The 'Prince William and Kate' affect on Anglesey

As you would be with any other couple, you can only be happy for 'Wills and Kate' and their good news - patter of tiny feet etc etc...granny and grandad must be 'chuffed'.

And according to some this is also good news for Anglesey. Which got me thinking...if you look at Google Trends....and the trends for 'Kate Middleton'

The highest trend; up to 6 December 2012, being for the lawsuit and those topless pictures, which maybe confirms the old adage......there's no such thing as bad publicity. The trends for Prince William are

And his highest trend; up to 6 December 2012, was the wedding. For Anglesey..

And the biggest trend was after the wedding and they returned to the cottage on Anglesey - 'Back to remote cottage on Anglesey for Royal Couple'.

As you can see the largest Google search for 'Anglesey' has been from the UK, and if you delved further from Wales.

Of course you can't really reach any conclusion from these figures, they are just trends in Google searches, other than deduce that whilst the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have risen the profile of Anglesey, it might not be as great as made out by some, and that the main interest in Anglesey remains from within the UK.

Prince William given title of posh pub

The Prince formerly known as 'Prince William of Wales' has been given a new title, the name of a pub.

"The Duke of Cambridge has been Oxford's leading cocktail bar for 30 years.

Located in the bohemian district of Jericho, the bar is always bursting with atmosphere at the weekends, with a more chilled vibe in the week. Fresh ingredients, cool interiors and friendly staff give the Duke genuine character and style."

Visiting Oxford why not visit the Duke of Cambridge.

From Wikipedia:

"The Prince Adolphus, 1st Duke of Cambridge, KG, GCB, GCH, GCMG, PC (Adolphus Frederick; 24 February 1774 – 8 July 1850), was the tenth child and seventh son of George III and Queen Charlotte. He held the title of Duke of Cambridge from 1801 until his death. He also served as Viceroy of Hanover on behalf of his brothers George IV and William IV. His granddaughter, Mary of Teck, was Queen consort of the United Kingdom and paternal grandmother of the current monarch, Elizabeth II."

But one title was not enough for the young Duke, you should also address him as the Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus.

In full, his new title is:

His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, Baron Carrickfergus, Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Master of Arts.

As Wikipedia explains:

"As a British prince, William does not use a surname for everyday purposes. For formal and ceremonial purposes, the children of Princes of Wales, like the children of Royal Dukes, use the title of Prince or Princess before their Christian name and their father's territorial designation after it, so Prince William was "Prince William of Wales" and Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie use of York, per their father, the Duke of York. Such area-based surnames are discarded by women when they marry or by men if they are given a peerage of their own, such as when Prince William was given his dukedom."

So he is not Prince William of Wales anymore, we've been discarded.

Private SAR consortium fails to take off.

In December 2010, Phil Hammond the Transport Secretary suspended the tender process of the Search and Rescue service, when he was informed of possible issues with the bid of the preferred consortium.

It appears there may have been some dodgy goings on during the tender process, and this is now the subject of a Military Police investigation. This has spooked Royal Bank of Scotland and they have withdrawn from the consortium.

The Soteria consortium’s bid may therefore be fatally flawed and although no final decision has been made, the whole process will either have to be gone through again or even cancelled completely.

As I have blogged before the Soteria consortium where to use S92 Sikorsky Helicopters, whilst the other bidder AirKnight had proposed to use a fleet of Eurocopters, which some experts say are better.

The News of the World today meanwhile reported that David Cameron, the Prime Minister had ordered a complete review of the process after having been lobbied by Prince William.

One thing for sure the days of us seeing Sea King helicopters above us are far from over.

Post of the past
I agree with Prince William
Dark days ahead for RAF Valley
What is the true cost of sea and air rescue.

Learn more: Eurocopter EC225