Showing posts with label Ben Ainslie. Show all posts

Tuesday, 10 June 2014

The Duke of Edinburgh celebrates 93 years with a royal salute (and a garden party with the Queen and a glamorous Duchess of Cambridge)

Happy birthday Prince Philip! The Duke of Edinburgh celebrates 93 years with a royal salute (and a garden party with the Queen and a glamorous Duchess of Cambridge)

The Duke of Edinburgh is celebrating his 93rd birthday today and appeared at a garden party with the Queen
His day began with a 41-gun Royal Salute in Hyde Park courtesy of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery
Joining the Duke of Edinburgh at the party was the Duchess of Cambridge who was lovely in Alexander McQueen
She spent the morning in Greenwich helping to launch Britain's America's Cup bid with Sir Ben Ainslie
Also joining the Duke of Edinburgh on his birthday were the Princess Royal and Princess Eugenie

PUBLISHED: 17:46, 10 June 2014 | UPDATED: 22:07, 10 June 2014

The Duke of Edinburgh's 93rd birthday got off to a rousing start this morning as the boom of ceremonial guns firing the Royal Salute shook locals near Hyde Park from their slumber.

Prince Philip, who born Prince of Greece and Denmark in Corfu on 10 June 1921, then celebrated in a little more style at a garden party hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

There the Duke was on sprightly form, exchanging quips with guests and being inundated with a flurry of birthday wishes as he toured the garden with the Queen, the Princess Royal, Princess Eugenie and the Duchess of Cambridge.

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Welcome to Buckingham Palace! The Duke of Edinburgh joined the Queen for a garden party on his 93rd birthday after being woken by a 41-Gun salute

Birthday celebrations: The Duke of Edinburgh was on fine form as he toured a garden party on his 93rd birthday and was joined by the Duchess of Cambridge

Work: The Duchess of Cambridge spent this morning at the launch of the UK bid for the America's Cup

Busy: Her attendance at the party came hot on the heels of her first solo engagement since Australia

Pretty: The Duchess was in her second ensemble of the day, an Alexander McQueen shift dress

Making an appearance: The Duchess of Cambridge chats to Princess Eugenie and the Princess Royal as they arrive for a garden party at Buckingham Palace

The Queen herself, fresh from a hugely successful state visit to France, was elegant in a powder blue Angela Kelly coat and a matching hat, as well as a trademark Launer handbag.

Equally chic was the Duchess of Cambridge who had changed out of the £150 Jaeger dress she wore for a morning engagement in Greenwich and into a golden-beige lace shift, last worn to a City of London Livery companies lunch in 2012, by one of her favourite designer names, Alexander McQueen.

But for once, it was the Duke of Edinburgh, dapper in a top hat and tails, who commanded the attention of the crowds as he moved through the throng shaking hands.

The Duke's time at the Queen's side has been marked by cheerful good humour and a flair for a quip, some in questionable taste.

Nevertheless, Prince Philip, who is descended from the royal line of Denmark and also holds the titles Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich, has made a huge contribution to public life in the UK, not least in the charity sector.

Looking good: The Queen, fresh from her successful state visit to France, wore a beautiful powder blue Angela Kelly coat dress and a matching hat

Good form: Both the Queen and the Duke appeared to be in good spirits as they enjoyed the sultry June sunshine during the party in the gardens of Buckingham Palace

Celebrations: Prince Philip, who turns 93 today, was joined at the Buckingham Palace garden party by the Queen and the Duchess of Cambridge

Chat: The Duchess of Cambridge chats to partygoers in the gardens of Buckingham Palace

Enjoying the day: The Duchess of Cambridge beams as she chats to Princess Anne at the party

Main man: The Duke of Edinburgh chats to guests outside Buckingham Palace on his birthday

Pretty: The Princess Royal chose an elegant cream coat and eau-de-nil dress while Princess Eugenie was pretty in a white dress and Nerida Fraiman hat

Day out: The Queen is introduced to a group of well wishers during the garden party at Buckingham Palace this afternoon

Ceremonial: The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, followed by Prince Andrew, make their way down to join their guests in the Buckingham Palace gardens

Excitement: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrive at the Buckingham Palace Garden party to the strains of the national anthem

Currently patron of more than 800 charities, the Duke works closely with organisations focused on scientific and technological research, child protection, sport and conservation, and has dedicated himself to boosting British industry.

He also helped found the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, which encourages teenagers to participate in charity and community work, as well as getting them out into the countryside.

A military man, the Duke had a long and distinguished career as a naval officer, including a stint as First Lieutenant (second-in-command) on the destroyer, Wallace, and took part in the Sicily landings in July 1943.

Since giving up his naval career in 1951, the Duke has remained close to the military - including the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, which fired a 41 gun salute to mark his 93rd birthday.

As the guns sounded this morning, crowds gathered around the firing area as the troop paid tribute to the Duke.

Earlier, the soldiers, horses and guns of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery had ridden out from their forward mounting base in Wellington Barracks with 71 horses pulling six First World War-era Ordnance Quick Fire 13-pounder field guns behind them.

After positioning them close to the Joy of Life fountain, the guns sounded a Royal Salute while the Band of the Royal Artillery played behind them.

The Duchess also enjoyed a conversation with Princess Anne as they walked across the Palace grounds

Birthday salute: Gunners from the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery ride into Hyde Park as they prepare to fire a 41-gun salute in honour of Prince Phillip

Boom! The crashing sound of the guns drew curious crowds as they were fired in the middle of Hyde Park - and woke up the locals

Bashful: The tiny flower girl, pretty in her red and white striped dress, snuggled into her father's shoulder as the Duchess approached

Thank you! Little Bo Cornwell, daughter of Matt Cornwell, a sailor in Sir Ben Ainslie's crew, eventually finished the job and earned herself a smile

Gusty: Despite the clear skies, a stiff breeze played havoc with the Duchess' hair

Surprise! The Duchess gasps as her carefully coiffed hair is blasted by a breeze

Interesting plans: The Duchess looked on intently as she listened to Sir Ben Ainslie

Chivalrous: Olympic gold medal winning sailor Sir Ben Ainslie was on hand to greet the Duchess as she arrived at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich

HE'S GOT THE GIFT OF THE GAFFE! THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S FUNNIEST QUIPS

ON STATE VISITS

'Do you still throw spears at each other?' To Aboriginal leader William Brin during a visit to the Aboriginal Cultural Park in Queensland, 2002.

'You managed not to get eaten then?' To a British student who was trekking in Papua New Guinea, during an official visit in 1998.

ON EUROPE

'I would like to go to Russia very much — although the bastards murdered half my family.' In 1967, when asked if he would like to visit the Soviet Union.

'Damn fool question!' To a BBC journalist at a banquet at the Elysée Palace in Paris after she asked the Queen if she was enjoying her stay.

ON SCOTLAND

'How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?' To a Scottish driving instructor in 1995.

ON CHINA

'Ghastly.' Prince Philip’s opinion of Beijing, during a tour of China in 1986.

'If it has got four legs and it is not a chair, if it has got two wings and it flies but is not an aeroplane, and if it swims and it is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it.' To a meeting of the World Wildlife Fund in 1986.

ON MULTI-CULTURAL BRITAIN

'So who’s on drugs here? He looks as if he’s on drugs.' To a 14-year-old member of a Bangladeshi youth club in 2002.

'Are you all one family?' Said to mixed-race dance troupe Diversity at the 2009 Royal Variety Performance.

ON WOMEN

'British women can’t cook.' Endearing himself to the Scottish Women’s Institute in 1961.

'Ah, so this is feminist corner then.' To a group of female Labour MPs at a Buckingham Palace drinks party in 2000.

'When a man opens the car door for his wife, it’s either a new car or a new wife.'

ON CELEBRITY

'What do you gargle with — pebbles?' To Tom Jones, after the Royal Variety Performance, 1969. He later added: 'It is very difficult at all to see how it is possible to become immensely valuable by singing what I think are the most hideous songs.'

'Oh, it’s you that owns that ghastly car, is it? We often see it when driving to Windsor Castle.' To near-neighbour Elton John after hearing that he had sold his Watford FC-themed Aston Martin in 2001.

ON FOOD AND DRINK

'Get me a beer. I don’t care what kind it is, just get me a beer!' On being offered fine Italian wines by Prime Minister Giuliano Amato at a dinner in Rome in 2000.

ON CLASS AND MONEY

'People think there’s a rigid class system here, but dukes have been known to marry chorus girls. Some have even married Americans.' In 2000.

'If you travel as much as we do, you appreciate the improvements in aircraft design of less noise and more comfort, provided you don’t travel in something called economy class, which sounds ghastly.' To the Aircraft Research Association in 2002.

'All money nowadays seems to be produced with a natural homing instinct for the Treasury.' Lamenting the rate of British tax in 1963.

ON ART AND FASHION

'You didn’t design your beard too well, did you? You really must try better with your beard.' To a young fashion designer at Buckingham Palace in 2009.

'It looks like the kind of thing my daughter would bring back from her school art lessons.' On seeing an exhibition of 'primitive' Ethiopian art in 1965.

ON THE PRESS

'You have mosquitos. I have the Press.' To the matron of a hospital in the Caribbean.

A venue fit for a princess! Sir Ben Ainslie leads the Duchess of Cambridge into the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich for the America's Cup reception

Looking good: The ever-thrifty Duchess chose a £150 cream and navy crepe shift dress by British high street brand Jaeger that is now reduced to just £99

Breezy: Despite the beautiful sunny weather in Greenwich, a stiff breeze blowing in off the Thames appeared to play havoc with the Duchess' glossy locks

Looking good: The Duchess, a keen sailor herself, plumped for a nautical look and even wore a delicate gold starfish chain in addition to her trademark drop earrings

All smiles: The Duchess of Cambridge seemed in good spirits as she toured the National Maritime Museum and met supporters of the America's Cup bid

Close inspection: The Duchess of Cambridge takes a closer look at the America's Cup or, as it's also known to sailing fans, 'the Auld Mug'

Nice to meet you: The Duchess of Cambridge chats to Eric Deardorff, CEO of jewellers Garrard which made Queen Victoria's trophy, and giggles with Sir Ben Ainslie

Big plans: Sir Ben hopes to have found a boat - and the crew to man it - capable of taking the oldest trophy in sporty by 2017

Prestigious: The Duchess was at the National Maritime Museum and was joined by Sir Ben Ainslie who is fronting the bid for an America's Cup team

Tuesday, 2 April 2013

As UK Sport's record £355m investment in British athletes begins, Sportsmail speaks to those who have already seen gold

EXCLUSIVE: As UK Sport's record £355m investment in British athletes begins, Sportsmail speaks to those who have already seen gold from the funding boost

By LAURA WILLIAMSON

PUBLISHED: 22:00, 31 March 2013 | UPDATED: 13:07, 1 April 2013

This Monday marks the start of UK Sport’s record £355million investment in British athletes in the run up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The message is simple: Britain wants to become the first country to better its performance four years after hosting the Games.

It is an ambitious target after the staggering success of London 2012, in which Great Britain won 65 Olympic medals and 120 at the Paralympics and finished third in the medals table in both events, but British sport has aimed high since National Lottery funding was introduced in 1997. It is hard to believe Britain won just one gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Joy: The Olympic Parade which celebrated all the British success during the Olympics and Paralympics

Glory boys: Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent were the only GB gold medalists in Atlanta

Here, some of the athletes who have benefited from UK Sport funding tell Sportsmail exactly what it has meant to them…

Sir Ben Ainslie, 36

Four-time Olympic gold medallist, sailing

‘Trying to become the first nation to better our performance after a home Olympics is a fantastic goal. For me, it shows just how far British sport has come.

‘I’m not thinking about Rio right now because I’m in San Francisco with my America’s Cup team but you never know – it’s still a few years away.

History: Ben Ainslie won a record fourth sailing gold medal after a titanic battle in London

'I’m happy with the decisions I’ve made in my career so far and I’ll definitely be in Brazil in some capacity, even if I’m not racing.

Sir: Ainslee was knighted for his heroics

‘I started receiving funding in 1997. I went to my first Olympics in 1996 and won a silver medal, but we didn’t do very well as a team. We won just one gold medal – in rowing, Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent in the men’s coxless pair. It was a pretty poor performance overall.

‘Then UK Sport funding came in and I think, straight away, you could see a big change in the way we were able to train. We enjoyed a big jump up the medal table in Sydney (from 36th to 10th) and that continued all the way to London.

‘British sport became more professional, but the rest of the world upped their game as well. When I started travelling to compete internationally most people were sleeping in tents or in the back of their cars and trying to hold down jobs as well as training.

'There were very few full-time athletes. I think that’ s been the biggest change: we have always had the passion but we simply didn’t have the time to train and recover properly.

‘I was lucky because I was still studying, but I relied on my parents an awful lot. I’m sure they were very relieved when funding came on, as a lot of parents must have been.

‘The medical support has been unbelievable. I had a back injury six months before London and it really was a difficult time. I had to have surgery and a lot of physio but the support I received was phenomenal. It made a huge difference to me and my chances of winning that gold medal.

‘Could I have achieved what I did without funding? It’s a difficult one. I was fortunate in that I had success early on and was able to attract commercial sponsors, but I couldn’t have done it without the coaching and medical support there in the background.

'It was about setting up a long-term strategy to win medals and they certainly got the right people and the right strategy to do that.’

Perri Shakes-Drayton, 24. Double European indoor champion, athletics

‘It meant a lot to win two gold medals at the European Indoor Championships (in the 400m and 4 x 400m relay) in Gothenburg. You train to win medals and to be a champion was even better.

'The training that I’ve done and any doubts I may have had have gone away. I can do it and I want more. It gave me that confidence that I am as good as the rest of the girls and I want to maintain it.

Champion: Perri Shakes-Drayton won gold in the Women's 400m at the European Indoor Athletics

‘It meant a lot after the Olympics. I finished on a high and I kept running close to my personal best but it was a disappointment (failing to make the final of the 400m hurdles). But rewards will come. The European titles have put the Games behind me. It’s a good feeling.

‘The 400 metres isn’t my event and hopefully I can transfer that speeds to the hurdles now. I enjoy them – there is a lot more to think about, but I haven’t achieved what I want to do yet over the hurdles.

'I’m not saying “bye” to them yet. Hurdling comes naturally now. I see a hurdle and I know how to attack it.

‘I want to come home with a medal from the World Championships in Moscow in August. I want one and I have to win one. That’s my aim.

TeamGB's Perri Shakes-Drayton

Pedigree: The British quarter cruised to victory in the Women 4 x 400m relay

‘Chris Zah has been my only coach, for the past 11 years. He took me from the grass roots to the world-class athlete I am today. It’s not really common for that to happen, but we’ve grown as a team and learnt together.

‘We’ll stay in Mile End, not move to Loughborough. We’ll stay in that gritty, crusty gym in east London because it’s working for us. It’s a good set up and I’ m not going anywhere for the moment.

‘National Lottery funding just makes life so much easier for me. The money I receive in support helps with training camps – I’m going to Daytona in Florida for a month on April 2.

I don’t take it for granted because it makes life so much more stress-free. All I have to do is worry about getting to training on time and being the athlete that I have to be to achieve my goals.’

Becky James, 21. Double world champion, track cycling.

‘I couldn’t have made my career without Lottery funding, I’ve had it since I was 15 and it’s been a huge support for me. Without it, I couldn’t make a career out of cycling because women get paid differently to men if, say, I was on a road team.

'It gives you such a lift when you first get on the programme and you become part of British Cycling, too. It’s been a great help.

‘I’m sure I wouldn’t be a double World Champion if I had a part-time job. I worked until I left home – I used to work in a kitchen doing all the food prep and washing up, which wasn’t the most glamorous job. Then I did a bit of waitressing and then I worked in a cake shop for two years in Abergavenny – serving coffee and cakes. It probably wasn’t the most productive thing to do for my sport, but it was fun.’

Double: Becky James won two gold medals at the World Cycling Championships in Scotland

Funding: UK Sport have been a key part of James' immediate success

Quillan Isidore, 16, joined UK Sport’s World Class Performance Programme as a Development athlete in November 2012 after winning the Boys Under-16 category at the UCI BMX World Championships in Birmingham last May.

Winner: James with her gold medal in the individual sprint

‘I always looked up to people in the GB team and wished I could be one of them. It was a dream when I made it onto the Olympic development programme for BMX because there are only five of us: four boys and one girl. It’s really good when we all go away for training – that’s what I want to live my life like but I’m still at school so I have to be patient. But I’m proud to represent the British team and follow in the steps of people like Sir Chris Hoy.

‘I still live at home in south London so I get a set programme to follow from my coach. I’m very dedicated – I never miss training at all. We’re not the richest family so I’m really thankful for the support.

‘You can get pretty bad injuries in this sport so it’s good to know the back-up is there, too. I’ve been very lucky so far, but it’s impossible to be injury-free.

'I’m aiming for the 2020 Olympics but I’ve got 2016 in the back of my mind. I believe that if I work really hard it can be done. We’re all working really hard to get up the rankings and try to get GB three spots in Rio.

‘I do think BMX is becoming more of a recognised sport. I got into it because my friend just took me to a track in Brixton one day when I was eight. It only had about five jumps but I just loved the feeling of getting my front wheel off the ground. I got my first bike for my eighth birthday and have been hooked ever since.’

UK Sport, funded by The National Lottery, is supporting Britain’s best athletes on the #RoadtoRio. Follow their progress @uk_sport

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