Tag Archives: queen elizabeth II

Bell at Westminster Abbey to toll for 96 minutes today, marking life of Queen Elizabeth II

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A bell will toll for 96 consecutive minutes, marking the length of the Queen’s life on Monday at 11 a.m., as more than 2,000 guests will gather in London’s Westminster Abbey for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on September 8, aged 96.

Towards the end of the service, the Last Post will be played, followed by a two-minute silence and a lament from the Queen’s piper at the 13th Century church and King Charles III and the Queen Consort will lead the procession behind the Queen’s coffin.

Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II

The Prince and Princess of Wales will walk ahead of their nine-year-old son George and seven-year-old daughter Charlotte, followed by their uncle and aunt, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and other members of the Royal Family.

George and Charlotte’s younger brother Louis, four, is not expected to attend. Once the funeral ends, a committal service will follow in the evening at St George’s Chapel in Windsor and the bells of Westminster Abbey will later be rung, but muffled, as is tradition following the funeral of a sovereign.

Who is attending?

Some of the European royal families who will attend Monday’s funeral are Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde; King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his wife, Queen Maxima, along with his mother, former Dutch queen Princess Beatrix; and King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan will also attend the service, as well as the King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk.

Other expected guests include Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah; Jordan’s King Abdullah; Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah; King of Lesotho, Letsie III; and Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein. Royal leaders from Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, and Tonga are also expected.

The Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi's gifts to the Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II, of the United Kingdom, in London on November 13, 2015. (PIB)

The Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi visits the Queen Elizabeth II, of the United Kingdom, in London on November 13, 2015. (PIB)

Leaders from across the Commonwealth, including India‘s President Droupadi Murmu and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are attending the funeral. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived in the UK, as have New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The other world leaders to be attending the funeral include US President and First Lady, Joe and Jill Biden; Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin and President Michael Higgins; German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier; Italian President Sergio Mattarella; and French President Emmanuel Macron.

 

Campaign to give title ”Elizabeth the Faithful’ begins as many oppose ‘The Great’

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A campaign has been launched to give the late Queen the title of ‘Elizabeth the Faithful’ because ‘the Great’ is rather common and has been used by despots and conquerors, local media reported.

Senior UK politicians, including Boris Johnson, the former prime minister, have referred to Elizabeth II as ‘the Great’ since she died last Thursday at the age of 96, Daily Mail reported.

But Security Minister Tom Tugendhat referred to her as ‘the Faithful’ last week and today a former Conservative Party Treasurer insisted that it was the best moniker to use.

In a letter to the Daily Telegraph, Lord Farmer said that it reflected ‘the fulfilment of the pledge that she made on the cusp of adulthood to serve us her whole life.’

He added: ‘Superficially she was indeed great, but more than 110 monarchs have been so designated,’ including the Herod who ordered the slaughter of the innocents, Louis XIV (whose rule made the French Revolution all but inevitable) and Genghis Khan.

The only British monarch to ever be called ‘the Great’, Alfred was an Anglo-Saxon king of Wessex who fought off a Danish invasion. His reconquest of territory was continued by his successors and his grandson Aethelstan is seen by historians as the first king of England, Daily Mail reported.

Known as the Great Khan, Genghis Khan was a Mongol ruler who rose from humble beginnings to establish the largest contiguous empire in history. At its peak, the empire stretched from the Far East to eastern Europe. His campaigns and those of his sons were extremely bloody and may have resulted in as many as 60 million deaths.

Catherine the Great, the last and longest-serving Empress of Russia, came to power after her husband Peter was overthrown. She was born in a region of modern-day Poland which at the time was in the Kingdom of Prussia.

During her reign, Russia conquered the Crimea, part of Poland and Alaska. She is famous for her string of lovers, including men 40 years her junior when she was in her 60s, Daily Mail reported.

Herod, King of Judea made notorious by his depiction in the Bible. The Gospel of St Matthew says he was responsible for the Massacre of the Innocents, which saw all male children aged two or under killed in the area around Bethlehem in an unsuccessful bid to get rid of the baby Jesus. Modern historians do not believe any such slaughter took place, Daily Mail reported.

Queen’s secret letter locked in Sydney time capsule, to be opened in 2086

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australian media is abuzz with the news that a secret letter written by Queen Elizabeth II is locked inside a vault or time capsule in Sydney, to be opened in 2086, 100 years after it was written.

According to 7NEWS Australia, the letter is inside a vault in a historic building in Sydney was written in November 1986, addressed to the people of Sydney. Even the Queen’s personal staff are not aware of what the letter says.

Hidden inside a glass case in a secure location, it can’t be opened until 2085. The address was to the Lord Mayor of Sydney, and the instruction clearly says:

“On a suitable day to be selected by you in the year 2085 A.D, would you please open this envelope and convey to the citizens of Sydney my message to them.” It is simply signed, “Elizabeth R.”

Speculation is rife that it could be about a time capsule to be unearthed in 2086 for the people of Australia. The Queen had special place for Australia in her heart and visited almost all the regions during her visits.

Queen Elizabeth II has special ties with Australia, which honoured the Queen as Head of the State and defeated a referendum to replace her in 1999. She had visited Australia 16 times during her 70 years of reign.

“It was clear Her Majesty held a special place in her heart for Australia,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said..

On Friday, Sydney’s iconic Opera House was lit with a tribute to the Queen.

 

Modi makes telephone call to new UK PM [Details]

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on phone today with The Rt. Hon. Elizabeth Truss, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

PM Modi congratulated PM Truss on assuming the office of the Prime Minister of UK. He also appreciated her contributions to the India-UK bilateral relationship in her previous roles as Trade Secretary and Foreign Secretary. Both leaders committed to further strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and UK.

The two leaders discussed various issues of bilateral interest including the progress in the implementation of the Roadmap 2030, ongoing FTA negotiations, defence & security cooperation, and the people-to-people ties between both countries.

 

On behalf of the people of India, Prime Minister Modi conveyed deep condolences to the Royal family and the people of UK on the sad demise of Queen Elizabeth II.

 

 

India to mourn on Sept 11 as mark of respect to Queen Elizabeth II

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As British Queen Elizabeth II passed away on 8th September 2022, India has declared one day State Mourning on September 11 as a mark of respect to her.

Queen Elizabeth II passed away, Charles III becomes UK’s new King

On the day of Mourning, the National Flag will be flown at half mast throughout India on all buildings where the National Flag is flown regularly and there will be no official entertainment on the day.

The Queen is Dead, Long Live the King

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Britain’s longest-serving Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral aged 96, ending an era of 70 years of rule. Her family was at her bed side at the Scottish estate since earlier on Thursday.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.

The Queen came to the throne in 1952. Following her demise, the Operation London Bridge, codename to post-Queen formalities, will come into effect.

Her eldest son Charles will lead the country in mourning as the new King with the title, King Charles III, and take over as head of state for 14 Commonwealth realms from Canada to Australia.

In a statement, the new King said, “The death of my beloved mother Her Majesty the Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.

“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”

Queen Elizabeth II is dead, Charles III becomes UK’s new King

All the Queen’s children travelled to Balmoral, near Aberdeen, after the news of her deteriorating health started pouring in. Her grandson, Prince William, is already there and his brother, Prince Harry, is on his way.

Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was appointed by the Queen on Tuesday, said the monarch “provided us with the stability and strength that we needed”.

15 PMs appointed by her

Her reign spanned 15 prime ministers starting with Winston Churchill, born in 1874, and including Ms Truss, born 101 years later in 1975, reported BBC.

At Buckingham Palace in London, the Union flag was lowered to half-mast at 18:30 BST.

Born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, in Mayfair, London, on 21 April 1926, she married her third cousin, Philip, Prince of Greece, who was serving in the Royal Navy in 1947 and he remained her strength through 74 years of marriage, until his death in 2021, aged 99.

Queen Elizabeth II seriously ill, children rush to Balmoral Castle in Scotland

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Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest serving monarch, is under medical supervision at the Balmoral Castle in Scotland with rumours of her deteriorating health condition going viral.

According to the Buckingham Palace, “Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision.”

The palace’s statement on Thursday further escalated concerns about the Queen’s health and people started gathering outside the palace. As many as 100 people, braving torrential rain, are seen at the gates of the Buckingham Palace amid concerns over the health of Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth II

“The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral,” a palace spokesperson said. Reports said that all the children of the Queen — Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Edward are at her side in the palace while her grandson Prince William reached the Balmoral Castle.

Prince Harry, who was travelling with his wife Sussex Meghan, is planning to travel to Balmore alone. Prime Minister Prime Liz Truss is unlikely to travel to Scotland, her spokesperson told news agency Reuters on Thursday evening.

The 96-year-old monarch has been facing several health issues since October  2021 and often struggles to to walk and stand. Recently, she was seen using walking stick while meeting the newly elected PM Truss.

On hearing the condition of the Queen’s health, the traditional ceremony of the Changing of the Guard to take place outside the Buckingham Palace on Friday morning, has been called off.

 

Why Kate’s 3rd child is special to Queen Elizabeth?

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As Prince William’s wife Kate was admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital in west London on Monday morning to give birth to the royal couple’s third child, Queen Elizabeth may receive a happy news on her 92nd Birthday.

If Kate gives birth to the child on Monday, then there will be a double whammy in the UK royalty on every April 23rd to celebrate two royal birthdays. If it is a baby girl, the joy will more for the Queen.

Kate or the Duchess of Cambridge showed the early signs of labour on Monday morning and was driven in a car to the private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s where their two children, George and Charlotte, were born.

"The Duchess travelled by car from Kensington Palace to the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital with The Duke of Cambridge," Prince William’s office said.

Interestingly, Kate’s sister Pippa Middleton is also reportedly expecting her first child with husband James Matthews, this year, said the Sun. The Middleton family has more celebrations scheduled ahead this year.


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