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LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Some of Queen Elizabeth II’s royal residences will reopen to the public later this month after closing during the coronavirus shutdown, the Royal Collection Trust announced Wednesday. Windsor Castle, west of London, where the 94-year-old monarch has been staying since the start of the pandemic, will be open for pre-booked, timed visits from July 23. The Royal Mews and the Queen’s Gallery at her London home of Buckingham Palace will […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) –Japan’s Emperor Naruhito on Tuesday formally proclaimed his enthronement in front of royals and leaders from around the world, completing his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne. Dressed in a ceremonial outfit dominated by a draped outer robe in copper, Naruhito announced: “I hereby declare my enthronement at home and abroad.” The ceremony was conducted largely in silence, with only drums and gongs sounding. Some 2,000 guests, including foreign dignitaries and royalty, stood […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan plans to postpone a major imperial parade celebrating the new emperor’s ascension to the throne after nearly 80 people were killed in a devastating typhoon, local media said Thursday. The parade was scheduled for October 22 as part of a series of events marking the official proclamation of Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement. The religious rites and imperial banquet associated with the event are still expected to go ahead, national broadcaster NHK […]
by Robin MILLARD / Jerome CARTILLIER LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Donald Trump hailed Queen Elizabeth II as a “great, great woman” as the British monarch threw a lavish banquet for the US president on Monday to kick off his three-day state visit. The Trump dynasty sat down to a glittering dinner with the British royal family in the Buckingham Palace ballroom as the UK rolled out the red carpet. Both Trump and the 93-year-old […]
by Mathilde BELLENGER LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s Prince Harry and wife Meghan on Wednesday announced their new “dream” son’s name is Archie, hours after showing him off to the world for the first time. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pleased to announce they have named their first born child: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor,” the couple announced on their Instagram account, ending months of speculation. The informal choice defied the bookmakers’ predictions and […]
by Alastair HIMMER TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A Tokyo restaurant is honoring the crowning of the new Japanese emperor next month with a football-sized wagyu beef hamburger served between gold-dusted buns — at an eye-watering cost of $900. The juicy three-kilogram (six-pound) whopper, painstakingly prepared by chefs at the swanky Oak Door steakhouse in Tokyo’s Roppongi district went on sale Monday. It measures 25 centimeters (10 inches) in diameter and is topped with foie gras, […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan on Monday announced its new imperial era, which will begin next month after Emperor Akihito abdicates, will be known as “Reiwa”, a word that includes the character for “harmony”. The name consists of two characters: “Rei”, which can have meanings related to “order” but also “auspicious” and “Wa”, usually translated as “peace” or “harmony”. The government is expected to explain the official meaning as well as the English spelling for […]
by Hiroshi HIYAMA TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s outgoing Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko dramatically modernized the tradition-bound monarchy, bringing themselves closer to the public and boosting popular support for the household. Akihito has broken new ground with everything from his decision to marry for love to his outspoken calls for peace and expressions of regret over Japan’s wartime role. His approach has at times unsettled those who view the emperor as a divine priest […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s royal family on Monday warned trolls on its social media accounts that they will be banned under new guidelines issued following abuse of Kate and Meghan — the Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex. Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Kensington Palace said that they could involve the police if there was a breach of the law. Under the new guidelines, comments must not “be defamatory… obscene, offensive, threatening, abusive, hateful, […]
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan arrived Saturday night in Morocco for their last official trip abroad before the birth of their first child, which is due in spring. The royal couple, Harry in a light grey suit and Meghan in a red dress, were welcomed with a tray of dates, a traditional ritual of hospitality in Morocco, after they landed in Casablanca. “Medical provisions” have been made for the pregnant former American actress, who […]
Japan’s Emperor Akihito urged his country to be open to the outside world at a ceremony marking 30 years of his reign on Sunday, ahead of his abdication later this year. Akihito will abdicate from the Chrysanthemum Throne on April 30, making way for Crown Prince Naruhito to replace him the following day. “Our country has cultivated its own culture as an island nation,” he said at the ceremony in Tokyo. “As the world has […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia on Thursday installed a new king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, after the last monarch abdicated in a historic first following his reported marriage to a Russian ex-beauty queen. In a ceremony steeped in pomp and centuries of tradition, the sports-loving sultan, dressed in aqua blue formal wear, took the oath of office at the national palace in Kuala Lumpur. The ceremony was televised nationally and attended by Prime […]
