Tag: Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip dies at age 99

  by Joe JACKSON / Callum PATON Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s Prince Philip, a constant presence at Queen Elizabeth II’s side for decades, died Friday at age 99, Buckingham Palace announced. The death of the Duke of Edinburgh is a profound loss for the 94-year-old monarch, who once described him as her “strength and stay all these years”. The outspoken former navy commander devoted much of his life as the […]

UK plans mass singalong for locked-down VE Day

  LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britons will be urged to join a national singalong from their doorsteps and hold 1940s-style tea parties to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day or Victory in Europe Day, under a coronavirus-appropriate programme unveiled Wednesday. Queen Elizabeth II will make a televised address to the nation on May 8 to mark the day the Nazis surrendered, bringing an end to World War II in Europe. It will be followed […]

Trump says Queen thinks Brexit is ‘very complex problem’: report

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — US President Donald Trump has seemingly breached royal protocol by discussing his private conversation with Queen Elizabeth II who he says thinks Brexit is a “very complex problem”, according to an interview with British media. The convention-shredding president, who had already attracted ire ahead of his four-day visit to Britain by rebuking Prime Minister Theresa May as she struggles over Brexit, met the Queen on Friday at Windsor Castle. He […]

New Zealand spy papers reveal 1981 bid to kill Queen

by Neil Sands Agence France Presse WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — A mentally disturbed teenager tried to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II during a 1981 visit to New Zealand and police covered up the botched attempt, according to official documents released Thursday. Christopher Lewis fired a single shot towards the Queen’s car as she toured the South Island city of Dunedin, the documents from New Zealand’s Security Intelligence Service (SIS) spy agency revealed. No one was […]

Gerry Adams: pariah turned peacemaker

by Julien LAGACHE Agence France-Presse DUBLIN, Ireland (AFP) – Gerry Adams went from being the political voice of the Irish Republican Army, reviled by the British government and Northern Ireland’s Protestants, to playing the peacemaker in bringing the province’s Troubles to an end. As he hands over the reins of power of Sinn Fein to Mary Lou McDonald, Adams has more recently become an anti-austerity figurehead and an opponent of Brexit while cultivating an avuncular image […]

Trump apologises for retweeting far-right British group

by James PHEBY Agence France-Press LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – US President Donald Trump made a rare apology on Friday over his decision to re-tweet anti-Muslim videos posted by a British far-right group, a move which strained tensions with London. “If you’re telling me they’re horrible racist people, I would certainly apologize if you’d like me to do that,” he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain, referring to the group Britain First. Trump sparked outrage in Britain […]

British crown jewels buried in biscuit tin during WWII

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Precious stones from Britain’s crown jewels were hidden in a biscuit tin and buried at Windsor Castle during World War II, a BBC documentary to be shown on Sunday reveals. Gems, including the Black Prince’s Ruby from the Imperial State Crown, were buried under a secret exit from the mediaeval castle used in times of emergency. The operation, intended to ensure the priceless gems did not fall into Nazi hands, […]

Elizabeth II, Prince Philip mark 70th wedding anniversary

by Joe Jackson Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip celebrate 70 years of marriage on Monday, becoming Britain’s first reigning couple to mark a platinum wedding anniversary. The decades-spanning marriage of the Queen — the nation’s longest serving sovereign — has outlasted those of all prior British monarchs. The royal couple will not hold any public events but have invited family and friends to Windsor Castle for […]

Photos of Britain’s Prince George, 4, starting first day of school

LONDON, England (Reuters) — Britain’s Prince George, third-in-line to the throne, attended his first day of school at Thomas’ Battersea in London on Thursday (September 7). He was accompanied by his father Prince William but his mother Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, missed the occasion as she was not feeling well enough. Four-year-old George, the son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, is the great grandson of Queen Elizabeth II. Kate and William married […]

Britain welcomes Spanish royals but Gibraltar differences evident

by Alfons Luna Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II sought to sweep differences with Spain aside on Wednesday as she hosted a banquet for the country’s King Felipe VI, just hours after he called for a deal on the status of Gibraltar. “With such a remarkable shared history, it is inevitable that there are matters on which we have not always seen eye to eye. “But the strength of our […]

May presents bills in Queen Elizabeth’s speech to take Britain out of EU

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday presented eight draft laws to take Britain out of the European Union in a legislative program read out in parliament by Queen Elizabeth II. The laws include the “Great Repeal Bill” to overhaul existing EU legislation and separate bills on customs, trade, immigration, fisheries and agriculture. The queen said the “Great Repeal Bill” would repeal the European Communities Act, the 1972 legislation that enshrined […]

Delayed UK state opening of parliament set for June 21: official

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Queen Elizabeth II will formally open parliament and announce the British government’s legislative program on June 21, two days later than planned after Prime Minister Theresa May’s election setback, an official said Thursday. The announcement by the leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, made no mention of whether May had agreed to a deal to maintain her minority government, after losing her parliamentary majority last week. © Agence […]