Category Archives: Monarchy

Redundancies for King Charles’s staff during mourning period ‘heartless’, says union

Posted on by

Up to 100 employees of Clarence House received notification they could lose job following accession to throne

A civil service trade union has criticised the decision to give redundancy notices to King Charles’s staff during the period of mourning as “nothing short of heartless”.

The Guardian reported on Monday that up to 100 employees at the King’s former official residence, including some who have worked there for decades, received notification that they could lose their jobs following his accession to the throne.

Continue reading...

New Zealand MPs pay tribute to Queen mixed with sharp rebukes of colonial past

Posted on by

While all lawmakers offered condolences to the royal family, several also discussed the monarchy’s fraught and complex history

As New Zealand’s parliament gathered to pay tribute to the Queen, honours and admiration were mixed with sharp criticism of a monarchy built on “stolen land, stolen resources, and stolen treasure”.

On Tuesday, parliament held a special debate to allow politicians of all parties to acknowledge the monarch’s death. While all offered condolences to the royal family for their loss, a number of MPs also discussed the monarchy’s fraught and complex history.

Continue reading...

Trudeau declares federal holiday for Queen’s funeral – but most Canadians will have to work

Posted on by

Employees under provincial jurisdiction – the vast majority of Canadian workers – are not affected by the declaration

Justin Trudeau has declared a federal holiday for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, granting a handful of employees across Canada a day off.

But because most workers fall under provincial jurisdiction, much of the country was given little indication if they’re expected to show up to work Monday.

Continue reading...

Extra trains planned as people head to London to mourn Queen

Posted on by

South Western, Southeastern and Greater Anglia among operators expected to run more late services

Extra late-night trains will run from the capital from Wednesday to help people pay their respects to the Queen, as Transport for London predicted that the late monarch’s funeral would be a bigger logistical challenge for public transport than the 2012 Olympics.

TfL has set up a dedicated command centre and enlisted a large number of volunteers from its ranks as it anticipates handling more than 1 million people travelling to attend the lying in state of the Queen in Westminster Hall and her funeral.

Continue reading...

Queen Elizabeth’s coffin leaves Edinburgh airport accompanied by Princess Royal on journey to Buckingham Palace – live

Posted on by

Queen’s coffin expected to arrive at RAF Northolt at 6.45pm BST before being transported to Buckingham Palace

If you’re wondering why there’s such a fuss about the Queen’s death, our weekly science podcast published today might have some answers.

Our science editor, Ian Sample, has been talking to Prof Michael Cholbi, chair in philosophy at Edinburgh University, about what grief is, how losing a public figure can have such a profound impact on our lives,​​ and why there’s value in grieving.

Continue reading...

Anger as Center Parcs announces closure of UK resorts for Queen’s funeral

Posted on by

Guests in middle of holiday will have to spend night elsewhere or go home early

Center Parcs has been accused by customers of “ruining people’s holidays” after it announced that it would close its UK sites for 24 hours from Monday morning to mark the Queen’s funeral.

The criticism came after the holiday company announced that guests at its five UK parks would have to leave by 10am on Monday, even if they are in the middle of their stay, and will not be able to return until the same time on Tuesday morning.

Continue reading...

Hong Kong residents queue for hours to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth

Posted on by

British consulate in Hong Kong extends opening hours as thousands gather to remember ‘boss lady’

It was the hottest day on record for September, yet under a sweltering sun, thousands of Hongkongers flocked to the British consulate, waiting up to four hours in a long queue that stretched more than 500 metres into a public park to sign the book of condolence for Queen Elizabeth II. The next day, thousands turned up again, prompting the consulate to extend opening hours to 7pm for the whole week.

Many came to eulogise the ‘boss lady’ – an affectionate nickname for the Queen who was Hong Kong’s colonial head of state for 45 years – while also cherishing the opportunity to meet like-minded Hongkongers and share their memories of the city under British rule during the long wait.

Continue reading...

King Charles pledges to ‘seek welfare of all’ in Northern Ireland

Posted on by

New monarch meets politicians and public as he tries to build on late Queen’s efforts at reconciliation

King Charles has resolved to “seek the welfare of all the inhabitants of Northern Ireland”, in a formal response to the region’s assembly on his visit to Hillsborough Castle to meet the public and politicians.

After being greeted by crowds chanting “God save the King” at the gates of the royal residence in County Down, he made the pledge in response to a message of condolence from Alex Maskey, the nationalist Speaker of the Northern Ireland assembly and a former IRA internee.

Continue reading...

Saudi Arabia: man arrested after Mecca pilgrimage for Queen

Posted on by

Yemeni national posted video clip of himself at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam’s holiest site

Saudi authorities have arrested a man who claimed to have travelled to the Muslim holy city of Mecca to perform an umrah pilgrimage on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II.

The man, a Yemeni national, published a video clip of himself on social media on Monday at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam’s holiest site, where non-Muslims are forbidden.

Continue reading...

Thousands queuing overnight in Edinburgh to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II – latest updates

Posted on by

Queen’s coffin will travel from the Scottish capital to London on Tuesday

The Press Association reports:

The Australian prime minister has faced backlash from the business and health care sector following the announcement of a one-off bank holiday to mark a national day of mourning for the late Queen.

Continue reading...

With sorrow and song, Scotland bids emotional farewell to ‘our Queen’

Posted on by

Service of thanksgiving at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh pulses with history as nation pays its respects

The people of Scotland, from prime ministers to benefit claimants, have said an emotional goodbye to their Queen as her coffin was set at rest in the “parish church of Edinburgh” where she was first given the Scottish crown 69 years ago.

Psalms the Queen used to sing in Crathie Kirk on the Balmoral estate were set to soaring organ music as hundreds of dignitaries attended a service of thanksgiving for her life at St Giles’ Cathedral.

Continue reading...

‘A brutal legacy’: Queen’s death met with anger as well as grief in Kenya

Posted on by

Politicians pay warm tributes but memories of colonial atrocities prompt fierce criticism too

In 1952, the then Princess Elizabeth was on a royal tour with Prince Philip at Treetops lodge in Kenya. Unknown to them at the time, she would receive news of her father’s death during that visit, and the forest lodge would long be remembered as the place where Britain’s longest-serving monarch “went to sleep a princess and awoke a queen”.

Just two years after her visit, the Mau Mau, Kenyan freedom fighters opposed to British colonial rule, burned the lodge down. It was rebuilt in 1957, and older residents who live along the long and winding path to the lodge remembered her second visit to the area in 1983 fondly, saying it had placed their neighbourhood on the map. But Treetops was not open for the end of the Queen’s life. It closed its doors last year after a dive in tourism during the pandemic forced it out of business.

Continue reading...

Australia news live: review into Stuart Ayres over Barilaro hiring finds no breach of ministerial conduct

Posted on by

Ayres stepped aside as deputy NSW Liberal leader and trade minister after a separate report into the controversial trade posting of John Barilaro. Follow all the day’s news live

Australia’s high commissioner to the UK meets with King Charles

Australia’s acting high commissioner to the UK Lynette Wood has had an audience with King Charles III.

Really what matters is we have the best possible person for the job, who can advance Australia’s interests in the best possible way, and that certainly needs a thorough and robust process to choose that person.

Continue reading...

Albanese says ‘inappropriate’ to discuss republic now but doesn’t rule out future referendum

Posted on by

Prime minister says vote to recognise Indigenous Australians in the constitution comes before any referendum on republic

Anthony Albanese has not ruled out holding a referendum on the republic if he is re-elected, saying only that it was “inappropriate” to discuss while commemorating Queen Elizabeth II.

Albanese made the remarks on Monday in a round of interviews defending plans to hold a national day of mourning public holiday on 22 September.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Foreign dignitaries must share buses to travel to the Queen’s funeral

Posted on by

Government guidance sets out strict rules urging international royalty and presidents to travel by commercial flights

Foreign heads of state arriving for the Queen’s funeral must travel by bus en masse to Westminster Abbey, rather than using private cars, according to newly issued government guidance.

The documents, seen by the Guardian, set out strict rules for the dozens of international presidents, kings, queens and prime ministers expected to attend the funeral, urging them to travel by commercial flights to avoid swamping London’s airports.

Continue reading...

‘We had to be here’: crowds bid farewell to Queen on her final Scottish journey

Posted on by

As Queen Elizabeth II’s cortege drove from Balmoral to Edinburgh, well-wishers from near and far paid understated tribute

The hush had settled on the waiting crowd even before the Queen’s cortege appeared over the rise in the road from Balmoral. An oblivious toddler chattered into the silence on Ballater main street, where the country’s longest-serving monarch shopped for barbecue sausages at the local butcher.

It was a typically Highland farewell to a woman those lining the village streets considered a treasured neighbour: deeply felt, but understated in its expression. There was no applause, no spontaneous chorus of anthem or hymn as the coffin passed by sedately, and all eyes were pulled to the east to follow it beyond sight. Then, as though released from a trance, the bystanders turned to nod to friends and disperse promptly, leaving behind the metal crowd barriers, taking home the weight of their loss.

Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese says ‘now not the time’ to discuss republic

Posted on by

Australia’s prime minister prepares to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II in the UK this week after announcing national day of mourning

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says “now is not the time” to discuss Australia becoming a republic, saying it is time of national mourning.

Albanese, who has previously expressed support for Australia becoming a republic had said any referendum on the topic would take second seat to an Indigenous voice to parliament.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Queen’s coffin at rest in Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh as final journey begins – live

Posted on by

Public will be able to pay their respects to the Queen in St Giles Cathedral in the Scottish capital on Monday

Labour will go ahead with its autumn conference later this month, as officials, advisers and politicians from all parties attempt to balance paying their respects to the Queen with avoiding a period of political paralysis.

The Queen’s death and period of mourning has come at a moment of acute political tension, with concerns over the behaviour of Liz Truss’s new administration in Whitehall and significant gaps in the details of her energy price cap, set to cost well over £100bn.

Continue reading...

‘Entirely right’ for Charles to have lobbied ministers, says David Cameron

Posted on by

Former PM says he never felt Charles interfered, and ‘black spider memos’ should have stayed private

David Cameron has said it was “entirely right” for King Charles to have written to ministers and politicians when he was heir to the throne, lobbying on key issues including bovine tuberculosis and herbal medicines.

In an interview with the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, Cameron said he never felt Charles – whose “black spider memos” to ministers were released after a 10-year legal battle – had interfered in politics.

Continue reading...

Canaletto masterpiece has starring role at the proclamation of King Charles

Posted on by

The painter’s view of Venice, now in St James’s Palace, once hung in George III’s bedroom

The father of the artist Canaletto painted stage scenery, and the theatrical tricks with light and perspective that he passed on to his famous son were evident in the splendid backdrop to the meeting of the accession council on Saturday in St James’s Palace.

The oil painting that featured so prominently was painted in 1744 and bought by George III in 1762. The Grand Canal With Santa Maria della Salute Looking East Towards the Bacino shows the great church of Santa Maria della Salute towering over the water in the strong morning sun. Measuring more that 2 metres (7 feet) wide, it was signed by the artist – real name Giovanni Antonio Canal – on the moored barge at the front of the composition.

Continue reading...