General News for Queen Elizabeth and Duke of Edinburgh 1: July 2008-March 2017


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I hope our Sapphire Queen and Prince Philip have a wonderful day. Sixty five years on the throne, what a fantastic achievement. I'll bet there were thousands of messages of congratulation.
 
More praise for our beloved, remarkable, amazing monarch:

Read more: Our remarkable Queen' Elizabeth II cannot stop smiling as she celebrates sapphire jubilee | Royal | News | Express.co.uk
The monarch, 90, was seen greeting well wishers this morning at a church service at St Peter and St Paul West Newton in Norfolk.

Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, she was seen receiving gifts of flowers from those who braved the cold to see her.

Prime Minister Theresa May offered her congratulations to Her Majesty, hailing her as " truly an inspiration to all of us".

Mrs May said it was "a testament to her selfless devotion to the nation" that the Queen had made clear she did not want official celebrations to mark the historic milestone.
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Read more: Another historic landmark for our selfless monarch, writes Leo McKinstry | Leo McKinstry | Columnists | Comment | Express.co.uk
The scene after her plane landed at Heathrow Airport was captured by the Cabinet minister Lord Woolton, one of the representatives of the Privy Council that met her. “It was a period of deep emotion for everyone, and most certainly for the Queen. And yet, having shaken hands with each member of her Council, instead of going to her waiting car she went along and spoke to the crew. Royal courtesy took precedence over private grief.”

That act of generosity set the tone for her entire reign. Throughout more than six decades on the throne she has proved herself to be a woman of remarkable dedication and selflessness. Her example has ensured that, through times of turbulence, she has been a force for national unity and a source of national pride.

It is a tribute to her commitment that the standing of the British monarchy is so high today. Her own approval ratings are above 90 per cent, and even arch-Republicans such as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn are on the defensive.

While a host of other European sovereigns, such as King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, have recently abdicated their thrones, Elizabeth II has remained dutiful and steadfast, the anchor of our nation.
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Queen Elizabeth II and King George VI in pictures | Royal | News | Express.co.uk
After she was proclaimed Queen, Elizabeth said: "By the sudden death of my dear father I am called to assume the duties and responsibilities of sovereignty.

"My heart is too full for me to say more to you today than I shall always work, as my father did throughout his reign, to advance the happiness and prosperity of my peoples, spread as they are all the world over."
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ROYAL NORWAY said:
More praise for our beloved, remarkable, amazing monarch:

Read more: Our remarkable Queen' Elizabeth II cannot stop smiling as she celebrates sapphire jubilee | Royal | News | Express.co.uk


Read more: Another historic landmark for our selfless monarch, writes Leo McKinstry | Leo McKinstry | Columnists | Comment | Express.co.uk


Queen Elizabeth II and King George VI in pictures | Royal | News | Express.co.uk
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I find it interesting that, in one of the quotes you reproduced, the Queen refers to the well-being of "her peoples" in the plural. In fact, the recent changes to the succession laws, which came into force in 2015, reminded us, even today, of the multinational character of the British monarch as , in addition to the UK, six other Commonwealth realms ( Australia,Barbados, Canada, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Vincent and the Grenadines) had to pass legislation according to their own constitutional provisions to effect the changes; the remaining realms (Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, St Lucia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu), according to the Wikipedia, concluded that legislation was not necessary.
 
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Reading through these wonderful comments and articles about a very majestic Queen that's been on the throne for 65 years made me realize that her reign is as long as my lifetime is. I was two days short of being one month old when King George VI died and Elizabeth became the Queen. If I, as an American, can realize what a steadfast figure she's always been in my life, I can truly appreciate this steadfast influence on her "peoples" and the world stage too.

One thing she has achieved above and beyond the calling of her duty to Crown and country and the Commonwealth and the world is that she most certainly has made her "papa" very, very proud of her.
 
Few sparkling wines have the caché of Champagne — but wine produced on the grounds owned by Queen Elizabeth comes pretty close.

In 2011, over 16,000 Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier vines were planted on seven acres of the Queen’s Great Windsor Park, just a 10-minute drive from Windsor Castle. Prince Philip was reportedly involved in the project, as he serves as the head ranger for the Great Windsor Park, according to The Telegraph.
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Read more: Queen Elizabeth's Sparkling Wine Sells Out
 
I have already started to think about whether/how the Queen and Philip will celebrate their Platinum Wedding Anniversary?

The Silver Wedding Anniversary 1972:

November 20th: There was a carriage procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey where they attended a Service of Thanksgiving. (it was televised)

There was also a privat party at the palace in the evening.

The Golden Wedding Anniversary 1997:

November 19th: They attended a lunch at the Guildhall, where HM said ''he is someone who doesn't take easily to compliments, but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years and I and his whole family, in this and many other countries, owe him a debt far greater than he would ever claim or we shall ever know'. (it was televised)

They attended a golden Gala at the Festival Hall in London in the evening. (it was televised)

November 20th: They attended a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey. (it was televised)

There was a private party at Windsor Castle in the evening.

The Diamond Wedding Anniversary 2007:

November 18th: Charles hosted a dinner for his parents at Clarence House.

November 19th: A National Service of Thanksgiving was held at Westminster Abbey. (it was televised)

The Platinum Wedding Anniversary 2017:

I think we will see a privat dinner (maybe hosted by Charles) and a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey.
 
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I'm sorry to post it out here, in the wring thread, but: Why haven't I seen any pic/bit of news about the attendance at the Horse Guard of Her Majesty today?
 
Has the Queen been at Horse Guard today? I follow HM very closely and I have not heard anything.
 
Marty91charmed said:
I'm sorry to post it out here, in the wring thread, but: Why haven't I seen any pic/bit of news about the attendance at the Horse Guard of Her Majesty today?
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I think you have mixed up your dates, the Service of Dedication on Horse Guards Parade will be on March 9th.
 
Through all these threads comes one common denominator - Elizabeth II. She is a force to be reckoned with (as the saying goes).

Hitler reportedly described the then Queen Elizabeth as "The most dangerous woman in Europe" during the war years, or words to that effect.

This Queen has done so much to repair barriers in her own remarkable lifetime. :)

It has to be hard to hand over an almost all of your adult life - life long responsibility as Head of the House of Windsor. So expecting Charles will have to wait a bit longer!

She is however giving up various patronages and passing them on to younger members.

Kate has taken on some patronages of both the Queen and also Prince Philip, makng an appearance earlier this week as new patron replacing the Queen.

Over-looking her grandaughters who (as far as Andrew is concerned at least) are more than willing to represent the RF.

Who is driving this? The Queen's cousins still represent the RF offically now and then.
 
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Dee Anna said:
She is however giving up various patronages and passing them on to younger members.

Kate has taken on some patronages of both the Queen and also Prince Philip, makng an appearance earlier this week as new patron replacing the Queen.

Over-looking her grandaughters who (as far as Andrew is concerned at least) are more than willing to represent the RF.

Who is driving this? The Queen's cousins still represent the RF offically now and then.
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The Queen's cousins were brpought in to help her in the 1950s and 1960s when she needed their support. At the time, only she, Prince Philip, QEQM and Margaret were carrying out engagements. She is hardly going to retire her cousins, they will gradually do less and less and hand over their patronages to Charles and his successors.

It has been decided by the Queen and probably Charles that the York girls should not be active working members of the RF. I can completely see the point of that. What is the issue with it?
 
There is no issue, I was just asking a question. :whistling:

Anyone else with a thought on the matter?!
 
Dee Anna said:
There is no issue, I was just asking a question. :whistling:

Anyone else with a thought on the matter?!
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There is a thread that deals with the future duties and responsibilities of the York princesses. You may want to read that.
 
muriel said:
There is a thread that deals with the future duties and responsibilities of the York princesses. You may want to read that.
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Not really. I didn't know you had to be thread specific to mention family members in relation to other family members. Again, was only asking a question!
 
One thing I have to say about TRF is that if you want to know about something specifically in regards to a royal personage, there's probably a thread for it. That's what happens when you have a message board that has been successful for many, many years.

I don't think we've ever been given specifics of why the Queen does what she does and the decisions she makes. I believe though that the whole family "Firm" used to have a "Way Ahead" committee with senior royals and advisers to plot and plan the way things would progress into the future of the monarchy. Nothing is left to chance with this family and even state funerals are laid out and planned years in advance. All we do know is that the York girls aren't geared to work for the family "Firm". None of the Queen's grandchildren other than Charles' kids are. Streamlining the royal family? Cutting down on the costs of a large, working family? Winds of change for when Charles becomes monarch?

I think this is something that we just have to wait and see what happens when the future arrives. One thing for sure, HM, The Queen wants a transition into Charles' monarchy to be a smooth one and as time passes, we see more and more of this becoming a reality. HM will keep doing what she believes is her utmost responsibility as a monarch until she draws her last breath but gradually, more and more of the things that she can delegate to her heir and other family members will happen. Not only because she feels her age but also so her family can step in seamlessly for her should the need arise (perhaps an example would be if HM had gotten that awful cold and flu during a busy working week instead of her holiday hiatus to Sandringham).

The "Firm" is a well oiled machine with the best mechanics surrounding it to ensure all goes smoothly.
 
muriel said:
It has been decided by the Queen and probably Charles that the York girls should not be active working members of the RF. I can completely see the point of that. What is the issue with it?
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How do you know that has been "decided" ? I am convinced that Beatrice and Eugenie will be called upon to do official work when they are needed, which most likely they will be as a rapidly aging Charles with only two sons and underage grandchildren won't be able to cope with the BRF"s busy agenda without extra help.
 
Life is change and everything in life is subject to change. As it stands now, the York princesses are not needed for royal engagements and duties. This gives them the opportunity to do with their lives what they want to do as private citizens for the most part. As time passes, they may be asked to step into working for the "Firm" should the need arise. Whether this happens or not remains to be seen. I believe though that the "Firm" takes all instances into consideration and by doing that, they're prepared to adapt to any situation that arises.

The situation reminds me of clothes. The clothes I had at 20 fit me well and served me well. As I grew older, I changed and grew (definitely not upwards) and those clothes no longer fit. Same thing happened at 40... and at 60.. and probably will happen again as time goes by. Good thing I like to shop. :D
 
Mbruno said:
How do you know that has been "decided" ? I am convinced that Beatrice and Eugenie will be called upon to do official work when they are needed, which most likely they will be as a rapidly aging Charles with only two sons and underage grandchildren won't be able to cope with the BRF"s busy agenda without extra help.
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Exactly. Currently there us an abundance. With the Gloucesters, kents, and queens kids. There isn't a lot of need for the yorks. But as the older royaks retire, the need will grow.

Honestly they seem to be handling it right. The girls both have a number of patronages, Bea has nine. And they attend the big events, but they are encouraged to have private lives. I don't think they will ever be full time as in the sense of the older royals now, but they will be asked to pick up more. Forcing them out completely now would be a bad mistake. You can't force them out now and then turn around in fifteen years and expect them to come back.

Bea has taken on the royal ballet. Yes it was her father's patronage, but that is still significant. If the queen was really opposed to her granddaughters having a role, she round have seen the ballet passed to someone like Kate. Perhaps as the queen gives up more patronages, and some that are related to the work the girls are already focussed on, they will get them. Considering Kate despite her art background, is more focussed on kids and health issues, Eugenie and Bea would be great for some if the art ones. Many of the arts patronages have had royal patrons for generations and will need a new one in coming years.

IMO it honestly makes sense to have the fire royals focus on what they consider the more serious topics. And allow the minor royals to spread out on a wide range. It's nothing but good pr to have them seen as working as much as they can.

Another option, would be that they take over patronages from the other removed royals as they retire.
 
:previous:

EDIT:
Just to clarify - DoYork is still Patron of English National Ballet. Beatrice is patron of the English National Ballet school

The Royal Ballet still has HMQ as Patron and Prince of Wales as President.
 
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Very good points! The Queen and Philip alone carry out way more engagements than some members of the RF to this day. William will most likely want to keep George and Charlotte out of that line of duty for as long as possible, so yes as the years go by, the numbers of working royals will dwindle and others may be called on.
 
Nice idea - the day should be celebrated!

National holiday (day off work, so no tax coming in from the work force), probably need to talk to the Gov on that one!
 
More articles about it:
Public holiday 'should be held to celebrate Queen's Sapphire Jubilee' | London Evening Standard

MPs push for national holiday to celebrate Queen's Diamond Jubilee - ITV News
The Queen's record-breaking 65 years on the throne should be marked with a national public holiday in the summer, MPs are saying.

Conservative Andrew Rosindell said if there are no celebrations this year it would be a missed opportunity, because the Queen made history this year by becoming the first British monarch to reach their Sapphire Jubilee.

He suggested that a day of celebrations could be held in June, allowing people to host street parties and other events, similar to the events that happened in 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee.

Mr Rosindell will have time on Tuesday to introduce his Queen's Saphhire Jubilee Bill to the Commons, which seeks to guarantee a national holiday across the UK and its overseas territories.
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It will be almost impossible for the palace to plan anything in such a short time.

He added that he understood the Queen is "very modest" and does not necessarily expect huge celebrations.

"I have personally spoken to Theresa May about the idea and she was certainly positive in her approach to this," he said.

"I hope the Government will put some ideas to Her Majesty for her agreement and hopefully in June have a celebration."

Ukip MP Douglas Carswell backs the proposal, and said: "The Queen has been a brilliant figure in Britain and the Commonwealth throughout her lifetime, and this milestone is all the more reason to celebrate her achievements."
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The Queen is anything but modest when it comes to celebrating herself.

She celebrated her Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees in a way that made the Danish, Norwegian and Swedish Jubilee/Birthday celebrations seem small in comparison. Her 90th birthday was the biggest royal birthday we've seen in the world.

She also chose (of course on a smaller scale) to mark all her wedding anniversaries.

As the Danish journalist Ulla Therkelsen said last year, Queen Elizabeth II is the biggest party girl in the world.

And it's nice that Theresa May is positive, but I see no reason to celebrate 65 years on the throne when the Queen obviously don't want it. She celebrated in a big way last year, and will almost certainly mark her 70th Wedding Anneversary in November.
 
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How much fuss the Queen actually wanted for her Jubilees and Birthday celebrations we don't know.

We do know that that government wanted to make a fuss as a PR exercise for the UK - to promote the country and to encourage tourism.

The Queen has to go along with those decisions in the same way she has to go along with other decisions the government makes on her behalf - such as who she will entertain on State Visits.

If the parliament decides it wants a big celebration in June then she will have to accept that.

She may very well like and want the big fuss but I suspect she would prefer these things to be smaller and more private but accepts that the big fuss goes along with the position into which she believes she was called by God.
 
Iluvbertie said:
How much fuss the Queen actually wanted for her Jubilees and Birthday celebrations we don't know.

We do know that that government wanted to make a fuss as a PR exercise for the UK - to promote the country and to encourage tourism.

The Queen has to go along with those decisions in the same way she has to go along with other decisions the government makes on her behalf - such as who she will entertain on State Visits.

If the parliament decides it wants a big celebration in June then she will have to accept that.

She may very well like and want the big fuss but I suspect she would prefer these things to be smaller and more private but accepts that the big fuss goes along with the position into which she believes she was called by God.
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This is correct when it comes to state visits and signing of laws etc, but wrong when it comes to other things.

There were (according to the media) several members of the government/parliament who wanted the Queen to make a speech before the Scottish referendum. The palace responded by saying: "The Sovereign's constitutional impartiality is an established principle of our democracy and one which the Queen has demonstrated throughout her reign.

As such the Monarch is above politics and those in political office have a duty to ensure that this remains the case.

Any suggestion that the Queen should wish to influence the outcome of the current referendum campaign is categorically wrong. This is a matter for the people of Scotland."

And as Dickie Arbiter and another former courtier said on BBC under the Jubilee: It's the palace in consultation with the Queen who decides whether she wants a Jubilee/Birthday to be celebrated or not.

1. If she says no to what the Palace proposes, then there will be no celebration.

2 If the government says no to what the Palace proposes (very unlikely), then there will be no celebration.

There is a tradition that Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees are celebrated. And I'm pretty sure that the same thing will happen in 2022 if the Queen is still alive.

Theresa May said this last month:

Today’s Sapphire Jubilee marks yet another remarkable milestone for our remarkable Queen.

I know the nation will join with me today in celebrating and giving thanks for the lifetime of service Her Majesty the Queen has given to our country and to the Commonwealth. It is a testament to her selfless devotion to the nation that she is not marking becoming the first monarch to reign for 65 years with any special celebration, but instead getting on with the job to which she has dedicated her life.

She has truly been an inspiration to all of us and I am proud, on behalf of the nation, to offer our humble thanks and congratulations on celebrating her Sapphire Jubilee.
 
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