Meghan Markle ‘always’ strives to be ‘successful’

OHMYGOSSIP — Meghan Markle “always knew she would be successful”, according to friend Abby Wathen.
The 36-year-old actress has been praised for her positive and determined character by her pal and ‘Random Encounters’ co-star, who has revealed the brunette beauty “knows what she wants” and does her utmost to get it.
Speaking about Meghan – who is currently dating Prince Harry – in the ITV show titled ‘Prince Harry and Meghan: Truly, Madly, Deeply’, which aired on Monday (06.11.17), Abby said: “We became instant friends. She always knew she would be successful, she just…knew it. She knows what she wants and she gets it.”
And Meghan proved to Abby actions speak louder than words as she told her colleague she had another project lined up after the comedy, and swiftly landed the role of Rachel Zane in ‘Suits’.
Abby continued: “She told me that she had booked for a pilot for immediately after Random Encounters ended.”
The ‘Besetment’ star believes her and Meghan “bonded” because they were both going through a divorce at a similar time , as Meghan was married to ex-husband Trevor Engelson for two years before they split in 2013.
However, Abby has hailed Meghan as being more “empowered” than her during the break down of her marriage.
She said: “Meghan and I bonded because I was married and she was getting married. I was invited to her wedding but I couldn’t go. Then we both went through divorce, so we bonded on that too.
“Meghan isn’t one of these people that dwells on…I was destroyed, but she was empowered. She took her power back. It wasn’t the right relationship for her, so she moved on.”

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Prince William warns of wildlife pressure

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince William has warned that African wildlife is under “enormous pressure” from the increase in human population growth.
The 35-year-old royal was speaking at the Tusk gala dinner in London over the weekend when he claimed that the continent’s growing population was set to more than double by 2050, and warned that the staggering numbers could have a negative impact on wildlife and natural resources.
He said: “In my lifetime, we have seen global wildlife populations decline by over half. We are going to have to work much harder and think much deeper, if we are to ensure that human beings and the other species of animal with which we share this planet can continue to co-exist.
“Africa’s rapidly growing human population is predicted to more than double by 2050, a staggering increase of three and a half million people per month.
“There is no question that this increase puts wildlife and habitat under enormous pressure. Urbanisation, infrastructure development, cultivation – all good things in themselves, but they will have a terrible impact unless we begin to plan and to take measures now.”
Despite warning of overpopulation, Prince William is currently expecting his third child with his wife Duchess Catherine, with whom he already has four-year-old Prince George and two-year-old Princess Charlotte.
William isn’t the only royal to speak about the dangers of overpopulation either, as his father Prince Charles – who has William and 33-year-old Prince Harry with his late ex-wife Princess Diana – previously cautioned that the world does not have the capacity to “sustain us all”.
Speaking in 2010, Charles said: “It would certainly help if the acceleration slowed down, but it would also help if the world reduced its desire to consume.”
The 68-year-old royal has long been a passionate environmentalist, and earlier this year backed a scheme that aimed to stop plastic being dumped in the oceans.
Speaking about the Ocean Rescue campaign, he said: “One of the most troubling environmental trends, as I see it at least, is the progressive build-up of plastic waste in the oceans.
“Eighty per cent of it is coming from the land as everyday products such as plastic bags, straws and bottles as they travel along the rivers to the sea and finish up being spread right around the world, even on the most remote stretches of oceans, the farthest-flung beaches on earth and the deepest reaches of the ocean.
“Some of that plastic is being swallowed by sea birds, by whales, by dolphins, seals and other creatures to the point today where plastic waste is estimated to be in the guts of all marine mammals.”

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Prince William meets ‘honourable’ police officers

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince William has praised the “honourable” family liaison officers who worked with those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.
The 35-year-old royal met the officers as he attended the Metropolitan Police’s passing out parade for new police constables in Hendon, Middlesex, and praised them for their work in helping to rebuild the lives of those who lost loved ones or had their homes destroyed when the 24-storey building caught fire in June this year.
Speaking to the liaison officers, William said: “Well done guys, you really do an honourable job. I don’t even know how you begin to deal with that, it’s a really harrowing job you have to do.”
During his visit to Hendon, William – who has four-year-old Prince George and two-year-old Princess Charlotte, as well as expecting his third child with his wife Duchess Catherine – also met with around 182 of the new constables who were celebrating graduating from the Met’s Police Academy in a ceremony watched by family and friends as they marched on the parade square at Hendon Police Complex.
In June this year, shortly after the fire took place, Prince William had accompanied his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, to the site of the devastating blaze which killed an estimated 80 people and injured approximately 70 more.
Prior to the visit, the 91-year-old monarch released a statement in which she praised the “generosity” of the community who helped those affected.
She wrote at the time: “My thoughts and prayers are with those families who have lost loved ones in the Grenfell Tower fire and the many people who are still critically ill in hospital. Prince Philip and I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of firefighters and other emergency services officers who put their own lives at risk to save others. It is also heartening to see the incredible generosity of community volunteers rallying to help those affected by this terrible event.”

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Prince Charles visits World War II graves

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Charles has paid tribute to the fallen heroes of the Second World War.
The 68-year-old royal visited the Taiping Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Malaysia over the weekend, where he laid a wreath for the soldiers who lost their lives during the war, which took place between 1939 and 1945.
Charles – who is currently on a tour of Malaysia – was then given a walking tour of the pristine graves by Paul Price, the CWG Commissioner, and Colonel Stephen Hall, British defence advisor to Malaysia.
During his visit, Charles also laid a commemorative wreath at the Stone of Remembrance outside of a Muslim cemetery, before crossing over to a Christian cemetery to lay a second wreath at The Cross of Sacrifice.
Speaking after his visit, Paul Price said he would welcome the wider interest the Royal visit would bring to the cemetery.
He said: “It’s a great honour to have His Royal Highness visit the Taiping Commonwealth War Graves. Anything that gets people interested and wanting to visit to learn more is a wonderful thing. We want as many people as possible to come, learn about what happened and pay their respects.”
After paying his respects at the graves, Prince Charles then met with 60 veterans, who had served with the Commonwealth or British forces in the Second World War, Malayan Emergency or Borneo Campaign.
First Admiral Datuk Kay Hai Thuan, Vice President of the Malaysian Armed Forces Chinese Veterans Association, said of Charles’ visit: “He was very pleased to see all the veterans here. For His Royal Highness to come and see this is quite something. The families of the people buried here, will be very proud and honoured.”
And Brigadier General Dato’ Lau Kong Cheng, a Malaysian Air Force veteran, added: “He asked us about where we had served and was very interested in listening. It’s a great honour.”

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Prince Charles: Commonwealth is ‘pivotal’ in changing the world

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Charles believes the Commonwealth has a “pivotal” role in solving global issues such as climate change.
The 68-year-old royal is known for campaigning for awareness about climate change, and he has now called upon the Commonwealth – which is an intergovernmental organisation of 52 member states – to aid the “resolution” of a number of global issues.
Prince Charles was speaking at a Kuala Lumpur gala dinner celebrating 60 years of UK-Malaysian diplomatic relations when he highlighted problems including overpopulation in cities and the threat to the world’s oceans, which he believes could be greatly improved by the Commonwealth.
He said in his speech: “For the resolution of all these issues, the Commonwealth should, and does, have a pivotal role to play.
“Representing a third of the world’s population and a fifth of its land-mass, it can draw on a uniquely wide range of national contexts, experiences, traditions and, above all, professional associations – something, of course, which makes the Commonwealth unlike anything else in the world – for the solutions that we all so desperately need now.”
Charles’ comments come after he recently claimed due to the increase of waste pollution in our seas, the world could soon see a time where every fish that is eaten will contain plastic.
speaking at the Our Ocean Conference in Malta last month, he said: “As many of you know so well, the eight million tonnes of plastic that enter the sea every year – through our own doing I might add – is now almost ubiquitous.
“As the Prime Minister said, f or all the plastic that we have produced since the 1950’s that has ended up in the ocean is still with us in one form or another, so that wherever you swim there are particles of plastic near you and we are very close to reaching the point when whatever wild-caught fish you eat will contain plastic. Plastic is indeed now on the menu!”

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Duchess Camilla finds her royal duties ‘very tiring’

OHMYGOSSIP — Duchess Camilla finds her royal duties “very tiring”.
The 70-year-old royal has recently jetted off to Brunei where she visited the palace of the Sultan of Brunei and met with Queen Saleha, and when she was asked about how she copes jetting across the globe and visiting various people she honestly admitted she finds it “non stop” and a “lot more tiring” now she is getting older, the Express Online has reported.
Asked by the Queen consort of Brunei – who is also the same age as Camilla – about her feelings, the Duchess of Cornwall said: “Very tiring. Every day, we’re non-stop. It’s more tiring as you get older.”
And the star has revealed she has warned people she needs to “slow down” because she is not as young as she used to be and able to keep up with the busy schedule.
She added: ” I keep trying to tell everybody that I’m not as young as I used to be, and have to slow down.”
During their visit to a Gurkha battalion located in Brunei, Camilla was given a huge garland to carry around her neck, and the couple enjoyed a tea party hosted by the 71-year-old Sultan, as well as 60 other members of his family.
Camilla and her husband the Charles, the Prince of Wales, are currently on their 11-day tour of South East Asia and India, which will see them travel to Singapore and Malaysia.
Although Camilla has revealed her hectic lifestyle has been taking its toll on her, she has admitted she does do “a bit of yoga” and pilates to stay supple.
Speaking previously, she said: “It’s very good for you yoga, isn’t it? I do a bit of yoga. A bit of yoga and a bit of Pilates. It’s very good for you as you get older, it makes you less stiff – good for your muscles. It makes you much more supple. I think it’s very important as you get older to take exercise and stretch.”

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Princess Eugenie is ‘proud’ of philanthropic work

OHMYGOSSIP — Princess Eugenie of York is “very proud” of philanthropic work that “changes people’s lives.”
The 27-year-old royal – who is the daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and his former wife Sarah, Duchess of York – attended the ‘Be Cool Be Nice’ book launch, which took place at the London’s House of Lords earlier in the week.
The book, which was published by the Studio Press, was created as part of the campaign of the same name, which encourages people to promote positive behaviour online and offline.
And though Eugenie’s sister Beatrice couldn’t make the event, Eugenie is glad she could attend and support the cause on her and her sibling’s behalf.
Speaking to WWD, she said: “My sister is supporting from New York and couldn’t be here today.”
“But I happily stepped in.”
Eugenie is “happy” people are working on a cause that can make a big impact “inch by inch” in the future.
She continued: “I’m very proud of the work that we can all do to help change people’s lives — just inch by inch. It’s a tiny moment in a day when you can be cool and be nice. So I’m just happy we can all be together sharing fashion and kindness all around the world.”
The text features imagery from designer brands including Burberry and DSquared2, as well as designers Emilio Pucci, Marc Jacobs, Henry Holland and Mary Katrantzou.
The book boasts 141 pages filled with positive activities and phrases to help boost people’s confidence and encourage the reader to have a more uplifting outlook.
‘Be Cool Be Nice’ will be available to buy on November 9 at selected retailers for £14.99.

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Prince Harry has praised his late mother Diana

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Harry thinks his late mother Princess Diana had “a lot in common with everybody”.
The 33-year-old royal lost his parent in 1997, but the red head thinks the late Princess of Wales shared similarities with the public.
Speaking about his relative, he said: “I think she had a lot in common with everybody but also she certainly listened.”
And Harry has likened Diana – who was married to Charles, the Prince of Wales, for 15 years before they split in 1996 – to a “vacuum” because she used to listen to everyone and absorb all of the information she was told.
He continued: “In a very, very short space of time she was like a vacuum going around, sucking up all the information, all the criticism, all the issues, all the positives and negatives from everybody, then putting her name and her platform toward the bigger issues that had never been talked about.”
Harry believes “some problems” in the world are “so big” that people do not want to be involved in them, but he thinks his mother was the anomaly and was willing to “change that” and take action to try and make a difference.
Speaking at the Obama Foundation’s inaugural summit, which has been reported on PEOPLE, he said : “In society we suffer from this illusion, or reality, that some problems become so big that nobody wants to get involved. She was the one that changed that.”
And Harry has admitted both him and his older brother the Duke of Cambridge, 35, are “incredibly proud” of their mother’s achievements.
Speaking previously Harry said: “[We are] incredibly proud of what our mother achieved.
“I believe that she would be telling everyone across society – not just those most at risk – that with effective treatment being free and available in the UK, that we must all embrace regular testing – both for our own sake and for those that we love.”

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Prince Harry doesn’t eat pizza ‘anymore’

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Harry doesn’t eat pizza “anymore”.
The 33-year-old royal recently visited a secondary school in Chicago, named Hyde Park Academy, with Michelle Obama, and during the visit Harry admitted he had given up the Italian dish, but has since relapsed and tucked into both a “deep dish and a thin crust”.
Kensington Royal’s Instagram account has shared footage of the red head at the institution speaking to a cluster of students.
And in the video, Harry said: “”I don’t even eat pizza anymore, but I had pizza last night.
“We had deep-dish and we had thin crust. I promise you, I will make sure I eat Chicago.”
And the students have urged the former First Lady of the United States of America – who is married to former American President Barack Obama – to make sure Harry feasts on Pizza.
A pupil said: “When Prince Harry’s here, he eats Chicago, make sure he has a pizza.”
However, pizza is not the only fast food dish the royal enjoys as he is also a fan of McDonalds and “all sorts of American foods”.
Speaking previously about Harry’s favourite food, former royal chef Darren McGrady, said: “I remember the Princess came into the kitchen one day and said, ‘Cancel lunch for the boys I’m taking them out, we’re going to McDonald’s. And I said, ‘Oh my god your royal highness, I can do that, I can do burgers.’
“And she said, ‘No, it’s the toy they want.’ Yeah, the boys loved McDonald’s, and going out to pizza, and having potato skins – sort of the American foods. They were royal princes but had children’s palates.”

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Prince Charles gets hands on with a vacuum cleaner

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Charles threatened to vacuum a reporter’s “dirty trousers” as he got hands on with a Dyson hoover.
The 68-year-old royal tried out the company’s cordless V8 Absolute as he visited Dyson’s Singapore Technology Centre during his tour of the Asian country.
Joking with one reporter, he told them that they had “dirty trousers” and then went to pretend to vacuum them, earning a laugh from those that had gathered.
Scott Maguire, Dyson’s global engineering director, also revealed the Prince of Wales was very interested in the technology behind the vacuum cleaner as well as the people who worked there.
He said: “I think it was great, he was up for using it and wanted to get hands on. He was also pretty keen on the technology inside it. It was a great visit, he was pretty focused not only on all the technology Dyson is developing and innovating, from batteries to robotics, but spent a lot of time with our staff, wanting to know where they were from and what types of engineers we have.”
During their visit to Singapore, the Duchess of Cornwall also got hands on, when she took part in a painting lesson. She used traditional Chinese brushes to draw a horse and impressed the class’s teacher with her skill.

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Prince William flouts tradition by bringing kids on royal tours

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince William and Duchess Catherine are flouting tradition by bringing their children on royal tours with them.
The royal couple – who share four-year-old son Prince George and two-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte and are expecting their third child together – have had their son Prince George join them in New Zealand whilst both children were with their parents during a Royal Tour of Poland.
Historian Robert Lacy, who served as an advisor for ‘The Crown’, said: “She [The Queen] had been brought up in that style herself, after all, with her parents leaving her at home and entrusting her entire schooling to a governess and home tutors.”
And Queen Elizabeth is a real family person, according to Lacy.
He told Town and Country: “Today Elizabeth II enjoys life as a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She clearly delights in the time she can spend with her family, and she seems to be anything but emotionally reserved.
“Would she have mothered her children differently if she had the chance? As one of her close friends has said, the Queen was rather scared of parenting when she started out – she’d not been taught it by her own mother. But as she grew into the job, her successive children helped remove her fears.”

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Duchess Camilla does yoga to stay ‘supple’

OHMYGOSSIP — Duchess Camilla does yoga to stay “supple”.
The 70-year-old royal watched on as elderly people took part in a number of activities – including yoga – at Tiong Bahru’s Community Centre as she revealed she is a fan of both yoga and Pilates.
Observing a yoga session conducted by instructor Lim Bee Ling, she said: “It’s very good for you yoga, isn’t it? I do a bit of yoga. A bit of yoga and a bit of Pilates. It’s very good for you as you get older, it makes you less stiff – good for your muscles. It makes you much more supple. I think it’s very important as you get older to take exercise and stretch.”
As the Duchess of Cornwall watched on, she was impressed with how the members of the class were holding some poses for up to five minutes.
She shared: “They’ve very good aren’t they? They must be exhausted. I’m not sure I’d survive a yoga class here, it’s easier lying on the floor.”
At the community centre, Camilla watched a number of activities, such as flower arranging, painting and cookery, which are all about “active ageing”.
The cookery classes hosted by chef Jolyn Wong saw the Duchess help to make popiah.
She said: “Eating in the most healthy way is essential. Healthy ageing, that’s what we all need.”
Camilla also took part in a brush painting class, following the lead of artist Ang Cheng Chye.
Looking at her creation, she said: “This is a horse – I’m very happy to say.”
Whilst Ang Cheng Chye added: “She was a very good painter, it looks like she may have had lessons, we’re going to frame this and put it on display.”

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Duchess Catherine holds discussion on maternal mental health

OHMYGOSSIP — Duchess Catherine held a round-table discussion on maternal mental health at Kensington Palace on Wednesday (01.11.17).
The 35-year-old royal – who is expecting her third child with her husband, Prince William – met with experts from the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families and Family Action as well as King’s College London, Best Beginnings and the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists as part of her work with The Royal Foundation.
Kensington Palace said in a statement: “The Duchess is keen to develop an understanding of the issues surrounding maternal mental health, and to learn what support is available.”
The palace also confirmed that the Duchess of Cambridge will visit the Hornsey Road Children’s Centre in London on November 14. She had been expected to visit there in September but had to pull out due to her severe morning sickness.
It comes after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – who already have son Prince George, four, and Princess Charlotte, two – revealed they are expecting their third child in April 2018.
A statement issued by Kensington Palace said: “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to confirm they are expecting a baby in April 2018.”
Their happy news was first confirmed in a statement released back in September.
Kensington Palace said: “Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that the Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their third child. The Queen and both their families are delighted with the news.
“As with her previous two pregnancies, the Duchess is suffering from Hyperemisis Gravidarum. Her Royal Highness will no longer carry out her planned engagement at the Hornsey Road Children’s Centre in London today. The Duchess is being cared for at Kensington Palace.”

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Prince Harry: Young people have made me optimistic

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Harry says young people have turned him “into an optimist”.
The flame-haired royal feels very positive about the future as he feels the younger generation are the key to “some of the world’s biggest problems”.
Speaking at the Obama Foundation summit in Chicago, he said: “They’ve turned me into an optimist. They gave me all of my passion and inspiration. The younger generation … are the best connected, the most passionate I think we’ve ever had. So what we need to do is we need to create a platform so they can be heard, because they have the solutions to the some of the world’s biggest problems.”
It comes after Prince Harry – who is dating ‘Suits’ actress Meghan Markle – used a recent speech to encourage young people to “look up from their phones” and go out and “change the world”.
He said: “The thousands of you gathered here are proof that today’s generation of young people is the most connected, most energised, and most confident the planet has ever known. You know that differences of opinion, of circumstance, of race and religion – are to be respected and celebrated. You know that in a clickbait culture, we cannot waste time sharing and drawing attention to things that make us angry, or that we know to be false. You all know that it’s great to ‘like’ things on social media, but that it’s more important to look up from our phones, to get out into our communities, and to take real action; to stand up for what you believe in.”

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Prince William and Harry trademark Twitter hashtag

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince William, Prince Harry and Duchess Catherine have applied to trademark a Twitter hashtag.
The royals want to trademark #stopspeaksupport to use on social media, which they hope to use to encourage people with mental health issues to speak up about what they are going through and also for everyone to offer support to each other.
The trio have been huge supporters of mental health with their Royal Foundation campaign called Heads Together.
They recently launched a £2million digital mental health scheme, “a start-up for digital mental health innovation” to help improve mental health in the UK, following the success of Heads Together.
Prince William said: “I feel like it’s exam results day. This also shows that support at home is quite key, isn’t it? At the beginning, we were trying to understand why at home people weren’t sharing some of their problems. If we’ve at least made a big impression there we can work on the wider societal aspects. But I think it all has to start at home. If you can’t even have a conversation with your loved ones, there’s no way you’re going to go to HR at work.
“The only thing, trying to extrapolate the data from this, is that these individuals who have spoken have probably got a reasonably good support network around them. Are we missing a whole set of people who have either been in care or who have had very bad experiences at young ages, who have bad mental health already? How do we affect that demographic? You’d struggle to find a parent out there who wouldn’t want the well-being of their child to be taken care of at school.”

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Prince Harry wants to give back

OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Harry wants to spend the “rest of his life” giving back to others.
The 33-year-old royal grew a little distant from his role as part of the monarchy after his mother Princess Diana’s passing but he now has come to terms with the “privileged position” he holds and wants to spend the remainder of his days helping other people and raising awareness of important issues.
He said: “I think what happened to my mum probably put me a step back, thinking, how could someone who did so much for the world and did so much for everyone else be treated like that by a certain institution?
“It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you understand the privileged position that you’re in, you go to spend the rest of your life giving back, and gaining the trust and respect of the general public.”
And the flame-haired royal – who is dating ‘Suits’ star Meghan Markle – knows that as a member of the royal family, he has a “bigger, longer platform” than politicians and wants to use his influence to raise awareness of important issues such as mental health, something which himself, his brother Prince William and his sister-in-law, the Duchess Catherine, have been keen to push to raise awareness of it.
Speaking at the Obama Foundation’s inaugural summit in Chicago, he added: “Because of the position that we’re in … you’re not in it for four years, eight years – you’re in it for life. Therefore everything we can do, we have a bigger, longer platform than politicians.
“In today’s world, you have to be involved with things that make sense to where your passions lie, rather than show up to a charity once a year. I don’t think that’s beneficial to anybody.”

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