Tag Archives: London 2012

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We Go To Rio: Olympics Flashback – London 2012

  August 1, 2016 at 4:00 am by

The Games of the XXXI Olympiad (Rio 2016) begin on Friday with the opening ceremony at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A number of royals will be making the trip to Rio to support their athletes, see here for all forum Rio discussion. As a warm-up to the Games, the TRF Blog will be looking back to the best royal moments of the most recent four Olympics. Let’s begin … Continue reading →

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The Duchess of Cambridge at Sports Personality of the Year Awards

  December 17, 2012 at 11:37 am by

The Duchess of Cambridge made her first formal appearance since announcing her pregnancy to attend the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award ceremony in London where she presented two awards. The first one was a Lifetime Achievement Award to Lord Sebastian Coe; Lord Coe was the chairman of the London Organising Committee and is widely credited as being instrumental at securing the London will host the 2012 games, as … Continue reading →

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Royals At Buckingham Palace Reception For Team GB

  October 24, 2012 at 12:45 pm by

Great Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic heroes were honoured yesterday at a glittering Buckingham Palace reception hosted by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. British Royals turned out in force to show their appreciation for the sporting heroes who had won Britain an unprecedented haul of gold, silver and bronze medals during the spectacular London 2012 Games. Team GB did the country proud with an outstanding performance during the Olympic … Continue reading →

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Infanta Elena and Children in London with Spanish Paralympic Team

  September 1, 2012 at 10:17 am by

London – August 28th, 2012 Infanta Elena of Spain and her two children, Don Felipe Juan Froilán and Doña Victoria Federica de Marichalar travelled to London to support the Spanish Paralympic team at the London Paralympics 2012. Infanta Elena, the Duchess of Lugo, is the Honorary President of the Spanish Paralympic Committee. On Tuesday August 28th, Infanta Elena and Doña Victoria attended the flag raising ceremony at the Spanish Paralympic … Continue reading →

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2012 London Paralympics Opening Ceremony

  August 31, 2012 at 7:22 am by

The Paralympics Opening ceremony proved once and for all that when it comes to staging a brilliant, witty and spectacular show, Britain simply has no match. The ceremony was billed as a “journey of discovery”, and it didn’t disappoint. It was a display dedicated to the Age of Enlightenment – the period between 1600 and 1800 which saw unprecedented intellectual revolution sweeping Europe and the American colonies. The fabulous festivities … Continue reading →

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Closing Ceremony of London 2012 Olympic Games

  August 13, 2012 at 9:13 am by

After fantastic two weeks, London 2012 came to end with the traditional Closing Ceremony – and what a ceremony it was! The night’s spectacle was led by Prince Harry, who was tasked with the role of Her Majesty’s official representative; other British and foreign royals, including the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Anne, Prince Albert of Monaco, were present as well. The magnificent ceremony satisfied even the most demanding, providing a … Continue reading →

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London 2012: Dutch Royals Bring Nieces to Cheer on Holland

  July 31, 2012 at 9:49 am by

When the Oranjes turned up to watch the women’s hockey match between the Netherlands and Belgium on July 29th, royal watchers had to pause and re-count the number of little blonde heads sitting with Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima. Along with the couple’s three daughters – Princesses Amalia, Alexia and Ariane – were Countesses Luana and Zaria, the two young daughters of the Prince’s brother, Friso, and his wife Mabel. … Continue reading →

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London 2012: Silver Team Medal for Zara Phillips

  July 31, 2012 at 9:11 am by

The British eventing equestrian team has taken home a silver medal, following the completion of the three stages in the eventing tournament. Zara Phillips, Tina Cook, Mary King, William Fox-Pitt and Nicola Wilson placed second behind Germany after today’s show jumping at Greenwich Park. Unfortunately for Phillips, she incurred both a fence and time penalty during her ride, which left her with combined penalties of 53.10. Zara admitted that “[she] … Continue reading →

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London 2012: A perfect round from Zara in cross-country

  July 30, 2012 at 12:01 pm by

Zara Phillips continued her quest for an Olympic medal with a highly successful result in the difficult cross-country portion of eventing. The Queen’s eldest granddaughter finished well inside the time frame with a final result of 9 minutes and 55.11 seconds, to the delight of the cheering crowd. Zara was also one of the few riders to go through the 5.7-kilometer course dotted with 28 obstacles without a single penalty. … Continue reading →

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London 2012: Swimming Draws the Royals In

  July 29, 2012 at 11:47 pm by

As it usually is, the Olympic swimming competition has been the place for royal spotting. Yesterday saw members of the Danish, Dutch, Luxembourgish, Norwegian and Greek royal families in the stands for the morning heats. Sitting together in the VIP section, it was a kin to a family reunion of sorts. Queen Margrethe, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary and Princess Benedikte of Denmark were on hand to cheer Jeanette … Continue reading →

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London 2012: Zara Phillips Makes Olympics Debut

  July 29, 2012 at 10:32 pm by

Zara Phillips, daughter of Princess Anne, made her Olympic debut today, competing in the second day of the individual dressage at Greenwich Park. Riding High Kingdom, she scored 46.1 penalty points during her dressage routine before lunchtime, which left her in twenty-fourth place following the conclusion of the day’s competition. In the team eventing, Great Britain – comprising of Phillips, Nicola Wilson, Mary King, Kristina Cook and William Fox-Pitt – … Continue reading →

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Jewel of the Day: King William IV Brooch

  July 29, 2012 at 5:20 pm by

The Opening Ceremony of London Olympic Games was a dazzling and a magnificent event, and of course, Her Majesty had to wear jewellery to match. Her choices for the significant occasion included Queen Victoria’s Diamond Collet Necklace, Queen Mary’s Cluster Earrings, and the hero of this blog entry – King William IV Brooch. In 1830, shortly after William IV’s accession to the Throne, the new King took six large diamonds … Continue reading →

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The Name’s Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth

  July 29, 2012 at 3:55 pm by

The Opening Ceremony of London 2012 Olympic Games was a spectacular affair certain to be remembered for years to come. From poignant tributes to Armed Forces, to British humour at its best, the ceremony was lauded all over the world. Arguably the most memorable event was, however, Queen Elizabeth’s acting début as a “Bond Girl”. As the film began, many expected the Queen to be portrayed by a double, yet … Continue reading →

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And They’re Off! London 2012 Begins

  July 28, 2012 at 8:06 am by

The London 2012 Olympic Games began last night, with the opening ceremony taking place at the Olympic Stadium. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the Games at the end of the ceremony, which featured Sir Kenneth Branagh, David Beckham and Sir Steve Redgrave. Queen Elizabeth had previously hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace for the heads of state and government in London for the Games, attended by a large number of … Continue reading →

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Queen Sofia Presides Over Spanish Olympic Reception in London

  July 27, 2012 at 8:14 pm by

London, England – July 26th, 2012 Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain presided over a reception at the Spanish Embassy in London in honour of the Spanish Olympic Team. The Queen was accompanied by her sister-in-law, Her Royal Highness Infanta Pilar of Spain. Also present was the Spanish Ambassador to the United Kingdom, the Mayor of Madrid, the President of the Spanish Olympic Committee, and the Secretary of State for … Continue reading →

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Royalty and the Olympics: Competitors

  July 27, 2012 at 9:36 am by

There is just over six hours to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Games of the XXX Olympiad! Our third and final blog entry focusing on combined royal and Olympic history showcases royals who have themselves competed in an Olympic Games. Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, Stockholm 1912 Prince Friedrich Karl competed for the German team in the team jumping event, winning a bronze medal for his efforts. Grand … Continue reading →

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Infanta Pilar in London with the Spanish Olympic team

  July 26, 2012 at 7:09 am by

London, England – July 24th, 2012 Her Royal Highness Infanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz arrived at Heathrow Airport in London on July 24th with the Spanish Olympic team. The elder sister of King Juan Carlos I of Spain, is a member of the Honorary Council of the Spanish Olympic Committee and was accompanied by her only daughter, Doña Simoneta Gómez-Acebo. On July 25th, Infanta Pilar, Alejandro Blanco – … Continue reading →

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Royalty and the Olympics: IOC Membership

  July 26, 2012 at 5:48 am by

Continuing with our look at Royals and the Olympics, today the TRF Blog focuses on royals – both reigning and non-reigning – who are members of the International Olympic Committee. There are a number of royals who have current IOC membership, listed here in alphabetical order of the country they represent, as well as three who were made Honorary Members following the end of their active membership. Many of these … Continue reading →

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Royalty and the Olympics: Host Nations

  July 25, 2012 at 8:29 am by

With the Games of the XXX Olympiad kicking off on Friday in London, the TRF Blog will be looking at the connection between Royal Families and the Summer Olympic Games throughout history over the next few days. Our first blog entry focuses on royal nations which have hosted a Summer Olympic Games. Greece: Athens 1896 The first Games of the Modern Olympiad were held in the traditional home of the … Continue reading →

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Spanish Royal Family host Audience for Olympic Team

  July 24, 2012 at 7:32 am by

Madrid – July 23rd, 2012 Members of the Spanish Royal Family hosted an audience for the Spanish Olympic Team at the Palacio Real de El Pardo in Madrid earlier today. Present were Their Majesties The King and Queen and Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Asturias. After meeting the team, the King delivered a speech wishing the team ‘much success’ and the King also expressed his thoughts for … Continue reading →

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