HM Queen Beatrix and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh yesterday commemorated the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Dutch city of Nijmegen from German occupation during World War II. The city was the first Dutch city to fall to German hands in 1940.

Click to see the image at Koninklijkhuis

The royal pair inspected the customary guard of honour, before laying wreaths at the Resistance Monument at Traianus Square. Speeches were made by both Dutch, British and American parties, including the Dutch Defence Minister, the Mayor of Nijmegen, former NATO chief Lord Carrington (who served in the liberation of Nijmegen) on behalf of the British Guards Armoured Division and Major Moffitt Burris for the 82nd Airborne Division (who also served in the liberation in 1944).

A parade of historical vehicles concluded the official ceremony, with HM and HRH then given the opportunity to speak with veterans at the Nijmegen Town Hall.

The Duke of Edinburgh was selected as the British representative at the event as he is the Colonel-in-Chief of the Grenadier Guards, a regiment which was instrumental in the liberation of Nijmegen, which began on September 17 when the Allied Forces landed in the south of the country.

According to royalblog.nl, there has been some criticism in Britain by the press over HRH the Prince of Wales’ non-attendance at the anniversary. Prince Charles is the Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment, which also played a large part in the Battle of Arnhem and the liberation of Nijmegen. A large group of 100 paratroopers were dropped on the city on Saturday as part of the commemoration festivities, and some veterans are “disgusted” that the Prince was not in Holland to mark the anniversary.

Click here to view the thread for the anniversary.

JessRulz British Royals, Dutch Royals Anniversary, Duke of Edinburgh, Liberation, Military, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince Philip, Queen Beatrix, World War II

Click here to read more about Earl Mountbatten at BBC.

 On the 27th of August 1979, Louis Mountbatten, the Earl Mountbatten was murdered along with his 14 year-old grandson, Nicholas Knatchbull, 15 year-old Paul Maxwell, and Baroness Brabourne, the 83 year-old mother in law of the Earl’s daughter. They were enjoying a leisurely holiday outing in the family’s boat on the waters off of Mullaghmore in County Sligo, Ireland, when a bomb placed on the boat was detonated by a member of the IRA.

The bomb had been placed on the boat by the IRA member the night before. It was detonated via remote control device during the family’s outing the following day. 31 year-old Thomas McMahon served almost twenty years in prison for murder after he was found guilty of placing the bomb on the boat.

Timothy Knatchbull was lucky to escape the attack with his life-and some serious shrapnel wounds. In light of the 30 year anniversary of the attack, he is speaking out for the first time about the events of that horrifying day. Earl Mountbatten was his grandfather. Nicholas Knatchbull was Timothy’s twin brother, and Baroness Brabourne was his grandmother.

In an article in Monstersandcritics.com, Knatchbull says that he “has been struggling to cope with the deaths of his family members for years”. He has been able to work through his grief and anger thanks to the support of his remaining family members. Earl Mountbatten was Prince Philip’s uncle. He also had a very close relationship with Prince Charles, who was deeply saddened by the death of the man he considered his mentor.

Knatchbull has returned to the scene of the explosion in an effort to deal with his grief. He spoke to BBC Radio 4 about the visits and stated that, “I did it very quietly and very privately in 2003 and 2004 and I found that by digging deep and finding out for myself first hand who did it and how, and indeed why, I was able to get to a whole new level of forgiveness and healing.”

Timothy Knatchbull has written a book about the tragedy called, “From a Clear Blue Sky”. It will be released later this year.

To read about, and to discuss the British Royal Family, please visit this forum.

sgl British Royals Death, Earl Mountbatten, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Terrorism, Timothy Knatchbull

“Unfortunately we also await the inevitable uninformed drubbing of Prince Charles, his foundation and all five connected firms.”

I penned those words in the full expectation that there would be “Consequences“  for Charles continued advocacy of architecture as a living environment as opposed to the prevailing position of architecture as “Art”!  But even I was totally unprepared for the blistering barrage of bile and sheer bloody-minded spite.

The first salvo was a seemingly harmless article in The Telegraph. Inspired, perhaps, by Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, the Prince of Wales has created “an eccentric tribute to the stars of his own universe“. A none too subtle hint that that Charles is not like you or I, he is, quite frankly, a bit odd, a total whack job no less.  Think cabbages!

The second salvo was an all-out assault on the success, viability and even safety of  his Poundbury project in the Gaurdian: “Cracks appearing in Prince Charles’s dream village in Poundbury”

• Residents complain about poorly-finished homes
• Alleys and corners fuel petty crime, say locals

This is followed by a litany of discontent and allegations of total disillusionment by the inhabitants and pronouncements of the imminent disaster it heralds,  This is strangely at odds with Simon Conibear, Poundbury’s development manager, assertion that Poundbury had been “an overwhelming success among the people who live here” and pointed to a survey by Oxford Brookes University that showed 86% of residents were glad to have moved here. Read more…

MARG British Royals Architecture, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales

Image from TRF avatar collection

Well it’s two for two with Prince Charles versus ‘Monstrous Carbuncles’ and, having successfully weathered the anger, spite, outright bile and downright slander of the vanquished, we now look to the future.  A future in which the developers have drawn up a shortlist of ten architectural firms who have been asked to submit  new master-planning plan for London’s Chelsea Barracks redevelopment site.  Five of those firms have links to Prince Charles.

We await the final presentations from all ten firms with barely suppressed anticipation!  Unfortunately we also await the inevitable uninformed drubbing of Prince Charles, his foundation and all five connected firms.

MARG British Royals Architecture, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales

 In a recent article in ’Autopia’, Tony Borroin posited the extreme notion that Prince Charles would become the first carbon neutral Monarch.  It, and related eco matters have been exercising the “Grrrrrrrr .  .  .  .  the Royal Family are absolutely the bigest eco-wasters of all time” Piety Brigade.

Click to see the image at Wired.com

Each and every appearance by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall is scrupulously turned inside out, upside down and thoroughly shaken to ensure that every single possible carbon toe-print has been exposed,  trumpeted from the banner headlines of the leading rags and mags.  Their subsequent ringing and stinging denunciations of Charles  have all the  the stirring righteous rhetoric of a 19th Century Preacher exhorting sinners to repent!

Well now it’s official, Charles really does practice what he preaches, which is a damned sight more than the aforementioned journo’s and most of their trusty disciples.

MARG British Royals Environment, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales

Click to see the photo at the BBC

 Today is the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in London on 7 July 2005, and the day when the memorial to the victims was unveiled  in Hyde Park. Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were present at the dedication ceremony, along with government officials and family members of the victims. The Prime Minister, the leaders of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties, and the Mayor of London were among those present, along with Tessa Jowell, Minister for London.

The memorial was designed by the architecture firm Carmody Groarke. It consists of 52 11-foot-tall steel pillars, one for each of the victims killed by the terrorist bombs . The pillars stand in four groups, each group representing one of the attacks on a bus and three Underground trains. Each pillar is inscribed with the date and location of the attack; the names of the victims are inscribed on a plaque standing near the memorial.

In his speech, Prince Charles recalled the terrorist attack in 1979 which had taken the life of his great-uncle and honourary grandfather Lord Mountbatten.  He said, “I never fail to be amazed by the fortitude of the British people and it was this indomitable spirit, together with the commitment, compassion and doggedness of the emergency services, which got us through that day and the weeks to come.” In these sentiments, he echoed the words of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who said on the day after the bombings, “I want to express my admiration for the people of our capital city who in the aftermath of yesterday’s bombings are calmly determined to resume their normal lives.”

 The Prince and the Duchess both laid wreaths at the foot of the plaque bearing the names of the victims, and the family members each placed a red rose and a white rose, symbolising love and peace, in urns next to the plaque.

For further discussion, see this thread. For more details about Prince Charles’s speech, please see this article at the Prince of Wales official website.

Lucia-mia British Royals Duchess of Cornwall, Memorial, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Terrorism

Click for the photo at the Prince of Wales' website

 Today is the 40th anniversary of the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales. The title Prince of Wales has been traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English (and then the British) monarch since it was first bestowed by Edward I on his infant son Edward of Caernarvon, later Edward II, in 1031 after the English conquest of Wales. Unlike the Dukedom of Cornwall, which automatically falls to the eldest son of the reigning monarch, the title Prince of Wales (and its subsidiary title Earl of Chester) has to be bestowed by the monarch.

The Queen created Prince Charles Prince of Wales on 26 July 1958, when he was a nine-year-old schoolboy. The announcement was broadcast from Cardiff during the closing ceremony of the Empire Games since the Queen was unwell and not able to be there to make the announcement in person. In her speech, she promised to present the new Prince of Wales to the people of Wales when he was grown up. That day arrived on 1 July 1969, when Charles was 20 years old and had spent a few months during his university days studying Welsh at the University of Wales at Aberystwyth.

Click to see the image at gtj.org.uk

The tradition of investing the heir as Prince of Wales at Caernarvon Castle had been revived in 1911 for the investiture of the future Edward VIII (Duke of Windsor) after having lapsed for centuries. This tradition was continued for Prince Charles. The designs for the ceremony were the responsibility of the Earl of Snowdon, husband of Princess Margaret, who had been appointed Constable of the Castle in 1963. He created a modern setting for the ceremony, with a simple Welsh slate throne sitting beneath a plastic canopy. This departure from the usual royal style was a deliberate attempt to connect royal ceremony with the 20th century public, particularly young people. Prince Charles wore his naval uniform and Garter insignia, unlike his unfortunate predecessor in 1911 who had to go through the ceremony dressed in white velvet and satin, complete with knee breeches, an outfit he termed a “preposterous rig.” A new, modern-style coronet containing Welsh gold with diamonds and emeralds was designed by Louis Osman for Prince Charles. Read more…

Esmeralda British Royals Anniversary, Investiture, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales

 After the endless rows over MPs taking advantage of their expense accounts, it seems that the British people are in the mood for taking public officials to task over their spending. Bad news for the Prince of Wales who has had his annual finance report published today. The report reveals that the Prince received almost £3m from the taxpayer with a rise of almost a quarter. The official reason is that the Prince undertook more foreign visits and completed the equivalent to 2 engagements a day (a total of 658) in his 60th birthday year but as usual the Republican groups are keen to stick the knife in. They say that as long as the Duchy of Cornwall makes a profit, there should be no government input. His Royal Highness’s private income rose by 1% (not much really, only £16.4m) but he also paid less tax which is likely to raise questions with the public.

Clarence House has been keen to point out that his carbon footprint was slashed by 7% as part of an environmental economy drive at Clarence House and Highgrove and that the Prince holidayed in the UK, bringing his out-costs down even furthur and that out of his private income, “well over half” was spent supporting his charities and official duties. Ingrid Seward has said that “the Prince is value for money” but as the UK fights a recession, this report may be harder to defend than previous ones. The annual finance report on the Civil List and Royal expenditure will probably be all the more anticipated after this mini-report into the Wales Household and I’m sure the Royals are now slightly worried that they may be the new public enemy number one when it comes to taxpayer’s money. Meanwhile, the Prince and the Duchess continue their tour of Wales.

BeatrixFan British Royals Finances, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales

Click for the image at the BBC website

 Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall begin their annual tour of Wales today, their base being their new official Welsh residence Llwynywermod (pronounced Clan-wormwood. Don’t blame me, I don’t make the rules). The programme is likely to be a packed one and already there are scheduled visits to Brecon Cathedral and the Prime Cymru organisation, as well as the eco-friendly Ty-Mawr Lime building-materials company. Tuesday will see the Royal couple visit Llandovery Hospital and the Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice at Llwynywermod with Wednesday seeing the Prince in his role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Welsh Guards carry out his bi-annual inspection of an army-run school for children of servicemen and women. On Friday, the Duchess will take part in the “Family Feast of British Food” which is part of “British Food Fortnight”. Keep your eyes peeled for that familiar salmon-pink coat and a trip or two on the Royal Train.

BeatrixFan British Royals Duchess of Cornwall, Official Visit, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Wales

Click for the article at the Daily Mail

 Twentyfive years ago Prince Charles, in a fit of righteous indignation, condemned an architectural plan for being, in his words, “a monstrous carbuncle on the face of an old friend”,  thus enraging the Royal Institute of British Architects, who angrily bit back at anyone  having the temerity to question their architects’ view of the future.  A future that seemed to be a cold, soulless, glass and concrete skyscraper jungle dwafing the people who had the misforturne to actually live their vision.

In the intervening 25 years it seemed like a sort of armed neutrality had been achieved.  RIBA, in a grand gesture of “forgiveness”, and in the totally baseless belief that his teeth had been pulled rendering him somewhat harmless,  invited Charles to be the Keynote speaker at their annual bash.  But Charles neither wanted nor needed their forgiveness.  He was hot on the trail of the Chelsea Barracks Project and engaged in a verbal tussle with Lord Rogers (the architect of the aforementioned carbuncle debacle), a man whose architectural style had not, and still does not, thrill Prince Charles at all. Read more…

MARG British Royals Architecture, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales