New Zealand Woman’s Weekly 1722

We’re used to seeing the Queen looking smart in stylish outfits and eye-catching hats, but given the chance to get out and about in a tweed skirt, comfy coat, sensible shoes and a headscarf, Her Majesty is clearly in her element. The Queen was able to don her off-duty numbers several times last week during the Royal Windsor Horse Show, where she delighted in mingling with horse trainers and guests. Always happy around horses, the Queen – who still rides, despite the fact she’s 91 – took a keen interest in all aspects of the show, but was particularly delighted when her horse Barber’s Shop won a thoroughbred showing class competition and she was handed the winner’s trophy. The five-day event has been held in Windsor Great Park every year…

“Kia ora, Shortland Str eet Accident and Emer gency centre!” With one line, utter ed by receptionist Marj Neilson from a very ’90s-looking hospital desk, a new era of Kiwi television dawned 25 years ago. It’s hard to believe it’s been a quarter of a century since Shortland Str eet hit our screens – 25 years of classic one-liners, shocking storylines, cataclysmic clif fhangers and, of course, 25 years of trying to remember the wor ds of the blimmin’ theme song. But throughout the murders, explosions, disasters, weddings and babies, one thing has r emained a constant – a lovable busybody behind the reception desk, at the centre of everything that’s going on in Ferndale. We caught up with five of Shorty’s front-desk favourites this week to unravel some of…

Sorry seems to be the hardest word, but it’s clear Sir Elton John has finally managed to say it to his mother, after almost a decade of feuding. After a famous falling out nine years ago, Elton (70) and his mother Sheila Farebrother (92) are officially talking again. The public proof was in a photo of Elton and his mum that he posted on Instagram on Mother’s Day. Speculation was rife the pair were estranged after Sheila hired an Elton tribute performer to sing at her 90th birthday. It has been reported the mother-son duo had a serious argument after Sheila refused to cut off contact with two of Elton’s oldest friends, Bob Halley and John Reid, with whom he’d called it quits. Bob had worked for Elton for three…

Leanne Miller has comfortably slotted into her role as the new receptionist at Shortland Street (although she does have a habit of offending people!). With a new person now on the desk, we thought it was time to take a look back at some of the familiar faces who have been at the frontline of the Ferndale hospital. 1992- 1996 Marjorie “Marj” Brasch PLAYED BY ELIZABETH MCRAE Marj’s first appearance was on May 25, 1992. As the first receptionist on Shortland Street, she uttered the immortal line, “Kia ora, Shortland Street.” Marj was permanent for four years until she left the hospital to become a politician. Can you remember your first and last scenes, and how you felt? I think my first scene was near the beginning of the very…

It’s one of the highlights of the equestrian calendar and an event Zara Tindall is always keen to attend. But as she rode her horse out to take part in the Chatsworth International Horse Trials last weekend, it must have hit home that if things had been different, rather than competing, she would have been about to give birth. Zara suffered a miscarriage on Christmas Eve, four months into her pregnancy with her second child. The baby would have been expected about now, and as any mum who loses a baby to miscarriage knows, the due date is always a difficult milestone. Still, Zara (36) was her usual stoic self when she competed at Chatsworth. Her husband Mike has revealed it’s the couple’s daughter Mia who has helped them deal…

‘We adjusted the costume and the new version was great. It’s like pyjamas!’ With her skin-tight, star-spangled get-up and gilded headband, it was Lynda Carter who turned Wonder Woman from a DC Comics demi-goddess into a ’70s pop-culture icon and small-screen success story. But fast forward 30-something years and there’s a new woman on the superhero block – and thanks to Israeli actress Gal Gadot’s military background, she’s more fearsome than ever! The Wonder Woman film, set for a June 2 release, follows Gal as Amazon warrior Diana Prince, born on the all-female island of Themyscira, on her mission to help save the world during World War I, during which she becomes known as Wonder Woman. She’s already faced criticism for having small breasts compared to her comic-book counterpart, but…