Hmmm......I don't know if I would have referred to Her Majesty as "a poor little rich girl."
Tuesday December 31 7:55 PM EST
Queen was poor little rich girl when she came to throne, records show
LONDON (AP) - Contrary to popular belief, the Queen did not inherit a vast sum of money from her father, King George VI, records released Wednesday showed.
The Queen asked the British government in 1972 to review its annual payment to the royal household. The government commissioned a report on the matter, one of a number of records the Public Record Office has declassified. "It is quite clear that, far from being 'the richest woman in the world,' the Queen is not, in terms of disposable assets, even the richest person in the U.K.," the 30-year-old report said.
It said her "private fortune" was considerably smaller than the combined assets of The Beatles, who were enjoying huge success at the time.
It did not disclose the assets of either but suggested the Queen did not inherit a vast sum of money after King George VI died in 1952.
The document said the Queen's inheritance was smaller because of the abdication of her uncle, Edward VIII, in 1936.
When Edward renounced the crown to marry U.S. divorcee Wallis Simpson, George was unexpectedly thrust onto the throne but as the younger son did not automatically receive some of the vast private estates owned by their father.
"King George VI was the second son of King George V and, as a younger son came to the throne unexpectedly," said the report.
"He had, therefore, to purchase from his elder brother, King Edward VIII, the private estates of Sandringham and Balmoral out of his inheritance."
Consequently, when Elizabeth ascended to the throne, she did not inherit vast savings.
"The only private money available to the Queen was that which came from her father," said the report.
"There is no private fortune in investments descending from a long line of earlier sovereigns and considering the general rise in prices, the Queen has not been able to accumulate a vast fortune in savings in recent years."
By 1970, royal spending far exceeded the equivalent of about $1.8 million Cdn the government gave the royal household annually to carry out public duties. The shortfall came out of the Queen's personal resources, or privy purse, the report said, and recommended more than doubling the annual payment to the equivalent of about $4 million.
Today, the government pays the Queen the equivalent of about $20 million a year to enable her to carry out royal duties. Buckingham Palace accounts, which are published annually, indicated the Queen also receives an annual private income worth about $15 million from the Duchy of Lancaster, on which she pays tax.
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Women have served all these centuries as looking-glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size. -Virginia Woolf
A PLOT by the Canadian government to abolish the monarchy and replace the Queen with a president was thwarted when she refused to accept a proposal curtailing her powers.
Files released by the Public Record Office reveal how an uncertain political climate in Canada and the Queen’s reluctance to agree to five measures reducing her role scuppered any official bid from being made.
A confidential briefing paper detailed new information - which, it claims, may have been withheld by Canadian ministers - threatening her trip in 1973 to the Commonwealth Conference.
The letter, typed and signed by Hugh Overton, at the North American Department of the Foreign Office, warned that the Queen’s presence "might add fuel to this domestic controversy".
He wrote: "Our information is that, as a result of the elections, the Royal connection and the role of the Queen in Canada are again becoming the subject of more active domestic political interest.
"There is a distinct possibility, in my view, that a visit by the Queen to Canada at the time of the Commonwealth Conference, as Queen of Canada and head of the Commonwealth, might add fuel to this domestic controversy, and hence involve Her Majesty to some extent in Canadian domestic policies."
The letter concluded: "These are straws in the wind. But they show that there is at least a risk of the Royal question becoming a matter of controversy in Canada over the next few months."
In a reply dated 15 December, 1972, Sir Peter Hayman, the British High Commissioner in Canada, refers to a leaked document sent to the Montreal Gazette, putting forward plans to hand over five functions performed by the Queen to the governor-general.
Although the Queen was said to have accepted four of these proposals, she allegedly refused to relinquish her hold on a fifth - "a relatively minor one played by the Queen in Canadian external affairs".
As a result, the then prime minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau, decided against pursuing the matter because of the detrimental impact such a move could have on his leadership, which had only survived the federal elections by the most slender of margins.
But in March 1973, Sir Peter noted: "Meanwhile, there is a gradual tendency to get rid of ‘Royal’ symbols: the Royal cipher is slowly disappearing on post boxes and mail vans; the head of a former prime minister, Sir John A Macdonald, has replaced the head of the Queen on ten dollar bills. There is a gradual tendency, much to the indignation of some Canadians, to play Oh Canada more frequently than God Save The Queen, although both are usually used."
Official papers have also revealed the chaotic nature of the Queen’s visit to Kenya in 1972 when the Royal motorcade that swept through the streets of Nairobi resembled a "nightmarish motor rally". Cars racing three abreast jockeyed for positions as the Queen returned for the first time to the country where she had learned of her father’s death 20 years earlier, in 1952.
According to confidential documents, the "tumultuous" four-hour stop-over trip to Kenya bordered on the "chaotic" as Kenyan authorities refused to curb the enthusiasm of some present.
"Although the Queen and president Kenyatta in the lead car arrived at the airport safely, though somewhat faster than intended, the rest of the motorcade resembled a nightmarish motor rally. Fortunately no-one was injured," the transcript of events concluded.
Secret files also reveal that the Queen’s private fortune was only a fraction of the assets amassed by the Beatles during the first 20 years of her reign.
A confidential report on the Civil List, commissioned in 1972 after the Queen appealed for the government to review the annual amount paid to the monarchy, also revealed the true extent of the money troubles which almost crippled the Palace.
A draft copy of the review process, sent to the Cabinet, said: "The only private money available to the Queen was that which came from her father.
"King George VI was the second son of King George V, and, as a younger son, came to the throne unexpectedly.
"He had therefore to purchase from his elder brother, King Edward VIII, the private estates of Sandringham and Balmoral out of his inheritance.
"Furthermore, as savings made by the late king during the war years from his Privy Purse were paid back to the government at the time of the then Princess Elizabeth’s wedding, the sum inherited by the Queen was not a large one.
"There is no private fortune in investments descending from a long line of earlier sovereigns, and, considering the general rise in prices, the Queen has not been able to accumulate a vast fortune in savings in recent years."
The document concluded: "It is quite clear that, far from being "the richest woman in the world", the Queen is not, in terms of disposable assets, even the richest person in the UK.
"Her ‘private wealth’ would form a fraction of that disclosed recently in the courts as the collective assets of the Beatles."
At the time, the Queen’s request for a review was widely characterised as a pay rise.
The report noted that by 1970 the Royal household was spending £270,000 in excess of the annual Civil List expenditure.
The report added: "Total Civil List expenditure exceeded the statutory figure of £475,000 during 1962 and, from that point, the surplus accumulated by the Royal Trustees was drawn down to meet the increasing deficits in each subsequent year."
The report insisted that there was "no foundation" for suggestions which claimed that the Queen owns private funds amounting to £50 million.
It was finally recommended that an annual sum of £980,000 be put aside each year from 1 January 1972, for the salaries and expenses of the Royal household.
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Women have served all these centuries as looking-glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size. -Virginia Woolf
Prince Phillip is Royal Family's hardest working member
Prince Phillip was the busiest member of the Royal Family in the last 12 months.
He even carried out more engagements during the Jubilee year than the Queen, it has emerged.
Prince Philip carried out 578 engagements at home and abroad during 2002 while the Queen completed 545, a survey in the Times newspaper shows.
Some 487 engagements were in the UK while 91 were overseas, the survey showed, compared with 69 the previous year.
The Queen completed 471 duties in Britain and 74 abroad, an increase from just 15 in 2001.
It is the first time in six years Prince Phillip's total is higher than his wife's, although his score can be explained by his presence with the Queen at celebrations marking her 50 years on the throne.
Tim O'Donovan, a retired insurance broker from Datchet, Berkshire, has been publishing the unofficial table since 1979 and said this year's results show the support Prince Phillip has given the Queen.
"Aged 81, he shows no sign of adopting a more relaxed life, which must be a relief to the many organisations who enjoy his patronage, interest and enthusiasm," he wrote in The Times.
According to the list, the Duke worked harder than his daughter, the Princess Royal, who has long enjoyed the reputation of being the hardest-working member of the Royal Family.
She carried out 569 engagements in Britain and abroad last year, a fall from 655 in 2001.
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Women have served all these centuries as looking-glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size. -Virginia Woolf
Monday, 13 January, 2003, 13:15 GMT Queen undergoes knee surgery
The Queen is recovering in hospital after a minor knee operation.
She had surgery lasting 45 minutes on Monday morning at King Edward VII hospital in London.
Doctors removed a torn cartilage in her right knee after giving her a general anaesthetic.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said the operation went very well.
She is expected to be "fully active again within a few weeks", said the spokeswoman.
The Queen, 76, who was admitted on Sunday evening, is expected to leave hospital on Tuesday morning.
"Her Majesty will rest at Sandringham over the next two weeks and will then resume a limited programme of engagements," said a Palace spokeswoman.
She injured her knee on the Friday before Christmas when walking on uneven ground during a private visit to Newmarket.
The operation follows a scan on the troublesome knee last week at King's Lynn Hospital, near the Queen's Norfolk estate.
The surgery was performed by the Queen's orthopaedic surgeon Roger Vickers, with her physician Richard Thompson in attendance.
Members of the Royal Family are being kept informed of the Queen's progress.
Staff at the hospital, which is being guarded by police, have refused to comment on the Queen's condition.
BBC royal correspondent June Kelly said: "The Queen has always enjoyed very good health.
"We know that she had this accident before Christmas and was walking with a stick at times over the Christmas holiday."
Buckingham Palace said it was not yet clear whether the Queen's engagements would have to be amended as a result of the operation.
Her first scheduled official engagement is on 29 January, when she is due to be presented with commemorative Jubilee Gates by members of the Armed Forces at Sandringham House.
Wisdom tooth
The Queen has rarely been forced to cancel engagements due to ill-health.
In January 1994, the Queen wore a plaster cast after breaking her left wrist when falling off her horse on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
But she was not required to remain in hospital on that occasion.
It is thought she was last admitted in July 1982 when she had a wisdom tooth extracted at the King Edward VII.
Her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, recently dismissed reports he had suffered a head injury.
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Women have served all these centuries as looking-glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size. -Virginia Woolf
Her Majesty has left the hospital after knee surgery....
Queen convalesces at Sandringham after operation
13th January 2003
The Queen was today convalescing at her Norfolk estate after an operation to remove torn cartilage from her right knee.
She is expected to spend the next two weeks at Sandringham where she will undergo daily physiotherapy.
Walking with a stick, the Queen left the King Edward VII Hospital, central London, this morning wearing a grey, designer trouser suit to cover her bandaged knee.
She was escorted by two nurses to a waiting Range Rover for the journey to Norfolk.
Earlier doctors and a physiotherapist had seen the Queen at the private hospital where on Monday she had "keyhole" surgery lasting 45 minutes.
The Queen smiled as matron Caroline Cassels escorted her down the steps of the hospital entrance and nursing sister Maria Crowley presented her with a posy.
Police protection officers had been at the hospital since the Queen, 76, was admitted on Sunday evening for the surgical procedure which was carried out under general anaesthetic.
Buckingham Palace said the operation went "very well" and the Queen was expected to be "fully active again within a few weeks".
The operation was necessary after the Queen wrenched her knee walking on uneven ground during a private visit to Newmarket on the Friday before Christmas.
A scan last week at King's Lynn Hospital, near Sandringham, revealed the torn cartilage and doctors recommended surgery.
The Queen had been experiencing some discomfort over the Christmas and New Year period and resorted to walking with a stick.
"It's all gone to plan and Her Majesty will rest, with the Duke of Edinburgh, at Sandringham over the next two weeks and will then resume a limited programme of engagements," said a Palace spokeswoman.
There were currently no house guests at Sandringham, she added.
This morning, as the media waited outside, the Queen's dresser Angela Kelly, arrived with a designer trouser suit, by Peter Enroni, for the journey to Norfolk.
It was unusual to see the Queen in public wearing trousers.
During her two-night hospital stay, members of the Royal Family were kept informed of the Queen's condition but she received no visits.
The successful operation was performed by the Queen's orthopaedic surgeon Roger Vickers, who was assisted by Adrian Fairbank and anaesthetist Robert Linton. The Queen's physician Richard Thompson was in attendance.
It was a rare hospital stay for the Queen who, it is thought, was last admitted overnight in July 1982 when she had a wisdom tooth extracted at the King Edward VII.
In 1994, after a fall from a horse, she visited hospital for an X-ray. An injured arm was set in plaster but the Queen was not required to remain in hospital.
The Palace said the Queen would have to minimise time spent standing so it might be necessary for investitures early in the year to be performed by another senior Royal, probably the Prince of Wales.
The Queen's son and heir underwent a similar cartilage operation at the same hospital, also on his right knee, in March 1998 to repair a sports injury.
The first engagement on the Queen's official diary is on January 29 when she is due to be presented with commemorative Jubilee Gates by members of the Armed Forces at Sandringham House.
On January 31, she is due to visit Chelmsford, Essex, to mark the 50th anniversary of the East Coast floods.
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Women have served all these centuries as looking-glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size. -Virginia Woolf
I don't think I have ever seen the Queen in 'dress' slacks!! She look absolutely lovely and (I hope she won't mind me saying this) kinda reminds me of my grandmother a bit in this picture.
Polfoto 03-04-2003 Britain's Queen Elizabeth II with Danny Goodall, Design Manager of Dudson Ltd, looks at the centre piece of the Queen's Dessert Service, a gift to her from the ceramics industry and the people of Stoke on Trent, at Windsor Castle, Windsor.
Queen Scolds Royal Snapper For Not Wearing His MBE.
16 MAY 2003
The Queen left a group of photographers in fits of laughter at the Royal Windsor Horse Show on Thursday.
Her Majesty was passing by the gathered press pack when she noticed tabloid photographer Arthur Edwards, to whom she awarded an MBE last week. Arthur was left red-faced, however, after the Queen berated him for not having his medal with him.
"Why aren't you wearing your medal?" the monarch jokingly demanded. "You are supposed to wear it all the time." Her comments provoked roars of laughter among Albert's fellow snappers.
At the Buckingham Palace ceremony during which he was presented with his MBE, the 62-year-old veteran photographer said: "I cannot tell you how proud I feel. "This is a day I will always treasure. I might have been photographing the Queen for nearly 27 years but nothing compares to this."
From Hello.
Royal snapper Arthur was obviously overjoyed with his MBE at the Buckingham Palace presentation ceremony
From Hello.
When she happened upon the snapper at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, the Queen jokingly demanded to know why he wasn't wearing his newly acquired honour
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Jenna
You have your life, I have my life, you do your thing, I do my thing, I understand that you were not put on this earth to please me, just as I am not here to please you, but if we should meet, it would be a beautiful thing.
Arthur Edwards been photographer for Royal Family in his life he takes pictures of late Princess Diana and Queen 2, Prince William he enjoyed taking pictures of Royal Family.
Is 5ft 5 1/2 short? Maybe there was a misprint (if you can have that online) but HELLO! online called QE2 'diminutive' standing a mere 5ft 5 1/2 inches....surely she is shorter than that. By anyone's standards 5' 5 1/2" is above average in height.
__________________ It's clever, but is it art? ~Rudyard Kipling
I remember reading a biography of Queen Elizabeth and it said she that was five feet five inches.
I too thought that was a little to tall,but who knows? Maybe she really is that tall.
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Jenna
You have your life, I have my life, you do your thing, I do my thing, I understand that you were not put on this earth to please me, just as I am not here to please you, but if we should meet, it would be a beautiful thing.
THE Queen has revealed she is a secret poet at heart.
The first known example of her work has emerged in a visitors' book at the Queen Mother's former residence.
Clearly impressed with the hospitality she received while on holiday in Scotland, the Queen came up with a 16-line ditty to show her appreciation.
The royal verses are hand-written in a book at the Castle of Mey on the west coast of Scotland, which is to be opened to the public for its first full season this weekend.
The Queen's poem was written after a short stay at the castle before leaving for Balmoral, her own Scottish estate.
A staff member is believed to have copied the poem, complete with a mistake in spelling the word splendour, into the visitors' book, adding that it is a message to "HM Queen Mum" from "HM Queen".
Last night, the Queen's poem won praise from the Poetry Society, of which the Poet Laureate Andrew Motion is vice president.
Jules Mann, the Society's director, said: "It's refreshing the Queen turns to poetry to express her feelings.
"We often think poetry is something which happens in times of grief or stress, but it's lovely to hear when someone is moved to write of a happy occasion.
"I think it also shows Her Majesty has a sound knowledge of how to write a poem."
As a child, the Queen is known to have had regular poetry lessons, as part of the curriculum ordered by her grandmother Queen Mary.
A book by the Queen's late governess Marion Crawford noted Queen Mary's instructions: "Poetry - half an hour a week. Do they learn poetry by heart? Rather an old-fashioned practice, too, and often grossly overdone."
The Queen stayed at the 16th century castle once, for three days in August 1987, when the poem was stuck in the visitors' book.
A Palace spokesman said: "It does appear to be a poem the Queen created, although it doesn't look like her handwriting.
"She was on a private visit to the castle at the time."
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THE QUEEN'S POEM
Although we must leave you,
Fair Castle of Mey,
We shall never forget,
Nor could ever repay,
A meal of such splendor*,
Repast of such zest,
It will take us to Sunday,
Just to digest,
To leafy Balmoral,
We are now on our way,
But our hearts will remain
At the castle of Mey.
With your gardens and ranges,
And all your good cheer,
We will be back again soon
So roll on next year.
* As it was written in the visitor's book by a member of staff
From The Mirror.
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Jenna
You have your life, I have my life, you do your thing, I do my thing, I understand that you were not put on this earth to please me, just as I am not here to please you, but if we should meet, it would be a beautiful thing.
23 MAY 2003
The Queen's poetic talents will soon be going on display when the Castle of Mey, the late Queen Mother's home, is opened to the public at the weekend. The 16-line ditty, which she wrote as a thankyou after a three-day visit in 1987, will be on show in the castle's guest book.
A spokesman has revealed that the poem was relayed from the royal yacht Britannia after her stay at the Highland retreat. "Before the Britannia was decommissioned, there was a tour of the Western Isles before the Queen was taken round to Aberdeen for her holiday at Balmoral," he said. "The ship would lie off Scrabster and she would meet the Queen Mother for lunch at the Castle of Mey."
It has been noted that Her Majesty misspelled the word "splendour", but Professor John Kerrigan of the English literature department at Cambridge University says, "technically it's as competent as anything by Bob Dylan". The poem is "a cheerful piece of doggerel", he said, "with an airy informality which does the author - so often thought grand - some credit".
Poetry Society director Jules Mann was also pleased by the verse: "We often think poetry is something that happens in times of grief, but it's lovely to hear someone is moved to write about a happy occasion."
The monarch's literary contribution to the guest book was as follows:
Although we must leave you,
Fair Castle of Mey,
We shall never forget,
Nor could ever repay,
A meal of such splendor,
Repast of such zest,
It will take us to Sunday,
Just to digest.
To leafy Balmoral,
We are now on our way.
But our hearts will remain
At the Castle of Mey.
With your gardens and ranges,
And all your good cheer,
We will be back again soon
So roll on next year.
From Hello.
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Jenna
You have your life, I have my life, you do your thing, I do my thing, I understand that you were not put on this earth to please me, just as I am not here to please you, but if we should meet, it would be a beautiful thing.
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