WANTED: Nanny for Prince George for Tour Down Under

THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are on the lookout for a nanny to look after baby George on their trip to New Zealand and Australia in April, Britain's Daily Mail newspaper has reported.

Proud mum and dad William and Kate, with their baby Prince George

The royal couple's current nanny, Jessie Webb - who looked after Prince William when he was a child and came out of retirement to tend George - has reached the end of her contract.

Mrs Webb, 71, took the job on the condition that she would work only for three months, the newspaper reported. "Mrs Webb is still at Kensington Palace and William and Kate are keen to retain her services, but they are discreetly looking for extra help for the month-long trip this spring," the paper said.


The Duke and Duchess did not hire a maternity nurse after George's birth last July. Instead the couple moved into the Middleton family home in Berkshire so that Kate's mother, Carole, could help out.

When they moved to Kensington Palace last September, they persuaded Mrs Webb to join their household.

It had been rumoured that Carole Middleton could join the tour Downunder to help look after George. However, aides insist that will not be the case and the couple will instead hire a new nanny.

Prospective candidates would need to be experienced, discreet, trained in paediatric first aid and demonstrate an ability to cope in stressful situations, Janine Bayley of nanny recruitment agency Rock mybaby.co.nz said.

"We have placed nannies and babysitters for some high profile families including Hollywood actors while visiting in New Zealand," Mrs Bayley said. "We find their expectations just the same as other families, although we do encourage the nannies not to become star struck.

"At the end of the day, parents want someone who is responsive to their child's needs, able to provide a quality, educational environment and someone who knows how to have fun. Regardless of where we are in society, we just want the very best for our children."

The royal entourage may include a housekeeper and Kate's personal hairdresser, Amanda Cook Tucker.

Royal Nannying: Five keys to success

• Mum is the word. Discretion will be vital as the ravenous media look to exploit any means to find fresh angles on the visit. The nanny should be occasionally seen, but certainly never heard.
• Sleep is over-rated. With near constant travel and a packed diary of obligations to fulfil, the royal couple will be constantly on the move. The nanny can expect to be on call 24/7.
• Say cheese. Photo ops for baby George will be par for the course and there's every chance the nanny will get caught in the lens at some point. A constant smile would be a good idea.
• Keep calm and carry on. George soils his nappy while meeting John Key? No drama. It's just another day at the office. Hand me the wipes.
• A way with children. It may seem obvious, but if wee George isn't taken with his nanny that is going to be one long trip from Kensington Palace and back.

View Source

Denmark’s Crown Prince Couple Arrive in Sydney

On a stunning Sydney morning Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederick walked out onto the Sydney Opera House steps to wish “Happy Birthday” to the 40-year-old Australian icon.

The couple are patrons of the birthday celebrations, representing the perfect contemporary union of Denmark and Australia, a symbol for our union decades ago with Danish architect Jorn Utzon.

In the crowds is Jan Utzon, Jorn’s architect son, proud to be here to see his father’s work gleaming so brightly in the sunshine.

A throng of school children greet the Crown Princess who is the picture of elegance in a silver dress with blue floral designs and impressively towering Jimmy Choo heels.

The children are from class 5A of Redlands School. Ten-year-old Stephanie tells me she is incredibly excited to be here and has been practising her curtsey.

Her fellow classmate Carl Hansen is Danish and has been here in Sydney for four years. He’s the son of Danish Consul Michael Hansen and has met Crown Princess Mary before.

Carl is a huge fan of the Australian-born Crown Princess and thrilled to be able to share his special connection with his school friends.

Also in the crowd are retirees Shirley and Terry Perrott from Canberra. They’re in Sydney to see Lisa McCune and Teddy Tahu Rhodes South Pacific tonight but couldn’t resist the opportunity to see Crown Princess Mary face to face. And they weren’t disappointed.

As Mary walked along greeting the crowd she spied Shirley and shook her hand.

“She’s very beautiful” a thrilled Shirley tells me afterwards. “I won’t forget this day.”

As the couple left the throng of well-wishers many waving Danish fans, the crowd clapped and cheered.

This is the first stop on a four day tour which will see the Crown Prince Couple visiting a school, Randwick Children’s hospital, a wind farm, Danish designer shops, a clutch of events at the Sydney Opera House and later today meeting NSW Governor Marie Bashir at Government House.

Images - Taken by Prudence Upton

Article Source

Australia's Royal Love Affair

When Britain's Queen Elizabeth arrives in Australia next week, protocol says she should be addressed as Queen of Australia - something that will grate with republicans who want to sever ties with Britain and appoint an Australian president.

The royal tour, possibly the queen's last to Australia given her 85 years and the long distance from Buckingham Palace, will reignite debate on whether the nation should become a republic.

Australia is a constitutional monarchy, with the British monarch its head of state who acts in predominately a ceremonial manner but has the power to approve the abolition of parliament, which happened in 1975 toppling the then government.

But republicans concede any debate will be short lived and their dream of an Australian republic and president will remain just that - for many years to come.

Time, politics and apathy have all conspired against Australia's republicans. And republicans know there is no appetite to put the issue back on the national agenda.

An opinion poll this week revealed support for the monarchy had risen to 55% of the population, while support for a republic was at its lowest level in 23 years at 34%.

"Politicians on both sides say they believe in a republic but none of them is confident of its electoral appeal to bring it forward," said Mike Keating, chairman of the Australian Republic Movement.

"It makes me feel personally, and the republican movement generally, a bit despondent about the state of Australian politics."

In contrast, Australia's monarchists, who defeated a national vote to become a republic in 1999, are giddy with excitement about Queen Elizabeth's 16th "Down Under" royal tour.

"The magic of monarchy still has a place and we saw that at the royal wedding and we will see it during the royal visit. There is great affection for the queen," said Professor David Flint, head of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy (ACM).

After their 1999 defeat, republicans thought they were given a second chance when Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was elected in 2007, promising another plebiscite on a republic.

But Rudd was toppled in a 2010 party room coup by current Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard, and although a republican, she heads a minority government struggling to survive and has no desire to raise the divisive republican issue.

Gillard, like many republicans, now says Australia will not become a republic until Queen Elizabeth dies, such is the affection for the queen in Australia.

Keating says "it's essentially just putting the issue off", while monarchists say no future government would dare raise the issue in the wake of a royal funeral or coronation.

"It is completely off the public agenda," said Flint. "The republican politicians say they want a plebiscite. They won't get it."

If opinion polls are correct, then Gillard will be ousted at the next election in 2013 in favour of conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott, a staunch monarchist. If that is the case, the earliest republicans can expect another vote would be after the 2016 election, and only if a republican is prime minister.

Republicans-in-waiting?

Australians have fought alongside Britain in every major war, but there has always been an anti-British streak running through the country.

Gold miners staged the failed Eureka stockade rebellion against British taxation in 1854. During a royal visit in 1868, Queen Victoria's son, Prince Alfred, was shot in an assassination attempt as he picnicked on Bondi Beach.

Twenty years ago, a small band of Australians met in Sydney to form the Australian Republican Movement. On a wet and miserable night in Sydney in July, many of the same people held a 20th anniversary dinner.

It was a "sodden night when only fools and fanatics would venture out, 150 rusted-on believers in an Australian republic gathered for an evening of warm reminiscence", founding member Mark Day wrote of the event.

"But the warmth could not hide the bleak reality. We held a party, few came and fewer noticed," said Day.

Day recalled the black humour talk of treason and sedition when the movement was formed, the optimism in the 1990s that a republic would be formed, and how the nation's "heart was broken" when the republic vote was lost.

"Twenty years on from the original push and a dozen on from the referendum, when will the time be right to have another go? Certainly not now. There is a toxic mood in public affairs at present," said Day.

"The Gillard government has its back to the wall and it appears the voters have stopped listening."

Australia's royal love affair

During Queen Elizabeth's 1963 Australian royal tour, then Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies said: "I did but see her passing by, and yet I love her till I die."

For most, Queen Elizabeth is the only monarch they have known and the emotional connection resonates with many, especially older, Australians.

Monarchist Jai Martinkovits, 24, says many young Australians also have a soft spot for the queen, just like they would their grandmother, and now a growing affinity with the young royals, like Prince William, Kate and Harry.

"The young royals are huge in raising awareness about what this institution is and why it is relevant. I think with that will flow further support for the monarchy," he said.

Martinkovits is the youngest executive director of the ACM and reflects a push to attract young Australians to the cause. ACM's Facebook has 22,000 fans and its website 12 million hits.

But it is apathy towards politics amongst young Australians that is the main reason they do not support a republic, said Martinkovits, who admits he became involved by accident when he dated the ACM secretary.

"If we look at the polls, there are two categories of people who have very, very little support for a republic. The elderly are passionate monarchists and young people are apathetic and generally conservative to change," he said.

Flint said support for the monarchy was support for Australia's stable political system and not directly driven by a desire to have a queen or king as head of state.

"I think there is strong support for the existing system which incorporates the crown," he said.

"They don't completely understand the precise role of the crown, but they have a sense that this is something that is not political and understand that you need checks and balances on power."

Australia is a nation of immigrants with one in four people born overseas and Flint believes many migrant Australians oppose a republic because of past experiences in countries where presidential power was abused.

The zenith of the republic debate in the 1990s was wrapped around the issue of national identity as it coincided with a time of reflection as Australia neared the 2000 Sydney Olympics and its centenary as a nation in 2001.

The past decade has seen the national focus shift to more pragmatic issues, bracketed by global economic woes.

Some republicans hope that from 2014, Australians will enter another period of self-examination and rekindle the republican dream.

The ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) centenaries starting in 2014 will mark Australia's greatest military battles, especially the defeat under British command at Gallipoli during World War One.

"In the years ahead we will surely reflect on the critical elements that contributed to the Australian psyche," said Day.

"Republicanism and the ANZAC image - laconic self-reliance and insolence towards the British generals - are easy bedfellows."

Source: http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/australia-s-royal-love-affair-4460454

Governor-General Went Where Only Pope and Queen Can Tread at airport

The Queen and the Pope can pass though security at Australian airports without clearance – they are above that sort of irritation – but the privilege does not extend to Australia’s Governor-General.

That appears to be the inference of an incident in which Governor-General Quentin Bryce passed through a checkpoint at Brisbane Airport without the usual clearance, only to be turned around.

According to Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, Bryce, the Queen’s representative in Australia, had no sooner been whisked through airport security without clearance than officials ordered her to go back and walk through again.

Bryce was travelling privately when she set off alarms at the Qantas security screening area, the paper reported.

The female officer in charge of screening directed the Governor-General to go through the checkpoint again, triggering an argument between the officer and Bryce’s Australian Federal Police security team.

The paper says the incident over the weekend led to the female security guard being temporarily moved to “other duties” by her manager, an incident that Transport Workers Union branch secretary Peter Biagini called “an absolute disgrace”.

The employee had been disciplined “for enforcing the law” Biagini fumed.

The officer was reinstated to her position a short time later and the Governor-General went to the Qantas’ Chairman’s Lounge where special clearance was given for her to fly.

Written by : Peter Needham - (Source: eGlobal Travel Media, 28^th June 2011)

the Queen is an unofficial frequent flyer - Visiting Australia on 15 occasions Since Her Reign Began

Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II could be granted Frequent Flyer status having visited Australia on 15 occasions since her reign began.

The Queen has been a regular visitor to Australia throughout her reign gracing our fair shores in 1954, 1963, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2002 and 2006.

The Queen's Birthday 13th June 2011 - Except WA 21 April 2011

This year (2011) The Queen's Birthday public holiday will be celebrated in all states and territories of Australia (except WA) on Monday 13th June 2011.

In WA, they will celebrate with a public holiday on Friday 28th October 2011...........

but DID YOU KNOW.......the real birthday of Queen Elizabeth II is the 21 April (1926).

The Queen's Official Birthday, also known as "the Queen's Birthday" is the day on which the birthday of the monarch of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Realms is officially celebrated rather than the actual day of the current monarch's birthday.

The exact date of the celebration varies from country to country, and only marks the real birthday of the sovereign by coincidence (the current monarch, Elizabeth II, was born on 21 April 1926). Most Commonwealth Realms release a Birthday Honours List at this time.

Have you booked accommodation for your Queen's Birthday getaway?

Wills and Kate talk up Down Under Visit

PRINCE William and his fiancee, Kate Middleton, are considering coming to Australia on their first official tour after marrying next year.

Although royal courtiers in London have been busy planning the couple's April wedding, they have also been given the task of organising their travel itinerary for later in 2011.

And following William's successful visit Down Under in January, when he was mobbed by well-wishers throughout a three-day trip, Australia has emerged as a most likely destination.

A royal insider told The Sunday Age: ''William had a fantastic time when he came earlier in the year and developed a real affinity for Australia and its people.

''It's fair to say many in the royal household were a little surprised, and pleasantly so, at the warmth and size of welcome he received and, with Australia being such an important part of the Commonwealth, it means it is under very serious consideration for the first visit.''

Royal tradition means William and Kate, both 28, will almost certainly tour to a former British colony on their first official overseas trip after their marriage. A spokesman for St James's Palace in London, which is responsible for the Prince's diary, confirmed that William was keen to return.
''Prince William thoroughly enjoyed his visit to Australia in 2010 and has said that one day he would love to come back,'' the spokesman said.

Should the visit go ahead, the arrival of the glamorous couple would dwarf the attention being lavished on TV host Oprah Winfrey, who is touring the country.

With the second in line to the throne being a well-known rugby fan, there has been intense speculation that he will attend next year's World Cup in New Zealand, which begins in September. If he goes to the tournament he would almost certainly include Australia during that antipodean tour.

The protocol surrounding royalty means an invitation would be sent to St James's Palace from the Governor-General on behalf of the government. However, it is unlikely that an invitation would be sent unless the trip had been agreed on by officials in London and Canberra.
It is believed no official invitation has yet been sent from Quentin Bryce's office.

Source: The Age