Queen Elizabeth

Yesterday afternoon's Remembrance Sunday services in London brought out most of the royal family. Kate Middleton observed the parade from a balcony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall alongside Sophie, Countess of Wessex, who is married to Prince William's uncle Prince Edward. Joining Kate and Sophie was Sir Timothy Laurence, the husband of Princess Anne.

Kate's own husband Prince William took part in the main event as a member of the country's armed services. Prince Harry, though, was absent, since he's serving in Afghanistan. However, Prince Harry has called home three times to check in with his relatives. Harry has been deployed since September and apparently will still be abroad through the holidays. Kate and William, though, have been fortunate to stay close to home in recent weeks. They attended the 600th anniversary of their university, St Andrews, and Kate shopped solo at Harvey Nichols on Saturday.

Zara Phillips, the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, made her Olympic debut on day-two of the London games, getting a warm welcome from the crowd that included her mother, Princess Anne, and grandfather, Prince Philip. London's hosting the Games this year, which means we get an extra bonus to go with sexy swimmers and emotional gymnastic events: the British royals!

The royal family has been busy getting spirits high for the Games being held in the UK capital. The queen made a cameo with James Bond in the opening ceremony, after she, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Princess Beatrice, were joined by America's version of royalty, Michelle Obama, at a reception for heads of state and government held before the opening ceremony.

On the eve of the Summer Olympics, Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry greeted the torch at Buckingham Palace. Those three are among the royal ambassadors for Team Great Britain. Most in the family, including the queen, have helped with the Olympic torch, and last week Kate visited the National Portrait Gallery's Road to 2012: Aiming High photography exhibit about this year's athletes. Kate, who is reportedly looking forward to checking out sailing and hockey events, also hung out with GB's hockey team back in March. See photos of the royals getting in on the Olympic fun now.

After years of preparation, London has kicked off the 2012 Summer Olympics with the opening ceremony! Despite having more than 10,000 volunteers, the particulars of the spectacular were well kept under wraps . . . until now. The opening ceremony is directed by Oscar-winner Danny Boyle of Slumdog Millionaire and is called "Isles of Wonder." It's a celebration of British history and culture that included a battle between Mary Poppins and Harry Potter's Voldemort during a "bed dance" acted out by nurses and children in ode to Britain's National Health Service. J.K. Rowling and Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) also participated in the big event, and there was a special video with James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, Queen Elizabeth, and, of course, her Corgis! And after David Beckham kept his role secret, we finally got to see him do his part by driving a boat on the Thames carrying the torch!

Earlier today, First Lady Michelle Obama gave Team USA a pep talk during a ceremony in East London, before hosting a Let's Move! event with the help of David Beckham. Although David isn't on Team GB this year, he's been very involved with the London Games, from helping to get them to the city to participating in this morning's opening ceremony. See all the photos from the very British kick-off — with its royal onlookers, Kate Middleton, Prince William and more!

Queen Elizabeth opened Buckingham Palace today for a pre-Olympics reception. She invited various heads of state, who are in London for the Olympics, for drinks. The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, was out as well, making the rounds in a Christopher Kane dress. Princess Beatrice, UK prime minister David Cameron, and Prince Harry also mingled at the cocktail party. Harry had a chance to say hello to Jamaican prime minister Portia Simpson-Miller, who he met during his March tour of the Caribbean.

Kate posed with the president of Mongolia, Elbegdorj Tsakhia. The queen, meanwhile, said hello to First Lady Michelle Obama, who earlier in the day linked up with David Beckham for a press event and officially welcomed Team USA to the UK. Kate and Michelle have met before — back in May 2011, President Obama and the first lady visited Kate and her husband, Prince William, shortly after the royal wedding.

Thursday was an especially busy one for Kate. She played ping-pong at a morning event launching Coach Core, and then later welcomed the Olympic torch to Buckingham Palace alongside Princes William and Harry. The non-stop pace continued for Kate, who didn't have time to change out of her Christopher Kane dress before the opening ceremonies began.

Prince William and Kate Middleton stepped out of the St. Giles cathedral in Edinburgh today. They were in Scotland for the Thistle Ceremony to install William as a Knight in the Order of the Thistle. The honour is Scotland's highest and comes during the Queen's four-day Diamond Jubilee tour of the country. Kate wore a yellow Emilia Wickstead for the event, which was just her latest public appearance. Kate and William attended Wimbledon on Wednesday to watch Roger Federer's victory over Mikhail Youzhny from the royal box. Just last week Kate's siblings, Pippa and James, sat in the special section, as did their mother, Carole.

The royal family gathered yesterday for the Trooping of the Colour ceremony in London. Queen Elizabeth, who celebrated her Diamond Jubilee with multiple events this week, was joined by her husband Prince Philip. He was able to return to his official duties after spending a few days in the hospital last week suffering from a bladder infection. Happily, he was home by last Sunday, his 91st birthday. The Trooping spectacle is the official birthday celebration for Queen Elizabeth, though her real big day is April 21. She turned 86 this year.

Kate Middleton wore an Erdem dress and Jane Corbett hat to participate in the festivities with her husband Prince William and brother-in-law Prince Harry. British label Erdem is one Kate wears frequently, having last sported one of his blue lace designs to a friend's wedding. She role in a carriage during the the Horse Guards Parade, which Prince William was in uniform to ride in atop a horse, and later joined the senior royals for photos on the balcony at Buckingham Palace. Prince Harry caught up with cousins Beatrice and Eugenie, and Kate even shared a sweet moment with Prince Edward's daughter Louise.

Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William joined his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, yesterday for an appearance in the East Midlands. The outing was part of the queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, which came to a head during the first weekend of June with a concert, mass, and royal family balcony appearance. Today, Kate Middleton wore Missoni for the second time. She wore the blue coat-dress to accompany the queen and Prince Charles's wife, Camilla, on a March visit to a London Fortnum & Mason.

Today, the three royals boarded a train in London and travelled to Nottingham. They presided over a track and field meet with local youngsters, which was organised by the Queen and Prince Philip's Fields in Trust organisation. Prince William praised Queen Elizabeth in a speech before the games and field dedication ceremony began. He said, "This marvellous charity provides people of all ages up and down the country with the space to play sport, keep fit and generally get outside and enjoy themselves in the fresh air. Fields in Trust, I know, is very dear to my grandparents' hearts, as it is mine." Afterward, Queen Elizabeth, Duchess Kate, and Prince William also made another balcony appearance at the city's town hall.

Queen Elizabeth II led the royal family from her Diamond Jubilee mass at St. Paul's Cathedral yesterday morning back to their home base at Buckingham Palace. Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate Middleton shared a carriage ride across the city. With the queen's husband, Prince Philip, hospitalised with a bladder infection, she shared a ride with her son Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla. The royals stepped out onto the palace's balcony, where Prince William and his wife Kate shared their iconic wedding kiss on April 29, 2011. There was no lip-locking for Will and Kate this time, though. Instead, it was all about celebrating William's grandmother as her four-day celebration winds down.

Princes William and Harry attended a special Thanksgiving mass honouring their grandmother Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee yesterday. William's wife, Kate Middleton, was along for church as well, and she attended in a tan lace dress from Alexander McQueen. The queen herself led the procession down the aisle as the royal family took their seats inside St Paul's Cathedral. Her husband, Prince Philip, wasn't able to attend, however. The prince is still in a hospital, recovering from a bladder infection. The Jubilee carried on despite his absence. Sunday's massive Diamond Jubilee Concert took place outside of Buckingham Palace, and the assorted royals rocked out to British acts like Paul McCartney, Elton John, Kylie Minogue and many more. Today marks the end of the queen's official celebration weekend, and the two extra days Brits had off from work in her honour.

There was a sad note at today's Diamond Jubilee concert, with the Queen's husband, Prince Philip, hospitalised with a bladder infection. He's said to be responding well to the treatment, so the royal family soldiered on with their plans for the event at Buckingham Palace. The Queen was preceded by family members like Prince Charles and his wife, Camila. The Queen's other children, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Princess Anne, were also in attendance.

Kate Middleton accompanied her husband, Prince William, as well. It's Kate's latest event during the queen's big weekend. Kate wore red Alexander McQueen on Sunday for the Thames River pageant with the entire Middleton family along for the fun. Prince Harry was seated next to Will and Kate for the show.

The Jubilee concert featured performances from Sir Paul McCartney, Shirley Bassey, JLS, Jessie J, Stevie Wonder, Cheryl Cole, Kylie Minogue and Elton John. Robbie Williams and a 30-piece brass band were the first up with "Let Me Entertain You." Many of the musicians shared their thoughts on the royals on this special occasion. Elton John weighed in on the queen's tastes, saying, "I don't think she's a big pop music fan. She's not trendy, she doesn't follow any fads. She's stoic, she's brilliant, she's wise, she's funny, and we're all really happy to be here." Paul McCartney, meanwhile, sent his sympathies to Prince Philip. He said, "I hope he's OK. We all send our best wishes for a speedy recovery." The Diamond Jubilee concert will air tonight at 8 p.m. on Channel Nine.