A Royal Visit & A Partial Eclipse

It was a trooper of a day in the coolest little capital of Wellington this Wednesday. The cold southerlies and rain of Monday took a hike, over the hills and far away, whilst the sun sat strong in the sky (albeit partially eclipsed by the moon). It was definitely a day for royalty- as Prince Charles & Camilla visited Wellington!

Whilst Charlotte gazed at the partial eclipse of the sun through safety glasses at school, we ‘ahem’ acknowledged its presence and checked out all the cool pics being uploaded on the Internet.

Here’s a little one my phone took… (I wasn’t looking – just the phone).

What a day for Prince Charles to celebrate his Birthday!

Princes Charles & Camilla took a walk along the waterfront, followed by throngs of people, police, security and press. I admired their spirit, nobility and grace, whilst doing their duty (Camilla definitely earned her ‘haircut on the taxpayers’ – can’t believe that was news – but it turns out, as confirmed by Prince Charles’ press secretary Patrick Harrison, that the prince actually pays the salary of the hairdresser).

The atmosphere on the waterfront was wonderful, warm, welcoming and celebratory. I had given up a session with the Natural Learners group at Otari Bush to catch a glimpse of HRH – and was delighted that we did (as much as I missed my time in the bush too!).

We were only metres away from him when he stepped out of his car. He gave the crowd a wonderful smile and a wave. People shouted out ‘Happy Birthday’ as he made his way to greet them, along with Camilla (there are two great videos, from TV3, with coverage of the event – ‘Charles’ big day in the capital‘ and ‘Crowd sings ‘Happy Birthday to Charles‘).