New footage today after the Royal Wedding show the official photographs taken inside Buckingham Palace immediately after Their Royal Highnesses Prince William and Princess Catherine’s return. The portraits show the happy couple alone, with the flower girls and pages, and with the Royal Family and the Middletons.
   For all the talk of modernity, the portraits still had quite a traditional feel, as did some of the language of the ceremony at Westminster Abbey yesterday, which are recapped below. ITN has managed to figure out the humorous comment made by Prince William to Michael Middleton at the altar.
   Footage of the couple, newly styled the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, has become available as they leave Buckingham Palace via helicopter (also below). As ITN remarks, they look fresh despite a long night, with speeches from HRH Prince Harry and Michael Middleton, and a performance by Ellie Goulding.
   Details of the honeymoon are not known, though it is believed the couple remains in the UK this weekend before embarking abroad.
   The Middletons have left their accommodation at the Göring Hotel, with considerable media attention on Philippa Middleton, the bridesmaid and Princess Catherine’s sister, in our final video.

Wedding ceremony

Procession

The crowds

Official photographs

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leave

The Middletons leave their hotel

Charlotte Webb

Top Talia Bennett (Miss North Harbour) and Isabelle Pearson (Miss Great South Vets) with the children at Johnsonville Mall. Above Danelle Kaukau (Miss Horowhenua). Below Isabelle Pearson with a young fan.

Charlotte Webb

Time has flown this week for the Miss Universe New Zealand 2011 contestants. In their last weekday outing, they went to the Johnsonville Shopping Centre on Friday afternoon, and got plenty of attention from youngsters there during their school holiday.
   Kids’ entertainment had just finished ten minutes before 12 of the 13 contestants—Miss Hutt Valley Ashley Bradley had a longer-than-expected hair appointment—began introducing themselves and parading.
   On the prompting of pageant director Val Lott, the little girls in the audience were asked if they wanted to go up to be seen with the dozen, which gave me a chance to see how they interacted with some of Wellington’s youngest citizens. (It was a good opportunity to compare how they interacted with the elderly at Kilmarnock Heights Home earlier in the week.)
   Afterwards, Georgia Easter (Miss Christchurch), Cassie Matthews (Miss Auckland), Lauren Mann (Miss The Steps Dental Care) and Courtney Ramsdale (Miss Howick) accompanied me in the BMW X3 to Jeff Gray BMW, where they were photographed with the new Z4 sports car for a publicity shot.
   My fellow judges Evana Patterson (left) and Carl Manderson arrived late afternoon and got the chance to meet all 13 contestants at the Museum Hotel and at Mishmosh, where everyone dined this evening. Former Miss Universe New Zealand runner-up Danijela Unkovich, Miss Wanganui 2008 Michelle Kleinsmith, and co-MC and former Miss Universe New Zealand finalist Zeisha Frémaux also arrived.
   There is one more social event: dinner at Soi at Greta Pt on Saturday night, one of the most scenic restaurants I know in the Wellington city area. The weekend will be occupied with rehearsals, which should give Evana, Carl and fourth judge Dina Janse van Rensburg a chance to see how the contestants are. Saturday is also a huge day as we head into our interview sessions, considered one of the toughest parts of the competition.
   I asked Michelle Kleinsmith what advice she had for those nervously waiting outside “the boardroom”. She said that listening to music on an Ipod might not be a bad idea.
   As it is an important day, we judges will need to be on top form, too. As it’s been very difficult this year with the best prepared group ever, the interviews have now become that much more important.—Jack Yan, Publisher

Above, from top Contestants at Bella Bloom at Johnsonville Shopping Centre, with Courtney Ramsdale (Miss Howick), Jasmine Robertson (Miss Manawatu), Priyani Puketapu (Miss Wellington) and Samantha Papp (Miss Clinic 42) in the front row. Georgia Easter (Miss Christchurch), Cassie Matthews (Miss Auckland), Courtney Ramsdale (Miss Howick) and Lauren Mann (Miss The Steps Dental Care) pose with the BMW Z4. Jeff Gray BMW dealer principal Jason Broome talks to Cassie Matthews, Lauren Mann, Georgia Easter and Courtney Ramsdale.

A few of the Lucire team had the overall style of Kate Middleton’s wedding dress and the designer predicted accurately, but what many of us did not foresee was HRH Prince William’s choice of the Irish Guards tunic with a forage cap.
   The Prince had received his first honorary army appointment from his grandmother, HM the Queen, in February, as a Colonel of the 1st Bn Irish Guards.
   He also wore his Order of the Garter sash, a Golden Jubilee medal, and his wings from the Royal Air Force.
   Some observers thought that the Prince would wear a light blue RAF uniform, as he is currently a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot with the service. St James’s Palace insisted that he chose his Irish Guards uniform as it was his highest rank.
   His brother, HRH Prince Harry, wore his Household Cavalry uniform. He donned the wings of the Army Air Corps and a Golden Jubilee medal. Prince Harry also wore his Afghanistan campaign medals.

As predicted by many, and originally denied by the Alexander McQueen company, Sarah Burton was the designer of Kate Middleton’s wedding gown.
   The choice of Burton stemmed from ‘its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing,’ according to an official statement.
   It continued, ‘Miss Middleton wished for her dress to combine tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterizes Alexander McQueen’s work. Miss Middleton worked closely with Sarah Burton in formulating the design of her dress.’
   The design is a homage to the Arts and Crafts movement. ‘Ms Burton’s design draws on this heritage, additionally giving the cut and the intricate embellishment a distinctive, contemporary and feminine character.’
   The dress is made with ivory and white satin gazar. English lace and Chantilly lace have been used throughout the bodice and skirt. The skirt is meant to represent an opening flower.
   The bodice is narrow at the waist and padded at the hips; the back is finished with 58 gazar and organza-covered buttons fastened by Rouleau loops. The underskirt is made of silk tulle trimmed with Cluny lace.
   Middleton’s veil is made of silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers, held in place by HM the Queen’s Cartier halo tiara, which was originally purchased by the Duke of York (later King George VI) for the Duchess (the Queen Mother) soon after its creation in 1936. It was presented to the then-Princess Elizabeth for her 18th birthday.
   Her diamond earrings have been designed by Robinson Pelham, who also furnished bridesmaid Philippa Middleton with her pair.
   The bride’s shoes have been hand-made by Alexander McQueen.
   The cutting of the lace motifs for the dress and embroidery for the shoes were done by the Royal School of Needlework.
   The bouquet was designed by Shane Connolly. It contains stems from a myrtle planted at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, by Queen Victoria in 1845, and a sprig from a plant grown from the myrtle used in the Queen’s wedding bouquet of 1947, says the official site.

Celebrity guests at the wedding of HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey included David and Victoria Beckham; Sir Elton John and David Furnish, both in morning suits; director Guy Ritchie; actor Rowan Atkinson; socialite Tara Palmer-Tomkinson; singer Joss Stone; and athlete Ian Thorpe.
   Sir Elton’s presence is most likely due to his close friendship with the Prince’s mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and his tribute to her at her funeral.
   Members of the Prince’s family were present, including Earl Spencer. The Duchess of York did not attend.
   Among foreign royalty, Queen Sofia, Prince Felipe, Princess Letizia of Spain attended; Prince Daniel and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, who had their spectacular Royal Wedding in Stockholm last year; Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands; and Prince Albert of Monaco and his fiancée Charlene Wittstock, who will have their own Royal Wedding shortly.
   PM David Cameron and his wife Samantha, deputy PM Nick Clegg and his wife Miriam, and Australian PM Julia Gillard were present.

Now that the Royal Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge is over, we thought we’d recap some of the arrivals from earlier in the day.
   From our fashion point-of-view, the hope we had that Kate Middleton’s wedding dress was from Alexander McQueen’s Sarah Burton was fulfilled.
   Also from the fashion perspective, below is the earlier arrival of guests David and Victoria Beckham at Westminster Abbey. Victoria, pregnant with the couple’s fourth child, wore an elegant black boat-neck tunic dress from her own collection, with Christian Louboutins and a Philip Treacy floral fascinator. David wore Ralph Lauren.
   Mother of the bride, Carole Middleton, wore a sky blue Catherine Walker outfit, and was accompanied by her son, James Middleton, who gave the reading at the Abbey.

Supermodel Elle Macpherson stars with former England striker Gary Lineker in a humorous TV commercial for Walkers Crinkles crisps in the UK.
   The premise of the commercial is Macpherson becoming jealous of Lineker’s fondness for the crisps.
   Lineker lip-syncs ‘Groovy Kind of Love’, plays the piano and rides on a motorcycle in the ad, while Macpherson demolishes a vase and furniture.
   The evocative photography adds to the cheesiness of the commercial.
   The TVC broke during the Champions’ League on ITV1 last night. Agency AMV BBSDO was behind the creative.
   Below is the full two-minute version that appeared on ITV1. Shorter ones also currently appear on British TV.

Above, from top Danelle Kaukau (Miss Horowhenua), Cassie Matthews (Miss Auckland) and Georgia Easter (Miss Christchurch) at Farmers Lambton Quay. Priyani Puketapu (Miss Wellington), Talia Bennett (Miss North Harbour) and Courtney Ramsdale (Miss Howick). Bottom Isabelle Pearson (Miss Great South Vets), Nancy Yan (Miss Tend-a-Foot), Talia Bennett (Miss North Harbour), Courtney Ramsdale (Miss Howick), Georgia Easter (Miss Christchurch) and Lauren Mann (Miss The Steps Dental Care).

There was only one event that needed a judge’s scrutiny today: spritzing Estée Lauder’s Sensuous Noir perfume at Farmers Lambton Quay (at which Breakfast on TV1 took an interest—the segment airs Friday morning).
   The other TVNZ connection with the pageant is the MC on Sunday night, Matt McLean, who will present the show alongside Zeisha Frémaux, singer and a Miss Universe New Zealand 2010 finalist.
   This year’s event at Farmers was slightly different from 2010’s, where each contestant had a different scent to sample. It was an opportunity to check on memory skills and courage, as well as how a selected few dealt with the television camera.
   Jeff Gray BMW, meanwhile, returned with the X3 sign-written to promote the pageant and the dealership, so if you see a packed SUV rolling around Wellington, you’ll know it’s us.
   There is still no single stand-out contestant who could take the crown and it will be interesting to see what my fellow judge, Evana Patterson, thinks, when she arrives in Wellington on Friday afternoon.
   Before her arrival is the Johnsonville Mall parade, happening around 1.30 p.m., which will give the ladies another chance to interact with the public.—Jack Yan, Publisher