Photo via careers.ox.ac.uk.

Dear followers,

In the coming months my site will continue to be updated less frequently than usual, as I study for my Master of Science degree in Journalism.

I am available to contact via email should you have any questions related to my work or my knowledge regarding the British Monarchy.

I thank you for your understanding.

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Elspeth

Zara Phillips and her horse High Kingdom made their country proud Monday at the Olympic Games. Photo Credit: Murray Sanders/ The Daily Mail

Phillips led High Kingdom to a nearly flawless round in the cross-country phase of the eventing competition. After, she told media: “I am so happy. He [High Kingdom] is such a dude. He lost a front shoe, so he really stepped up. He was awesome – the course was very suitable for him.” Photo Credit: AFP/ Getty Images

Zara and High Kingdom during the cross-country competition at Greenwich Park. Photo Credit: PA

Much of the royal family arrived at Greenwich Park Monday to witness the Queen’s granddaughter, Zara Phillips, deliver an almost flawless Olympic performance in the cross-country phase of the equestrian eventing.

Part of Zara’s royal support team: the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke of Cambridge, LOCOG Chairman Lord Sebastian Coe, Prince Harry, and Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. Photo Credit: PA

The Duchess of Cambridge (R) and the Duchess of Cornwall (L) intently watched the eventing. Photo Credit: AP

Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie were all smiles as they watched their cousin compete. Photo Credit: PA

A happy and relaxed Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were prepared to face the sun with their shades. Photo Credit: PA

With a host of royals in attendance to cheer Phillips on—including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal— and some fantastic riding taking place, it’s no surprise that there was much excitement among the crowd of onlookers.

Zara and High Kingdom. Photo Credit: AFP/ Getty Images

The atmosphere was described as “electric” by the riders, according to the Guardian, which chronicles the scene at Greenwich Park in thrilling detail: “Think Ryder Cup,” says the publication. “and add the high-pitched screams of 10,000 horse-mad teenage girls, and you get some idea of the atmosphere at a sun-drenched Greenwich Park on Monday. All the riders – except the dozen or so who ended up on the floor – described it as electric, and for three members of the British team it was a day of dreams.”

Phillips’s “perfectly timed clear cross-country round” places Great Britain in position for a silver medal heading into the show jumping competition tomorrow (Tuesday), reports the Telegraph.

The granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, 14th in line to the British throne, placed 24th out of 74 riders in the eventing dressage competition, reports the Associated Press. Photo Credit: Reuters.

Zara Phillips was in Greenwich Park Sunday, where she competed in Individual Eventing, on Day 2 of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Photo Credit: Alex Livesey/Getty Images Europe.

Riding her horse High Kingdom, Zara Phillips made Britain and the royal family proud on Sunday with her Olympic equestrian debut.

Zara Phillips- Olympics Day 2 – Equestrian. Photo Credit: PA

“It was incredible, an amazing feeling to be part of the Olympics and to ride for your country and to just be here. The crowd are amazing,” Phillips told media. “It was incredible to be selected, and to be at here at home for the Olympics is an amazing feeling. You try to do your best for the team.”

Zara Phillips- Olympics Day 2 – Equestrian. Photo Credit: Alex Livesey/Getty Images Europe

Husband of Phillips, Mike Tindall, cheered for his wife in the audience, along with some very special royal supporters.

Proud royal supporters: Prince Philip and Princess Anne watched Phillips  compete in her first Olympic Games. Photo Credit: AP.

“Her [Zara's] grandfather, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and her mother, Princess Anne, were in the VIP seats as Phillips put High Kingdom through the paces of a standard dressage test to demonstrate the horse’s obedience,” says AP.

Of the performance, AP reports: “High Kingdom made a mistake toward the beginning of the canter in the first of a maneuver known as the flying change. The horse is supposed to change the sequence of its steps, but High Kingdom didn’t respond immediately to Phillips’ cues.”

Phillips spoke to media of the mistake after the competition, saying: “It was disappointing about his first change, but his other ones were really good. But he coped with all the crowd and is only getting better.”

Zara Pillips as she leads her horse through the competition. Photo Credit: AP

The Olympic excitement isn’t over for Phillips just yet: on Monday comes the cross-country segment of the competition and, on Tuesday, jumping, says AP.

Zara Phillips showed off her equestrian skills during the second day of the London Olympic Games. Photo Credit: PA

Applause erupted as Queen Elizabeth II arrived at the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games. Photo Credit: Matt Dunham/AP

In this photo: Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, John Major, Tony Blair, Cherie Blair, Princess Anne, Ban Ki Moon, Jacques Rogge, Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, David Cameron, Samantha Cameron, King Constantine of Greece and wife Anne-Ma. Credit: PacificCoastNews.com

The Duke of Cambridge and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry at the Olympic stadium. Photo Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe.

Prince Charles and Camilla looked cheery at the Opening Ceremony. Photo Credit : AP.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Photo Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe.

The Queen at the Olympic stadium. Photo Credit: REUTERS/Toby Melville.

While many influential members of Britain’s royal family were present in the 60,000-strong audience at London’s Olympic stadium on Friday, most would agree it was the Queen who took center stage at Danny Boyle‘s 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony creation: “Isles of Wonder”.

The Queen’s entrance into the Olympic Stadium came directly after her film debut— in which she is picked up from Buckingham Palace via helicopter by famous British spy character icon James Bond (Daniel Craig)— and a likeness of her then parachutes into the event.

“Queen Elizabeth’s virtuoso performance as the ‘Bond girl’ star of the Olympic opening ceremony crowns a majestic 15-year special operation that has recast the monarch as the people’s champion of a cool Britannia,” Reuters (London) points out.

“The central theme of the strategy,” Reuters (London) reports, “has been to undermine the criticism that the monarchy are a stuffy relic of the past by linking them with popular British culture and casting stunts that accentuate the playful side of the royal character.”

The Queen’s entrance raised eyebrows, but not in a negative sense; in fact, people were pleasantly surprised to see Her Majesty’s humorous side emerge.

“The queen was the star of the show – she was bloody wonderful,” said a Scottish soldier serving at the Olympics to Reuters (London). “She was the best bit,” he said. “I think it shows the people another side to her. I think the people love her but since the Jubilee and after this a lot of people see just what a wonderful queen she is.”

Simon Lewis, Communications Secretary to the Queen from 1998 to 2000, also spoke to Reuters, saying: “There was a lightness of touch about what the queen did at the Olympics – it was absolutely right.”

“It was perfectly judged and completely fitting for the occasion. The monarchy in 2012 is the product of a great deal of careful thinking over a long time and some quite sensible, small steps along the way.”

The Queen welcomed foreign dignitaries to a Buckingham Palace reception before attending the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games. Photo Credit: PA

Before the Olympic Games kicked off on Friday (July 27), with a spectacular opening ceremony, prominent members of Britain’s Royal Family gathered in the Buckingham Palace ballroom to welcome around 190 special guests with a glamorous reception, say reports.

Kate warmly welcomed Michelle Obama (who she has met once before) to the reception at Buckingham Palace before the Olympic opening ceremony . Photo Credit: WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe.

Prince Harry was on hand to chat with the President of Gabon Ali Bongo Ondimba and his wife Sylvia. Photo Credit: Dominic Lipinski – WPA Pool/Getty Images.

Princess Beatrice (R) had conversation with the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Omurbek Babanov (L) and Rita Birbaeva. Photo Credit: Dominic Lipinski – WPA Pool/Getty Images.

Visitors to the palace— including presidents, prime ministers and princes— were welcomed with royal conversation and canapes, reports the Telegraph.

On offer were Quail’s eggs with celery salt, smoked duck with melon, white cheese with caramelised nuts, smoked salmon on blinis, and miniature vegetarian Cornish pasties, according to the Telegraph.

The Queen said a few words to her guests about the Games: “Over recent months many in these islands have watched with growing excitement the journey of the Olympic torch around the United Kingdom, “ she told onlookers. “As the torch has passed through villages and towns it has drawn people together in families and communities. To me the spirit of togetherness is a most important part of the Olympic ideal, and the British people can be proud of the part they have played in keeping the spirit alive.”

She added: “In all our national Olympic teams there is so much of which we can be proud; groups of young men and women dedicated to excellence and achievement across numerous sporting disciplines.”

Among others, those present at the event included: America’s First Lady, Michelle Obama; Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault; Italian President Giorgio Napolitano; Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller; Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev; German President Joachim Gauck; Queen Margrethe II of Denmark; Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon; and Queen Sofia of Spain.

Members of the British royal family in attendance included: the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh; Prince Harry; the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall; The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge; the Duke of York; Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie; the Earl and Countess of Wessex; the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence.

Watch videos from YouTube below.

telegraphtv:The Queen welcomes world leaders to London 2012 Olympics

William, Kate, and Harry watch as the Olympic torch is passed. Photo Credit: PA

As the Olympic flame reached Buckingham Palace yesterday (July 26), the dedicated royal team GB ambassadors were ready and waiting to greet it.

Dressed in patriotic team GB shirts, William, Kate and Harry witnessed the flame pass between three torch bearers; each member of the royal trio had hand-selected a bearer from their royal charities:

“Prince William, Patron of Mountain Rescue England and Wales, selected mountain rescuer John Hulse,” reports the examiner.com. “…the Duchess of Cambridge chose Scout volunteer Jon Sayer and Prince Harry chose Wai-Ming Lee from charity MapAction.”

The torch relay ends at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games tonight (July 27) .

Video:

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, spoke to children today at the launch of a new project—Coach Core — which aims to train the next generation of sports coaches. Photo Credit: AP Photo/Sang Tan.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, helped to launch the Coach Core sports project at Bacon’s College in London today, in honor of the London 2012 Olympic Games (which open tomorrow).

Photo Credit: AP

The royal trio had a grand time playing sports with the children and future sports coaches present: Kate, who has  shown off her athletic skills in public before— playing field hockey at London’s Olympic park when she met Team GB— admirably tried her hand at table tennis; the Duke kicked around with dozens of schoolchildren on the football pitch, and in his speech joked that “the expression giraffe on ice springs to mind”; and Prince Harry, famous for his love of sports and children, found himself on a basketball court.

The new initiative, which aims to train 16 to 19-year-olds to become the next generation of sports coaches for schools and communities, is being supported by the The Royal Foundation in partnership with Greenhouse, reports UKPA.

William gave a speech during the visit, in which he highlighted the importance of sports: “Over the next month, the eyes of the world will be on Great Britain,” he said. “For us to hold the Olympic and the Paralympic Games here in London is a great moment for our nation, which itself is steeped in sporting history.”

“Watching me on the football field is never a pretty sight – the expression giraffe on ice springs to mind. However, it is marginally less embarrassing than seeing my brother cheat his way to becoming the fastest man on the planet. Catherine, on the other hand, with a tennis racket or a hockey stick is something to behold and be aware of.”

“But what all three of us have in common is that we love sport. And not just playing it, but for what it does for people young and old. It builds confidence, engenders mutual respect and responsibility, and teaches us about the value of team work. That’s why Catherine, Harry and I are so excited about Coach Core, this brilliant programme developed by the Greenhouse Charity in partnership with our foundation.”

Watch video of the event by the Royal Channel:

Meanwhile, Prince Charles and Camilla were in Tottenham, to greet the Olympic torch, before it arrives at Buckingham Palace today.

Charles and Camilla watched Torchbearer Scott Moorhouse (Paralympic javelin thrower) exchange the Olympic flame with Jay Kamiraz. Photo Credit: Getty.

The Duchess at the National Portrait Gallery in central London. Photo via heart.co.uk.

The Duchess of Cambridge dazzled in a dress of her signature color (blue) on Thursday at the launch of a new Olympic themed exhibition, “The Road to 2012: Aiming High,” at the National Portrait Gallery.

The Duchess of Cambridge was directed around the Gallery by Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Sandy Nairne. Photo Credit: WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe.

The Duchess of Cambridge and Sandy Nairne. Photo Credit: WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe.

The Duchess spoke to photographer Nadav Kandar and 100-year-old portrait sitter Diana Gould. Photo Credit: WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe.

Kate, a patron of the Gallery, and an ambassador for Team GB and Paralympics GB, joined a select few to see images of some Olympic athletes hoping for medals this year, and of essential figures working behind the scenes to make the games happen.

The Duchess even came face to face with a photograph of herself, taken earlier this year when she played field hockey with team GB at London’s Olympic Park. Photo via Reuters event video.

The Duchess views the portrait of herself by Jillian Edelstein. Photo Credit: WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe.

Sandy Nairne, the gallery’s director, said of Road to 2012 to media: “It celebrates exceptional British sportspeople and some of the crucial figures working behind the scenes – whether they be coaches and managers or soil engineers, architects or the producers of the key ceremonies.”

“It features outstanding photographic portraits that convey the determination, skill and mental prowess of those working at the highest level of international sport.”

The exhibition is the last of three installments, of a three-year project showcasing Olympic and Paralympic athletes, reports the Telegraph.

Below, a video of today’s event by Reuters:

Taking shelter from the rainy night after dining, the Prince and his friends Jack Mann and Arthur Landon didn’t hesitate to jump into a rickshaw, with one of Harry’s protection officers following just behind in another conveyance. Photo Credits: Jesal Parshotam/ Ikon Pictures

After dining at the Mexican restaurant La Bodega Negra in Soho on Friday night, Prince Harry proved he doesn’t need a fancy cab or even a horse drawn carriage to get about town in style; a pedal-powered rickshaw will do just fine for the down to earth third in line to the throne, especially on a rainy night in London.

“Harry just made a beeline for the tuk-tuk when he came out of the restaurant with his mates,” a source told the Sunday Mirror newspaper.

“The rickshaw driver looked a bit shocked to have the third in line to the throne in the back.”

“But they all seemed to be having a good laugh about it.”

The group spent the rest of the night partying at Le Salon Bar, reports the Daily Mail.

William and Harry (L) went surfboarding (Photo Credit: John Brown), while the Duchess of Cambridge and Pippa Middleton (R) went to the men’s final at Wimbledon (Photo Credit: AP).

While tennis fan Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, was in the Royal Box cheering at the Wimbledon men’s final on Sunday, one couldn’t help but wonder where her Prince Charming, the Duke of Cambridge, was on the momentous occasion.

As it turns out, William and Prince Harry were surfboarding on a public beach in Cornwall, reports The Daily Mail.

Joined by a group of friends, and dressed in black wetsuits, the royal brothers shared a day of bonding in the waves.

Prince William is especially fond of water sports and went surfing for his stag do in 2011.

The Duke of Cambridge walks on the beach in Cornwall on a surf outing. Photo Credit: John Brown.

Prince Harry walks on the beach in Cornwall on surf outing with William. Photo Credit: John Brown.

Prince Harry gestures on the beach. Photo Credit: John Brown