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Headlines

Updates and Information Regarding Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations: Andrew, Harry, and Meghan Out!

On Friday, May 6, 2022, Buckingham Palace published new updates regarding Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s upcoming Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

On Thursday, June 2, 2022, The Queen’s Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour) will take place at Horse Guards Parade in London at 10am:

“The colour will be trooped by the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards, and more than 1200 officers and soldiers from the Household Division will put on a display of military pageantry on Horse Guards Parade, together with hundreds of Army musicians and around 240 horses. This annual event has now marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign for over 260 years.

During The Queen’s Birthday Parade A Royal Gun Salute will be fired.

There is an opportunity for people to view the display along The Mall as the troops parade to and from Horse Guards Parade on its journey between Buckingham Palace and the parade ground.

During the ceremony, there will be an opportunity to watch the event on a large screen at St James’s Park and many more members of the public will be able to watch the spectacle live on television, across the world. Once the parade has ended and the Royal Procession has returned to Buckingham Palace, the Royal Family’s balcony appearance will happen as in previous years.

Platinum Jubilee Flypast

There will be an impressive Flypast to coincide with the Royal Family’s balcony appearance.”

This morning Buckingham Palace announced that “…after careful consideration, The Queen has decided that this year’s Trooping the Colour balcony appearance will be limited to Her Majesty and those Members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of The Queen.” Below is the list of those who will appear on the balcony at Buckingham Palace:

  • Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II *To be announced on the day of the celebrations*
  • TRHs The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall
  • TRHs The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
  • HRH The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence
  • TRHs The Earl and Countess of Wessex
  • TRHs The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
  • HRH The Duke of Kent
  • HRH Princess Alexandra, The Honorable Lady Oglivy

It was also confirmed that Her Majesty’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Lady Louise Windsor and James, The Viscount Severn, His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge, Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge will also make an appearance on the balcony at Buckingham Palace:

“In addition, the Cambridge and Wessex children are also expected to appear as is Sir Tim Laurence, who the Queen is happy to attend as a frequent attendee and support for The Princess Royal on official engagements.”

Andrew, Harry and Meghan… OUT!

Notably absent from the list: The Duke of York along with Harry and Meghan. However, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan proudly announced this morning that the former senior working royals will attend Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, “…[the couple] are excited and honored to attend The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations this June with their children.”

It is my guess that the former working royals — Andrew, Harry and Meghan — will celebrate privately with the family hence no photos of the former royal trio. Which, in my opinion, is a good thing. The focus should be on Her Majesty The Queen and her historic Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Moving on… Buckingham Palace also announced the Platinum Jubilee Beacons will be displayed in over:

“…2,000 towns, villages and cities throughout the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories will come together to light a beacon to mark the Jubilee. Beacons will also be lit in each of the capital cities of Commonwealth countries.

The principal beacon lighting will take place in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Thursday evening. This will take the form of a lighting installation with The Queen’s Green Canopy ‘Tree of Trees’ sculpture and projections onto the front of Buckingham Palace. This innovative new way of taking part in the beacon lighting will reflect the Royal Family’s long history of championing environmental causes.

National Service of Thanksgiving

A Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen’s reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral. Great Paul, the largest church bell in the country, will be rung for the Service. It was made in 1882, but fell silent in the 1970s due to a broken mechanism. It was restored in 2021 and has been rung on 8 occasions since, but this is the 1st Royal occasion for which it will be rung. The Service of Thanksgiving starts at 11.30am and Great Paul will be rung between 10.50am to 10.55am followed by a peal of bells. A reception will be held at Guildhall following the Service.

The service will include a new Anthem by Judith Weir, Master of The Queen’s Music, that sets to music words from the third Chapter of the Book of Proverbs.

Saturday 4th June:

The Derby – Epsom Downs Racecourse

As part of the central weekend celebrations, Epsom Downs Racecourse will stage the 243rd running of The Derby.

BBC Platinum Party at the Palace

Hosts Kirsty Young and Roman Kemp, will lead live coverage of the Platinum Party at the Palace to be shown air live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and across the BBC. The celebration will see famous faces from the world of entertainment brought together to perform for a night of musical tributes to celebrate the Jubilee. 22,000 people will attend the event including 10,000 allocated in a public ballot and 5,000 tickets for key workers. And now for the first time, the BBC have released artist visuals of the impressive setting and stage where the acts will perform. The full line-up of acts will be announced by the BBC in the coming weeks.

Sunday 5th June:

The Big Jubilee Lunch

Over 60,000 people have registered to host Big Jubilee Lunches on over the central weekend, with events ranging from world record attempts for the longest street party to back garden BBQ’s and everything in between. As millions of people across the UK sit down to share lunch in their communities, a flagship event will be taking place at The Oval in London where a specially invited audience will share friendship, food and fun together with entertainment at the iconic venue. People are joining in across the world with over 600 international Big Jubilee Lunches being planned throughout the Commonwealth and beyond – from Canada to Brazil, New Zealand to Japan and South Africa to Switzerland.

The Platinum Jubilee Pageant

Evoking the Coronation at the very start of the Platinum Pageant, the Bells of Westminster Abbey will chime, as they did on Coronation Day. As they do so, The Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry will lead The Gold State Coach along a crowd-thronged pageant route back to Buckingham Palace.

The Gold State Coach is used to transport the Monarch on the occasion of their Coronation and Jubilees, and it has not been seen in on the streets of London for twenty years.

The Gold State Coach is the Platinum Pageant’s iconic figurehead; a ‘crown jewel’ made yet more awesome by the glittering livery worn by its four pairs of Windsor Greys. Everywhere you look, in the golden sculptures and painted panels, in the uniforms of the postillions, grooms, footmen, attendants and mounted guards, there is rich tradition and history.

At the Platinum Pageant, The Gold State Coach plays a remarkable role. Original film footage recorded on Coronation Day will be used to recreate the magic of that extraordinary occasion.

The Pageant will serve as an opportunity to gather and pay tribute to Her Majesty. It will culminate with the singing of the National Anthem, ‘God Save the Queen’. A gospel choir will join the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines.

The Pageant itself will bring to life iconic moments from The Queen’s reign as well as showcasing our changing society over the past 70 years.

10,000 people are involved, including the military, over 6,000 volunteers, performers, key workers and 2,500 members of the public.

National treasures and iconic figures from music, film, sport and the arts will take part in the Pageant including much-loved celebrity names, alongside military personnel, key workers and volunteers.

The Big Jubilee Lunch is still accepting orders for free packs to get street parties started or for people to find out where a public event in their area may be taking place.

The Armed Forces will also take a leading role in the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on Sunday 5th June. Around 1,800 members of Armed Forces personnel, representing the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army and Royal Air Force, will lead Act 1 of the pageant. Six military bands will form part of the military contingent and the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom will be joined representatives from the Armed Forces of Commonwealth nations. The military section of the pageant will involve personnel from regiments and units across the Union, including those with a special relationship with The Queen.“

Headlines

Her Majesty Queen Letizia of Spain Attends the Premios Reina Letizia 2021 in Mérida.

On Wednesday, May 4, 2022, Her Majesty Queen Letizia of Spain attended the Premios Reina Letizia 2021 held at the Asamblea de Extremadura in Mérida, Spain.

The Premio Reina Letizia 2021 aims to support the rights of people with disabilities and to ensure social inclusion, equal opportunities, rehabilitation, and prevention of disabilities. During today’s ceremony six awards and three special mentions were presented in seven different categories. Per the Spanish royal court:

  1. In the modality of Defense of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the award went to the Fundación CERMI Mujeres, for establishing itself as a benchmark for disability feminism from an intersectional approach, as well as for its work in the approval of Organic Law 2 /2020 for the eradication of forced sterilization and its pioneering work in supporting women with disabilities during the pandemic. The president of the CERMI Women Foundation, Ms. Marta Valencia, received the award.
  2. In addition, in this category, the jury awarded a Special Mention to the candidacy of Mr. Óscar Moral, a lawyer with a disability, for his long and continuous work defending the rights of people with disabilities.
  3. In the Inclusive Sport category , the award went to the First Inclusive Games of the Sanitas Foundation, for his long history of more than eleven years in the work of inclusive sport where people with disabilities participate and achieve success in accordance with article 30 of the Convention. The Premio Reina Letizia for inclusive culture has been awarded to the project Valorarte: The Creativity of Unexplored Talent of the Laborvalía Association, for bringing together in an inspiring way the artistic role of people with disabilities with more support needs; productive co-creation with renowned plastic artists from the Spanish and international scene; the multi-channel format and the connection with the territory. The General Director of the Sanitas Foundation, Ms. Yolanda Erburu, received the award.
  4. Likewise, in this modality it was decided to grant a Special Mention to the project ‘If Talía were Blind’, of the National Organization of the Spanish Blind (ONCE) , a choral cultural construction with a great load of suggestions in which the visual and performing arts are fed. and mutually expand to offer the audience a total show in which people with disabilities are completely the owners of the artistic fact, which Mr. Andrés Ramos collected.
  5. In the category of Accessible Technology , the ‘Dactyls’ project of the ONCE Foundation for the Care of People with Deafblindness (FOAPS) was awarded for its significant impact on the autonomy of this group, taking advantage of the potential of technology to promote communication, and that it also has a great didactic utility by standardizing and unifying the signs and allowing systematized access to know the existing information on deafblindness. The coordinator of the Technical Unit for Sodoblindness of ONCE and patron of FOAPS, Ms. Raquel Alba, collected the award.
  6. In research  the ‘PiTDAHgoras’ project was awarded for being a solvent initiative, at no cost to the beneficiaries, that promotes the child development of girls and boys with ADD. A work that is developed in an interdisciplinary way, and that bases its application on games as therapy and learning. The project director, Mr. David Delgado, received the award.
  7. In the category of ‘Accessibility and Universal Design of Municipalities’, the award went to Merida Inclusiva, for the decisive commitment of this municipality to universal accessibility, so that all citizens, without exception, participate in this heritage city. The acting mayor of Mérida, Carmen Yáñez, received the award.
  8. In addition, in this modality, a Special Mention for Inclusive Culture was awarded to Inmaculada Vivas Tesón for her professional career in the work of people with disabilities, as well as for her academic and research career in the legal field, developing compliance with the precepts set forth in the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
  9. In Labor Inclusion of People with Disabilities, the jury decided to declare this category Void, as the candidates submitted did not meet the quality and commitment required by the call.

For each category, a single prize has been awarded, which consisted of a commemorative diploma and a physical award, created by a disabled designer.

The awards ceremony ended with a flamenco performance from Extremadura by the disabled singer, Tomás Lara.”

Click here to view photos.

Photos courtesy of the Spanish royal court

Headlines

(VIDEO) HRH The Prince of Wales Visits the BIGKID Foundation in Brixton.

On Wednesday, May 4, 2022, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales visited Dexters Adventure Playground in Brixton where he met with young people who are supported by the BIGKID Foundation.

Established in 2000 by Shaninga Marasha, the BIGKID Foundation offers a mentorship program and support for at-risk young people. The goal of this amazing award-winning foundation is to, “…to end social exclusion and youth violence.”

During today’s visit, The Prince of Wales met with staff, volunteers, and young people involved in the BIG KID Foundation.

If you’re interested in learning more about the fantastic BIGKID Foundation please visit their official website here.

Headlines

HRH The Duchess of Cornwall Attends a Pre-Jubilee, Big Lunch, in Ashton-under-Lyne.

Later in the afternoon, The Duchess of Cornwall, as Patron of both the Big Lunch and Emmaus UK, attended a pre-Jubilee Big Lunch with supporters, volunteers, organizers, and Platinum Champion nominees in Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester, England.

Photos courtesy of Clarence House

Headlines

HRH The Duchess of Cornwall Visits the Powerful Photo Exhibition, I AM, in Manchester.

On Tuesday, May 3, 2022, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall visited the powerful photo exhibition entitled, I AM, held in front of the Manchester Public Library in Manchester, England.

According to a press release, I AM, is a:

“…new collection of portraits by award-winning photographer Allie Crewe, commissioned by SICK! Festival and developed in partnership with domestic abuse charity, SafeLives. Her bold and powerful images bear witness to the lives and experiences of survivors of domestic violence from Manchester and across the UK.

SICK! Festival will present 12 images as a public exhibition in St Peter’S Square and across Greater Manchester’s Metrolink network. Taking the project into the heart of the city, they aim to challenge the narratives around domestic abuse and the perceptions of those affected.

When a person leaves a violent or controlling relationship they have often lost their core identity. I Am is an opportunity for transformation, for new identities to emerge and for new journeys to begin.“

If you’re interested in learning more about the I AM photo exhibition and the SICK! Festival please click here.

Photos courtesy of the SICK! Festival/Twitter/Clarence House

Headlines

(VIDEO) TMs King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium Begin Their State Visit to Greece.

On the morning of Monday, May 8, 2022, Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium began their three-day state visit to Greece at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Greece, Her Excellency Katerina Sakellaropoulou. The purpose of the visit is to strengthen bilateral relations and investments, especially in the field of energy and renewable sources.

Upon their arrival at Athens International Airport, Their Majesties were warmly welcomed by a representative of the government of the Hellenic Republic. After the traditional inspection of the Guard of Honor, Their Majesties were welcomed by various Greek officials as well as members from the Belgian Embassy in Athens.

Soon, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde arrived at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier whereupon they placed a wreath and held a moment of silence.

In the afternoon, Their Majesties arrived at the Presidential Palace in Athens where they were warmly greeted by the President of the Hellenic Republic of Greece, Her Excellency Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and her partner, Mr. Pavols Kotsonis. After the national anthems were played, another inspection of the Guard of Honor, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were ushered into the Presidential Palace where they participated in the tradition of exchanging gifts.

Their Majesties also met with the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic of Greece, His Excellency Kyriakos Mitsotakis this afternoon. Discussions focused on regional and international developments along with immigration.

In the evening, there was a gala dinner hosted by President Sakellaropoulou in honor of Their Majesties visit to Greece.

Headlines

TRHs Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway Begin their Three-Day Official Visit to Sweden.

On Monday, May 2, 2022, Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway began their three-day official visit to Sweden. The purpose of the visit is to strengthen ties between the two Nordic countries as well as to focus on “…cooperation around green, knowledge-based solutions…” according to the Norwegian royal court.

The day began with the crown princely couples of Norway and Sweden participating in the seminar, Norway and Sweden: Stronger Together than Separately, held at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. According to the Norwegian royal court, representatives from various Norwegian and Swedish businesses came together to exchange knowledge and make contacts. During the seminar, Crown Prince Haakon gave a speech stating:

“I would argue that Sweden and Norway are the world’s best neighbors. It is not just because we have the longest common national border in Europe. Nor is it just because our countries’ stories, even our families, are so closely intertwined. And it is not just because our economies are closely integrated and ownership interests flow seamlessly between our countries.

I think it’s first and foremost about us understanding each other. We share a strong community of values ​​and interests. We cooperate easily, and in general we agree on what a good society is.

In an international context, the Nordic countries are small markets separately, but overall the Nordic region is the world’s 12th largest economy. If we co-operate here in the Nordic region, we have an opportunity to take global leadership in developing world-leading knowledge environments and business. Our common future is knowledge-based, and we get the best knowledge and research through collaboration.

Sweden is in 2nd place out of 132 countries on the Global Innovation Index.

It is simply impressive. We have great respect for Sweden’s role as a world leader in innovation. Now you are probably wondering where Norway is in that index. We are not in first place, we are in 20th place.” 

Thereafter, the crown princely couple visited the Kulturhuset in Stockholm where they met with young people and children to talk about books. Kulturhuset also arranged an industry meeting in collaboration with NORLA: Norwegian Literature Abroad. The goal is to present more Norwegian authors to the Swedish market and at the same time bring more Swedish publications to Norway.  The crown princely couples also met with the publishers and listened to a panel discussion held on the theme, The Brave Youth Literature.

In the afternoon, Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden hosted a luncheon at Stockholm Slottet in honor of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s official visit to Sweden. In attendance at the luncheon were Their Royal Highnesses Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden and Their Royal Highnesses Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden.

Click here to watch videos as well as to view photos.

Click here to view photos.

Photos courtesy of the Norwegian royal court