Posted March 14, 200619 yr Stars up close and personal with Queen John Ferguson, Michael Warner and Sam Edmund 14mar06 AN A-list of business and political leaders and prominent Australians are among 50 hand-picked VIPs who will watch the opening ceremony with the Queen. Prime Minister John Howard will sit next to Her Majesty, with Prince Philip on her other side. Also in the front row will be Premier Steve Bracks, his wife Terry, and Prince Edward. Melbourne Games boss Ron Walker, diva Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Dame Elisabeth Murdoch will be in the royal box on Melbourne's night of celebration. Governor-General Michael Jeffery and Victorian Governor John Landy will be there along with politicians including Peter Costello, John Thwaites and Justin Madden. Lord Mayor John So and Kerry Packer's widow, Ros, will also mix with royalty. Nelson Mandela and Princess Mary of Denmark are unable to attend. The royal guest list was revealed as celebrities began pouring into Melbourne before tomorrow night's opening ceremony at the MCG. They include pop starlet Delta Goodrem, cricket great Sir Viv Richards, model Elle MacPherson, astronaut Andy Thomas and actor Eric Bana. Goodrem, 21, arrived at Melbourne airport yesterday with the lyrics to a secret song she'll perform at the MCG for a 1.5 billion global audience. But Nicole Kidman is a no-show because of movie commitments in Los Angeles. She is believed to be working on a new project with Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann. She was to be the special guest of the National Australia Bank at both the opening and closing ceremonies. The NAB has hired the new Long Room, where it will wine and dine hundreds of guests. The Bracks Government will provide up to $1 million in Games tickets and entertainment to VIPs and celebrities. About $200,000 will be spent on top seats for 200 special guests and their partners for the opening ceremony. Sports legends Dawn Fraser, Cathy Freeman, Steve Moneghetti, Raelene Boyle, Andrew Gaze and Marjorie Jackson will be there. Corporate heavies include Margaret Jackson from Qantas and Sol Trujillo from Telstra. Indigenous leaders, local mayors, state Cabinet ministers and sports chiefs will also get a guernsey. British PM Tony Blair arrives in Melbourne late next week and will attend the closing ceremony. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will also be in town next week to attend the Games. The royal box is on the new Northern Stand's first level. A special chair has been made for the Queen, who soon turns 80. The last runner in the Queen's Baton Relay will climb a grand set of stairs to deliver the baton to Her Majesty. The runner's identity is one of the few remaining secrets. The Queen will arrive at the MCG by limousine and officially open the Games after reading a message contained in a computer chip placed inside the baton. Three Victorian women born in 1926 -- the same year as the Queen -- will be introduced to her and Prince Philip in the MCC Long Room. Earlier, the Queen will attend a Prime Minister's lunch at the Exhibition Building in Carlton and visit the athletes' village at Parkville. The royal party touches down in Melbourne early tomorrow and will be escorted into the city by a convoy including more than 70 police motorbikes. All on-ramps leading to the Tullamarine Freeway and CityLink will be sealed.
March 15, 200619 yr Author Delta's already royal. She's a music princess. :wub: It's cheesy, but I love it :lol:
Create an account or sign in to comment