'Princess Diaries' star Anne Hathaway meets real life royalty

She shot to fame as an on-screen princess, but Anne Hathaway came face-to-face with the real deal on Tuesday.

The Princess Diaries star looked delighted to meet Charlene of Monaco, showing off her megawatt smile as the pair posed for the cameras together.

Charlene had donned a beautiful floor length Christian Dior gown for the Princess Grace Awards Gala in New York.

Featuring floral embellishment and dramatic draping, the dress was stunning on the statuesque blonde.

Meanwhile, Anne spiced up her simple champagne-hued, embellished shift dress with a bright red lip and large drop-diamond earrings.

Charlene was joined by husband Prince Albert of Monaco, who is vice chairman of the foundation which is dedicated to helping emerging talent in dance theatre and film.

Other famous faces included music and film legend Julie Andrews and fashionista Olivia Palermo.

Princess Maxima and family seduced by Caribbean rhythms

"I am Latin and I will continue being Latin in respect to some aspects of my culture. I dance, I sing and I will keep on dancing and singing," Princess Maxima said on marrying the heir to the Dutch throne.

And she vowed to encourage Crown Prince Willem-Alexander to join in the fun. "I keep trying to push him. His hips are a little rigid," she joked of his efforts on the dancefloor.

Well, Argentine-born Maxima had a little help in that aspect when the couple landed in the Caribbean along with her mother-in-law, Queen Beatrix.

The royal party were encouraged to let loose at a festival in Aruba, celebrating the island's multi-cultural heritage.

Willem-Alexander gamely shook his hips at the insistence of locals, and even the Queen had a boogie.

Earlier in the day they'd been greeted by a sea of orange – the Dutch national colour – worn by islanders to show support for their monarch.

Aruba, off the coast of Venezuela, is one of four countries in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Reflecting its rich history, Dutch, local Creole dialect Papamiento and English are spoken on the isle, which has a territory of 69 square miles.

Praising their hosts in a speech, the prince said: "It is wonderful to see how a small country can sometimes be great and to realize that no dream is unattainable, if you really believe in it."

Princess power: Kate and Mary join forces to help Africa

Giving their admirers a treat, two of the most charismatic ladies on the royal scene met this week.

Mary of Denmark welcomed royal rookie, the Duchess of Cambridge to Copenhagen. Having both been commoners who married future kings they probably had a lot to talk about.

But it wasn't a social occasion – the elegant pair have joined forces to help crisis-hit African children.

The duo – joined by their husbands Prince William and Crown Prince Frederik – toured UNICEF's global crisis center in the Danish capital.

After attending a briefing, the royal visitors were due to roll up their sleeves and pack emergency medical kits, which are being sent to malnourished children in East Africa.

During a talk on nutrition, the couple were offered a taste of a special high-protein peanut paste being included in the packages.

William scooped up some of the paste with his finger before passing it on to his wife, who declined the offer to taste it.

Kate looked elegant in a long red coat for the occasion while Mary stepped out in a navy blazer.

Helping Africa is a cause close to both Mary and Kate's hearts.

Denmark's future queen visited Kenya recently on an emotional mission to a refugee camp housing women and children fleeing the famine in conflict-ridden Somalia.

And the Duchess and her husband have a long-standing affection for the part of the world. It was in Kenya where they became engaged just over a year ago.

William said the crisis had been going on for 100 days and with the rains about to come, disease would become a huge issue.

He said that despite the financial troubles going on around the world what was happening in east Africa would really "put everything into perspective".

His wife added that she'd been "shocked" by the scale of the disaster. "Hopefully this (visit) will put the light back on this terrible crisis," she said.

William and Kate give back to Africa, the continent that welcomed them

 It was the place they became engaged, and Prince William has loved the continent ever since he travelled there as a student.

It's little wonder the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen to support Africa during their first major humanitarian mission.

The royal newlyweds have backed UNICEF's East Africa Crisis appeal.

During his gap year, the future King spent three months travelling the continent learning about wildlife and the environment.

On his return, William began supporting the Tusk Trust, which supports wildlife conservation and poverty reduction from Botswana to Algeria.

The Prince has often said he loves the anonymity he enjoys there.

"Africa is the perfect place to come," he said during an interview with his adventurer friend Ben Fogle.

"The locals, wherever I go, haven't got a clue who I am and I love that."

Now the Prince and his wife – who became betrothed at Lake Rutundu near Mount Kenya – are going to give something back to the place where they feel so at home. 

They were headed to Denmark to tour the UNICEF's emergency supply centre and will be joined by the country's Princess Mary and Prince Frederik.

The UNICEF supply centre has a warehouse within it the size of three football pitches.

William and Kate – and their Danish hosts – will be given a briefing on the latest situation in East Africa, where 13 million people are being affected by famine.

They will also be shown how supplies are sourced and packed and help pack  emergency medical kits being sent to malnourished children in the region.

Finally William and Kate will go to Copenhagen Airport to see the supplies being loaded onto a plane bound for Nairobi.

The charity trip will be useful for Kate, who is learning the ropes before making a final decision next year on which organisations to support.

More on William and Kate

William and Kate reveal plans to return to Kenya

After successfully drawing attention to famine-hit East Africa, the Duchess of Cambridge has revealed plans to visit the region.

As she helped pack emergency supplies to be shipped to Nairobi during a visit to Copenhagen's UNICEF global crisis centre, Kate mentioned the subject to an aid worker.

Isaac Maina (below), who is from Kenya said: "The Duchess told me they are going back to Kenya soon."

A royal source told the Daily Telegraph: "A visit to Africa is certainly something the couple are considering.

"It may be some time before they could fit it into their schedule, but it certainly isn't being ruled out."

One possibility is that the couple could fly to Africa next June after the Queen's Diamond jubilee.

Prince William is expected to take part in the Safariacom Marathon on the Lewa Downs in Kenya to raise money for the Tusk Trust, of which he is patron.

During her first TV interview since joining the royal family Kate urged the public to help by donating money to alleviate the "terrible crisis" in East Africa.

She said she hoped the couple's visit – alongside Princess Mary and Prince Frederik of Denmark – would help "put the light back on" the situation.

"It's really just how shocking the situation is," she said when asked what went through her mind when thinking about the famine.

"It has been 100 days and it's still going on. A huge amount still needs to be done. At the moment hundreds of children are still malnourished."

William also made a plea to the public, calling the situation "horrendous".

"As tragic and distressing as what is going on in the rest of the world is, I think what's going on in East Africa really puts things into perspective of how terrible a crisis can actually get."

Since the couple became engaged during a holiday to Kenya last year the region has been hit by its worst drought in 50 years. Over 13 million people have been affected.

Kate and William arranged the trip to Denmark at short notice after being "deeply moved" by reports of the disaster.

They also made a five-figure donation to UNICEF's East Africa crisis appeal.

Windsor welcomes the world for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee

Hundreds of horses and performers will travel from all corners of the world to the UK in order to perform a celebratory extravaganza for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

The idea of the show was based upon the monarch's love of horses and will feature around 500 of the noble creatures. 

More than 800 performers are expected to take part, including Inuits from Canada, singers and dancers from Mexico and Cossacks from Russia amongst others.

The event has been aptly named "The World Comes To Windsor" and will take place on the evenings of May 10, 11 and 13.

Ambassadors Angela Rippon and Alan Titchmarsh attended a launch event at the Royal Mews in central London.

"It has been very clear that the Queen's private passion for horses and everything equestrian has spilled over into her public life as our Queen," said Angela. 

"And that's why, I think, that the World Comes To Windsor ticks all the boxes."

The Queen also intends to celebrate her 60 years on the throne leading a flotilla of 1,000 boats along the Thames in June 2012.

The flotilla – the largest ever to be assembled on the Thames – will begin in Putney at 2.30pm and arrive at Tower Bride 90 minutes later.