Oh baby, what a majestic send-off! Kate steals the show at Trooping the Colour ceremony with a dazzling last appearance before leaving the limelight

The Duchess of Cambridge travelled to the pageant in a carriage with the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry
Trio smiled and waved at the crowds lining the route as the carriage drove to the televised military spectacle
Royal family gathered on balcony on Buckingham Palace to watch spectacular RAF fly-past
After ceremony Queen paid a 'private and quiet' visit to her husband Prince Philip, who is recovering from surgery

By IAN GALLAGHER

The queen was surrounded by members of her family, who watched a Royal Air Force fly pass by on the balcony of Buckingham Palace

In many ways it was a very familiar Royal balcony tableau.
Prince William and Kate giggled and flirted. The Queen, striking in blue, acknowledged the spectacular fly-past with a beatific smile.
There was some good-natured tomfoolery from Prince Harry, who made his sister-in-law laugh with a tickling gesture. And there was even a mildly recalcitrant child, Prince Edward’s five-year-old son James, Viscount Severn, who couldn’t resist making faces.

Patriotic: The Red Arrows trial red, white and blue smoke as they fly over Buckingham Palace, seen from the rear

But the glaring omission from yesterday’s line-up at the Queen’s official birthday celebrations was, of course, the Duke of Edinburgh, who is still recovering from abdominal surgery. Without his bolstering presence, the scene appeared incomplete.
No sooner had she dispensed her final wave, though, than Her Majesty was off to visit her husband in hospital.
But if the day belonged to the 87-year-old Monarch, all eyes were on the eight-months-pregnant Duchess of Cambridge, making her last public appearance before the birth of her first child.
Before the balcony appearance, Kate watched proudly as her husband took part in the traditional Trooping the Colour on horseback as Colonel of the Irish Guards.

The Joker: Always eager to please, Harry makes Camilla and Kate chuckle during the celebrations

Wearing a pale pink Alexander McQueen coat with pearl buttons and matching hat, she had travelled to the pageant in a carriage with the Duchess of Cornwall and Harry, smiling and waving at the crowds lining the route.
Other senior Royals also arrived in carriages before the Queen made her entrance, travelling with her cousin, the Duke of Kent, in a glass coach for the short journey from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade.
The Queen, dressed in a royal blue Angela Kelly coat and hat with a matching lace dress, took the salute as her family – including the Duke of York and his daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex with their daughter Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor – looked on.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were dressed in smart outfits and dainty hats as they attended their grandmother's official birthday celebrations. Princess Eugenie's elaborate headwear was designed by Sarah Cant

After the parade ended, the Queen was cheered as she was driven back to Buckingham Palace, and the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired a 41-gun salute in Green Park.
It is thought to be only the third time that Philip has missed the event after not attending in 1962 and 1968 when he was away on royal tours.
She first took the royal salute in 1951 - when she deputised for her sick father, George VI - and has continued receiving the mark of respect every year except 1955 when there was a national rail strike.

Prince Harry, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William share a joke as they gathered with other members to celebrate the grand ceremony

Other royals watching included the Duke of York and his daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex with their daughter Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor.
Taking part in the ceremony on horseback are the Prince of Wales - who is Colonel of the Welsh Guards, the Princess Royal - who is Colonel of the Blues and Royals, and the Duke of Cambridge - who is Colonel of the Irish Guards.
More than 1,000 soldiers, horses and musicians are taking part in the parade known as 'Trooping the Color,' an annual ceremony marking the queen's official birthday.
The ceremony is also an important social occasion for the Guardsmen taking part and gives their wives, girlfriends, and relatives the chance to celebrate the achievements of the young men and enjoy the spectacle.
Many of the spectators in the stands overlooking the parade ground were dressed in morning suits or smart suits, while women wore dresses topped with hats and fascinators.
After the parade ended, the Queen was cheered by crowds gathered along the Mall as she was driven back to Buckingham Palace, where she watched an aerial display by the RAF.

source: dailymail
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Duchess of Cambridge in final preparations for Palace nursery as she is pictured on shopping trip at high-end designers with just five weeks until Royal baby is due

By MARK DUELL

Purchases: The Duchess of Cambridge was pictured shopping with a woman believed to be her lady-in-waiting

With only five weeks to go until her due date, it's time to ensure her home is ready for the new arrival.
The Duchess of Cambridge has been pictured shopping with a woman thought to be a lady-in-waiting for soft furnishings at the high-end interiors specialist Bernard Thorp in Chelsea, south-west London.
The visit last Tuesday saw 31-year-old Kate spend 45 minutes inside the shop to decorate the new nursery at Kensington Palace in central London, less than six weeks before her due date of July 13.

Upmarket store: Kate, 31, went shopping at interiors specialist Bernard Thorp in Chelsea, south-west London

Just hours earlier she had been with her husband Prince William, 30, and around 2,000 other guests at Westminster Abbey for a grand service to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation.
There she wore a delicate daisy lace dress with silver-grey ribbon detail and a soft peach shantung jacket with nude heels, before changing into a navy blue dress and magenta cardigan for her shop.

The front of the store was decked out in light blue, but there was no indication that she bought the colour. It was in fact reported that Kate picked out beige and brown English handmade fabrics inside.
‘Kate was fascinated by all the designs and picked out two,’ a source told the Daily Star Sunday. ‘She had very definite ideas about what she liked. It was boiling hot outside so the door was open.

Non-specific: The front of the fashionable store in south-west London was decked out in light blue

‘She was feeling the heat so we sat her down with a glass of water. The Duchess was charming and so lovely. She didn’t put on any airs or graces. She said she’d got so many ideas after coming in.’

Choices: She picked out beige and brown English handmade fabrics at the shop, according to a newspaper

Walking away: Kate has one more scheduled official public engagement before she goes on maternity leave

Last week: The Duchess of Cambridge (top centre) arrives with Prince William (top right) and Prince Harry (right), and (left-to-right) Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Prince Philip and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, for a service celebrating the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's coronation at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday

The Duchess has one more scheduled official public engagement before she goes on maternity leave, when she names a ship on Thursday in Southampton, Hampshire.
Kate will also attend Trooping the Colour next week to mark the Queen’s birthday - and is debating whether to join William at the Order of the Garter ceremony in Windsor a few days later.
Bernard Thorp, which was founded in 1971, says on its website that its ‘hand screen printed fabrics and wall coverings are of impeccable quality with an ethos of service second to none'.

source: dailymail
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