Click the image to view the photo at the Mail Online

 The BBC reports that the question of the legality of sealing of royal wills, which has been raised several times over recent years, is being considered by a panel of judges.  The privilege is unique to the royals — normally British wills are a matter of public record.

The practice of sealing the wills was brought to public attention by Robert Brown (pictured at right), a man who claims that he is the secret love-child of HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and Group Captain Peter Townsend.  He has been attempting for several years to have the wills of both Princess Margaret and HM The Queen Mother unsealed because he believes they may contain evidence that he is the late princess’s son.

Royal wills have been sealed since the early twentieth century, and it was indeed first done to conceal a family secret.  In 1911, HM Queen Mary asked the courts to seal the will of her brother, Prince Francis of Teck, to keep confidential the fact that he had left the Cambridge emeralds (pictured at left) to Lady Kilmorey, his mistress.  She later quietly purchased the emeralds back for several times their value so that she could wear her family’s jewels to her coronation, and they have since been incorporated in many pieces of royal jewelry.

Click the image to view the photo at The Royal Collection

All royal wills since then have been sealed, a privilege that historian Hugo Vickers tells the BBC has been afforded to “all sorts of obscure people.”  The only exception to the rule has been the will of Diana, Princess of Wales, which was revealed after her death in 1997.

Vickers believes that “while the covenant was introduced to cover-up impropriety, it [is] wrong to assume the wills of more recent royals might reveal similarly lurid details,” adding, “The Royal Family have so little privacy as it is, I don’t think we should be able to see the details.”

But if the panel decides that it is unlawful to allow royals to have their wills sealed, there may still be a way for the royals to keep their last wishes private in the future.  Vickers explains that “the Royal Family might opt, like a number of famous people, to leave a letter for their executors, which does not have to be published.”

If the royal wills are unsealed, most believe that they will provide no evidence that Mr. Brown is the secret child of a princess.   Even so, we will have to wait for the panel’s verdict, scheduled for late 2010, to see if we do become privy to any real secrets lurking in royal estate papers.

To read more from the BBC on the topic, visit this page.  For more on the British royal family, please visit this forum.

Ella Kay British Royals Jewellery, Legal Matters, Princess Margaret, Queen Mary, Robert Brown

Click on the image to view the photo at The Associated Press

 For the first time since the George Cross in 1940, a new medal of honor for fallen British military men and women will be named for a reigning monarch.  The Elizabeth Cross, named for HM The Queen, will be awarded to the families of British military men and women killed in active duty from World War II to the present.  Those killed in terrorist attacks will also be eligible for the medal.

Military personnel killed in action in Northern Ireland, the Falklands, Afghanistan, and Iraq will be among those eligible to receive the Elizabeth Cross.  The Associated Press reports, however, that the next-of-kin of those killed before the new millenium will have to apply for the honor, while families of those killed within the decade will be notified by the Ministry of Defence that their loved ones will receive the Cross.

The silver cross is decorated with the initials “EIIR,” for Queen Elizabeth II, and with a rose, a daffodil, a thistle, and a shamrock, the national flowers representing England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

The news of the new military medal comes on the day that Lt. Col. Rupert Thorneloe, the highest-ranking member of the British military to be killed in action since the Falklands War, died after the vehicle in which he was traveling was exploded by a bomb in Afghanistan.

For more on The Queen’s current events, please visit this thread.

Ella Kay British Royals Elizabeth II, Military

Click the image to see the photo at The Daily Telegraph

 Back when HM The Queen was still just HRH The Princess Elizabeth, Buckingham Palace sported its own “victory” vegetable garden allotment as a way to economize during the rationing days of the Second World War.  Now, following in the footsteps of American First Lady Michelle Obama’s White House garden, a new vegetable patch has been planted at Buckingham Palace.

The allotment is located in the “Yard Bed” section of the extensive grounds of the Palace.  The organic garden measures ten yards by eight yards, according to the Telegraph.  In keeping with guidelines for organic gardening, no chemicals have been used in the cultivation of the garden.  To recycle Palace resources, mulch from the Palace’s own composting has been used to line the beds.

The Queen has been said to be keen to gesture to the nation that she understands the trouble in the global economy, and her vegetable garden is only one of many being planted during the recession in Britain and abroad.  Many have turned to home gardening as a way to avoid paying high prices for produce.

The Queen recently toured the new garden at the Palace; the Telegraph explains: “Claire Midgley, the Deputy Gardens Manager, last week showed the Queen a variety of vegetables that are being grown, including runner beans, ‘Stuttgarter’ onions, ‘Musselburgh’ leeks, sweetcorn, ‘Red Ace’ beetroot, ‘Fly Away’ carrots and an endangered variety of climbing French beans called ‘Blue Queen.’”

For more about The Queen’s current activites, please visit this thread.  To read more about Buckingham Palace, try this one.

Ella Kay British Royals Buckingham Palace, Elizabeth II

Click on the image to view the photo at Daylife

 Happy birthday to HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who turns 88 years old today!

Prince Philip was born HRH Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark on the Greek island of Corfu on June 10, 1921. His entrance into the world was rather unusual for a royal prince: he was born on a kitchen table at the Mon-Repos Palace. Not long after his birth, his family fled from Greece to France after the king was forced to abdicate. His father, Prince Andrew, was accused of war crimes and later narrowly escaped conviction and execution.

Though he was born a Greek prince, Philip has always had connections to Britain. His mother was born HSH Princess Alice of Battenberg, daughter of the 1st Marquess of Milford Haven, at Windsor Castle with her great-grandmother Queen Victoria in attendance. Princess Alice’s brother, the 1st Earl of Mountbatten of Burma, was an officer in the British Royal Navy and one of Philip’s mentors. Philip also spent much of his childhood in the United Kingdom, attending school at Cheam, Gordonstoun, and the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. After finishing at Dartmouth, he continued to follow in his uncle’s footsteps, serving in the Royal Navy for many years, including the duration of World War II.

In 1947, Philip married another of Queen Victoria’s descendents, HRH The Princess Elizabeth, daughter and heir of George VI. Philip had already become a British subject, renouncing his claims to the thrones of Greece and Denmark and his royal title in the process, and had taken on the Anglicized surname of Mountbatten. The evening before his wedding, Philip was created Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich by his new father-in-law, and he received the style of His Royal Highness. Read more…

Ella Kay British Royals Birthday, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip

Click on the image to see the photo at Zimbio

HRH Princess Eugenie of York returned to royal duties after her gap year travels last week, conducting a day of football-themed charitable engagements.

Eugenie partnered with Sir David Tang, a family friend, to bring young members of the Hong Kong Down’s Syndrome Association’s Dragon Football Team to Chelsea Football Club’s Stamford Bridge.  On the pitch, the young football enthusiasts met with one of England’s most famous players, midfielder Frank Lampard.

The princess hosted a lunch for the team at Kensington Palace, and after their visit to Stamford Bridge, they went on a sightseeing tour of attractions in London.

Eugenie will reportedly continue charity work throughout the summer, partnering with the Children in Crisis charity which was founded by her mother, Sarah, Duchess of York.  She will begin university studies in the fall.

For more on Princess Eugenie of York, please visit this thread.

Ella Kay British Royals Health, Princess Eugenie, Soccer, Sport

Click on the image to view the photo at Daylife

 HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh made a three-day visit to Northern Ireland last week.  The royal couple visited many locations during their tour, including the Lisneal College dental room in Londonderry, the Police Rehabilitation and Retaining Trust in Holywood, the Maritime and Coast Guard Agency in Bangor, and the McWilliam Gallery in Bainbridge.

The Queen met at Hillsborough Castle with President Mary McAleese of Ireland, spurring new questions about a potential state visit to Ireland sometime in the future.  While at Hillsborough Castle, she also greeted members of the Grand Slam winning Irish Rugby team.

Prince Philip had a scare during the visit when he stumbled and nearly fell while mounting some stairs; he recovered and is fine.

For more on The Queen and Prince Philip, please visit this thread.  For more on royal visits to Northern Ireland, please visit this thread.

Ella Kay British Royals Duke of Edinburgh, Elizabeth II, Northern Ireland, Official Visit, Prince Philip

Click the image to view the photo at Daylife

HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh visited The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on May 5 as a part of the gardens’ 250th annivesary celebrations.

While at Kew, The Queen planted a Gingko tree, something both she and The Duke have done before.  The tree that Prince Philip planted in 1959 still stands, but The Queen’s tree was washed away in 1987.  The royal couple also viewed exhibits about the gardens and learned about planned future projects, including the establishment of a “seed bank” to help preserve species of trees from all over the world.

Kew Gardens was established in 1759 when Princess Augusta, the mother of King George III, planted a nine-acre garden adjacent to Kew Palace.  The garden has evolved over the ensuing two and a half centuries into the current 300-acre garden complex.

For more information on The Queen’s day at Kew, please visit this thread.

Ella Kay British Royals Duke of Edinburgh, Elizabeth II, Prince Philip

Click the image to view the photo at Hello!

 HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh visited Portsmouth on April 30 to mark the 25th anniversary of the city’s D-Day Museum.

One of the exhibits that the couple viewed at the museum was an embroidered wall hanging that charts the events of June 6, 1944.  The Queen was said to have paid special attention to the section of the embroidery that featured her father, King George VI, and Winston Churchill.

The Queen also visited the Guildhall in Portsmouth’s city center, where the newly-restored Pompey Chimes rang for the first time in six years.

The royal couple attended two receptions while in the city: one to honor members of the Portsmouth Normandy Veterans Association and members of the Women’s Land Army, and the other to honor military men and women who have recently returned from overseas operations.

For more on The Queen and Prince Philip, please visit this thread.

Ella Kay British Royals Duke of Edinburgh, Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, World War II

Click the image to see the photo at the Daily Mail

 HRH Princess Eugenie of York continued her ’round-the-world gap year adventure this week in Thailand, where she was caught by paparazzi while palling around with a group of friends on the beach.

Eugenie sported a patriotic bikini-style swimsuit — but one that echoed the American flag, not the British Union Jack.

Though her bodyguards were not captured in any of the photos, it is certain that they were close by.  Both Eugenie and her sister, HRH Princess Beatrice of York, have garnered criticism for traveling the world on pleasure trips while accompanied by taxpayer-funded security officers from Scotland Yard.

Eugenie reportedly plans to attend university in the UK after her gap year draws to a close.

For more on Princess Eugenie, please visit this thread.

Ella Kay British Royals Princess Eugenie, Thailand, Vacation

Click on the photo to view the image at Daylife

 HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh had a private meeting on Wednesday at Buckingham Palace with American President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.  The four met first in front of cameras at the Palace before having tea privately.

As a gesture of goodwill, the couples exchanged gifts.  The Obamas received a signed photo of The Queen and The Duke in a silver frame, a standard gift from the royal couple to visiting leaders.  From the Americans, The Queen received an iPod loaded with pictures and video from her recent state visit to the United States and a rare signed copy of a Richard Rodgers songbook.

After the visit, The Queen hosted a reception for a number of foreign dignitaries and spouses, including President and Mrs. Obama, at Buckingham Palace to mark the beginning of the G20 Summit in London.  HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall also attended the event.

For more on The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, please visit this thread.

Ella Kay British Royals Duke of Edinburgh, Elizabeth II, Michelle Obama, President Obama, Prince Philip