The Royal Correspondent

On December 2, 2011, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II attended the British Military Tournament at Earls Court in London, England.  Click here to view photos.

On November 22, 2011, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh hosted a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in honor of the President of Turkey, Abdullah Gül’s, three-day state visit to Britain.

To view photos please click here.  To read Queen Elizabeth’s speech during the banquet please click here. 

Photo courtesy of: Daylife/Reuters

On November 22, 2011, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh officially welcomed the President of Turkey, Abdullah Gül, and his wife Hayrunnisa, with a traditional ceremony  in London, England.

According to the newspaper, Telegraph, upon the President’s arrival at Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall:

… a 41-gun royal salute, fired from nearby Green Park by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, could be heard in the distance.

The Band of the Coldstream Guards then played both Britain’s and Turkey’s national anthems. President Gül and the Duke of Edinburgh undertook the inspection of a guard of honour made up of 101 soldiers and three officers from the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards.

After the traditional welcoming ceremony they made their way back to Buckingham Palace where they viewed an “…exhibition of Turkish Artefacts from the Royal Collection, in the Picture Gallery…” at the palace.

To watch a video as well as to view photos from today’s event please click the links below:

• VIDEO 
• Gallery One 
• Gallery Two

Source: Telegraph

Photo courtesy of: Daylife/AFP

On November 18, 2011, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II arrived in Guildford, England to attend a service at Guildford Cathedral to celebrate its “…50th anniversary of the dedication of the religious building.”  Also, on that day the queen visited East Surrey College with H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh.

To view photos please click the links below:

• Gallery One 
• Gallery Two 

Source and photo courtesy of: Daylife

On Tuesday November 15, 2011, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II met with His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan at Buckingham Palace.

Later on in the afternoon, Queen Elizabeth II knighted one of the most successful English horse trainers, Sir Henry Cecil, during an investiture ceremony held at Buckingham Palace. After the ceremony, Sir Cecil noted, “I’m very honoured to receive this, this is the biggest honour I’ll get in my lifetime.”

To read more about today’s investiture ceremony please click here.  To view photos please click here.

Photos courtesy of: Daylife/WPA and Sky Sports

On November 11, 2011, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Margate, England.  During their visit the royal couple toured the Turner Contemporary art gallery, a new café, and the RNLI Lifeboat station.  To view photos please click here. 

Yesterday evening, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh attended the opening of the new exhibit, Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination, at the British Library.

This unique collection of medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts. Collected by the kings and queens of England over 800 years these treasures are outstanding examples of the decorative and figurative painting of the era. Together they are our most vivid source for understanding royal identity, moral and religious beliefs, learning, faith artistic trends and the international politics of the period. source

To view photos please click here.  To learn more about this exhibit please click here.  

Photo courtesy of: Daylife/Reuters

On October 29, 2011, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh completed their tour of Australia, but before they left the queen attended a “Great Aussie Barbecue” along the banks of the Swan River in Perth.

In her farewell speech in front of  tens of thousands of well-wishers the queen stated that she and the Duke of Edinburgh had “…enjoyed our visit immensely…”

We have been overwhelmed by your kindness and support… I can think of no more fitting way to end my visit… than in this idyllic Swan River setting which I have enjoyed on so many occasions. Once again we will return to the United Kingdom with fond memories.

To watch videos as well as to view photos please click the links below:

• VIDEO 
• VIDEO 
• VIDEO
  
• Gallery One 
• Gallery Two 

Source: AFP Photo courtesy of: Daylife/AP

On October 28, 2011, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II attended a gala banquet “…as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)…” in Perth, Australia.  Prior to the evening’s event the queen attended a brief luncheon with the new heads of commonwealth governments held at the Government House.

To view photos please click here and here. 

Photo courtesy of: Daylife/M.Meares/Pool

On October 27, 2011, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Clontarf Aboriginal College where she watched basketballers and Australian Rules footballers in action and visited a cookery class where kangaroo stew was on the menu. She did not sample the exotic fare but remarked, “Smells good.” On being presented with a small pot of stew, she asked, “Recently made?”

Three young Aboriginals presented the queen with a Aussie Rules ball, while others handed her a bouquet of flowers, one of hundreds she has received since arriving in Australia. Her Majesty has accepted the floral gifts wherever she has been, passing each bunch down a progression of staff members.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Edinburgh  visited the University of Western Australia to view some world-leading mining exploration technology from Anglo-Australian giant Rio Tinto. Whilst there he met the company’s chief executive Tom Albanese, who described the visit as “an honor”. 

Later in the afternoon, the royal couple attended a reception at the Government House hosted by West Australian Premier Colin Barnett ahead of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II officially opening the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on Friday.

To watch a video as well as to view photos please click the links below:

• VIDEO 
• Gallery One 
• Gallery Two

Source: AFP

Photo courtesy of: Daylife/L.Baker