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Edited to add: The baby girl is 6.4 pounds and 19 inches long. From the official DRF website.

Resplendent jewels and gowns glimmered brightly during the gala performance at the Concert Hall in honor of Margrethe last Saturday (1-14) evening. Alexandra arrived in brilliant red, topped off by her Alexandrine Diamond Drop Tiara (Queen Margrethe gave the tiara to her then-daughter-in-law as a wedding present. Alexandra kept the tiara after her divorce from Prince Joachim).

Members of the family in attendance for the concert included:

• Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary

• Prince Joachim and his sons Nikolai and Felix (Marie remained at home with little Henrik)

• The Queen’s sisters, Princess Benedikte (w/ husband Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg) and Queen Anne-Marie (w/ husband the former King Constantine)

• The Queen’s  nieces and nephews from the Berleberg family and Greek royal family

• The Rosenborgs, cousins of the Queen

Other dignitaries included Danish government officials and the heads of state for the Scandinavian countries: the President of Finland, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, and Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway (see the full list).

Image via Wikipedia

It’s 2012, and there are royal babies on the way!

HRH Princess Marie, wife of Denmark’s Prince Joachim, is expecting her second child later this January. The baby will be Queen Margrethe’s eighth grandchild.

In Sweden, Crown Princess Victoria (left) and her husband, Prince Daniel, are expecting their first child this March. Their baby will be the first grandchild for King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

In England, Autumn Phillips, wife of the Queen’s eldest grandson, Peter, is expecting her second child in late spring/early summer. Autumn and Peter’s first child, Savannah, was born in December 2010. Little Savannah is the first great-grandchild of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.

Of course, the world is awaiting the announcement of a pregnancy from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Some expect it to be any day, some think an announcement may come later. No matter when it happens, we will be very happy for Prince William and his bride, Catherine.

The Duke and Duchess married in their late twenties and Catherine – who turns 30 this month – has taken time to fit into royal life. This is quite the opposite situation of William’s mother, the late Princess of Wales. Diana had just turned 20 years old at the time of her wedding to Prince Charles, and she gave birth to William the following year.

I wish Wills and Kate the best, and no matter when they choose to have a child, it will be a very lucky baby, indeed.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

This has been a banner year for Her Majesty. After two royal weddings and several successful tours, she now looks forward to her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

Throughout the year, many events kept Her Majesty busy. We take a look back at 2011 in review:

January

• 10^th: Singer Charlotte Church apologizes for referring to the Queen as ‘an old woman [who] has no idea what’s going on’. The Queen, who at almost 85 is one of the most experienced leaders in the world, wasn’t bothered in the slightest. People begin asking, “Charlotte who? Casiraghi?”

February

• 24th: Official visit to Wales by Prince William to introduce his fiancée and future Queen consort, Catherine Middleton.

March

• 17^th -18th: Prince William undertakes an official visit to New Zealand, representing The Queen.
• 19^th -21^st: Prince William continues on an official visit to Australia.

April

• 21^st: The Queen turns 85.
• 23^rd: The christening of Savannah Phillips, Elizabeth’s first great-grandchild.

• 29th: Her grandson and eventual heir, Prince William, marries Catherine. They become the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

May

• 3^rd – 5th: The Prince of Wales represents Her Majesty on a visit to the United States.
• 17th – 20th: State Visit to Ireland by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.
• 24th – 26th: State Visit from the President of the United States and Mrs. Obama. The President and First Lady also meet with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
  

June

• 2^nd: The 58^th anniversary of Her Majesty’s coronation.
• 10^th: Prince Philip celebrates his 90^th birthday.
• 11^th: Her Majesty’s official birthday and Trooping the Color.
• 30^th: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge begin their extensive tour of Canada, representing the Queen.

July

• 1st – 8th: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge continue their Canadian tour, with a brief stop in Los Angeles, California in the USA.
• 11th: The year was darkened by the loss of a lovely man. The Queen’s first cousin, Lord Harewood, dies at age 88.
• 30th: The Queen’s eldest granddaughter, Zara Phillips, marries rugby captain Mike Tindall in Scotland.
  

August

• 15^th: Iranian media was caught publishing fake stories about an anti-monarchy uprising in the UK. The Guardian reports that the press for the Islamic regime used photos of the miners’ strike of 1984, a bloodied man who was involved in a football skirmish in 2010, among others, to pretend that there were anti-monarchy riots across Britain.
  

September

• 12^th: The BBC presents The Queen’s Palaces, a three-part landmark television series hosted by Fiona Bruce.

October

• 19th – 29th: The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh tour Australia. A protocol controversy brews upon being met at the airport by Prime Minister Julia Gellard, who bowed instead of curtseying. The rest of the tour is a smashing success.

November

• 2nd: Working visit to Copenhagen by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. They meet with Crown Prince Frederik and his wife, Crown Princess Mary.
• 20th: The Queen and Prince Philip celebrate their 64th wedding anniversary.

• 22nd – 24th: The President of the Republic of Turkey and Mrs. Gül paid a State Visit to the UK as the guests of Queen Elizabeth II.

December

• The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh host one of the largest royal gatherings at Sandringham in years. A brief scare ensues when Prince Philip suffers chest pains and is taken to a nearby hospital. The Duke turns out to be fine, but requires a stent to open a blocked coronary artery.

Queen gets special brooch from Canadian regiment
From CTV.ca
TORONTO — The Queen has some new finery on hand after a Manitoba regiment presented her with a dazzling jewelled brooch to mark her upcoming Diamond Jubilee. The brooch was commissioned by the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, of which the Queen …
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Suffolk: Communities across the county are preparing to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee
East Anglian Daily Times
Communities across Suffolk are already preparing to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by lighting beacons.

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‘UK Queen’s jubilee no tourist boost’
Press TV
Supporters of the British Queen’s diamond jubilee have lost their only financial justification for the costly ceremonies to go ahead now that the UK tourist authority said no tourism boost is in view. The British government’s plans for what …

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New race added to Balmoral event
Deeside Today
A new event has been added to the hugely popular RunBalmoral programme to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee next year. The new TAQA Bratani mile, which is open to runners of all ages, is to be held along with the Petrofac Challenge 15 mile run on …

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Airport bosses back city status bid
Yorkshire Post
A BID to win city status for Doncaster in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year has been given the backing of an airport boss who said it would help drive tourism in the region. Steve Gill, who took over from previous Robin Hood Airport director Mike Morton …

The Awards ceremony, held in New York City on November 1st, included the presentation of 21 awards to emerging artists in theater, dance and film, as well as the Prince Rainier III Award, presented to Julie Andrews.

Some of the stunning tributes to Princess Grace by Montblanc, the creator of fine writing instruments, are seen below [click to enlarge]:

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene were joined by a cadre of celebrities. Attendees included:

Anne Hathaway and Carlo Giordanetti

Julie Andrews

Martha Wainwright and Rufus Wainwright

Petra Nemcova

Selita Ebanks and CEO of Montblanc North America Jan-Patrick Schmitz

That afternoon, a reception and lunch was hosted by the Governor-General for the royal couple.

October 24th was an “away day” in Brisbane. The Queen and the Duke hopped aboard a river boat and traveled up the Brisbane River to Southbank. Once ashore, they visited the Queensland Performing Arts Center.

That afternoon, the royals met with emergency response personnel and members of the communities affected by the floods. The Queen and Prince Philip attended a re-dedication Ceremony of Rainforest and the opening of Rain Bank.

The Queen and Prince Philip were back in Canberra on Tuesday, October 25th. They visited the Australian War Memorial and viewed the Afghanistan Memorial, where the Queen placed a wreath. Later, the royal couple met with Australian Defense Force Personnel at Orientation Hall.

October 26th: Prince Philip and The Queen participated in another Away Day, this time in Melbourne, where they opened the Royal Children’s Hospital. That afternoon they toured Melbourne, starting with a visit to the Ian Potter Centre, National Gallery of Victoria; a walk through Federation Square and a ride on a Melbourne Tram; attended a reception hosted by the Governor of Victoria at Government House. The Queen was resplendent in pink throughout.

After the Away Day activities, The Queen and The Duke departed Melbourne for Perth.

On Thursday, October 27th, the royals paid a visit to Clontarf Aboriginal College. The Duke of Edinburgh was especially keen to see the sporting facilities. Afterwards, they attended a Garden Party at Government House, where the Queen turned out in her second stunning turquoise and white ensemble for the day.

Approximately one hundred students from across Western Australia lined a path to the lower gardens, when the Duke stopped to chat. Philip asked why the students were in pairs, and when told it was because they were the head boys and girls, he said in his typical blunt fashion: “It’s obvious they didn’t choose the attractive ones then”. (!)

Premier Colin Barnett was pleased to have the royal visitors come to the country, and he thanked the Queen and Prince Philip for visiting WA and presented the royals with a gift – a book of drawings of wild flowers from the Eastern Goldfields by Phillipa Nikulinsky.

October 28th: Her Majesty arrived at the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The opening featured a vast array of leaders from around the world: 25 Prime Ministers, 10 Presidents, five Vice-Presidents, two Deputy Prime Ministers, one High Commissioner, a lord and the Sultan of Brunei.

“I have had the good fortune, together with Prince Philip, to attend many CHOGMs over many years. Their importance has always been in precise relationship to their relevance: always being attuned to the issues of the day, and always looking to the future with a sense of vision and practical action to match. In your deliberations over the days ahead, you have the encouragement of the whole Commonwealth to maintain this vital tradition.” – The Queen’s speech at the CHOGM

That evening, the royal couple attended a banquet at the Pan Pacific Hotel. For this occasion, the Queen busted out her best parure for the occasion – the brilliant aquamarine set in honor of the brilliantly blue ocean that surrounds Australia.

These gems are gifts from Brazil. The earrings and matching necklace were a Coronation gift to The Queen from the President and People of Brazil in 1953.

The stones sit inside a diamond and platinum setting. A few years later, in 1958, a bracelet and matching brooch were presented to The Queen by the Brazilian Government as a matching set to the original Coronation presents. Elizabeth then requested that royal jeweler Garrard complete the parure with a stunning tiara.

On Saturday, October 29th, the Queen and the Duke were feted by the Australian community during “The Big Aussie BBQ”. In the spirit of outdoor eating, the Queen topped off her elegant maroon and white outfit with a hat eerily reminiscent of a marshmallow. S’mores, anyone?

And so…

Elizabeth and Philip set off from Australia back to the U.K. after the barbeque. It was a highly successful visit and one that the Australian people will not soon forget. Her Majesty charmed everyone she met, and though there were one or two gaffes (Gillard’s curtsey controversy and Philip’s quips!) the royal couple made a happy and favorable impression on their Commonwealth neighbors. It also gave the United Kingdom a chance to present its history-making change to the succession law.

Vivat Regina! (And God Bless The Duke!)

The Queen previously presented her colors to the RMC during her visits in 1957, 1970 and 1988.

After the parade, the Queen met with the granddaughter of a Military Cross recipient. Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Pembroke was awarded the Cross by the Queen during her visit in 1953.

Later that day, Prince Philip attended the Commonwealth Study Conference reception.

The Queen expressed her sentiments during Friday’s reception at Parliament House in Canberra [read the full speech]. Earlier in the day the Queen held formal meetings with both Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott. Prince Philip, meanwhile, attended a reception for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

NOTE: Dom Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza was born on the 15th of May 1945. He is the 24th Duke of Braganza and the Successor to the Crown of Portugal. He is the son of Dom Duarte Nuno of Braganza and Dona Maria Francisca de Orleans e Braganza, Princess of Brazil.

Read more at the official site.