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Queen Elizabeth II

A royal etiquette expert has explained some of the more confusing royal style rules to news.com.au, and we can't even process how strange this is.

With a rake of high profile events in the Buckingham Palace calendar, The Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex have the chance to wear the finest jewels in the world. 

Apparently, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are banned from wearing diamonds during the day, which we think sounds pretty unfair.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Both women possess some beautiful jewellery of their own, and from their late mother-in-law Diana, Princess of Wales.

The pair are frequently given permission to wear select pieces from the royal collection, as well as their own. Basically, they own a shed-load of bling.

However, it turns out that the Duchesses are fairly restricted in what jewels they can wear at specific times during the day. Etiquette teacher Myka Meier has given us the lowdown.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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“Other jewels are worn pre-6pm,” Meier told news.com.au, which explains why the duo are normally only seen sporting stones like pearls and topaz, or minimalist precious metal pieces during the day as well as their engagement rings.

The Duchesses are meant to avoid looking "flashy" before the evening time, for some reason. 

“Before 6pm, you’ll see metallics, gemstones, pearls, sapphires," explains Meier.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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"At night, you’ll see the diamonds come out, and that’s in order to not come across as flashy in your appearance.”

Considering their lifestyle is fairly different to our own, we don't think not wearing jewels while the sun is up will suggest that they're just like us.

Feature image: Instagram/@princessdianakatemeghan

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Prince Harry has given his first interview since the Duchess of Sussex gave birth to a health baby boy, thanking the public for their support during Meghan's pregnancy.

The Duke of Sussex spoke to the BBC this afternoon, saying himself and his wife were "absolutely thrilled" about their newborn son.

He confirmed that both Meghan and the baby were doing "incredibly well" since the little one arrived, weighing 7lbs 3oz (3.2kg).

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Prince Harry was present for the birth, and added that the couple are still thinking about names for their infant, who was delivered today at 05:26 BST.

Buckingham Palace stated that;

"The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Lady Jane Fellowes, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Earl Spencer have been informed and are delighted with the news.

"The Duchess's mother, Doria Ragland, who is overjoyed by the arrival of her first grandchild, is with their Royal Highnesses at Frogmore Cottage."

The Duke of Sussex couldn't stop beaming as he delivered the news to the press, lavishing praise on his wife enduring the labour.

He added that the little one had been "a little overdue" and that he will be making another announcement in two days' time "so everyone can see the baby."

When quizzed on his experience in the delivery room, Harry smiled and said: "I haven't been at many births. This is definitely my first birth. It was amazing, absolutely incredible, and, as I said, I'm so incredibly proud of my wife.

"As every father and parent will ever say, you know, your baby is absolutely amazing, but this little thing is absolutely to-die-for, so I'm just over the moon."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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He continued on the topic of Meghan's labour: "It's been the most amazing experience I could ever have possibly imagined. How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension."

Harry and Meghan's baby boy automatically acquired US citizenship via the former actress at birth, so is a dual citizen.

He is currently seventh in line to the throne, behind the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and his children, and Prince Harry. The infant is the Queen's eighth great-grandchild.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Prime Minister Theresa May responded to the baby news, tweeting; 

"Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the arrival of their baby boy. Wishing you all the best at this happy time."

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who married the couple in the summer of last year, wished the couple joy; "May God bless the new family with love, health and happiness."

Congratulations to the new parents, and we can't wait to hear what name they choose for their newborn son.

Feature image credit: Twitter/@reuterspictures

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Claire Foy has gained international recognition for her powerful portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, Lisbeth Salander in The Girl in the Spider’s Web and now as Janet Armstrong in First Man.

As part of her acceptance speech for the #SeeHer recognition gong at the Critics' Choice Awards, she delivered a moving statement about the complexities of female roles.

She became the third actor to receive the accolade, which was launched by the Association of National Advertisers in 2016.

She followed in Viola Davis' and Gal Gadot's footsteps, winning the award which aims to increase the number of accurate depictions of women across the media.

Foy made sure to speak about how numerous people refer to her role in the 2018 Neil Armstrong biopic First Man as "just the wife", which she strongly opposes.

“I’ve had the opportunity to play some extraordinary women, for all sorts of reasons, and none more so than Janet Armstrong,” Foy said.

"She lived her life with such bravery and resilience and determination and love," she added.

“I can’t tell you how many times during the making of the movie and in the press tour that people said to me, ‘Well that part is normally the part of just the wife’." 

“And there’s no such thing as ‘just the wife’.” This statement got rapturous applause from the star-studded audience, clearly emphatically agreeing with the British actress.

Foy illustrated that it’s an actor’s responsibility to question who they portray, how they portray them and “how we want people to see themselves on screen” to create change.

Viola Davis presented Foy with the award, and Foy explained how she’d previously watched Davis’ acceptance speech for the 2016 #SeeHer award in preparation for her own.

She was eternally inspired by the outstanding Widows actor’s words that “the greatest privilege in your life is to be who you are.” WE STAN.

The actress concluded by saying she hopes the #SeeHer award will give her “encouragement” to be “brave enough to face and see myself”, and that she hopes it will also help others to do the same.

*Passes the tissues around the office*

im not gonna cry emmy awards GIF by Emmys

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We binge-watched both series one and two of The Crown, and although it seemed like a wonderful idea at the time, we certainly regret it now.

 

We miss Prince Phillip’s cheeky attitude. We wish we could watch Claire Foy’s dazzling portrayal of Queen Elizabeth every single day. We miss the drama of Princess Margaret and her troubled love life. We even miss Tommy Lascelles and that iconic moustache.

 

 

We are longing for series three of the Netflix drama series, and we’re sure we aren’t the only ones missing The Crown.

 

To fill The Crown shaped hole in your heart we’ve gathered up everything we know about the upcoming series.

 

When will it air?

Rumour has it that series three of The Crown will air later than the first two series. Apparently, filming will take place in July, with reports stating that the third series will air on Netflix in the winter of 2018, or early spring 2019.

 

 

The cast:

Unfortunately, we have bid a fond farewell to Matt Smith, Claire Foy, Vanessa Kirby and co. who played the Royals during the 1940s to the 1960s. However, some stellar stars will take over from the original cast with Olivia Colman taking on the role of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. The latest addition to the cast is Tobias Menzies who will be carrying on as Prince Philip after Matt Smith departs.

 

Vanessa Kirby who dazzled as the wild Princess Margaret revealed that Helena Bonham Carter will be playing a middle-aged Princess Margaret. Ben Daniels will star as the charming Anthony Armstrong Jones. Jason Watkins will play Prime Minister Harold Wilson.

 

 

The storyline:

It has been confirmed that the upcoming season will focus on Princess Margaret’s troubled love life, as it follows the breakdown of her marriage to Antony ‘Tony’ Armstrong-Jones'. We will also be introduced to Camilla Parker Bowles in series three.

 

 

The time frame:

It has been claimed that series three will be set during the 1970s. The Duke of Windsor passed away in 1972, so we have a feeling his death will be a major storyline if this is the series three-time frame.

 

 

We will keep you up to date on everything about series three of this glorious series. We cannot wait for The Crown to return!

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Ever since her engagement to Prince Harry was confirmed by Kensington Palace, Meghan Markle has embraced her new life as a member of the British Royal Family. 

From social media bans and fashion guidelines to a strict 'no shellfish' policy (em?), the new Duchess has a long list of rules to get used to. 

However, there is one royal tradition we can ALL get on board with. 

Members of the Royal Family are forbidden to wear dark nail colours in public as they are considers 'vulgar' by Queen Elizabeth, who instead favours a more natural look. 

Keen to please her new grandmother-in-law, Meghan opted to wear the Queen's favourite shade on her wedding day – and it's surprisingly affordable. 

Essie's 'Ballet Slippers' is the perfect shade of princess pink and sells for a mere €9.99

According to Beauty Crew, in 1989 the Queen's hairdresser wrote to Essie requesting a bottle of the classic pink shade for her royal client and ever since then her majesty has favoured the neutral shade ever. 

Kate Middleton opted for a similar colour on her wedding day, choosing Essie's pale pink 'Allure'. 

We ran a competition over on the @shemazingie Instagram, where five lucky followers could win a bottle of this sold out shade.

Did you enter? If so, head over to our Instagram page right now to see if you're one of them, as the competition is now CLOSED. 

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Listen like them or not, many of us have a weird fascination with the Royal family.

I personally think they're great – but hey, that's just one person's opinion. 

Anyway, they certainly are an interesting bunch of humans, in particular, the matriarch, Queen Lizzie. 

Obviously, she's a Queen – so that's class, but there are so many other things that come with that territory. 

Image result for queen of england

Naturally, she's a very important figure, and with that, she has some pretty impressive perks. 

I decided to look into it, and get the low down on the things the Queen can and can't do:

1. No passport? No problem. 

So you may or may not know this, but all passports in the UK are issued by The Queen. So in that case, it makes sense that she would not require one. 

2. Personal ATM.

No nipping up the road to get cash out here lads, The Queen has access to her own personal ATM within Buckingham Palace. Although, I can't imagine she needs to carry much cash on her. 

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3. She doesn't have to pay taxes. 

That's right folks, despite being a chamillionaire, the Queen is not actually required to pay any taxes. However,  she has voluntarily been paying income and capital gains taxes since 1992. Sound. 

4. She owns all of the dolphins. 

This one really got me. I knew about the swans, and how the reigning monarch of the UK technically owns all swans in the Kingdom. However, apparently she also owns all the dolphins (and whales, sturgeons, and porpoises) in the waters of England. These are referred to as 'fishes royal'. 

5. One cannot get arrested. 

That's right folks – Queen Elizabeth is literally above the law (no that she'd ever break it though). However, if she did decide to break a few laws, Prosecutors could go after the Crown as Executive, but then the Queen's ministers would act on her behalf, and accept any punishment that was doled out. 

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6. Drives freely. 

Oh no big deal, but The Queen doesn't need a driver's licence to operate a car in the UK. It's an example of her exercising her "royal prerogative," which is a special exemption from some statute laws. Casual. 

7. Fast and furious.

Along with no need for a licence, Elizabeth also doesn't have to adhere to the speed limit. 

8. Two birthdays. 

You read that right lads, The Queen of England gets TWO birthdays, because well, one seems a bit common. Birthday numero uno is her actual birthday, on April 21. Her second birthday (her "official" royal birthday) is celebrated on the second Saturday in June, marked by the Trooping the Colour parade.

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Ever wonder what it would be like to work for the Queen?  Well now you might actually have the chance to find out.

According to The Sun, the Queen is looking for a new Kitchen Porter to join her staff at Buckingham Palace.

As well as earning £16,755 a year (that’s almost €20,000), the successful applicant will have a pension scheme, 33 days’ holidays, have all their meals provided and will get to live in the staff quarters of one of the world's most iconic landmarks.

And – according to the Royal household’s website – the new KP will also experience “the feeling of satisfaction from helping to deliver a spotless service”.

No experience is necessary for the job as training will be provided to ensure you can polish cutlery that really is fit for a queen.

 

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Sales of neon-coloured clothes have been climbing ever since Queen Elizabeth II made a striking statement in neon pink and green colours at her official birthday appearances two weeks ago.

Since the events, high street retailer JD Williams has reported a 134% increase in sales of bright green clothes, with one green dress in particular selling seven times faster than usual.

A spokesperson for the store told the Telegraph: “The Queen is a great example of fashion without age limits, wearing neon brights is usually associated with 20-somethings but she has mastered the trend effortlessly.”

“Our customers are clearly cottoning on and showing that you can wear the latest trends no matter what your age.”

Bright pink clothing sales are also experiencing a boost of 107% after the Queen stepped out in a top-to-toe fuchsia ensemble – with matching pink lipstick – at the Patron’s Lunch.

And according to Marie Claire Her Majesty’s stylish efforts didn’t go unnoticed on Twitter either as minutes after making her colourful birthday entrance the tags #neonat90 and #highvishighness began to circulate.

 

At this stage the Royals are well known to be pretty powerful trend setters with Kate Middleton constantly influencing what’s considered fashionable and earlier this year even Prince George managed to sell out a bathrobe.

With being so fashion forward and all, we wonder what her Royal Highness would think of Judi Dench’s new tattoo?

Feat image: PA

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The Queen has now landed in Northern Ireland for a two-day tour of the region, and on her itinernary was a 20-minute long audience with Republican politician Martin McGuinness.

With the cameras posed for the historical event, Sky News footage shows the Queen arriving for her meeting yesterday at Hillsborough Castle.

Mr McGuinness greets the Queen with a handshake asking: “Good evening. Hello. Are you well?”

The 90-year-old monarch replies with a lightning-quick "thank you very much. Well, I'm still alive, anyway.”

Elizabeth then goes on to poke fun at the fact that she gets two birthdays every year – her official birthday, which took place earlier this month, and her actual birthday, which is in April.

She explains: "We've been quite busy. There's been quite a lot going on," adding: "I've had two birthdays, so we've been quite busy."

Four years ago, former paramilitary Martin McGuinness and the Queen shook hands – an occasion later hailed as a significant moment in the peace process.

He again met her in 2014, when she hosted a state event for President Michael D Higgins at Windsor Castle.

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As it does every year to mark Queen Elizabeth II's birthday, the Trooping The Colour celebration took place in London recently.

A true spectacle of pomp and ceremony, all the usual royal suspects were there: Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice; 95-years-and-still-going-strong Philip; Charles and Camilla; the loveably rougish Harry, as well as the lesser known likes of Prince Michael of Kent.

But the true shining stars of the big Windsor day out were undoubtedly Wills and Kate and their totes adorbs children Prince George, 3, and one-year-old Princess Charlotte.

However, one individual who isn't as blinded by the Cambridges' gloss as the rest of us is evidently the woman-of-the-hour herself, Queen Elizabeth.

Indeed, the 90-year-old reigning monarch was quick to scold her grandson when she caught him on the doss.

Yes – instead of waving to the gathered masses from their Buckingham Palace balcony, Prince William at one stage opted to hunker down alongside his young son.

Until, that is, granny tapped him on the shoulder and instructed him to stand up.

As for Wills – well, he looks decidedly unimpressed. In fact, we dare say his royal sulk has just about made our day.

The cherry on the top? That would be little George's subtle-but-deadly face-palm…

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Buying a Christmas present for your 80-something granny-in-law has gotta be tough at the best of times – never mind when the granny in question is one of the world's longest serving monarchs. 

But we reckon that Duchess Kate nailed it back in December 2011 – the year of her marriage to Prince Wills – coming up with a thoughtful and appropriate gift that evidently the Queen loved.

Chatting on a forthcoming two-hour ITV documentary to mark the British royal's 90th birthday, Mrs Cambridge admitted that she was a tad nervous having to come up with a decent pressie.

“I was thinking, ‘Gosh, what should I give her?’

“I thought, ‘I’ll make her something.’ Which could have gone horribly wrong.

"But I decided to make my granny’s recipe of chutney. I was worried about it, but I noticed next day it was on the table.

“Such a simple gesture went such a long way for me.”

Queen Elizabeth II has been on the British throne since 1952 and celebrates her milestone birthday on April 21.

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A lot of the time Kate Middleton almost seems a lot like the rest of us.

Well, a much, much richer and far more groomed version of our selves – but we like to think there's some common ground there. 

After all, when we see her bringing the dog for a walk, dragging around the kids, or doing the 'big shop' at her local supermarket, we feel we could probably be firm friends.

Then, on an evening like tonight, she reminds us that she's actually a royal princess and we've, well, we've got to get up and get the bus to work in the morning.

Yes, attending a royal banquet at Buckingham Palace, the Duchess Of Cambridge looked all sorts of regally amazing in a full-length red, custom-made Jenny Packham gown, chandelier earrings and a sparkling tiara.

Indeed, Kate's Papyrus tiara, also known as the Lotus Flower, was particularly striking. Once owned by the Queen Mother, it was also worn regularly by Princess Margaret.

In Britain, much has been made of the fact that this is only the third time EVER that the former Ms Middleton has worn a tiara (well, in public anyway). 

The other occasions were her wedding day back in April 2011, and an diplomatic event in 2013, also held at Buckingham Palace.

The 33-year-old wife of Prince William was there among a host of VIP and royal guests – including, of course, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip – to honour Chinese president Xi Jinping, who is on an official four-day visit to Britain.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla were not in attendance – meaning Wills and Kate were officially second-in-command for the evening.

It is believed that guests are dining on fillet of West Coast turbot and Balmoral venison – all washed down with plenty of vintage champagne.

Tonight is Mrs Cambridge's first big, glamorous night out following the birth of her second child, Princess Charlotte, in May.

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