guardian:

The nation expects…

(via Duke and Duchess of Cambridge expecting baby – OF COURSE WE HAVE A LIVE BLOG guardian.co.uk)

Peggielene Bartels, A.K.A. King Peggy, is currently the King of Otuam, Ghana.

She was chosen to be one of only three female kings in Ghana, and when she discovered that male chauvinists wanted her to only be a figurehead, she said: “They were treating me like I am a second-class citizen because I am a woman. I said, ‘Hell no, you’re not going to do this to a woman!’” When she encountered corruption and the threat of embezzlement to the royal funds, she declared “I’m going to squeeze their balls so hard their eyes pop!”

King Peggy has maintained her work in Ghana’s embassy in Washington, D.C. while making education affordable in Otuam, installing borehead wells to produce clean drinking water, enforcing incarceration laws to deal with domestic violence, replenishing the royal coffers by taxing Otuam’s fishing industry to improve life in the village, and appointing three women to her council.

“Nobody should tell you, ‘You’re a woman, you can’t do it,’” she insists. “You can do it. Be ready to accept it when the calling comes.”

Quoted from the Spring/Summer 2012 issue of Ms. Magazine.

Thai king makes 1st trip outside Bangkok in years

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Prince Harry honored, salutes wounded war vets at D.C. dinner

A Washington think tank celebrated Prince Harry on Monday night for his humanitarian efforts, with the British royal deflecting the praise by offering his own salute to wounded war veterans.

Harry was among the guests of honor at the event marking the 50th anniversary of the Atlantic Council, which describes itself as a “nonpartisan institution devoted to promoting transatlantic cooperation and international security.”

The grandson of Queen Elizabeth II arrived around 6:15 p.m. at the Washington Ritz-Carlton in a black tux, with photographers yelling his name and a few girls shrieking as he walked inside.

Less than two hours later, former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell took the stage to formally present Prince Harry with the council’s Distinguished Humanitarian Leadership Award, an honor most recently bestowed on U2 frontman and activist Bono.

Third in line to the British throne, Harry is a captain and Apache helicopter pilot in Britain’s Army Air Corps. Powell, himself a longtime soldier and one-time U.S. Joint Chiefs chairman, was quick to point that out. He also joked that thanks to the 27-year-old royal, “We have a record number of young, single women attending (the Atlantic Council awards dinner) this year.

More seriously, Powell cheered Harry — like his brother, William — for embracing “the noble traditions of service to his country and to his fellow human beings.” He singled out their work with veterans through Help for Heroes, Walking with the Wounded and other such programs.

“The loving effort that Princess Diana made to teach her sons the importance of serving others has touched (their) hearts and souls,” said Powell. “They have acted together in support of veterans’ charities … and the impact of (that) work is already very, very significant.”

Harry then took the stage, admitting it was a “truly humbling and a little terrifying” to follow Powell and that he did not “feel that I have done nearly enough to deserve” the award. Still, he said he’d accept it “on behalf of my brother, William, our foundation (and) all those guys on both sides of the Atlantic who work so tirelessly to support our veterans.”

He paid special tribute to troops who have been scarred in one way or another while serving their nations, stressing the importance of giving them supporting well after they leave the battlefield.

Prince Charles turns BBC weatherman

Heir to the British throne Prince Charles had a light-hearted go at presenting the weather on BBC television Thursday, predicting a miserable spate of rain and snow for Scotland.

Looking straight into the camera as he and his wife Camilla tried out the job during a tour of BBC Scotland’s studios, Charles, 63, read the bulletin confidently and even added a few of his own personal flourishes.

“This afternoon, it’ll be cold, wet and windy across most of Scotland,” he said, gesturing fairly convincingly at the map behind him.

Reading a bulletin that included special references to royal residences in Scotland, he went on: “There’s potential for a few flurries over Balmoral — who the hell wrote this script?! — as the afternoon goes on.”

“In the west the rain will be lighter and patchier. There’ll be maybe a few drier interludes over Dumfries House in Ayrshire. Aha!” he said, looking pleased.

Concluding his gloomy forecast, the prince, wearing a suit with a burgundy handkerchief in the pocket, chuckled: “Thank God it isn’t a bank holiday.”

After Camilla too had a turn at reading the bulletin, BBC weatherman Stav Danaos said he feared for his job.

“They did a great job and were consummate professionals,” he said. “The prince even ended with his own pay-off line, which is always good.”

Prince Charles is well known for his interest in climate change and environmental issues. “Harmony”, a documentary about climate change which the prince narrated, held its worldwide premiere in London last month.

Queen Elizabeth II grants Camilla new honor

Queen Elizabeth II has appointed the Duchess of Cornwall to the highest female rank in the Royal Victorian Order, Buckingham Palace said Monday.

The announcement that Camilla has been made a Dame Grand Cross comes on the day of her seventh wedding anniversary with Prince Charles, the queen’s son.

Awards under the Royal Victorian Order, which was founded in 1896 by Queen Victoria, are given by the queen to people who have served her or the monarchy in a personal way. They are bestowed independently of the prime minister’s office.

Once vilified as a the old flame who poisoned Charles’ first marriage to Princess Diana, Camilla has become an integral member of the royal family since she married the prince on April 9, 2005 — eight years after Diana’s death.

Since the couple’s civil ceremony at the Guildhall in Windsor, the British public has warmed to Camilla and the 64-year-old has carried out hundreds of royal engagements and taken on a wide range of patronages.

She also has traveled extensively with the prince on official visits, including a recent tour of Scandinavia with stops in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo.

Lately, Camilla was seen stepping out with the queen and the former Kate Middleton — who married Prince William — for an appearance in London.

Buckingham Palace said Camilla will be invested with the insignia of her rank at a later date.

Nicole Kidman in talks for Grace Kelly role; actress would portray royal in her 6th year as princess of Monaco

Having beaten out some stiff competition, Nicole Kidman is in negotiations to play Grace Kelly in Olivier Dahan’s “Grace of Monaco,” which Pierre-Ange Le Pogam is producing with scribe Arash Amel.

Le Pogam is fully financing the $15 million pic, which boasts a script that appeared on the 2011 Black List. Kidman’s deal is not yet closed, but she is in advanced talks to play the “Rear Window” star who became the princess of Monaco.

Nearly every top actress in Hollywood chased the demanding yet coveted role.

Set between December 1961 and November 1962, story finds Kelly as a former Oscar winner and mother of two who had already spent six years as the monarch of a European nation. The retired starlet was called upon to save Monaco from an escalating situation regarding its standing as a tax haven, with French leader Charles de Gaulle giving her husband, Monaco’s Prince Rainier III, six months to reform its tax laws.

Kidman, recently nominated for a third Oscar for her perf in “Rabbit Hole,” previously won for her turn as another real-life figure, author Virginia Woolf in “The Hours.” Aussie thesp next stars in Lee Daniels’ “The Paperboy” and Chan-wook Park’s “Stoker.” She’s also attached to star opposite Colin Firth in “The Railway Man.”

Dahan previously directed Marion Cotillard to an Oscar win for in the Edith Piaf biopic “La Vie en rose,” while EuropaCorp co-founder Pogam exec produced the French hit “Tell No One” and most recently produced “Colombiana.”

Amel, who is writing Warner Bros.’ “I Am Legend” sequel, previously wrote the Aaron Eckhart starrer “The Expatriate,” which Radius-TWC will release later this year.

Kidman is repped by CAA, Media Talent Group and attorney Alan Wertheimer.

Queen Elizabeth welcomes second great grandchild

Queen Elizabeth is a great grandma again!

Peter and Autumn Phillips welcomed their daughter, Isla Elizabeth Phillips, at the Gloucester Royal Hospital on Thursday, a spokesperson for the couple tells Us Weekly. Weighing in at 7 lbs., 4 oz., little Isla joins big sister Savannah, 15 months; thirteenth in line for the British throne, she is Queen Elizabeth’s second great-grandchild.

Peter was present at his second daughter’s birth, the rep added. The royal family is said to be “delighted” by Isla’s arrival.

Peter, 34, is the son of Princess Anne and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips; he and Autumn got married in May 2008 at Windsor Castle. His sister, Zara Phillips, wed rugby player Mike Tindall last summer at a wedding attended by all the royals — including Prince William and Kate Middleton plus Prince Harry, who even sang karaoke at the bash.

Queen Elizabeth II makes surprise appearance at British couple’s wedding

The Queen was a surprise guest at the wedding of a couple who got married in Manchester Town Hall on Friday.

The couple only found out the Queen would be at the town hall after they had booked it as their wedding venue.

John Canning explained that after the ceremony, “we were going to spend five minutes on our own… when the gentleman from the town hall said the Queen had agreed to meet us.”

Frances Canning added: “It was a bit scary… but she was so nice, she was so gracious.”

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The first pictures of Sweden’s newest royal, Princess Estelle, have been released.

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Tens of thousands of flag-waving Danes braved near-freezing temperatures on Saturday to cheer Denmark’s popular figurehead monarch as she celebrated 40 years on the throne.

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**edit**

We fixed the photo; please pardon our Google fail.

(Shout-out to petitecaja and swedishfesh; thanks for letting me know about the error. This is proof to me that someone out there is paying attention to my silly lil’ good news blog, and that’s very welcome information. ~Sandy)

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RELATED: In anticipation of the upcoming celebrations of Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark’s 40th anniversary as monarch the Danish newspaper, Berlingske, released a series of photos — 44 in total — of Her Majesty over the years.

Click here to view the images.

Queen Elizabeth II meets Yoko Ono on a visit to the Museum of Liverpool

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Prince William rescued shipwrecked Russians from Irish Sea

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Charles and Camilla start South African tour in Soweto

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