Showing posts with label British Monarchy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label British Monarchy. Show all posts

Thursday, 21 April 2016

The Queen at 90: birthday beacons

After a day in which millions joined in her birthday celebrations, the Queen ended the public festivities with an ancient royal tradition. She lit a beacon which led to blazes burning across the country to mark her special day. The bonfires illuminate the night sky as the day that Elizabeth II turned ninety comes to an end.


The Queen lights her birthday beacon on the day she became the first British monarch to turn 90
(photo British Monarchy Instagram)

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Wednesday, 9 September 2015

Queen Elizabeth II



Elizabeth II
Ascended the throne February 6th 1952...and still reigning

Today, Queen Elizabeth II becomes the longest reigning monarch in British history. She passes the landmark around 4.30pm so her reign enters the history books on a grey Wednesday afternoon. No matter. Despite the storms her rule is a shining example and she now enjoys acclaim around the world not only as a long lived monarch but as a great one too. Elizabeth II, Queen of England, royal legend.

Photo credit by NASA/Bill Ingalls [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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Monday, 15 June 2015

Magna Carta and the Garter

Just over 130 years after his great grandfather had brought the Monarchy to its knees, a medieval King of England was in a strong enough position to establish an order of chivalry that would honour those who had done him good service and show the rest of the world (or Europe at least) just how important he was. Today, the legacy of King John and Edward III were both honoured by their descendant and successor, Elizabeth II, a monarch who is already a legend in her own lifetime.


The Queen at the events marking 800 years of Magna Carta  at Runnymede today

The Queen was at Runnymede early this morning to mark 800 years since the sealing of the Magna Carta. The great document, which became reality in June 1215 when the barons forced King John to put his name to it, is seen as the cornerstone of democracy and the bedrock of many constitutions around the world.  Eight hundred years ago tonight, King John was weeping into his mead at the power he had given away and what was left of his reputation - poor from the very start of his reign and on a permanent downward spiral in the years leading up to the Great Charter - was ripped to pieces and left to rot in the chapters saved for really bad kings in history books for centuries to come.


 

King John's throne now belongs to Elizabeth II and she was joined by a man who will hold it in years to come, the Duke of Cambridge, as well as by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal for a ceremony commemorating eight centuries since Magna Carta was sealed. Also there was the Prime Minister, David Cameron, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. Eight hundred years ago, Justin Welby's predecessor drafted the charter to make peace between his monarch and the leading advisers, or politicians, of the day. The fact that eight centuries on those who have followed in their places came together at the same spot to commemorate the document is truly remarkable and rather awe inspiring.

 
 
Even more awe inspiring is the power that simple document has yielded since it was sealed in anger, bitterness and resentment all those years ago by King John. Lauded around the world for its role in establishing democracy, it is one of the most famous things ever written. John, a spinner if ever there was one, might well have made the most of that had he lived to see the power it would wield. But he died the following year. His great contribution to history was remembered today with a plaque unveiled by the Queen, a speech by the Prime Minister and the rededication of the Magna Carta Memorial by the Princess Royal.


 

Eight hundred years ago the odds on the monarchy run by John surviving were slim. There was an ambitious French king not far away who had already smashed his continental holdings into pieces while the beleagured English monarch had annoyed just about every power player in Europe in his short reign. He was succeeded by a boy king with an ambitious mother but somehow the House of Plantagenet survived. And the legacy of one of its greatest kings was on show this afternoon. After she had finished at Runnymede the Queen headed back to Windsor to take part in a ceremony started by Edward III, great grandson of John, and as strong and successful as his ancestor had been weak and failing. One of his most famous ideas was the Order of the Garter. On a grey but warm afternoon in Berkshire, Elizabeth II carried on his tradition as Sovereign of the Order with thousands turning out to cheer her.




The Order of the Garter was set up in 1348, just 130 years after the shock of Magna Carta. Edward had been king for 18 years and felt strong enough in his position to establish an Order of Chivalry where those he nominated as members would be honoured to have his favour. Twenty five knights were chosen to stand alongside their monarch and the patron was St George.

 
 


Women were associated with the Order but couldn't be full members. The Queen changed that in 1987 and today there are still 25 members but a mixture of both men and women while there are now royal knights in addition - among them Elizabeth II's next two successors, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge.


 
 


The modern order is most famous for its annual procession which took place today as the knights and their Sovereign made their way to the Chapel of St George, Windsor. Led by the Queen, they walked in their robes made to an age old design. It was grand, it was splendid and it showed the power wielded by Edward III, the man who started it all.


 
 

But perhaps the most famous thing about the Order of the Garter is its motto - Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense. It has been translated many ways, most usually Shame on him who thinks this evil. And perhaps on this day when the many facets of the House of Plantagenet converged in modern day England under the gaze of a modern day monarch who has redefined the role more successfully than many of her predecessors could have dreamed of, it is a fitting phrase to bear in mind. On June 15th 1215 the king and many of those around him thought the great charter he had sealed a bad thing. But it turned into one of the great gifts of western Europe, a bringer of democracy. Magna Carta has become a great triumph of royal history while the Order of the Garter is another glittering facet which shows its longevity and its ability to adapt. Anyone who thinks otherwise might do well to think again, as knights of old once said. Magna Carta and the Garter are parts of royal history and the co-incidence of one great anniversary and another great following of tradition on one single day in June is remarkable, extraordinary and unique. It is only right that this truly historic queen, about to enter the record books with an achievement that may never be beaten, is the one who oversaw it all.
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Royals on social media

This is a royal wedding free zone. Yep, royals on social media is all about what happened elsewhere. Or in Sweden when there wasn't a wedding. It's been an action packed week with lots to tweet about so here's what the ruling houses shared on their official channels - it's the royals on social media.

A little music...


The music of choice for Prince Harry was jazz as he spent an evening at the Royal Albert Hall for a charity concert. On stage were Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga and the prince said hello to them before the concert got under way. As the photo shared on the official Kensington Palace Instagram feed showed, there were plenty of sequins glittering away at this encounter.



The King and Queen of the Belgians attended a concert given by the three first prize winners of the Queen Elisabeth Music Award for 2015 in the week and images of them meeting the stars of the show were shared on the official Twitter account.




And Queen Maxima of the Netherlands carried out several engagements in the week to promote music education in schools. Images were shared on the official Twitter account. 



Birthday celebrations

There were several royal birthdays in the week and several of them were marked on social media. One of the few non royal wedding posts on the official Swedish Royal Family Facebook page was an archive image of Princess Madeleine, shared to mark her 33rd birthday on June 10th 2015.



On the same day, the Duke of Edinburgh turned 94 and the official Twitter accounts of Kensington Palace and Clarence House shared messages as did the British Monarchy account which tweeted several times including one message with this selection of photos.





United with other nations


The Queen of Spain was made a special UN Ambassador for Food and Agriculture in the week during a ceremony in Rome. Letizia spoke about the benefits of a Mediterranean diet and the fact that so many around the world are still without proper food at all. Several videos of the event were shared on the official You Tube channel, Casa Real TV.



The Crown Prince of Norway attended the United Nations Governance and Peace Dialogue event which took place in Oslo this week.  Haakon Magnus attended a series of talks and debates about issues linked to governance and peacebuilding and information and images of the event were shared on the official Twitter account.

The King and Queen of the Belgians headed to Milan in the week for Belgium Day at Expo 2015 where they spent part of their day hearing about sustainable food and energy production as well as attending the final of the Homeless Cup at an event which is all about promoting other countries to one another and forging new bonds.

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Friday, 6 March 2015

Pomp and ceremony at Buckingham Palace

The Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, hosted a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in the week for the President of Mexico and his wife who were making an official visit to the United Kingdom.


The Queen arrives at the State Banquet with the Duke of Edinburgh and her guests, Enrique Pena Nieto, and Angelica Rivera de Pena

The gala dinner, attended by over 150 guests with diplomatic, cultural or economic ties to Mexico, saw speeches from both President Pena Nieto and the Queen with Elizabeth II talking of the ties that continue to grow between the two countries. Here are some of the best pictures of a glittering night at the Palace.

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Friday, 26 December 2014

The Queen reigns Christmas TV

It's the spot everyone wants and it belongs to the Queen this year. In 2014, the most watched programme on Christmas TV was the Queen's Speech. It brought in 7.83 million viewers - hundreds of thousands more than its nearest rival, comedy show Mrs Brown's Boys. After a successful year and on the brink of history as she is just months away from becoming the longest reigning British monarch ever, the Queen's TV domination leaves her reigning supreme.

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Saturday, 19 July 2014

First steps of a future king

Prince George of Cambridge turns one on Tuesday and ahead of the big day, his parents have released a photo of the little king in waiting taking his first steps.  George was snapped toddling regally on a visit to the Natural History Museum in London earlier in July.  The image, from the Press Association, was released by Clarence House on July 19th 2014.  And the photo was pretty popular on social media.


Prince George of Cambridge shows off his latest skill

More pictures will come on the eve of his birthday but for now, social media is going mad for a snap of a king taking his first steps.  Best foot forward, George, and happy birthday.



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