Obama Administration: Landmark Moments and Special Visitors

The President and First Lady bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, before they departed Winfield House in London following a dinner in honor of the Queen.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The President signs the health insurance reform bill. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

"Much has been made of this photograph that shows the President and Vice President and the national security team monitoring in real time the mission against Osama bin Laden. Some more background on the photograph: The White House Situation Room is actually comprised of several different conference rooms. The majority of the time, the President convenes meetings in the large conference room with assigned seats. But to monitor this mission, the group moved into the much smaller conference room. The President chose to sit next to Brigadier General Marshall B. “Brad” Webb, Assistant Commanding General of Joint Special Operations Command, who was point man for the communications taking place. WIth so few chairs, others just stood at the back of the room. I was jammed into a corner of the room with no room to move. During the mission itself, I made approximately 100 photographs, almost all from this cramped spot in the corner. There were several other meetings throughout the day, and we've put together a composite of several photographs (see next photo in this set) to give people a better sense of what the day was like. Seated in this picture from left to right: Vice President Biden, the President, Brig. Gen. Webb, Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and then Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Standing, from left, are: Admiral Mike Mullen, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; National Security Advisor Tom Donilon; Chief of Staff Bill Daley; Tony Blinken, National Security Advisor to the Vice President; Audrey Tomason Director for Counterterrorism; John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper."(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and Burmese Opposition Leader Aung San Suu Kyi pet Bo, the Obama family dog, at the conclusion of their meeting in the Oval Office, Sept. 19, 2012. Danny Russel, Senior Director for Asian Affairs, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton watch at left. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama pauses to look back at the scene before leaving the platform following the inaugural swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 21, 2013. Standing behind the President are First Lady Michelle Obama, daughters Malia and Sasha, and Marian Robinson. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Four Presidents during the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Filling in for David Lienemann, Lawrence Jackson made this photograph of the real Vice President, with Julia-Louis Dreyfus, star of the HBO show Veep', in his West Wing office of the White House.
(Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

The President and First Lady wave to supporters as they ride in the inaugural parade. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Meetings happen everywhere including on the escalator. Here, the President continues a conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel following their meeting with other leaders at the NATO Summit in Newport, Wales. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The President signs the H.R. 3547, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, which at the time provided fiscal year 2014 appropriations. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan walk from the Reflecting Pool toward the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., April 27, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama laughs with Caroline Kennedy, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, in the Oval Office, April 27, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden discuss the Resolute Desk with Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, prior to a meeting in the Oval Office, March 19, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

First Lady Michelle Obama and Meryl Streep participate in a photo shoot for MORE magazine in the Blue Room of the White House, Feb. 24, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

President Barack Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany participate in a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 9, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Two days after the visit of Pope Francis, the President and First Lady hosted President Xi Jinping of China and Madame Peng Liyuan for another State Visit. Before the formal State Dinner, the President showed President Xi and Madame Peng the Gettysburg Address in the Lincoln Bedroom. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The President and Pope Francis walk along the Colonnade. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

A festive atmosphere as the White House was lit with the colors of the rainbow in celebration of the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The Crown costumes at Liberty London

I was in London this weekend for Remembrance commemorations, but I made a quick dash to Liberty London to check out the amazing costumes from the new Netflix series, The Crown.

I watched The Crown in 3 days and loved every episode. What makes the series even more special is that a close friend worked on the series as the Protocol Advisor- it was great to see the finished result. Expect more love for The Crown in a future post, but in the meantime, here are some of the costumes which were on display at Liberty!

Before she becomes Queen, we are introduced to Elizabeth Windsor. This silk day dress ensemble is one of the earliest costumes in the series.

Now Queen, we see Claire Foy wear this spectacular ballgown and fur pairing.

Much is made of Princess Margaret as a glamorous and daring individual throughout the series. This is another stunning ballgown- complete with a sparkling tiara.

Princess Margaret's status as a fashion icon is firmly cemented thanks to this forward thinking cocktail dress. I love it! 

May through Instagram

Testing out New Zealand chocolate | Wallis and Edward print from the National Portrait Gallery | London night time views | Wedding season | Royal art | Morning London | Disused Underground stations | Binge watching Grace and Frankie | Leon lunchtime treats

Follow my adventures on Instagram!

Q&A with Mary Jardine, Jardine of London

How can a timeless design be updated for the modern world? Mary Jardine may have found the answer. Her handbag line is inspired by the quintessential music bag, the luxury leather designs made exclusively in England. A new line that's picking up lots of attention, I spoke to Mary about the process behind her designs and who she would love to see carrying a Jardine of London bag. Enjoy!

Mary Jardine

How has your life experience made you the leader you are today? 

I would say that I have had much experience working for other people but feel happiest at the helm of my own company.  The hardest thing I find to do is delegate.  This tends to mean I make my life harder for myself as I want to control everything within my business. I have learnt that it is a very good idea to let other people do the jobs that I am not so good at doing.

What attracted you to start your own business?  

I wanted to feel proud of something I had created myself and feel passionate about. I knew that in time I would realise that I would be more disappointed in the things I hadn't done with my life than the things I had.  I wanted a new challenge in my life, my two boys were all grown up and it was time for me to do something for myself.

What have been the highlights and challenges?  

The highlights have been bringing to life my creations and getting involved in an exciting industry that I believe in.  Meeting some wonderful talented creative people who share the excitement and joy of creating beautiful luxury leather goods.  The challenges have been finding the right people to work with.  It has been an experience to say the least,  trusting people you have only just met is hard.  You are completely relying on someone else who can make or break your business and dream.  People make businesses.

What advice can you offer to women who want to start their own business?  

Do your research and more research first, create your own story and brand, make sure your product(s) are really good and work, and above all make sure you have a market place where you will receive the all important sales.  Never be frighted to ask people who know more than you do - it is the only way to learn.  Be like a sponge and soak up as much information as possible.  Read inspiring books about your industry, read what is going on in your industry, read, read and read some more!

Tell us about your collection and the design inspiration behind it.  

This is my first collection.  My inspiration for the design comes from my childhood memories of my leather music case.  I always wondered what it would be like to have something incredibly chic with lovely clean lines incorporating the music bar but at the same time have a practical handbag that actually worked.  My inspiration for the star used in my brand name comes from the Jardine Star Brooch which was left to Queen Elizabeth II in 1981 by Lady Jardine.  The brooch has eight points and a diamond is placed on a knife-wire between each point.  The Queen wore this brooch for her diamond jubilee pageant trip up the River Thames in 2012.  It is one of her favourite brooches.

Who would you love to see carrying a Jardine of London bag?  

I would be proud for any woman to carry one of my bags. I want them to feel part of the Jardine of London story and engage with the brand.  I have supplied bags to Keira Knightley, Naomie Harris, Emma Watson and Rosamund Pike. These are all beautiful successful women I admire.

How do you maintain a work/life balance?  

I have a husband who has been in training for 25 years - he is my second pair of hands.  Without him I couldn't do what I do.  We  support each other in our separate businesses and if I am unable to cook supper he will do it - which is wonderful!

How has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal life?  

My husband is my mentor in business and private - followed closely by my two grown-up boys who have been my inspiration for driving my business forward.  My eldest son is setting up his own business with the support of my husband.  He has tremendous entrepreneurial skills which is just great to see.

Which other female leaders do you admire and why?  

Julie Deane, The Cambridge Satchel company. She has done the most amazing job with her company.  Her entrepreneurship is second to none and she juggled it all whilst still having young children.  I also hugely admire Arianna Huffington - I think she is quite extraordinary.  Her career has been such an interesting one and she has achieved so much.

What do you want to accomplish in the next year?  

I would like to launch into the luxury retail sector - to enable my customers to be able to go and see and feel my bags.  I would also like to assemble a strong team of  people who can each bring something different to the table of Jardine of London.  This will in turn hopefully enable me to drive my brand forward to growth and subsequent success.

Mary Jardine

All Aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia

A few weeks ago I was in Edinburgh for a short city break. The highlight of the trip was going aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia!

A special tour had been arranged for 8am, and my group were able to board the via the Royal Brow, the entrance used by the Queen and her guests!

Our tour guide showed us round the yacht, and we saw areas including the crew's quarters, the dining room and the Queen's private rooms. We also saw the Bloodhound (a royal racing boat,) and the Queen's Rolls Royce.

As the yacht was used by the Royal Family for their vacations, many personal effects and photographs remain. All of the clocks on the yacht show the time of 3.01pm, marking when the monarch stepped off the vessel for the very last time.

It was a fascinating and fun trip, and having breakfast on the top deck was a fun way to begin the day!

Check out my photos for a look at my visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia! View more of my photos over on Flickr.

A way to make an entrance!

Anyone for a game?

Crew bar

The Crew's napkins

Details of the table setting

Newspaper from the last day the Queen was on the yacht

Pop up bar! 

The dining room

The Queen's Bedroom

Rule Britannia

Selection of family photos

Our group- we were psyched to sit on the sofas!

All the clocks are set to 3.01pm, marking the last time the Queen stepped off the yacht.