Prince Harry receives Afghanistan medal
At a ceremony at Combermere Barracks in Windsor this morning, the Princess Royal presented Afghanistan campaign medals to her nephew, Prince Harry, and 169 other members of the Household Cavalry.
Harry’s longtime girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, sat with senior members of the Royal Family, including Prince Charles, to witness the ceremony. Princess Anne was there in her capacity as Colonel of the Blues and Royals regiment.
Chelsy chatted happily with Prince William in the front row. She also attended a polo match in which William and Harry played for the Um Bongo team. On that occasion she sat next to Kate Middleton.
It seems that both Princes are now happy to parade their amours in public, suggesting a new level of commitment for the future.
I can’t help but to smile to see Chelsy so happy. Congrats Harry, you deserved it. Great Job!!!
By Claudius on May 5th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I’m so glad that both Chelsy and Kate are visible this weekend. I’m especially glad that Chelsy was able to attend this ceremony. It must have been rough on her to have Harry serving in harms’ way overseas, which will make this medal ceremony quite sweet for her, too.
By Evelyn on May 5th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Wonderful achievement for Prince Harry and I am so very proud of him! I am also delighted to see that Chelsy Davy and Prince William were there to see Prince Harry receive his well-deserved medal! It is also nice to see the Princess Royal awarding the medal to the brave soldiers. Splendid post, splendid photos, John, thank you so much!
By Gigi on May 5th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
good to see chelsy there – is this the first time she’s been at something formal like this will harry?
By coni on May 5th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Good question, coni. I don’t remember hearing about anything like this. I think we would have heard if she’d been at Harry’s passing out at Sandhurst, for instance.
Given Chelsy’s appearance at the medal ceremony, I would now be quite surprised if she doesn’t attend Peter & Autumn’s wedding.
By Evelyn on May 5th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
The Daily Mail has expanded this story. It says that Chelsy was invited to go to Harry’s passing out at Sandhurst, but chose not to go, wanting to keep a lower profile. She did attend the ball that evening.
One photo shows a ring with some kind of stone on her right-hand ring finger. Does anyone know if this is new? I know Kate has been careful to not wear rings on her “ring finger.”
By Evelyn on May 5th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
The Telegraph says this is the first official function that Chelsy and Prince Charles have both been at.
It also says that Chelsy will accompany Prince Harry to Peter & Autumn’s wedding.
By Evelyn on May 5th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
perhaps she’s being slowing being moved into the “fold” on a public level…
By coni on May 5th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
I’m happy to see all the new pictures of the Princes and their girlfriends. I really like what Chelsy wore to the ceremony, reminded me a lot of an outfit Kate wore to Cheltenham in 2006 or 2007 – the one with the blue coat and beret. i can’t wait for Peter’s wedding.
By Isana on May 5th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
I think the stone in Chelsy’s ring is an aquamarine. At any rate, I do not think it is an engagement ring. I also thought she looked great at the medal ceremony, as did Prince Harry. I am excited that she is going to Peter and Autumn’s wedding and, like Isana, I cannot wait!!
It is Cinco de Mayo here and it is raining but the Mariachi bands are playing and singong their beautiful songs and the Ballet Folklorico are swirling and swaying their traditional dances on the Capitol grounds, rain or no rain! Lovely!
By Gigi on May 5th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Has anyone ever tried to comment on the DM board and had your comments never show up? I tried to write something positive about Kate and Chelsy yesterday (on the polo article) because there were only snarky ones, and it never showed…just curious if it gets edited…
By dally on May 5th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Yes I have had things not show up on DM before. I don’t know if it is just a bug in their system or whether they purposly only put up certain comments.
Chelsy looked lovely at the medal ceremony. Gigi which part of the states are you in? I’m in San diego and it will be crazy here tonight!
By Jackie Mccoy on May 5th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
I also have had positive comments not show up on DM. I have no idea why, however. Jackie McCoy, I am in Austin, Texas where Cinco de Mayo is a very big celebration. There are private parties all over town, the clubs are packed and the schools all do something festive to celebrate. We are not as near to Mexico as San Diego, but we are not far away, either. Hispanic culture is a very significant part of the rich tapesty of life here in Texas and certainly in Austin, which is literally ‘deep in the heart of Texas.’ It is one of the factors that makes Texas such a great place to live!
By Gigi on May 5th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Gigi- My husband just flew to Austin last week for a job interview at design firm there. I love Austin. It is a wonderful city (though the excessive number of homeless people my husband saw may keep us from going there
By dally on May 5th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
I’ve been to Texas several times on business, but only to the beautiful city of San Antonio. One year, I was in San Antonio on Cinco de Mayo and had a wonderful time. There were celebrations everywhere. The River Walk is one of my favorite places to visit.
Gigi, have you decided what you are wearing to the Bush Wedding next Saturday? I’m sure you are on the guest list. It wouldn’t be the social event of the season without you!
By Arthur on May 6th, 2008 at 12:26 am
Was Kate at the medal ceremony? I read one article that said she was there. No one else has reported it. I am glad that Chelsy was included. I also was glad to see Kate at the Polo match.
By kat on May 6th, 2008 at 1:41 am
No Kate wasn’t there. But we all are looking forward to the wedding in about two weeks.
By Claudius on May 6th, 2008 at 2:31 am
Thanks Claudius!
By kat on May 6th, 2008 at 3:14 am
Don’t decide against living in Austin because of homeless people, daily. One homeless person in any city is an excessive number, but the further south you go, the less easy it is to determine if a person is truly homeless, or if they actually have a domicile but choose to make a living on the streets. When cold, harsh climate is not a concern, people may appear to be homeless but may just not have a traditional job. Texans in general and Austinites in particular are very generous, open-handed people and some folks who have problems earning a living in a traditional job find that they can earn a living more easily by pan handling. In the medians of most of the highways and overpasses, on any given day in Austin, you will see people in the medians with signs asking for monetary assistance from motorists. Very frequently people in cars, my husband and I among them, hold up traffic to hand currency to the needy through their car windows. It does not matter to me if they are truly homeless or not. If a person says he is hungry and needs help, then he needs help. It can happen to anyone at any time, after all. No one who has lived in Austin ever wants to leave it. I predict that you will fall in love with this place just as we did.
By Gigi on May 6th, 2008 at 5:07 am
Sounds good, Gigi. I spent part of the holiday watching the dragon boat racing on the River Exe. I didn’t see Kate Middleton or the Sisterhood, though.
By John on May 6th, 2008 at 7:35 am
Dally, that’s happened to me a few times. I don’t comment there now — you never get a reply from the writers anyhow. The Mail is not really set up for comments. It’s a newspaper trying to be a social site or a blog. Doesn’t work in my opinion.
By John on May 6th, 2008 at 7:38 am
I am so proud of Harry!!!!!! I also noticed that he and Princess Anne had a hard time trying to keep a straight face she also looked extremely proud as she pinned on his medal and Chelsy looked beautiful. Chelsy has everyright to be proud of Harry after all the time they spent apart it is about time the RF started to acknowledge their relationship.
I also noticed Cammy was not there and no explaination given. She had no engagements planned I suppose Harry did not extend an invatation to her.
By Trudie on May 6th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Trudie, look at the picture. Chelsy is sitting next to the two top heirs to the Throne. Isn’t that acknowledgement from the Royal Family?
By John on May 6th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Camilla may have been spending the holiday enjoying her granddaughters.
By Evelyn on May 6th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I have to say this whilst I have never posted a comment of any sort on DM so am not able to comment on it I did try to post two comments on RA over the weekend without any success!
I have very little to add to what has already been said-Chelsy looked great and she was obviouslychatting to PW. I hope our two princesses in waiting get on well together-what a big plus that would be for the monarchy. I cannot wait until a week on Sauturday!!!!!!!!!!!
By Royalist on May 6th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Royalist, your missing comments were not in the moderation panel, so must have been spooked by a surge of traffic to the servers. I’ve lost comments myself that way on RA, so it’s not just you.
By John on May 6th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
The Telegraph has a new article on Peter & Autumn, taken from an interview with Hello! magazine. Details include how he proposed, who the “best men” will be (Prince William is not listed among them), that their weekend residence isn’t at Princess Anne’s estate but a cottage on his father’s farm, and more! Great reading!
I haven’t had a chance to check Hello! to see if there’s more info there.
By Evelyn on May 6th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Speaking of Peter and Autumn, is it true that Autumn has renounced her Catholic faith and is converting to Anglicanism?
By Carol on May 6th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Carol, that seems to be the case.
By John on May 6th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Hello on line has a splendid cover photo of Peter and Autumn and I only wish I was in the UK so I could buy a copy of this issue of Hello and read the feature and see all the lovely photos of Peter and Autumn!! Will one (or more) of our dear RA clan who reads this issue of Hello please post and fill us in on all the details?
John, your holiday sounds lovely and I am glad that you enjoyed it! Here, my husband and I spent the weekend purchasing and planting more flowering plants and shrubs in our garden which we re-landscaped ourselves this Spring and attending Feast of the Ascension mass. I am literally counting the days until Peter and Autumn’s wedding!!
My husband says that it is his impression that I am actually counting the hours until the wedding, but after all, a countdown is a countdown in all it’s various manifestations. 
This and the fact that our favorite team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, is still alive in the Stanley Cup Hockey competition, has us all quite riveted and excited!
By Gigi on May 6th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Gigi are you a hockey fan?
both rangers and sharks we defeated in overtime..
By coni on May 6th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Coni, we are BIGTIME hockey fans here! I am surprised John can’t hear us cheering on the Penguins all the way across the pond in the UK! (My voice carries, or, as they say “mikes like a temple gong.”)
What an exciting series we had with the New York Rangers, who are the favorite team of our NYC relatives! Penguins play this Friday and Sunday! GO PENS!!!
By Gigi on May 6th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Did anyone else see the DM article about the shooting close to where PW was visiting the hospital in Markham square. That must have caused a lot of panic. PW was in no immediate danger but it sounded like a very crazy scene where the shooting happened.
By Jackie Mccoy on May 6th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Thanks for the tip, Jackie, I just read it. That must have been very unnerving for all concerned and especially the police, who must have wondered if it was an attack by the lunatic fringe directed at the Royals. Thank heavens no one was hurt. Here when we hear a gun go off, we assume it is someone shooting a rattlesnake in the canyon, or a marauding coyote, even though coyotes are a protected animal and no one is supposed to harm them. I rather doubt that any group looks out for the rattlesnakes, frankly, although they are helpful for keeping the rodent population under control. Unhappily, they are rather bad-tempered and over-stimulated strikers.
By Gigi on May 6th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
A quote from another Telegraph article:
“Mr Phillips expects his wife-to-be to come under greater scrutiny when they are married but he does not think it will last.
He said: ‘I’m sure she’ll become the focus of attention for a while. But then the focus will turn to (Princes) William and Harry, (and Princesses) Beatrice and Eugenie.’ ”
That makes me think that plans are afoot for another engagement soon. If one of the princes announces an engagement shortly after Peter & Autumn’s wedding, that would shift the spotlight away from Autumn. It sounds like that’s what the newlyweds would prefer.
By Evelyn on May 6th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Hi Guys, Rman from BRW site just reminded me that the City Salute will be tomorrow and do you guys know if it will be broadcasted on BBC Online?
By Claudius on May 6th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Does anyone know what time Autumn’s and Peter’s wedding ceremony will take place at St. George’s Chapel and whether or not TV cameras (BBC) will be allowed to televise the arrival of guests and the bride and groom?
By Arthur on May 6th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
John I said IT is about time the RF acknowledged the relationship this is the first time a Pic has been taken of her with Willie and Charles.
Evelyn she was there for Willie getting his wings unless she was not invited there is no reason why she couldn’t be there and CH hasn’t even bothered to offer an explaination. I really don’t think Harry likes her or accepts her I always noticed him standing at a distance or looking away while Willie is always next to her.
By Trudie on May 6th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
The Sun has an exclusive stating that William and Kate will not be present at Peter and Autumn’s wedding. They are going on a 2-week holiday together, and William has apologized to Peter. To me, that means one of two things: 1) W&K want the attention to be focused on P&A or 2) W&K will be there but don’t want any paparazzi photos. I suspect it is the former.
By Amity on May 6th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
I just don’t believe that William will miss the wedding. I do hope that The Sun is wrong. Maybe William & Kate will leave right after the ceremony.
By Claudius on May 6th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Amity, the paparazzi will be staking out that wedding regardless of whether W&K are there. There are so many others they’d want photos of– Zara & Mike, Harry & Chelsy, etc.
I have a hard time believing that Prince William will miss the first family wedding of his generation. If John weren’t sleeping, he’d probably be suspicious about the source. I guess we’ll know for sure in 11 days.
By Evelyn on May 7th, 2008 at 12:12 am
Yes, if the Sun has an exclusive, then it means that someone from CH likely leaked out that information. That’s why I think that it either means that W&K really won’t be there (most likely because they really want the focus to be on P&A) or they actually will be there – but it will somehow be a surprise. If the story is credible, I think it can only be interpreted as an act of kindness from W&K to keep the focus on P&A. I hope that the leak, if there was one, is totally off-base though. William is pretty wily, and it could be a false rumor to weed out someone they want to expose as talking to the press or even an attempt to discredit the press when they actually show up. In any case, I also hope that W&K will be at the wedding. It would be too sad for them to miss it!!
By Amity on May 7th, 2008 at 12:50 am
I’m remembering that quite recently CH put the word out that Kate would not on hand to see William receive his wings. It could well be that this is another attempt to keep everyone wondering.
By Evelyn on May 7th, 2008 at 1:05 am
I have always said that William & Kate can’t run away from everything because they don’t want any attention on them. In that case maybe they will never attend big royal events. I think this story is false and I just know that they will attend. I just can’t see William & Kate missing this.
By Claudius on May 7th, 2008 at 1:09 am
The DM also is reporting that William and Kate will not be at the wedding. I do hope that they go. I understand that they do not want to take the spotlight off of the happy couple. However,
I can’t see them not going. I hope that they are wrong. It is strange that the newspapers were reporting for a while that Kate would accompany Prince William and all of a sudden it is changed. I can only think that they will show up without
fanfare and the press upon them. I hope that they can share in the family’s happy day.
By kat on May 7th, 2008 at 1:29 am
I agree, Claudius. Family is important to Kate; she continues to spend holidays with her own. I would hope she would encourage William to be mindful of the importance of his own family, too.
By Evelyn on May 7th, 2008 at 1:30 am
Gigi, I love the fact that I found out HERE when my beloved Flyers play your Penguins… so much for nhl.com! My toenails are black with orange polkadots for the impending games… Will my love for Philadelphia sports keep me out of the wedding Tea? I hope not!
By Blondie on May 7th, 2008 at 2:35 am
Evelyn
I am inclined to think that this is a rouse to try to dampen down the media frenzy which was bound to ensue. I really can’t believe that William wouldn’t attend even if it meant that Kate didn’t. Would William honestly miss Phillips wedding for a vacation??? It doesn’t make any sense…. I wish John was awake to give his opinion.
By jackie Mccoy on May 7th, 2008 at 3:05 am
I’m with you on this, Jackie. Perhaps this story was concocted so everyone will be talking about will-they-won’t-they, rather than wondering about what they’ll be wearing, etc. But that’s what we’re left with at this point.
On another point from the Hello! story– it says Peter & Autumn hope to live abroad for a few years before settling down and having a family. Might that be Canada? It would give Peter an opportunity to have “regular” relationships with Autumn’s family and old friends. What other countries might be options?
By Evelyn on May 7th, 2008 at 3:36 am
The Daily Mail article says “The Mail understands” that William and Kate will not be attending the Phillips/Kelly nuptials. That is hardly a definitive statement. The DM does not reference sources at Clarence House or friends of the couple, so I wouldn’t put too much stock in this particular rumor.
By Arthur on May 7th, 2008 at 7:34 am
It looks like the story is true and the reason is that they have accepted £500,000 ($1m) for a 20-page spread in Hello! magazine. This decision has apparently caused “consternation” among Palace officials. One said, “This has not gone down well.”
Looks like they have blown it, especially as the wedding is at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. To treat it like some celeb publicity event is inexplicable.
Bad move. William and Kate are right to boycott it — if that indeed is what they’re doing.
By John on May 7th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Who really cares what those outdated crusty old courtiers think. Peter is not royal and not under their control. This is probably their way of taking control of their wedding regarding coverage and what may become a free for all with the press.
By Trudie on May 7th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Everything about the Monarchy is “outdated” — that’s it’s great strength. If the Royal Family start to behave like cheap celebs, the Monarchy will no longer be worth preserving.
By John on May 7th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I agree with you, John. The Royal Family must not ‘stoop’ to behave the way normal people behave in everyday life. They must remain above the fray, apart from the commonplace. Trudie, I understand what you say, but no matter what Princess Anne says, Peter and Zara are Royal. They are grandchildren of the reigning sovereign, and therefore are Royal, albeit without a title. I still cannot believe that Peter would agree to such a scheme regarding his wedding, knowing as he must that such an arrangement would be anathema to the Queen and the senior members of the Royal Family. It also complicates security concerns, which can hardly be what is wanted.
By Gigi on May 7th, 2008 at 3:43 pm