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.

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Queen Bids Farewell to Melbourne After Whirlwind Visit

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh left Melbourne's sunny skies and arrived to inclement weather in Perth.

A crowd of more than 400 people braved the wet weather to sneak a peek at the royal pair touching down at Perth International Airport at 4.20pm, five minutes ahead of schedule.

WA Premier Colin Barnett and his wife Lyn, as well as Defence Minister Stephen Smith, were on the tarmac waiting for the Queen to arrive.

As she emerged from the plane, the Queen was greeted by loud cheers from the waiting crowd who had been gathering all afternoon.

Earlier in the day during her whirlwind tour of Melbourne, the Duke of Edinburgh was every inch the exasperated commuter when he took a tram ride through the city with the Queen.

As soon as the royal couple stepped aboard the public transport vehicle he waved his hand and ordered driver Joyleen Smith to set off as they were running late.

It is the first time the monarch has travelled by tram since she boarded one during the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002.

In honour of the royal passengers the white Z3-Class vehicle had been transformed with a red, white and blue exterior colour scheme and inside it had been refurbished and restored.

A dot-matrix screen at its front displayed the words "royal tram" while a smaller one was lit up with the monarch's initials "ER''

Ms Smith, a tram driver for almost seven years, described today's event as an honour.

She added: "When they got on I said hello to the Queen, and Philip said 'come on driver lets go, were running late', so I thought we better go.

"He said it with a smile on his face and I know hes got a wicked sense of humour."

The pair boarded the tram at Stop 13 in Melbourne's Federation Square and travelled along St Kilda Road to a reception and lunch with local politicians at Government House, before flying to Perth late this afternoon.

Earlier they had been held up during a walkabout through the square as dozens of well-wishers had wanted to hand flowers and presents to the royals as tens of thousands looked on.

The royal couple sat facing each other with the Premier of Victoria, Ted Baillieu, and his wife Robyn sat side by side close by.

The monarch may be more used to travelling in a chauffeur driven state Bentley or Rolls Royce but she appeared at home on public transport.

They used a myki - a pre-paid travel card - but it is not known if they chose the two-hour zone one fare costing $3.80 or opted for the cheaper $2.80 senior citizen option.

Four mounted officers from Victoria Police escorted the royal tram which travelled at walking pace, around 3mph, during the eight minute journey.

Among the two horses that led the way was Super Impressive, a former racehorse that had earned around $1.5 million during its former career.

The royal couple waved at the thousands who lined their route and the crowds cheered and screamed in response.

The Queen is greeted with a letter as she walks through Federation Square. Picture: Alex Coppel

Their journey took them along part of the route of the number eight tram which runs from the Brunswick depot to Toorak.

Ms Smith, who drives trams along the inner-city routes one, eight and 19, said she had taken commuters along the stretch of track used by the royals hundreds of times.

She added: "A couple of times I got a little overwhelmed and thought I was going to cry - all the people were waving at her. At one point I even waved at someone I recognised.

"But despite being nervous at first it was overwhelming, what an honour to drive the Queen."

Before boarding the tram the Queen was met by a forest of flags and a sea of smiles as she swept through Federation Square.

Some staked their places beside the metal barricade flanking the red carpet four hours early, excited children bearing bouquets at the front.

And others brought home-made signs, hoping they would be a magnet to the monarch.

The welcome was warm, in fact too warm for some as a few onlookers seemed to succumb to heat stroke after hours in the full sun.

But the Queen's arrival eclipsed even that as thousands almost filling the square fell respectfully silent.

Children perched on shoulders and in the few trees. Arms in the crush stretched high to photograph Her Majesty, aiming vaguely towards an occasionally visible pink hat.

"She's so short, damn it,'' one woman complained, but for most in the crowd, near enough was better than good enough.

Cecelia Egan held a sign. Australia Loves Our Queen, and the Queen returned the love, moving close and appreciating the handiwork.

"I said 'thank you for coming','' Ms Egan said.

"I am so pleased she read the sign. I could see her eyes reading it, then she gave a beautiful little gracious sign and moved on.

"My life's complete ... now I can die.''

Eliza Comerford, 9, staked a spot near the metal barriers at 8.30am, and was rewarded for her patience when the Queen saw a Welcome Queen Elizabeth sign, came over and took her flowers.

"She said 'Thank You','' Eliza said excitedly.

After about 20 minutes walking the red carpet, taking bunch after bunch of flowers, the Queen waved and moved on to the royal tram.

After the Occupy Melbourne protests, black glove-wearing police checked men who didn't look to fit in, running checks on their names.

No details of arrests were immediately available.

After a short ride down St Kilda Rd the Queen was then driven in her Range Rover to Government House for a reception and lunch.

A group of anti-carbon tax protesters assembled near Government House, armed with banners reading "Welcome, your Majesty, please dissolve parliament," and "carbon tax corruption".

Inside Government House the Queen mingled with everyday Victorians, current and former politicians and former governors.

But there was a clear focus on everyday Victorians, particularly flood and fire victims.

The Queen then had a lunch with 60 VIPs in the state drawing room before signing a guest book and an official photograph

She left Government House at about 2.45pm, making her way back to the airport where she flew to Perth for the final stop on her royal tour.

The Queen visits the Clontarf Aboriginal College and attend a state reception at Government House in Perth hosted by WA Premier Colin Barnett.

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Off With Her Head: Gillard's Greeting a Royal Mess

"The wobble" is how Prime Minister Julia Gillard's greeting to Queen Elizabeth II is being described after they met in Canberra yesterday.

Ms Gillard chose not to curtsy and instead opted for a head bow when she met the Queen, who had just arrived for her 16th tour of Australia.

But Australia's queen of etiquette, June Dally-Watkins, has strongly disapproved of Ms Gillard's greeting.

"I saw the Prime Minister kind of wobble and I didn't know, did she try to curtsy? I didn't know what she was doing. I just laughed," she said.

"I was laughing out loud because I thought it was really hilarious and of course very rude.

"But I just couldn't understand what that movement was. What was she doing?"

The Queen spent this morning cruising Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin and visiting the Canberra flower festival, Floriade.

She has no further public engagements today, but Her Majesty will spend this afternoon on a tour of the gardens at Government House in a solar-powered golf cart.

The monarch has asked to be taken to see the kangaroos in the grounds so she can take a photo.
'No obligatory code'

This morning, Ms Gillard said she chose to bow her head as she shook the Queen's hand because that is what she felt comfortable with.

"The advice to me was very clear - that you can make a choice with what you feel most comfortable with," she said.

"That's what I felt most comfortable with. The Queen extended her hand, and I shook her hand."
Audio: June Dally-Watkins critiques the Royal meeting (ABC News)

The official advice on meeting with the Queen is that there are "no obligatory codes of behaviour - just courtesy".

"However, many people wish to observe the traditional forms of greeting," the official Royal website says.

"For men, this is a neck bow (from the head only), whilst women do a small curtsy. Other people prefer simply to shake hands in the usual way."

But Ms Dally-Watkins says as Prime Minister, Ms Gillard should have gone with the traditional greeting.

She described yesterday's greeting as the lowest part of Ms Gillard's life and said instead of bowing her head, she should be hanging it in shame.

"I think it was not only funny, but it was shameful," she said.

"If she isn't a royalist, it's not a matter of that; it's a matter of paying courtesy, good manners to a queen, to the Queen.

"That was the expected thing to do and I thought not to do that shamed her tremendously."

Read on: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-20/gillard27s-royal-greeting-slammed/3581254

Perth to serve 120,000 Snags at Queen's 'Largest-Ever' Barbecue

About 120,000 sausages and 1500 litres of tomato sauce will be served at the Queen's Big Aussie Barbecue in Perth later this month.

Tens of thousands of West Australians are expected to crowd Perth Foreshore to share a snag with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on October 29, in what Premier Colin Barnett said would be an internationally historic event.

The royal couple will travel in a slow motorcade before stepping out to "mingle" with families, albeit behind a roped off path.

At least $250,000 is expected to be raised from gold coin donations for the sausage sizzle.

The money will be donated to the Australian Red Cross, Legacy, Clontarf Academy and Activ Foundation.

The Queen will be in Perth to open the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which runs October 28 to 30.

She will also attend a state dinner and visit Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne before arriving in Perth.

Mr Barnett said families were encouraged to make the most of the public barbecue – which will include free entertainment – and bring picnic baskets and blankets.

Ten screens would be set up throughout The Esplanade and Langley Park to maximise viewing.

"This is a very rare, unique and special opportunity for West Australians to take part in a great Aussie barbecue and to see the Queen and Prince Philip first hand," he said.

"I don't believe there are any other public events of this scale [involving the Queen] in history.

"This is a wonderful public event for all West Australians. I don't think there are many precedents for that."

The state government will fund infrastructure and entertainment for the event, while Bunnings will provide 120 barbecues that will later be donated to WA charities, and Coles will donate the food and drink.

About 600 volunteers will man the barbecues.

Alcohol will be banned and Mr Barnett urged protestors not to cause trouble but conceded security would not be tight.

"Why would a morning tea barbecue get rowdy? This is Perth, Western Australia," he said.

"West Australians are fun loving, good people and they will come along with the right attitude."

The event will run 9am to 12.15pm, while the Queen and Prince Philip will attend for an hour.

Visitors are encouraged to use free public transport.

Source: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/perth-to-serve-120000-snags-at-queens-largestever-barbecue-20111013-1lmp1.html#ixzz1ai5xXVm1

Queen to Snub Sydney on Visit

THE Queen is to spend 10 days in Australia next month - but she has given NSW a right royal snub.

The elderly monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh will instead spend their time travelling between Perth, Canberra, Melbourne and Queensland.

The Queen's decision to bypass the state is even more surprising because it is unlikely she will visit Australia again.

Royal observers believe her lengthy and wide-ranging itinerary, from October 19 to 29, indicates she will not visit next year, her Diamond Jubilee.

"The Queen is 85-and-a-half and the Duke is 90 so you can imagine they don't have too many long-haul trips left in them," said Joe Little, managing editor of British royal magazine Majesty.

"Even travelling in the way they do is bound to be a strain."

It will be the Queen's 16th visit to Australia and her first in six years.

She became the first reigning monarch to set foot on Australian soil when at 27 she spent eight weeks touring the country in 1954.

During that trip the royal couple took more than 30 flights and 207 road trips as they criss-crossed the nation, reportedly providing 75 per cent of Australia's population a chance to see the Queen.

This tour will be more low-key and is likely to be made up of hospital and charity engagements, a meeting with Julia Gillard, an official lunch or dinner in her honour and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth.

The Queen is patron of many Australian organisations, including Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital and the Scout Association.

"A full list of the Queen's engagements and undertakings during her Australian visit will be released next week," a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said yesterday.

LUCY CARNE LONDON From: The Sunday Telegraph September, 2011

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)