Royal baby arrives

Buckingham Palace

Official announcement

Buckingham Palace confirmed Duchess Kate has delivered a healthy baby boy.

Weighing in at 8lbs and 6oz, the Prince of Cambridge came into the world at 4:24pm on Monday 22nd of July.

Clarence House, the seat of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, confirmed the news via press release which read:

"Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4:24pm.

"The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth.

"The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news."

"Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight."

 The official notice which has been placed on the easel outside the Palace has been signed by Marcus Setchell, the Queen's former gynaecologist who led Duchess Kate's royal medical team.

The new royal baby, the Prince of Cambridge, will be the 43rd sovereign since William the Conqueror if, as expected, he follows reigns by The Prince of Wales then Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.

Australian Governor-General welcomes Royal Birth

The Governor-General, Her Excellency the Honourable Quentin Bryce AC CVO, has warmly welcomed the birth of the Royal Prince:

“On behalf of all Australians, I send heartfelt congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on this joyful occasion.

“The birth of a baby is an experience to celebrate and cherish. We wish the new parents every happiness and send warm greetings of welcome to the little Prince,” the Governor-General said.

Statement from Her Majesty's Australian Prime Minister, The Hon. Kevin Rudd
The Prime Minister today congratulated the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their first child, a son.

On behalf of all Australians, Therese and I extend our warmest regards to the new parents, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

Prince William holds a special place in the hearts of many Australians. Some of us remember his first visit to this country as a 9 month old baby more than 30 years ago with his mother Diana and father Charles.

In more recent times, Prince William demonstrated deep compassion when he met with families in Victoria who had lost everything during the Black Saturday bushfires of February 2009.

We share in the joy of the Royal Family, particularly Prince Charles on the birth of his grandson and Queen Elizabeth II on the birth of her great grandchild.

This is a happy day for our close friends in Britain and the Commonwealth.

Statement from the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Australian Opposition, The Hon. Tony Abbott Margie and I join all Australians in extending to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge congratulations and best wishes on the birth of their son.
This would be the happiest day in their lives and all Australians share their joy.

While there will come a time to contemplate the constitutional duties that await the young Prince, today we simply welcome a baby boy into the world and share the joy of this young family.

I am sure that over the course of his life, the Prince will, like the rest of his family, develop a deep affection for our country, as we already have for him.

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Prince Charles: "Cheaper food earns companies bigger profits and is sucking real value out of the food production system"



"The success of a globalized system is being subsidized by many complex, long-term problems that contribute to a potentially toxic mix, making the food it produces not cheap at all.  In fact, it is very expensive."




Addressing the Langenburg Forum at Langenburg Castle in Württemberg, Southern Germany, The Prince of Wales launched a wide-ranging attack on current food production methods.  

In his speech at a conference on regional food security at the castle of his 2nd degree cousin Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Prince Charles called for the creation of a more local model of food production and distribution. He said the drive to make food cheaper for consumers and to earn companies bigger profits was sucking real value out of the food production system – value that was critical to its sustainability.

"The recent horsemeat scandals are surely just one example, revealing a disturbing situation where even the biggest retailers seem not to know where their supplies are coming from."

The Prince of Wales said:

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would just like to say how immensely grateful I am to Prince Philipp, Princess Xenia and to Joschka Fischer [former German foreign minister, Greens Party] for their herculean efforts in putting this Langenburg Forum together! I hate to say that it has been over fifty years since I was here last and almost fifty years since my parents visited this wonderful castle, back in 1965. It was two years after a devastating fire which had almost completely gutted the building. So it is a joy to see it so marvellously restored under my late cousin, Kraft’s, expert supervision.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
if I may say so, this is a very important conference. I am sure what you have heard so far about the problems we face and the obstacles to tackling them has given you a clear context in which to be able to consider what comes next this afternoon.

The aim here is to think through how we might create a much more local model of food production and distribution. But also, how that might fit with producing healthy food using far more sustainable methods and how we might do all of this without damaging business. Indeed, how this could improve business.


Prince Charles received a hearty welcome in Langenburg.


As you have heard, the urgency for this comes from the fact that there is not sufficient resilience in the system as it currently stands. It may appear that things are well. Big global corporations may appear to be prospering out of operating on a global monocultural scale but, as I hope you have seen, if you drill down into what is actually happening, things are not so healthy. Our present approach is rapidly mining resilience out of our food system and threatening to leave it ever more vulnerable to the various external shocks that are becoming more varied, extreme and frequent.

The drive to make food cheaper for consumers and to earn companies bigger profits is sucking real value out of the food production system - value that is critical to its sustainability. I am talking here about obvious things like the vitality of the soil and local eco-systems, the quality and availability of fresh water and so on, but also about less obvious things, like local employment and people’s health. It is, as I fear you know only too well, a complex business.

The aggressive search for cheaper food has been described as a “drive to the bottom”, which I am afraid is taking the farmers with it. They are being driven into the ground by the prices they are forced to expect for their produce and this has led to some very worrying short cuts. The recent horsemeat scandals are surely just one example, revealing a disturbing situation where even the biggest retailers seem not to know where their supplies are coming from. And it has also led to a very destructive effect on farming. We are losing farmers fast. Young people do not want to go into such an unrewarding profession. In the U.K., I have been warning of this for some time and recently set up apprenticeship schemes to try to alleviate the problem; but the fact remains that at the moment the average age of British farmers is fifty-eight, and rising.

We also have to consider the problems we expose ourselves to when we ship vast quantities of commodities half way round the world. These long distance supply chains are apt to snap when they are subjected to sudden shocks. Unexpected weather events, hikes in fuel prices, trade disputes and disease; all sorts of unpredictable events threaten to interrupt supplies. And such is the way we now arrange things that most of us, even if we do not realize it, have an umbilical dependency upon this globalized system which is surely a dangerously vulnerable position to be in.

And finally there are the social and economic problems that derive from this pressure to produce cheap food. It is heartening, I must say, to be in this part of Germany where there is the highest density of organic farms in Europe. I've just visited a marvellous example with Herr [Rudolf] Bühler but throughout the continent the way we produce most of our food seems dependent more on chemicals and industrial processing than it does on farmers - and, for that matter, on our ability to cook!

In the U.K., as elsewhere - but particularly I think in the U.S. - the consequences of this are ever more apparent in the deteriorating state of our public health. We all know that Type 2 Diabetes and other obesity-related conditions are rapidly on the increase. The public bill for dealing with these is already massive and I am told it could become completely unaffordable if we do not see a shift in emphasis. And, of course, it will be cities that carry the heaviest part of that burden. It is a peculiar trend…

"How is it, then, that systems of farming which do precisely the opposite - with increasingly dire and damaging effects on both the terrestrial and marine environments, not to mention long-term human health - are able to sell their products in mass markets at prices that in no way reflect the immense and damaging cost to the environment and human health?  A cost that then has to be paid for over and over again elsewhere - chiefly, in all probability, by our unfortunate children and grandchildren, whose welfare I happen to care about."

Am I alone, ladies and gentlemen, in wondering how it is that those who are farming according to organic, or agro-ecological principles - in other words, sustainably, for the long-term, by operating in a way that reduces pollution and contamination of the natural environment to a minimum and maximizes the health of soil, biodiverse ecosystems and humanity - are then penalized? They find that their produce is considered too expensive and too “niche market” to be available to everyone. How is it, then, that systems of farming which do precisely the opposite - with increasingly dire and damaging effects on both the terrestrial and marine environments, not to mention long-term human health - are able to sell their products in mass markets at prices that in no way reflect the immense and damaging cost to the environment and human health? A cost that then has to be paid for over and over again elsewhere - chiefly, in all probability, by our unfortunate children and grandchildren, whose welfare I happen to care about. Surely this is a truly perverse situation which, you would have thought, could be turned on its head to make genuinely sustainably-produced food accessible to everyone, and the polluter to pay the real costs for the side effects of industrialized food? It is to be wondered at how this state of affairs persists - and yet to suggest standing it on its head and transforming the situation is to invite the predictable chorus of vitriolic accusations that you are anti-science, anti-progress, out of touch with commercial pressures and not living in the “real world.”

So, as I hope you can see, the success of a globalized system is being subsidized by many complex, long-term problems that contribute to a potentially toxic mix, making the food it produces not cheap at all. In fact, it is very expensive. The only reason it appears cheap in the shops is because the costs either fall somewhere else, or they are being stored up for the future when, as I have said, they will be met by our children and grandchildren. You only have to look at what is happening to the Baltic Sea to see the sort of legacy I am talking about. And as I heard from many people in Sweden last year, a delicate ecosystem is being suffocated by what is called “eutrophication” - an entirely Man-made problem, caused by excessive amounts of nutrients leeching into the water from farming and other industrial processes. The price of apparently cheap food is costing nothing less than the Earth!

This is why we have to recalibrate and re-gear the system. Food needs to be produced in a more sustainable and eco-friendly manner and how it is then processed and distributed needs to happen at a much more appropriate level. In short, our food systems need to have better networks which are less globally dependent and more locally inter-connected. Moving in that direction could solve lots of problems. Many of the arguments about “feeding the world” conveniently ignore the fact that in both the developed and developing worlds 40% of all food produced is then wasted. It is either thrown away or it ends up rotting through lack of storage or well-managed local distribution.

There are plenty of very sophisticated means of enabling city regions to become the engines of significant change. I have seen many inspiring examples here in Germany which, if I may say so, is leading the debate on many of these issues. As you will discover in the next session, there are also some very interesting new ways of thinking and operating - seeds of change that could put resilience back into the system. They could also bring farming back from the brink of a worrying collapse and offer the retail sector a profitable future.

Some of these approaches follow the idea that came from Toronto and Copenhagen - of prioritizing procurement in the immediate hinterland of a town or city. This is already delivering benefits for farmers, consumers and for public organizations such as hospitals and schools. And in that vein, I understand this meeting today might lead to the consideration of a regional food initiative, here in Baden-Württemburg, that would, if I may say so, be wonderful as these sorts of examples are invaluable. They demonstrate that stakeholders are not powerless; they do have the ability to support more resilient and integrated food systems if they are prepared to act with a common purpose.

Prince Charles in Langenburg accompanied by his cousin Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (l.) and Princess Saskia of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (r.). Please note that the bakery is still called "Hof Conditorei", by appointment to the princely court [of Langenburg].

One of the presentations in a moment explores how we might capitalize on the sort of information technology that underpins social media websites these days. From what I understand and I am certainly not an expert, there is every chance this technology could transform the way food networks operate, so it would, perhaps, be wise to take such ideas seriously.

I realize only too clearlt that there is no one “magic bullet” solution to establishing a resilient and sustainable food system. Local food production is not the panacea. But we do need to redress the balance perhaps through carefully structured incentives and disincentives if we are to evolve food systems and food businesses so that people have what they most want, and Nature’s systems have what they most need to keep us all going, now and in the future.

In this regard we should perhaps pay particular attention to a recent agreement between the United Nations food and agriculture organisation and the international Slow Food movement. It is hugely encouraging, I think, and I would have thought also provides a most useful model to build on.

So Ladies and Gentleman I can only wish you well in your deliberations for the rest of the afternoon. Having joined you here today I will allow myself the hope that the ideas you are discussing at this forum will become the much needed practical behaviour of tomorrow.

Prince Charles' visit made front page headlines in Germany.

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Melbourne's grand royal opening

It is unbelievable, but today Melbourne's arch-republican daily newspaper The Age published a royalist article. Andrew Messenger recalls in Shoppers oblivious to royal memories his encounter with Prince Charles and - especially - Princess Diana:

"Flowers fell everywhere - posies of roses and carnations, dahlias and cornflowers (all collected later and distributed to hospitals). Children frolicked. The royal couple arrived in a black Rolls Royce 34 minutes late. This was to be one of the last legs in their tour, which included stops in Sovereign Hill and at Cockatoo, recently ravaged by the Ash Wednesday bushfires."

The royal couple were in town on their first visit to Australia after the royal wedding of 1981. On 14th April 1983 at 12.26pm they officially opened Bourke Street Mall.

Thank you Mr. Messenger, for sharing your memories with us.

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Indian Raja dies at the age of 100

Prince Charles, may be the oldest Prince of Wales on record, however, he cannot beat the record of another heir apparant. In what is today the Indian state of Kerala Puthiya Kovilakathu Sree Manavedan Raja, the Zamorin of Calicut, was 90 years old, when he ascended the throne in 2003. On the occassion of his passing way the Indian daily newspaper The Hindu reported, "Kunhianiyan, as he was lovingly referred to, died on Wednesday in a hospital here, barely a week after completing 100 years on March 22". India may have a republican constition, but the numerous royal families in India still play an important role in the cultural, religious and political life of the country.

The Zamorin of Calicut with Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor (Congress Party), former UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information.

"The Zamorins once ruled this port city, which had a prosperous harbour on the medieval Spice Route. Kunhali Marakkars, the admirals of the Zamorin, thwarted attempts by the Portuguese to dominate the region. But during the British period, the Zamorins were reduced to the position of landlords. But they retained their patronage of temples and mosques — and popular esteem.

"A fan of [cricket player] Sachin Tendulkar and a  Kathakali [Malayalam theatre] connossieur, an Ancient British History buff, author and an avid reader of The Hindu, Manavedan Raja was a simple man who took time to listen to all, and promoted communal harmony."

Zamorin of Calicut, P.K.S.Raja

Dr. E.K. Govinda Varma Raja wrote a biography of the Zamorin, titled The King Without A Crown, who as an officer of the Post and Telegraph Department, travelled widely, and had extended postings in the eastern parts of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, when it was still the British Raj. After retirement as a Deputy General Manager with BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, an Indian state-owned telecommunications company), he spent his years travelling the world till he ascended the throne in 2003.

As Zamorin he had few powers, but he was trustee to 40 temples from Chemanchery to Palakkad. He had a permanent seat on the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple’s managing committee. His family managed the Zamorin’s Guruvayurappan College, where the P.K.S Raja Centenary Research Centre, built at a cost of Rs. 1.5 crore (AU$ 265,000), was scheduled to be inaugurated this month.

Kerala's royal families have a very special succession law: The new rulers are always the sons of the deceased ruler's sister, never his own sons. This matrilinear line of succession is still in use to determine the Maharaja's of Travancore and Kochi. Were this succession law in place in Britain (and therefore in Australia) it would mean that Prince Charles' successor would be Princess Anne's son, Peter Philips.

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The Prince of Wales in the Sultanate of Oman

The British Government has asked Their Royal Highnesses Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, and Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall, to undertake a 9-day official visit to The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, The Emirate of Qatar, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and The Sultanate of Oman between 11th to 19th March 2013.

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall arrived in Oman on 17th March for the final leg of their overseas tour to the Middle East, having spent the morning in Jeddah.

His Majesty The Sultan of Oman Qaboos bin Said Al Saidat welcomed the royal couple at the Bayt al Baraka palace in Muscat.

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall witnessed a horse show and toured Nizwa Fort, which is located in the heart of Oman and dates back to the 12th Century. It is the country's most visited national monument.        

The Royal couple also paid a visit to the historic fort of Nizwa in the Governorate of  Dakhiliyah.
     

Prince Charles viewed the traditional irrigation system of the Sultanate, 'Aflaj', at the Niyabat of Birkat Al Mouz.

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"How do you know I'm not a radio station?"

The Prince of Wales was asked by an ITV crew about the news that the Duchess was discharged from the King Edward VII Hospital, having spent three nights there being treated for severe pregnancy sickness. Making a reference to the hoax call to the Duchess's hospital, when an Australian DJ pretended to be him, Prince Charles joked: "How do you know I'm not a radio station? I'm thrilled, marvellous. It's a very nice thought to become a grandfather in my old age, if I can say so." The comment was caught on camera and can be watched:


The Australian radio station that made a prank call to the hospital where the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge was staying had previously caused controversy by forcing a girl to admit she had been raped. (For details see The Daily Telegraph.)

Australia’s media watchdog, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) carried out an investigation and found the comments were deeply derogatory and offensive and amounted to a breach of the radio code of practice.

The prank was labelled "childish and embarrassing" by almost two-thirds of Australians in an online poll.

The AML issued a statement concerning the death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha:

The stress caused by the prank calls of 2DayFM presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian, who telephoned the King Edward VII Hospital posing as the Queen and Prince Charles in an endeavour to actually speak with The Duchess of Cambridge, seems to have resulted in the death, possibly by suicide, of Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse who was obviously terribly upset by the deception played on her. It is now no longer a 'prank' but a tragedy.

The Australian Monarchist League condemns any person whether in the media or otherwise making phone calls falsely pretending to be someone else, whether the person imitated is The Queen or Mrs Bloggs down the road.

League officials had personally encountered these sorts of hoax calls during the republican debate. It seems that radio presenters think that any monarchist or royal is fair game, regardless of the outcome.

We had already written to the Chief of Staff of the 2DayFM Studios requesting that this practice be banned.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Ms Saldanha and also to The Duchess of Cambridge who must, herself, be so obviously upset at the tragic outcome of this deception.

Philip Benwell

National Chair

Australian Monarchist League

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Prince Charles' green credentials reinforced

HRH The Prince of Wales has opened the UK's first commercial scale food waste to biogas anaerobic digestion (AD) facility to inject renewable gas directly into the grid in Dorset.

The facility is owned and operated by J V Energen, a joint venture between local farmers and the Duchy of Cornwall, set up to provide a renewable energy solution for the Duchy's development at Rainbarrow Farm, Poundbury.

Founded in 1337 the Duchy of Cornwall is a crown body principally responsible for managing the land and properties of the eldest son of the reigning monarch - currently Prince Charles.

The plant has already been generating electricity since April 2012, and according to the Duchy over the course of a year will export enough electricity for approximately 500 homes. At maximum capacity it is expected that the plant will provide enough gas for 56,000 new-build homes in the summer and 4000 in the winter.

To clean up the biogas produced by the AD plant and inject the resulting biomethane directly into the gas network, J V Energen contracted Scotia Gas Networks - which runs Southern Gas Networks and is responsible for the local gas distribution network.

Fit for a Prince
The Prince, who takes a keen interest in renewable energy, has been consulted at every stage of the project. His Royal Highness was taken on a tour of the plant, met the people behind the project and also unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion.

Addressing guests at the opening ceremony, he said: "As far as I am concerned it is a very exciting and encouraging day. I have been badgering the Duchy and others over the years to find a way of kick-starting the anaerobic digestion sector in this country.

"As we have quite a lot of people here from the Continent, you may well realise that in the Netherlands and Germany they are much further ahead on this front.

"I am particularly pleased and proud that we have been able today to launch this remarkable engineering feat of the first gas-to-grid operation."

The Duchy explained that it started looking at sustainable energy solutions for Poundbury in 2008 and work began work on the AD plant in June 2011.

The project was undertaken in two phases. Phase one was the development of the digester to generate electricity with technology supplied by German company Agraferm. This phase of the plant was completed in February 2012 and electrical generation began at the end of March.

The facility will use approximately 41,000 tonnes of food waste, maize and grass silage each year, which will be sourced from local farms and businesses, including Dorset Cereals and the House of Dorchester Chocolate Factory.

The Duchy claimed that in addition to providing an environmentally friendly waste disposal option and reducing levels of waste being sent to landfill, the plant produces a net carbon saving of around 4435 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent emissions a year.

Well connected

According to Scotia Gas Networks chief executive officer, John Morea, connecting distributed sources of renewable gas to the company's network is key part of its strategy, and central to decarbonising the UK's heat supplies.

"The UK's first successful commercial-scale gas-to-grid plant is an exciting development, demonstrating the ability of the AD industry to deliver large volumes of green gas into the grid for use today," commented Charlotte Morton, chief executive of the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association (ADBA).

According to Morton AD has the potential to generate £2 to 3 billion worth of green gas - equivalent to more than 10% of the UK's domestic gas demand - and support 35,000 jobs.

"The Poundbury plant demonstrates that biomethane to grid technology works at commercial scale now. With ten more plants scheduled to come online in the next 12 months, biomethane from AD should be recognised as the serious commercial energy proposition that it is," she added.

David Smith, chief executive of Energy Networks Association, representing the UK electricity and gas transmissions and distribution networks said that the facility represents a positive step towards greater use of green gas. "ENA, Scotia Gas Networks and the rest of our members support the use of biomethane injection but it is essential that barriers faced in many projects like Poundbury across the country are removed," explained Smith.

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Prince Charles left Australia with "great sadness"

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall’s visit to Australia for The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee has come to an end in Canberra on 10th November 2012.

Their Royal Highnesses have experienced everything from an Aussie barbie with outback cattlemen to the excitement of the Melbourne Cup during their six-day trip to the nation.

The royal couple ended their Diamond Jubilee visit in the capital Canberra where they renamed a section of road close to the striking Parliament House - Queen Elizabeth Terrace.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard welcomed The Prince and Duchess when they arrived at the thoroughfare which was lined with crowds and she paid tribute to The Queen's devotion to duty:

Your Royal Highnesses, I bid you a special welcome to our country and our capital.

To The Prince of Wales, you are a familiar visitor to these shores.

In you, the people of Australia know they have a true and sympathetic friend.

To The Duchess of Cornwall, I hope you have discovered the warmth of the Australian character and a land you will always feel welcome.

Since landing at Longreach on Monday, these have been days to explore and revisit the facets of our landscape and culture:

From the Outback, to the vineyards of South Australia, and the race that stops nation.

Now, we gather here in this capital to reflect on the bonds of history and affinity which made Australia the nation it is today.

The Father of Federation, Sir Henry Parkes, called it the “crimson thread of kinship” and the associations are all around us.

Not far from here is found the writing table Queen Victoria used to sign into law the Constitution that led to the creation of this capital.

Up on Capital Hill meets the Federal Parliament first inaugurated by King George V as Duke of Cornwall and York in 1901.

A quarter of a century later, another Duke of York came to open these old Parliament buildings – a shy prince who came to show the ‘heart and stomach of a king’.

Like Your Royal Highness, he too was accompanied by a gracious Duchess. Your beloved grandmother.

It is a story also inscribed in the streets and parks of this beautiful zone where, one by one, the East-West terraces have been named in recognition of our monarchs since Federation: Queen Victoria Terrace, King Edward Terrace, King George Terrace.

Today, the symmetry is made complete with the naming of Queen Elizabeth Terrace.

At the same time, the green space in front of Old Parliament House and two roads either side will stand in honour of Sir Henry Parkes reflecting the mix of ancient tradition and contemporary democracy that underpin our constitutional order.

This place will be a lasting tribute to Her Majesty The Queen on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee inscribed forever in the architecture of this capital.

It will remind future generations that for more than half of our journey as a united nation, Elizabeth the Second has been our monarch.

No-one in the history of our Federation has shared more consistently in the affairs of our Commonwealth or followed them with deeper interest and goodwill.

As Canberra prepares for its centenary, it is fitting that The Queen’s life of duty is given recognition here in our nation’s heart and her wisdom and dignity are honoured among the people she has so faithfully served.

I thank Your Royal Highnesses for sharing this commemoration with us.

And I know you will convey to Her Majesty the sentiments we share in naming this place today.

No Head of State could be more worthy of this honour, and no nation could more freely or gratefully bestow it.

The royal couple went on a brief walkabout in the newly-named terrace, meeting people who had been waiting patiently.

Sisters-in-law Crystal and Leanne Tunningley, 33, were ecstatic after meeting The Duchess. Crystal, 28, from Canberra, said: "Camilla was saying she loved being in Canberra and it was so sad that she had to go."

Later The Prince and Duchess held a private meeting with the Queen's representative in Australia, Governor General Quentin Bryce and her husband Michael.

The Prince then held a series of talks in the imposing Government House, first with Ms Gillard, and then the leader of the opposition Tony Abbott, who said "it was a real thrill" to meet the prince.

In the grounds of the historic building a Diamond Jubilee buffet lunch, among the guests were leading politicians, including former prime minister John Howard, broadcasters, business leaders, sports personalities and arts figures. Mrs Bryce said after her accession to the throne in 1952, The Queen showed remarkable qualities.

She said: "In the six decades since across times of extraordinary and constant change a symbol steadfast - dignity, strength, a source of courage and inspiration to so many people."

In a short speech The Prince praised the volunteering efforts of many Australians - something that reflected the theme of the Diamond Jubilee, service to others.

The Prince, who confessed they would leave Australia with "great sadness", said: "These are the people of course who provide a glue to such a, I think, diverse and energetic and determined society.

"And from that point of view it has been a real joy for my wife and I to help celebrate that wonderful aspect of society in Australia.

"To pay a tribute, for what it's worth, to all these marvellous people, and to just thank them for all they do to make Australia such a very special place."

Before leaving for New Zealand, the final leg of the Diamond Jubilee tour, the royal couple paid their respects to Australia's war dead at the nation's war memorial on the eve of Remembrance Sunday.

More than 100,000 men and women have died serving the Commonwealth country since the First World War and The Prince placed a floral tribute at the monument to recognise their ultimate sacrifice.

The Australian War Memorial in Canberra is an imposing sandstone-clad Byzantine style building with a copper-covered dome.

The royal couple walked into the Hall of Memories where the remains of a First World War serviceman are interred. At each corner of the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier stood a member of a ceremonial unit from the Australian Defence Force.

Above Their Royal Highnesses’ heads was an ornate dome and they were surrounded by lavishly decorated mosaic walls featuring more than six million coloured glass tiles in a design created by Australian artist Napier Waller. The Prince laid a large wreath on the tomb before the Last Post was sounded by a bugler and a minute's silence was observed.

In the memorial's open air commemorative area were written the names of Australia's fallen and the royal couple walked past the long lists stopping at the names of those who died on operations in Afghanistan. Before leaving the royals went on a brief walkabout to meet the crowds outside the memorial.

Even the Fairfax media acknowledged: Capital embrace a hit as royals leave their mark on the city.

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Prince Charles supports the Australian Wool Innovation

Leaping lambs are an everyday site on farms but The Prince of Wales had to contend with a much older woolly jumper as he highlighted Australia's world leading wool trade.

The Prince watched as a sheep almost jumped out of a pen in its desperation to follow the rest of the flock during a visit to a Tasmanian holding on 8th November.

The Prince had come to learn how the Thornbury family produced highly-prized merino wool, used to make luxury knitwear, jumpers and cloth for Italian suits, on their Leenavale Sheep Stud.

His Royal Highness was sporting a grey pin-stripe double-breasted suit by Anderson & Sheppard made from a rare quality of Australian Merino wool. The Prince did well to keep the mud off his expensive trousers when he was taken into a pen by Brent Thornbury who, with brother Jason, is the fourth generation of his family to run the sheep stud which covers 5,000 hectares and has around 12,000 merino sheep.

They watched as the sheep were moved along a narrow run into a pen before going into a shed where they would be sheared. One enthusiastic farm dog called Zig, an Australian kelpie, jumped up and ran on to the backs of the sheep, which then began leaping into the air.

Inside the shearing shed, The Prince and Mr Thornbury watched shearers expertly snip off fleeces in three minutes.

Lucy Byers, 35, was gathering up the wool and skilfully tossing it on to a table to be graded by other workers. The Prince tried his hand at throwing the fleece and sheepishly said afterwards: "I didn't do it to well".

His Royal Highness is Patron of the Campaign for Wool, a global community of sheep farmers, manufacturers and designers aimed at educating people about the benefits of wool in everyday use and fashion he launched in 2008 to help boost the wool trade which was experiencing a drop in demand and falling prices. On 9th September 2011 the RadicalRoyalist had written on His Royal Highness' efforts: Prince Charles helps to promote Aussie wool,

The Prince mentioned the jumping sheep when he met well-wishers later in the Tasmanian city of Hobart during a brief walkabout in torrential rain.

A six-month-old trainee guide dog called Indi caught his eye and he joked with her handler Melanie Rowe, saying: "How do you stop them cocking their legs?"

Ms Rowe replied: "We were more worried about her jumping up," and The Prince said: "It's bad enough with merino sheep." Brent Thornbury said after showing The Prince around his stud: "He was great, very laid-back and interested in what we were doing."

He described how The Prince has his own holding where he breeds rare sheep, saying: "He's got a fair patch of his own and was very interested in having a look at what we do and the wool in general."

One day later The Prince also spent his day in Sydney highlighting the Australian wool industry at a Farm to Fashion event at the Museum of Contemporary Art. On the roof of the building which overlooked Sydney Harbour Bridge were fashion designers, retailers, students, wool growers and two merino sheep, prized for their fine wool, and a lamb.

The Prince again wore a suit made from Tasmanian merino wool and spent almost an hour chatting to people involved in various aspects of the textile industry.

His Royal Highness launched his own initiative, The Prince's Campaign for Wool in 2010 to promote the benefits of wool as a natural and sustainable fabric and to help struggling sheep farmers.

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Meet the Royal Couple in Canberra

SATURDAY 10th NOVEMBER 2012

CANBERRA

11.40 am THR will arrive at the Queen Elizabeth Terrace, Parkes where they will unveil a plaque naming Queen Elizabeth Terrace

1.55 pm TRHs will attend a Diamond Jubilee Buffet Lunch, given by the Governor-General

3.45 pm TRHs will arrive at the Australian War Memorial

HisRH will lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier


Following which TRHs will leave for New Zealand

by RNZAF B757 Aircraft

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Meet the Royal Couple in Sydney

FRIDAY 9th NOVEMBER 2012

SYDNEY

10.00 am TRHs will leave by Admiral's Barge for Garden Island where HisRH will inspect the Federation Guard and Royal Australian Navy Band

11.40 am HisRH will arrive at the Museum of Contemporary Art where he will attend a Campaign for Wool event

11.40 am HerRH will arrive at the Victoria Barracks and will be escorted to Victoria Barracks Parade Ground. HerRH will be appointed as the Colonel-In-Chief Royal Australian Corps of Military Police

12.55 pm HisRH will arrive at the Bondi Icebergs, Bondi where he will attend a Reception given by the Premier of New South Wales to meet NSW Emergency Services Personnel

1.25 pm HerRH will arrive at Government House Sydney where she will attend a Women of the World Reception

2.00 pm HisRH will arrive at the Bondi Bathers' Lifesaving Club, Bondi

6.00 pm TRHs will arrive at the Sydney Opera House by Admiral’s Barge where they will attend a Diamond Jubilee Reception given by the Governor of New South Wales.

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Second day in Melbourne for Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla

The Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School in Southbank, Melbourne. The young drummers started a noisy welcome beat for the royal couple.

HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall arrived in a car with the Australian coat of arms and a no. 1 on the number plate. Nothing could have been more appropriate for the future King and Queen of Australia.

After spending about an hour inside the school building the royal couple came across the street to greet the small, but enthusiastic crowd of spectators. HRH Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall, charmed the Melburnians with her natural friendliness. She took time to chat with a couple of the crowd.

And then she was introduced to Bert, the French bulldog, who had already met HRH Prince Charles on the previous day at the Australian Tapestry Workshop.

Bert not only attracted the attention of the royal couple, but the media people were beside themselves when Their Royal Highnesses took delight in meeting Bert.

Thanks to Neville's quick writing this blog can give a firsthand account of Bert's encounter with the Duchess of Cornwall:

"After the success of meeting the Prince of Wales yesterday, I was not getting my hopes up for an equally fortunate day today. I was also very tired this morning (Bert was so exhausted from yesterday that he snored loud enough to wake the dead for most of the night). But after a quick breakfast we were ready to head back into town. We got on the train, which was packed with people on their way to work. Bert sat quietly at my feet; he's an old hand at train travel. We got to the National Gallery of Victoria just before 9:00 am with plenty of time to spare. The Premier's press release said the Duchess was accompanying the Prince to his engagement at the National Gallery, even though she was due to host a reception at Government House for Osteoporosis Australia. A member of Victoria Police confirmed that the Duchess was not accompanying the Prince. Nearby a member of the royal party heard my question and came over and told me that the Duchess was not going to join the Prince on his next engagement either; a visit to the Victoria College of the Arts Secondary School. I told her that I was a bit frustrated at the lack of information about the royal couple's itinerary. She agreed and said she did not know why things were so disorganised.

"As we had nearly an hour to fill in, I took Bert for a walk through the nearby gardens. We started at the Alexandra Gardens, cut through the Queen Victoria Gardens and ended up in King's Domain. On the way we passed the very impressive statues of King Edward VII and King George V. We even met another French Bulldog. His name was Gary and he could have been Bert's twin. At the gates of Government House I could see the Prince of Wales standard flying at the gate. Over Government House itself, however, the Governor of Victoria's standard was flying (well, it was actually hanging very limply in the listless breeze, but that does not sound very impressive). The Prince of Wales may be the future King of Australia, but the Governor of Victoria still outranks him when it comes who gets the main flagpole. Soon we were back at the National Gallery of Victoria. I remembered other royal visitors I had seen here over the years. In 1987 there was Queen Margrethe II, Prince Henrik and Prince Joachim of Denmark. Then in 2005 Crown Princess Victoria paid a visit (I wanted to say "welcome to the National Gallery of Victoria, Victoria, Victoria", but settled instead on a simple "welcome to Melbourne Your Royal Highness.")

"A small crowd had assembled, including a group of members of the British Parachute Regiment who now live in Australia. The Prince is their Colonel-In-Chief and he asked to see them. Also, a large group a school children was hijacked from their visit to the gallery to join the waiting crowd. Promptly at 10:00am the Prince of Wales arrived. Bert and I stood up the back to enjoy the atmosphere and watch him interact with the crowd, and, after remembering my phone, I even took a couple of photos. The Prince went into the gallery and the crowd began to disperse. I happened to walk past the member of the royal party I had spoken to earlier. She told me it was definite that the Duchess of Cornwall was not going to join the Prince at the school. I was very disappointed by this, but given their poor track record with accurate information, I decided to still go to the school and see what happened. I am very pleased that I did.

On the way to meeting a Duchess: Bert and his owner

"It took about ten minutes to walk to the school, and when we arrived there were only about ten people waiting, including our very own Radical Royalist (whose itinerary information was spot on). A very friendly Acting Sergeant came over to see what we were up to. I asked him if the Duchess was coming to the school with the Prince, "which Duchess?" he asked with a grin. "Yes", he confirmed, the Duchess was expected with the Prince. He then told us that "Royal Protocol" dictated that we could not take photos or talk to the royal couple. I think my somewhat incredulous expression surprised him, so he went off to confirm this odd regulation. He was back very quickly and told us to ignore what he had just said. Outside the school there was a troupe of drummers ready to beat a welcome to the royal couple, the media was all lined up, and about a dozen or so people, mainly from nearby offices, waited for the big moment. In a flash they arrived. The Duchess of Cornwall was most definitely in the car so I relaxed and got ready to enjoy the arrival. But, no; an Australian Federal Police (AFP) officer decided then to ask about Bert (calling him Killer). By the time we finished chatting the Prince and Duchess were inside the school. Never mind, I thought, there was still a chance of meeting them as they left.

"The Prince and Duchess spent about an hour in the school, but soon enough signs of activity indicated that they were about to depart. We were allowed to move out onto road and get closer to the car (by now the crowd had swelled to about twenty people). The Duchess came out first and headed straight for the car. For a brief disappointing second it seemed they were going to make a hasty departure for the airport (their next stop was Adelaide). But a few people in the crowd started yelling CAMILLA and, after a moment's hesitation, the Duchess headed over to say hello, followed close behind by the Prince. The media began to press in and I was again worried that the Duchess would not make it down to where Bert and I were waiting. So I picked up Bert, who seemed a bit surprised, and hoped for the best. Another AFP officer told me to stand back, but seemed content for Bert to be held up. Almost immediately the Duchess spotted Bert and came over to see him. She said hello to me, and shook my hand. I said "Hello, Your Royal Highness", but it was Bert who had her attention. "This is Bert" I told her. "Hello Bertie" she said as told her his name is Bert, and the Duchess patted him on the head and said "hello Bertie". She then told me that she used to have a Boston Terrier, and then went back to tickle Bert under his chin. I explained to her that Bert had met the Prince yesterday, but he really wanted to meet her. She seemed pleased and started to move on. At this point Bert started to get fidgety (he does not like be held) and with a quick twist he wormed himself free and dropped to the ground with a thud: right at the feet of the Prince of Wales (completely unhurt; he may be 15 kilos but he bounces like a ball). The Prince looked surprised and said "what was that?", he then glanced up and saw me. "Just us again", I told him, "Bert wanted to come and see the Duchess". He laughed a little and moved on. I don't think the Prince is, at heart, as much of a dog person as the Duchess obviously is. The royal couple got into their car, and with a final wave from both the Prince and Duchess, they departed for the airport.

The media loved the story of a Monarchist dog meeting the Duchess of Cornwall. Neville was quizzed by The Age's Tony Wright (right).

"Then the real madness broke out. Bert and I were swamped by reporters and photographers, all wanting to know his name and breed. There was a TV interview (which, thankfully, did not make it to the evening news) and a press interview (which did make it online). I was a bit worried that all the attention might go to his head, but Bert coped well. Finally, after our very busy morning, we were able to head for home. Bert has been sound asleep for several hours now, snoring deeply. He was dreaming about ten minutes ago, no doubt about his royal encounters, and his new-best-friend-forever, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall."

Tony Wright's article in The Age agreed, that "the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall devoted their visit to Melbourne on Wednesday to matters that consume their hearts - and while doing it, won the heart of a little dog.

The Duchess, who said she had watched her mother die in agony from osteoporosis - a disease that causes bones to become brittle and easily fracture - attended a reception at Government House intended to raise awareness of the disease.

It was, she said, the first thing she was determined to do when she knew she was coming to Australia.

The Prince, for decades a proponent of sustainable design for housing and community, took himself off to the Housing Melbourne Symposium at the National Gallery of Victoria to applaud Melbourne's architecture, the preservation of its tram system and the creation of new urban areas for community enjoyment. 'You have done a tremendous job in preserving the past and creating well-loved and well-used urban spaces in the present day,' he said. 'Unlike most cities around the world, Melbourne kept its tram system and improved it and is now considered a global leader.'

... members of the public stood in the street, but when the duchess - who owns Boston terriers - spied a French bulldog, she stooped to pat it. The dog's name, according to owner Neville Condron, a Coburg resident enthused by all things royal, was Bert.

'''Bertie,' cooed the duchess, possibly recalling Prince Charles's grandfather, and the re-named Bertie reciprocated by licking her hand.

'''Yes, Camilla was quite taken with Bert and Bert was quite taken with her,' said Mr Condron. Indeed, 'Bertie' had met Prince Charles during a function in South Melbourne only the day before, and the prince, giving the mutt a pat, had opined that 'one of these days, I'll get my hand taken off'.

'''Bert's more likely to lick your hand off,' Mr Condron said."

This is, what the Herald Sun had to say about this morning:

Camilla makes a good impression

"The duchess has been warmly welcomed at official events and has happily chatted with the small crowds that have turned out to greet her since arriving in Australia on Monday.

"'Camilla just seems so relaxed, people are warming to her and I think it's been long enough for memories to fade a little bit and I think she's off to a really good start.

"'I think Australians would like her sense of humour and enjoy the way she dresses. She's very relaxed with the crowd.

"'I think she's great and they look so happy together. It's a good thing.'

"Mr Condron took his French bulldog, Bert, to meet the royal couple, and the duchess was especially taken.

"'The duchess said she used to keep Boston terriers, which are a similar looking dog, not as cute as French bulldogs though, and she was just very taken with him and gave him a good pat and called him Bertie,' he said.

"'He was enjoying himself. He'll sleep well tonight.'"

Pia Akerman had this to write in The Australian

Trams and puppies the royal highlights

"Melbourne has won a place in Prince Charles' heart for its trams and architecture, but it's the canine residents which have brought a smile to Camilla's face.


"The Duchess of Cornwall meanwhile - known for her love of animals - has been keen to meet some of the dogs of Melbourne which had travelled with their owners for a glimpse of the royal couple.

"Outside a youth arts performance this morning, Camilla made a beeline for Bert the French bulldog, proudly held aloft by his owner Neville Condron.

"'I said, 'Don't worry, Bert would lick your hand off,"' Mr Condron said. 'She was very taken with him, and he was very taken with her.'
"The duchess told Mr Condron she had bred Boston terriers, similar to the French bulldog."

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Meet the Royal Couple in Tasmania

THURSDAY 8th NOVEMBER 2012


HOBART

12.10 pm TRHs will arrive at Richmond and will walk along Bridge Street

to the Woodcraft Shop

They will then proceed to Richmond Arms Hotel and will then walk along Edward Street to St Luke’s Anglican Church where they will plant a tree

1.05 pm HerRH will arrive at the Mill House where she will attends Reception with Tasmanian Rural Women

1.20 pm HisRH will arrive at the Leenavale Sheep Stud, Sorell where he will attends a luncheon in conjunction with the Campaign for Wool

2.40 pm HisRH will arrive and board the Aurora Australis (TBC)

3.50 pm TRHs will arrive at Salamanca Place, Hobart where they will walk along Salamanca Place visiting shops to Princess Wharf 1

4.05 pm THRs will attend a Diamond Jubilee Reception.

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Meet the Royal Couple in Adelaide

WEDNESDAY 7th NOVEMBER 2012


ADELAIDE

1.20 pm TRHs are scheduled to arrive in Adelaide where they will proceed to the Kilkenny Primary School

2.45 pm THRs will arrive at Penfolds Winery

3.40 pm Arrive at Adelaide Convention Centre

5.00 pm TRHs will attend Diamond Jubilee Reception

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Prince Charles in Melbourne

His Royal Highness Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, had his first encounter with Melburnians on this tour. This morning he visited the Australian Tapestry Workshop in South Melbourne and a fairly large crowd welcomed him, a well-orchestrated choir sang "We love you" and it seemed: They really meant it.

His Royal Highness received several bouquets of flowers and on his way inside chatted with bystanders.

The media scrum waiting for HRH's arrival.

Even when meeting royalty, Australians are casual.

Victorian Premier Ted Ballieu and his wife welcomed Prince Charles at the Australian Tapestry Workshop.

During the visit The Prince met children working on a joint project between the Australian Tapestry Workshop and his Prince's School of Traditional Arts.

His Royal Highness sat down amongst the local youngsters who had made a large geometric piece of artwork and spent a few minutes listening to them explain how they produced their work.

Find the prince... He is in there, somewhere!


Before leaving Prince Charles crossed the street to chat once again with members of the crowd.

Here's a report from Neville. He gave permission to post it.
Many thanks, Neville, and great you had a wonderful time in South Melbourne.

"After a humid, restless night of little sleep (thanks in no small part to my dog Bert snoring loud enough to wake the dead), I got up feeling tired and fractious. It was not hot this morning, just overcast and muggy. I decided to take Bert with me as he enjoys a good outing. So we got the train into Spencer Street and walked to South Melbourne, arriving with about an hour to spare before the Prince arrived. There were already people milling about, along with media crews and several Victoria Police officers. Bert and I settled down and I started to play "spot the undercover detective": it was not very difficult as they are pretty obvious. Eventually is was time to claim a position, and we got quite close to the front. There were lots of other dogs (some mutt in the front row got all the attention, but it was nowhere near as cute as my Bert). Soon enough there was a roar of motorcycles as the Victoria Police motorcycle squad arrived. Don't get me wrong, I think motorcycle outriders are a great way to escort a royal guest, but a dozen of them? No matter, before we knew it the Prince of Wales had arrived. There was a Christian group who started a chant of "we love you", complete with hand actions. I don't think the Prince quite knew what to make of them. The Prince made his way into the Australian Tapestry Workshop (stopping to pat the aforementioned mutt). I held Bert up for a look (he can be seen in some of the news reports, with his tongue hanging out), and he snorted and sneezed, all over the shoulder of a young man in front of me.

"Once he was inside we made our way around the corner to where the Prince would depart. We got a good spot in the front row next to the car. I don't think the officials had expected such a large crowd and I noticed the police were in a little huddle discussing what to do. Then, to my disappointment, we were all told to go out onto the street. I did not move fast enough and ended up about ten metres away from the car. Then, with perfect timing, it started to rain. All these fair weather royalists ran for cover (I just want to say that I consider such actions unspeakably soft: a little bit of rain never hurt anyone). Giant gaps appeared along the road and Bert and I made our move. We nabbed a perfect position just opposite the royal car. There was no guarantee that the Prince would do a walkabout, particularly as it was now raining, but I was still happy to get a good view to wave goodbye. Before long the Premier of Victoria appeared at the door, so we knew the Prince would be out in a moment. An officious woman from Government House (who earlier was most unfriendly when I asked her from where the car would depart) unfurled the Prince of Wales standard on the front of the car. A woman, about two metres away from me, started yelling "CHARLES, COME OVER HERE", and, to my surprise, it seemed to work (probably helped by the rain stopping).

Bert, the media star dog.

"The Prince headed over to meet the crowd. He looked very tired, but was in good form chatting and laughing with everyone. He was wearing his remembrance poppy, and the lapel pin of a Knight of the Order of Australia. A woman told him how much she admires the work he has done at Poundbury and he seemed genuinely pleased. He stopped in front of me and shook my hand. "Welcome back to Melbourne, Your Royal Highness" I said. He looked at my backpack, and the chap behind me who also wore a backpack, and asked; "Are you cyclists? You're all carry those great big things on your backs". I told him I use mine to hold my dog's water and water bowl. He looked down at Bert and I said "this is Bert, Sir", "Bert?" he replied (at this stage Bert, not very impressed, was standing with his bum pointed at the Prince". The Prince then said "one of these days one of them is going to take off my hand." I reassured him that Bert was more likely to lick off his hand. He then moved on, and a young man behind me, holding up a copy of a book on the restoration of Dumfries House, congratulated him on all he had done for the house. The Prince looked really chuffed.

"Then it was all over. The motorcycles were revving up, the car had crawled to the corner, and the officials were winding things up. The Prince got into the car and headed off for his next engagement at the MCG. Bert and I headed back to Spencer Street, stopping at a little park for Bert to prepare himself for the train trip home. I turned my back for a couple of seconds, and Bert went straight into the Yarra River. It is a little known fact that French Bulldogs cannot swim; they are top heavy and sink like a stone. I had images of having dive in to rescue him. But luckily he kept his foothold and came out when I called him. So all in all it was a very eventful morning. Bert is now sound asleep, oblivious to the fact that he has already appeared in a couple of news bulletins."

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