On May 4, 2022, Her Royal Highness Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg was a guest of Mr. Térence Jarosz’s (from RTL 5Minutes) podcast entitled, Vous avez comme un accent.
In the interview, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa tells the story of her life beginning in Cuba, then the United States, then Switzerland, and eventually in Luxembourg. She also talks about her family, her meeting with Grand Duke Henri, and other important moments in her life.
The Grand Duchess also discusses her work in the humanitarian field, specifically, her commitment to the organization, Stand Speak Rise Up. The aim of the organization is to fight against sexual violence in sensitive areas, in particular, rape as a weapon of war.
On May 7, 2022, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa participated in RTL Luxembourg’s 20th Edition of Télévie, a telethon fundraising event for Cancer and Leukemia research, in Mertzig, Luxembourg. According to the Cour Grand-Ducale, prior to “…acting as telephone operator alongside other volunteers to take pledge calls…” the lovely grand duchess met with hundreds of volunteers, patients, families, and staff.
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.“
On Wednesday, May 4, 2022, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge presented the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design to Mr. Saul Nash during the Design Awards held at the Design Museum in London.
The Queen Elizabeth II Award provides continued recognition of the cultural and trade role the British fashion and design industry plays.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
“The Duke of Cambridge tours the new London location of male suicide prevention therapy group James’ Place and speaks at length with one individual who credits the help they gave him with keeping him alive.
During his visit, the duke participated in a demonstration of the sort of intervention measures they use, breaking down where male mental health issues can stem from, before officially opening the facility.”
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.
The Royal Correspondent 