Royal Round Up 12-15-09: Duke of Hazard Strikes Again; William Heads to the Front of the Queue; Snowdon Baby Born

What a week it’s been for the Duke of Edinburgh!

Just days after it was revealed that Philip mocked a blind teenager, he made fun of disabled comedian Adam Hills at the Royal Variety Show.

In 2002, fifteen-year-old army cadet Stephen Menary got a chance to meet the Queen and Prince Philip. The boy had been blinded in an IRA bombing, and after the Queen asked how much sight he had left, the Duke of Edinburgh responded: “Not a lot, judging by the tie he’s wearing”.

For some reason, the family have only now spoken of the Prince’s remarks.

“He meets people that are often very nervous about meeting him and other members of the Royal Family and I think he just tries to put people at ease by trying to make a joke. I certainly didn’t take any offence,” said Menary, now 23.

Entertainer Adam Hills took a similarly lighthearted approach to the Duke’s comments.

Despite being born without a right foot, Hills has had a successful career as a TV presenter and comedian. After Hills told the Prince that he planned to return to his native Australia, the Duke reportedly joked: “You could smuggle a bottle of gin out of the country in that artificial foot.”

Hills told the Daily Mirror that he thought the line was “brilliant”.

www.telegraph.co.uk – The Royal Family

Shadowy Business

[picappgallerysingle id="6760847"]

Prince William may jump the royal queue soon.

At least, that’s what the media thinks will happen. The Mail on Sunday has dubbed the prince “the shadow king”, poised to take over for Queen Elizabeth II and bypassing his father Charles in the line of succession.

The British broadsheet claims that they have obtained a secret treasury document, uncensored, revealing that William will be taking on more royal responsibilities in the coming year. Monies have been allotted for his travel expenses so that he can represent the Queen all over the world.

The Queen, at 83, is said to be looking for the younger members to pick up some of the royal workload. At age 27 and second-in-line to the throne, William is the forerunner to represent the House of Windsor. His blonde good looks and love life make good reading. The spirit of Diana also hangs over William, fueling the dreams of her admirers that the Princess lives on in her son.

The Queen, who has been head of the dynasty for over 50 years, is very savvy when it comes to the job of monarchy. She knows that William is very popular and his youth will be a boon to their image. When he marries, it will draw huge crowds to England and give the economy a boost. Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla could end up on the back burner.

But will the traditional Elizabeth break the rules of hereditary monarchy and officially skip a generation? Something tells me that this child of the abdication era will not do so.

Earl of Snowdon Gains Another Grandchild

Antony Armstrong-Jones, the Earl of Snowdon, has received an early Christmas pressie. His younger daughter Frances, 30, recently gave birth to a baby girl named Maud. The child weighs 9lbs 5oz, and both mother and daughter are doing well.

Frances is Lord Snowdon’s child from his second wife, Lucy Lindsay-Hogg. His older children, Viscount Linley and Lady Sarah, are from his marriage to Princess Margaret.

Frances and her husband, Rodolphe von Hofmannsthal, already have a 17-month-old son, Rex.