Kate, William and Harry will be given a special role as 'Olympics ambassadors' for 2012

By Sadie Whitelocks

Last updated at 4:49 PM on 1st December 2011


Kate Middleton will join the two Princes as an Olympic ambassador, Palace officials revealed today.

In the run up to the 2012 Games the royal trio will visit teams across the country, meeting with athletes as preparations gather momentum.

This national role will be a first for the Duchess of Cambridge, 29, who is yet to decide which sporting projects to endorse.

By royal appointment: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, along with Prince Harry have been named official London 2012 ambassadors

Prince William kicked off with a message of support for the Team GB Ambition Programme.

He said: 'Catherine, Harry and I are honoured to be ambassadors for Team GB and Paralympics GB.


'We are hugely looking forward to this incredible sporting competition, but are also looking beyond next summer's Games to the springboard it will provide for future success.'

It is an apt role for Kate, as at school she was proficient in sports including tennis, hockey, swimming, netball and rounders and has since been a member of various rowing teams.

Prince Harry will join his brother as an Olympic ambassador

For the past few months she has been visiting good causes and organisations in the UK, and will be announcing next year which she will support as Patron.

Meanwhile Prince William - also the President of The Football Association - has participated in a wide range of sporting activities over the years including rugby, hockey, football, basketball and cross-country running.

While at St. Andrews University, he also represented the Scottish national universities water polo team in the annual Celtic Nations tournament against Wales and Ireland.

And both Princes share a passion for polo which they play regularly throughout the summer supporting charities including the Tusk Trust, Centrepoint and Prince Harry’s charity Sentebale, which helps orphans in Lesotho.

Andy Hunt, chief executive of the British Olympic Association said: 'It is a great motivation for Team GB that the Duke and Duchess and Prince Harry are supporting their efforts next year and we hope together we can ensure that the whole of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is behind our athletes in their quest for Olympic success.'

Earlier this year, the Tate Movie Project invited Kate to voice a cartoon character as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Makers of the 27 minute film composed and drawn entirely by 16,000 primary school children, revealed her as one of the top celebrity options, but it is not known if she accepted the offer.

The trio's promotional undertaking, which is aimed at encouraging the public to support the sportsmen and women - deepens the monarchy's connections with the Games.

Coming along nicely: The Olympic site in Stratford is fast approaching completion

The Queen is patron of the British Olympic Association (BOA) while the Princess Royal is its president, a member of the International Olympic Committee and also on the London 2012 board.

The Earl of Wessex is patron of the British Paralympic Association (BPA).

And the Queen's granddaughter, Zara Phillips, is a former equestrian world champion who could still be in line to compete at London 2012.

Keen sportsmen: The brothers have maintained a high interest in all sports

She was in the GB eventing line-up for the 2008 Olympics but had to withdraw after her horse, Toytown, with whom she won the European and world titles in 2005 and 2006 respectively, became injured.

It was also announced that the Queen will has approved rooms at St. James's Palace to rented out as party venues to companies with royal warrants.

Tim Hollingsworth, the British Paralympic Association's chief executive, said: 'The Paralympic Games are coming home in 2012 and we want to use this opportunity to raise the profile of Paralympic sport in this country and ensure that the nation takes British Paralympians to their hearts.

'We're sure that the presence of their Royal Highnesses will help us achieve this goal and it will give the athletes a tremendous lift to know that they are going to be supporting them.'

The Olympic Games will take place July 27 to August 12 while the Paralympic Games will run from August 29 to September 9.

The London Olympic Stadium, located in Stratford will be the centrepiece of the event. With capacity for 80,000 spectators it is the third largest stadium in Britain behind Wembley and Twickenham.

Kate dazzles in Grecian gown at St James's Palace dinner after Wills gets six-week Falklands posting

I'm all white with it: Kate dazzles in Grecian gown at St James's Palace dinner after Wills gets six-week Falklands posting

By Rebecca English

Last updated at 12:28 PM on 11th November 2011


If she felt down at hearing her new husband was to undertake a six-week posting to the Falkland Islands, she was not letting on.

Instead the Duchess of Cambridge looked every inch the glamorous hostess as she and Prince William hosted a charity dinner last night.

Wearing a silver Grecian-style gown, by designer Jenny Packham, draped over one shoulder and gently gathered in at the waist and featuring a bright red poppy, Kate dazzled as they entertained 120 guests in the Picture Gallery at St James’s Palace.

Putting on a brave face: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge appear relaxed as they attend an event with the National Memorial Arboretum Appeal

The couple were holding a dinner at St James’s Palace for the National Memorial Arboretum Appeal, of which the Duke is patron.

The fund hopes to raise £12 million to turn the Arboretum, near Lichfield, Staffordshire, which honours all those who have sacrificed their lives for their country, into a world-renowned centre for Remembrance.


More than 300,000 families, servicemen, veterans and members of the public visit the 150-acre site each year.

In 2006 the Daily Mail was instrumental in helping to raise funds to build the breathtaking Armed Forces Memorial, which stands at the centre of the site and pays tribute to the 16,000 British servicemen and women who have died since the Second World War, after the British Legion was refused lottery funding.

Dazzling: The Duchess wore a Jenny Packham creation which skimmed over one shoulder and tied around the waist. Her height and slim figure carried off the Grecian style dress which was coupled with matching shoes

The monument has been designed so that at exactly 11am on November 11 – Armistice Day – a slit in one wall will let a ray of sunshine light the central plaque.

Shortly before last night’s dinner, the Duke – who has himself lost two close friends in Iraq and Afghanistan - gave a short speech.

In it he described how in just a few years the Arboretum had become an ‘iconic focal point’ for the nation’s remembrance of ‘British heroes’.

Poppy appeal: The Duchess looks glamorous in her Grecian style dress, coupled with her all-important poppy. She also added some sparkle with some bold drop earrings

Charming the crowd: Kate dazzles as William shares a joke at the event in London last night

William continued: ‘For Britons today, and for generations of Britons to come, the example of dedicating one’s life to helping and protecting others and to the service of our Country remains core to our values as a Nation. Nowhere is this lesson better taught than through contemplation of the names inscribed on the memorials in Staffordshire.‪‪

‘It is a place of sanctuary for those who come to remember and a place of quiet pride in the selflessness and sacrifice of those who have gone before. It is also a place of education. ‪’‪

The guests, which included actresses Penelope Keith and Susan Hampshire, then heard from Jacqui Thompson, the widow of Senior Aircraftman Gary Thompson of 3 Squadron RAF Regiment, who was killed by a roadside bomb while on patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in April 2008.

At 51, Mr Thompson is the oldest member of the UK Armed Forces to have been killed during the ten year conflict.

All eyes on Kate: The couple were holding a dinner at St James's Palace for the National Memorial Arboretum Appeal, of which the Duke is patron

His wife, an inspiring mother of five daughters, explained to guests the personal significance the Arboretum has for her family.

Heartfelt: The Duke described how in just a few years the Arboretum had become an ‘iconic focal point’ for the nation’s remembrance of British heroes

Afterwards she said: ‘It was fab to meet them. They said they were sorry to hear about Gary and they were so sincere and interested. I felt they could have been my son and daughter.

‘The arboretum is such an incredible place and William's interest in the appeal means such a lot. The older generation will always have respect for the armed forces and what it means to put your life on the line but some of the younger generation who haven't experienced war might not appreciate this.

‘Through his interest he is making sure the younger generation are kept aware.

‘When I heard he was going to the Falklands I felt for his wife and the worry she must have. When you love someone you're going to miss them terribly.’

Kate also bumped into old acquaintance Georgina Wessels at the reception who she recognised from her days at St Andrews University.

Georgina, who is pregnant with a baby due in March, said: ‘We used to live on the same street at university.

‘We've bumped into each other a few times over the years but it's all a bit more formal now.

‘She was very excited for us about the baby. She's just very lovely and genuine and sweet.’

Kate, who has been plagued by rumours she is pregnant herself, gave no indication as to whether the growing baby talk is true.

The guests then assembled for a three course dinner, sitting at tables decorated with tiny trees which will be planted in the 150 acre Staffordshire arboretum.

Keen to go: Prince William at the controls of a Sea King helicopter, which he will be co-piloting on a six-week tour of the Falklands early next year

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2060105/Kate-Middleton-dazzles-Grecian-gown-St-Jamess-Palace-dinner.html#ixzz1dQif4SBX

'You look beautiful': What William whispered to radiant Kate as she arrived at the Abbey in a fairytale dress for a fairytale wedding...

After months of waiting, Kate Middleton and Prince William today tied the knot at Westminster Abbey.


Wearing a flowing wedding dress with a long train and lace sleeves, Kate clutched a bunch of white flowers as she embarked on the short drive to Westminster Abbey, before starting her three-minute walk up the aisle to be with her groom.

As the happy couple exchanged vows, William appeared to have trouble slipping the ring onto Kate's finger.

But to the relief of all, he finally slipped the wedding band on and the ceremony passed without a hitch.
Earlier thousands of people filled the streets of London as royalty, leading politicians and top names from the showbiz world filed into the Abbey for the wedding of the century.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1381795/Royal-wedding-Wills-Kate-Duke-Duchess-Cambridge.html#ixzz1KuRKwE65