FISHER

July 8, 2011

California, here they come.

Prince William and Catherine Middleton touch down in Los Angeles today for a whirlwind weekend visit following their eight-day tour of Canada. But royal fever has already struck Hollywood.

In anticipation of the crush of media and onlookers, police have closed the street outside the British Consulate-General residence in Hancock Park, where the royal couple will stay during their visit.

Neighbors have also signed keep-away orders, giving police permission to arrest any paparazzi on the spot if they try to photograph the royals while on private property.

“Our primary concern is to protect the rights and privacy of the residents as well as the safety of the royal couple upon their visit here to the United States,” LAPD spokeswoman Mitzi Fierro told the Los Angeles Times. “If they trespass on property where we have a signed trespass letter, they will be arrested immediately.”

The British Consulate-General residence in Hancock Park where the royal couple will stay.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are scheduled to arrive this afternoon at Los Angeles International Airport, where they will be greeted by California Gov. Jerry Brown and his wife Anne Gust and British Ambassador Sir Nigel Elton Sheinwald.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, visit the Somba K’e Civic Plaza on Day 6 of the Royal Couple’s North American Tour, July 5, 2011, in Yellowknife, Canada.

The couple’s itinerary calls for them to hit the ground running. The first item on their agenda is an evening business event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel supporting U.K. trade and investment.

Later they will shake hands with California politicians and other high-profile figures at a reception hosted by British Consul-General Dame Barbara Hay at her Hancock Park residence.

The 7,247-square-foot Mediterranean-style property, designed by renowned Los Angeles architect Wallace Neff, has seven bedrooms and bathrooms and is close to trendy West Hollywood.

Every year, Hay, who has held her position since 2009, hosts a celebrity reception for BritWeek, in April, the annual celebration of Brits in California.

The royal visit, however, is seen as a working visit, not as a time to mix with celebrities.

“The palace is really playing down any big introductions to A-list stars,” ABC News royal correspondent Katie Nicholl said on “Good Morning America.” “These tours are fun but hard work. It’s really about forging ties between America and Great Britain.”

The duke and duchess’ closest brush to Hollywood royalty will come Saturday night at a red carpet, black-tie British Academy of Film and Television Arts dinner at L.A.’s Belasco Theatre.

Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez, Tom Hanks and Jack Black are expected to attend. Other bold-faced names reported by E! Online include Kristin Chenoweth, Ginnifer Goodwin, Dana Delany and Derek Hough from “Dancing with the Stars.”

Prince William (who’s also the president of BAFTA) will give a speech at the gala, which is focused on spotlighting emerging British talent and building partnerships between Hollywood and up-and-coming British actors.

Polo Playing and Philanthropy

Earlier, on Saturday, the duke is expected to play in a charity polo match at the Santa Barbara Polo Club to benefit the American Friends of the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry, while the duchess gives out the prizes.

This is probably the best opportunity for the general public to get a glimpse of the couple, since most other events on their schedule are private, invitation-only affairs.

But the Polo Club will cost you: $400 tickets for a spot in the stands and $4,000 for V.I.P. seats, which include a private lunch created by Food Network chef Giada De Laurentiis.

The menu includes sweet corn lasagna with blistered tomatoes, pea pesto and beef tenderloin crostini.

Day three begins with more philanthropic work, starting with an event to support Tusk USA, an organization that raises funds for African wildlife.

Then the duke and duchess are to visit Inner-City Arts, an L.A. program that helps disadvantaged and homeless children through art. (This engagement is of particular concern to the duchess — the palace noted that she’s “extremely interested in how the arts can help young people unlock their potential.”)

On their final afternoon in the States, they are scheduled to attend an event for military veterans transitioning to civilian life and their families at Sony Pictures Studios, where they’ll help put together care packages.

Then it’s back across the pond to Britain for a much-needed rest.