The Queen's Commonwealth Day Message

Commonwealth Day in London. Image: FlickR

Here is Her Majesty's message delivered during the Commonwealth Day, March 10, 2014:

In July this year, the opening of the 20th Commonwealth Games will be marked by the arrival in Glasgow of the baton that started its journey from Buckingham Palace five months ago.

Many of us are following closely the news of the baton relay as it passes through the 70 countries and territories whose teams will gather for the Games. The images bring vividly to life what we mean by the Commonwealth family: it is wonderful to see the warmth, shared endeavour and goodwill as the baton is passed through the hands of many thousands of people.

Affinities of history and inheritance from the past are strong, yet we are bound together by a sense that the Commonwealth is a powerful influence of good for the future. People of all ages from different cultures are weaving an ever-growing network of links which connect us in our diversity and our common purpose. It is this unity that is expressed in this year's theme: 'Team Commonwealth'.

While national teams will be concentrating on the competition in August, Team Commonwealth will have a longer focus, working together to achieve a more enduring success.

Experiences of life differ widely throughout the Commonwealth, and we each make contributions from sometimes very different viewpoints. But we are committed to the same goals. Together we offer each other encouragement and draw strength from this mutual support.

The understanding that we belong together, and are able, through teamwork, to achieve far more than we could do alone, has always been at the heart of our approach. For all of us this is now captured in the Commonwealth Charter which sets out the values and principles which guide and motivate us.

This year, more children and young people are participating in Commonwealth Day celebrations. Advances in technology enable us to reach a greater number of young people in schools, on-line using the 'Commonwealth Class' initiative, and through events in local communities where the Commonwealth flag is being raised.

I am delighted that in this, the year of 'Team Commonwealth', we will be working to build a brighter, united future in which every one of us can play a part and share in its rewards.

  Source: British Royal Family's Official website

Clarence House’s Communication Team merges with Buckingham Palace’s; Prince Charles ready to wield greater power over Royal Family

Prince Charles. Image: Getty Images

Prince Charles takes a step further towards kingship as his 10-man communications team, which takes care of his public image, will merge with that of Buckingham Palace’s.

It is expected that one of the Prince’s top man will soon take the helm of the entire Royal family’s PR. This is the first time since the reign of King George VI that only one team runs the monarchy's press relations.

This also means more power for the Prince of Wales and a profound message to everyone that Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh are starting to transfer their mounting workload to the younger generations. More of this from Telegraph online.

Zara Phillips, Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter, gives birth to a baby girl

Mike Tindall and Zara Phillips during their wedding.

It's a girl for Queen Elizabeth II's eldest granddaughter, Zara Phillips. The baby was born at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital today weighing 7lbs 12oz. Here's the official announcement from Buckingham Palace:

Mrs Michael Tindall today safely delivered a baby girl at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. Mr Tindall was present at the birth. The weight of the baby was 7lbs 12oz.

The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Princess Royal, Captain Mark Phillips and Mike’s parents, Mr Phillip and Mrs Linda Tindall, have been informed and are delighted with the news.

The baby’s name will be confirmed in due course.

This baby is the first child for Zara and Mike, the third grandchild for The Princess Royal and the fourth great-grandchild for The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, and is 16th line to the Throne.

Image: The British Monarchy (Facebook)

Watch BBC's The Diamond Queen Episode 3

In the last of three programmes, Andrew Marr looks at the defining moments of HM the Queen's reign, beginning with her accession to the throne in 1952 and her Coronation sixteen months later.

He examines how she has coped with decades of changing and sometimes tense relations with the media, looks backwards and forwards at royal Jubilees and charts her trip to Australia to look at what some see as her most enduring achievement, the Commonwealth.

And, for the first time, all of the Queen's adult grandchildren have their say about 'The Diamond Queen'.

Producer: Sally Norris
Presenter: Andrew Marr
Director: Sally Norris
Executive Producer: Nick Vaughan-Barratt

Watch BBC's The Diamond Queen Episode 2

In the second of three programmes, he assesses her moves to modernise the monarchy, from the abolition of the presentation of debutantes in 1958 to the very modern wedding of William and Catherine last year. Princes William and Harry are on hand to talk about their grandmother's influence on the wedding day, from the guest list to the choice of uniforms. Andrew also looks back at the challenges faced by the monarchy in the 'annus horribilis' of 1992, follows the Queen on her groundbreaking visit to the Republic of Ireland last May, and looks back on the happy times she spent on the Royal Yacht Britannia and the sadness she so visibly exhibited when it was decommissioned in 1997. Peter and Zara Phillips talk about family holidays on the yacht and Tony Blair speaks of the difficult decision he took to scrap it when he came to power in 1997.

Producer: Sally Norris
Presenter: Andrew Marr
Director: Sally Norris
Executive Producer: Nick Vaughan-Barratt

The Week that was in Royalty

Adorable Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine on their official portrait as they turn 3. Image: http://kongehuset.dk.

It's been a pretty tough week for the Spanish royals as Infanta Cristina faces fraud charges. Meanwhile, good news for Saudi royals, as Prince Alwaleed has been hailed as Saudi's most influential citizen.  More also on Prince William's going back to school and Queen Elizabeth's break from tradition of accepting flowers from well-wishers Sandringham. All these and more on the hottest news about the world of royalty.

32 facts about birthday girl Kate Middleton

Bourbons Behaving Badly: How the Spanish Royals Got Into Trouble 

Campaigner damaged Queen portrait to 'highlight injustice'

Extensive record on Emperor Hirohito coming, to shed light on his role in World War II 

King Juan Carlos should abdicate, say two thirds of Spaniards

Meet Emma McQuiston, Britain's soon-to-be first black marchioness... and why the groom's parents refused to attend the wedding

Pictures of Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine as they turn 3

Preliminary charges again filed against Spain's Princess Cristina

Prince Alwaleed ‘most influential Arab’ in 2013

Prince Harry to move into Kensington Palace

Prince William begins agriculture course at Cambridge

Prince William dashes home from Cambridge University to be with Kate on her birthday

Queen breaks with tradition again today as she declines to accept flowers from hopeful children at Sandringham

Spanish fraud case batters image of monarchy

Zara Phillips becomes first member of Royal family to appearin video game

Watch BBC's The Diamond Queen Episode 1

Andrew Marr looks at the life and reign of HM Queen Elizabeth II in this three-part series, which includes special interviews with Princes William and Harry, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, the Earl of Wessex, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, David Cameron, Tony Blair, Sir John Major and President Obama. In this first episode, with remarkable archive footage, Marr tells the childhood story of the young girl who never expected to reign. He looks closely at the influence of her grandfather, father and mother and the impact of the abdication, and hears from the Queen's grandchildren about what it must have been like to become queen at the age of 25. Marr examines exactly what the Queen's role as head of state actually entails, and follows her to the Middle East and the USA to assess the global impact of the royal family on British trade and international relations.

Producer: Sally Norris
Presenter: Andrew Marr Director: Sally Norris
Executive Producer: Nick Vaughan-Barratt

Queen Elizabeth II launches Commonwealth Games baton relay

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip during the Commonwealth Games
Baton Relay. Image: Reuters @Scottish Express

 

Queen Elizabeth II has officially launched the Commonwealth Games relay with a secret message placed inside the baton. According to the Telegraph, the queen's message was written while she was on holiday at Balmoral.

The baton will tour the Commonwealth nations and will be unveiled to athletes when it arrives in Glasgow next year for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, reports MailOnline. Sir Chris Hoy brough the ceremonial object to Buckingham Palace. After tucking the message in, the queen handed the baton over as it embarks on a 120,000-journey beginning with India.

Scottish Express noted that the event was the first time that the queen and Prince Philip appeared  "on joint public duty... together for the first time since Philip’s recovery from surgery."

Royal History: The Issue with the Royal Family

In 1992, the British Royal Family was stormed by one crisis after another, as such, Queen Elizabeth II aptly called that year “annus horribilis.” Suzanne Cassidy in The Arts, The Royalty Issue (1991) succinctly wrote about the issue of the Royal Family (adapted from The Americana Annual, Grolier Incorporated, c1992).

The British Royal Family. Image: MyDaily.co.uk

During her visit to the United States in May 1991, Queen Elizabeth II was received enthusiastically nearly everywhere she went. It must have been a relief, for trouble and dissent has been brewing at home. In Britain, loyalty to “queen and country” remained strong, but it was no longer an unquestioned loyalty and indeed it was a matter of some contention that it ever had been.

During the 1991 Gulf War, the right-of-center Sunday Times lambasted some members of the royal family for not doing enough for the war effort; this was so small slight, for the queen is officially head ot the armed services. Some of the family members, railed the newspaper, “paraded a mixture of upper-class decadence and insensitivity which disgusts the public and demeans the monarchy.”

The Tax Issue

In February a poll conducted by Numbers Market Research for the Independent found that 79 percent of those polled believed that the queen should pay tax. In June author Phillip Hall revealed that contents of his new book, which asserted that contrary to the widely held belief that the monarch never has paid taxed, both Queen Victoria and Edward VII paid income tax; total exception was not secured until the reign of King George VI, the current Queen’s father. Hall’s assertions fueld an already raging debate about the queen’s untaxed private income, which one modest estimate put at about L20 mn (about $34 mn) per year. (The total private wealth of the Windsors, on which no income tax is paid, had been estimated at $10.73 bn by Fortune magazine).
Noting that the Japanese emperor and the Swedish monarch paid tax, Liberal Democratic Parliamentarian Simon Hughes pressed for a bill that would abolish the queen’s tax free status. Speaking on television, Lord St. John of Fawsley, former Conservative leader of the House of Commons and a devoted royalist, admitted that the queen’s tax-exempt status was “not totally accepted in the modern world,” and “may be modified at some time in the future.”

The Overview

Just as troubling, perhaps, were the results of a Gallup pole for the Daily Telegraph newspaper in July that found that 22 pc of those questioned said that Britain did not need a royal family; of that percentage, 36 pc was under the age of 25. The same poll showed that 51 pc of those questioned believed that the royal family did not provide “a good example of family life”; in other words, the royals were failing in one of their prime duties. The poll reflected not just fears about the family relations among the many peripheral royals, but concerns about the relationship between the heir to the throne and his wide. The couple, the prince and princess of Wales, marked their tenth wedding anniversary on July 29, amid unconfirmed but persistent reports that their marriage was in trouble. Prince Charles could lose his claim to the throne if there were a divorce, a circumstance the crown might not withstand.

Some expressed their belief that the demise of the crown would be no bad thing, arguing that Prime Minister John Major’s professed aim of a “classless society” never would be achieved until the crown was retired to history. Republicans proposed that the monarch be divested of all constitutional powers; at present, the sovereign is head of the Church of England and head of state of 13 Commonwealth countries. These, however, remained minority views. Britons may want the queen to be taxed, but a relative few wish for the crown to lose its status altogether. (Video: Youtube.com/Paulo Carvalho)

Book of the Week: Family Royal

Audrey Whiting's Family Royal

The British Royal Family are the most photographed, most talked about family in the world. Because of their unique role—they are the longest-surviving functional monarchy in the world today—their responsibilities and duties as super-ambassadors for Britain expose them to constant public scrutiny, both at home and abroad.

They are an intensely closely knit and loyal family who can really relax and be themselves in the company of each other and that small band of relatives and intimates who know and understand the rigorous demands made upon them by the Court Calendar, their own high standards , centuries of tradition, and by our changing society which puts a sometimes-intolerable burden of accountability upon them.

Audrey Whiting’s Family Royaltakes a refreshingly intimate and understanding view of what the Royals are really like as a family. At the center is Queen Elizabeth II herself, whom the world has come to recognize and value as a woman with a great sense of duty. The author introduces us to the more private side of the Queen’s life—preparing picnics at Balmoral, playing games at Windsor, her relations with her devoted staff, with her friends and intimates, and with her husband, Prince Philip. Above all, we are offered a unique insight into the relationships between the Queen and Prince Philip and their four very different children, all of whom had come to terms with their hereditary roles.
Audrey Whiting draws on her close contact over many years with members of the family and the Royal Household to give us an exceptionally well-informed and personal view of the Windsors as they prepare to play as significant and valuable a role as they have so successfully fulfilled in this century.

To Look at The Queen: An American Looks at Britain

The British Royal Family. Image: AP

A surprise in Britain is how easy it is to see the Queen. Her daily round of ceremonial ribbon-cutting and orphanage going is posted in the Court Appointments column in The Times. All you have to do is show up right on time and join the onlookers.

Another surprise in Britain when you go around some miserable slum is how Prince Charles has been there ahead of you. The Prince’s distant melancholy image is contradicted by the enthusiasm of public housing dwellers about the interest he takes in their problems. He has rightly accused Britain’s architects, who design prison-like housing estates and tower blocks, inspired by Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe, blight most British cities, of consistently ignoring the “feelings and wishes of the mass of ordinary people.”

When Prince Charles speaks out there are complaints that he should stay out of politics as if saying nothing doesn’t carry just as heavy a moral responsibility. What gives his views authority is like a good reporter, he goes out, mingles as much as he can, and asks, asks, asks. What better experience for a future King? Britain has peculiar need of somebody like this.

The Prince has said: “If you go around the country in my position, I’ve learned a lot, I’ve listened, I’ve looked a lot—you can’t just sit and do nothing about it.”

It can be argued that the British Royal Family’s real power lies in the very ability to influence the media. Royal correspondent Judy Wade says, “Without the media, the monarchy could have trouble staying in business.” Buckingham Palace with all its heraldry and chivalry, some of it going back to the days of William the Conqueror, has to strike a balance between serving the public, satisfying the appetite of its subjects for fairy-tale romance, and resisting a wholesale invasion of its privacy and the kind of attention that conflicts with its mystique.  

The British monarchy has always walked the tightrope on keeping on the good side of the press. “It is their single, real organ of power,” writes Charles Jenck in his 1988 book The Prince, The Architects and New Wave Monarchy.

In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 60^thyear on the throne, but through the years, there has been no serious talk of abolishing the monarchy. The cost of taxpayers’ money is great and nobody knows how much exactly the Queen really worth; estimates go from $100 mn to $100 bn. But certainly, the monarchy has been and will always be a great help to Britain’s unity and cohesion. And inevitably the Queen has power, just as Prince Charles, as the heir to the throne, has influence. Nothing in British history suggests that taking no action on public issues is to be neutral. Silence, too, sets the tone.

Adapted from An American Looks at Britain by Richard Critchfield. New York: Doubleday, c1990. 

King Philippe's Twitter Account Hacked, Cambodians Appeal to King to Delay Opening of Parliament, Prince Charles Becomes One of the Oldest Heirs to the British Throne and More Royal Updates!

Image: Expatica

The King's Twitter account hacked by a journalist. The hacker even managed to send glad tidings: "I feel good as King of the Belgians! Long live Belgium!" [Expatica]

Monks and Cambodian opposition leaders urge King Norodom Sihamouni to delay opening of parliament [Reuters]

Saudi Princess Meshael Alayban has been cleared of charges. Image: AP

Meshael Alayban, the Saudi princess accused of human trafficking a 'slave maid' into her California home is cleared of all charges. [Mail Online]

King Juan Carlos

King Juan Carlos shrugs abdication rumors ahead of hip surgery. [Expatica]

Prince Charles

While the Queen is Britain's oldest reigning monarch, Prince Charles is now the oldest heir to the throne in 300 years. [BBC]

Sophia, Electress of Hanover. Source: Wikimedia

Hanover's Electress Sophia remains as the oldest heir to the throne, who died at 83. [Mail Online]

The Duchess of Cambridge is a Princess of the United Kingdom

The Duchess of Cambridge. Image: Wikimedia Commons

The issue on how to properly address the Duchess of Cambridge has once again earned the coverage of media after Prince George of Cambridge’s  birth certificate went live online. Yes, it’s true that Catherine’s is a Princess of United Kingdom, however, she acquired this right by marriage and she is not however allowed to style herself as Princess Catherine. Even if she has been born a Princess of another realm, she would have to use the feminine form of her husband’s title.

Marlene Eilers Koenig, a leading expert in the field of royal history, has written a comprehensive article on this issue.

I have also written an article about how to properly address members of the royal family who were not born princesses.

Take the case of Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. Princess Marina was married to Prince George Duke of Kent in 1934. On their wedding day, she became a British princess by marriage and she took her husband’s title. While in Greece, she has all the right to style herself Princess Marina, her marriage to a British prince automatically made her HRH The Princess George, Duchess of Kent.
Later in her life, after her eldest son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, married Miss Katharine Worsley, who automatically became HRH The Duchess of Kent, Princess Marina requested Queen Elizabeth II to allow her to use her princely title, rather than be addressed HRH The Dowager Duchess of Kent and create confusion. However, the Queen did not issue any letters patent making her aunt a British princess in her own right, although she allowed her to use the title as a courtesy. Thus, until her death in 1969, Princess Marina was styled HRH Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent.

While Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester was not born a Princess (she was born Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott), Queen Elizabeth II by courtesy, out of respect and gratitude to her service to the Crown, and to avoid confusion with the new Duchess of Gloucester (formerly Birgitte van Deurs) allowed her aunt to style herself Princess Alice followed by her husband’s title. Thus, she became known as HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester.

A recent article published in Hello’s website discussing the Duchess of Cambridge’s title contained errors.

Hello writes “Direct descendants of the monarch are typically given a dukedom or, in the case of a younger son they become an Earl.” Not necessarily an earldom. In fact, until Prince Edward was given an Earldom, all the younger sons of a British sovereign were given a dukedom.

Queen Victoria – Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Connaught and Duke of Albany

King George V – Duke of York, Duke of Gloucester, Duke of Kent

Queen Elizabeth II – (except for Earl of Wessex) the Duke of York

A Letters Patent gazetted on 11 December 1917 and signed by King George V to this day serves as the bible of royal titles. The Letter Patent restricted the use of the style Royal Highness and the titular dignity of  Prince (or Princess) of Great Britain and Ireland to the children of the Sovereign, the children of the sons of the Sovereign and the eldest living son of the eldest living son of a Prince of Wales.

According to the Letters Patent: "Titles of Royal Highness, Highness or Serene Highness, and the titular dignity of Prince and Princess shall cease except those titles already granted and remaining unrevoked."

The King’s relatives who are members of the British Royal Family but fighting on the German side during World War I, like Prince Ernst August of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale (the most senior male-line great-grandson of George III) and Prince Carl Eduard, Duke of Albany and reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (a male-line grandson of Queen Victoria), were cut off; their British peerages were suspended by a 1919 Order in Council under the provisions of the Titles Deprivation Act 1917. However, Prince Charles Edward remained a Prince of the United Kingdom, a title that was his by virtue of his birth.

The title Prince and Princess, according to Hello, is “inherited through male descendants.” Not really. Any son or daughter of sovereign is called a Prince or Princess. Furthermore, the title Prince or Princess is only transmitted to a male-line grandchild of a sovereign. That means, the children of a sovereign’s son are entitled to use Prince and Princess before their name plus their father’s territorial designation.

For example, Prince George, Duke of Kent is the fourth son of King George V. When his children were born, they were allowed to use the title and style HRH Prince (Christian name) plus the territorial designation “of Kent,” as with the case Prince Edward of Kent (who inherited his father’s Dukedom upon his death in 1942), Princess Alexandra of Kent and Prince Michael of Kent. The same rules apply to the daughters of HRH The Duke of York, Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Eugenie of York.

But are they still prince or princess of United Kingdom? Or, are they just mere princes and princess “of Kent” or “of York”? They are actually Prince of United Kingdom, but the designation “of Kent” and “of York” signifies that are not children of a sovereign. They derive their title not from the sovereign but from their parents.

What about Prince William? He was born Prince William of Wales. But how come he became Duke of Cambridge?

When Prince William was born, he was not yet a son of a sovereign, but the son of the Prince of Wales, who is the heir to the throne. Thus, he derived his title from their father’s. When he got married in 2011, Queen Elizabeth II created him Duke of Cambridge. By right of his birth, he is a Prince. But by the will of the sovereign, he was created a royal duke—not just any other duke who belongs to the nobility.

You can be a Princess and not use the title. True. But Hello used the wrong example. “Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall is technically the Princess of Wales out of respect for the late Diana, Princess of Wales she has never use that title. Instead she uses her husband Prince Charles' Dukedom.” Yes, Camilla is by all means the Princess of Wales and a Princess by marriage but even if she uses the titles Princess of Wales, she cannot style herself Princess Camilla. “Princess Diana” is in fact wrong.  She was Diana, Princess of Wales, or simply the Princess of Wales, but never Princess Diana.

The children of the Earl and Countess of Wessex are by all means Prince and Princess of the United Kingdom: Princess Louise of Wessex and Prince James of Wessex. However, the Earl and Countess declined using royal titles for their kids, rather, they wanted everyone to address them as the son and the daughter of an earl. Note, the Earl holds a royal earldom, bestowed upon him by his mother when he married in 1999. If he wasn’t given an earldom, his wife would simply be style HRH The Princess Edward. Take the case of Princess Michael of Kent, the former Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz. Prince Michael does not hold any title of nobility, as such, his wife is known as Princess Michael.

So are the Earl and Countess of Wessex’s kids no longer Prince and Princess of United Kingdom? They are still Prince and Princess of United Kingdom and sometime they grow up, they can choose to be styled that way. The Queen never signed a letters patent revoking their royal status. Another example of Princess Patricia of Connaught. When he married the Hon. Alexander Ramsay, a younger son of the Earl of Dalhousie, she made it known that she no longer wanted to use her royal titles and styles and became known as Lady Patricia Patricia taking precedence before the all the marchionesses in England.

Meanwhile, the eldest or the only daughter of the sovereign is usually accorded the title Princess Royal of Great Britain. Princess Anne currently holds the title—and she will remain Princess Royal for life. Other Princess Royals include: Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood (only daughter of King George V), Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife (only daughter of Edward VII) and Victoria, the Empress Frederick of Germany (eldest daughter of Queen Victoria). However, one cannot assume the title unless the preceding holder has passed away. Queen Elizabeth II, as the elder daughter of a sovereign, never assumed the title, given that her aunt, Princess Mary, was still alive during her father’s reign. The same was the case of Princess Mary, who did not become Princess Royal until 1932, a year after the death of her aunt, Princess Louise. However, inheriting the title is not automatic. The Empress Frederick died in 1901 but Princess Louise did not automatically assume the title until her father, King Edward VII declared her so.  Princess Mary died in 1965 but it was only in 1987 that Queen Elizabeth II awarded the title to Princess Anne.

To sum:

• The Duchess of Cambridge is a British princess, though not in birth, but by marriage.

• Ladies who married members of the Royal Family take the feminine form of their husbands’ title. Kate Middle—HRH The Duchess of Cambridge; Sophie Rhys-Jones—HRH The Countess of Wessex; Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz—HRH Princess Michael of Kent.

•  Male-line grandchildren of a sovereign are British princes and princesses, only that they use their parents’ territorial designation. Prince Henry of Wales, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York, Prince Michael of Kent.

• Former members of the Royal Family have lost their rights as royals, although by courtesy, they are allowed to use their husbands’ titles. However, they lose these titles when they remarry. The Princess of Wales became Diana, Princess of Wales while the Duchess of York became Sarah, Duchess of York, minus the HRH.

About the Author

Christian George Acevedo is a book worm, mentor, and scholar of wide-ranging interests. He has authored hundreds of articles for various websites, and his expertise ranges from online marketing and finance to history, entertainment and many more. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Tumblr. Contact Christian at powerwordsonlinewriting@gmail.com.