Category Archives: Monarchy

End of an era in Japan as emperor prepares to abdicate

Posted on by

Emperor Akihito will become first Japanese monarch to abdicate in more than 200 years

The imperial palace grounds in central Tokyo are bathed in spring sunshine. Joggers completing circuits of the moat artfully dodge groups of foreign tourists. Office workers tuck into lunches of onigiri rice balls and tea.

On the other side of the moat, hidden behind lines of trees, the palace is preparing for a historical transition. Early in the evening of 30 April, Emperor Akihito will enter the building’s state room and, in the presence of the grand chamberlain, the prime minister and other senior politicians, become the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in more than 200 years.

Continue reading...

Half of England is owned by less than 1% of the population

Posted on by

Research by author reveals corporations and aristocrats are the biggest landowners

Half of England is owned by less than 1% of its population, according to new data shared with the Guardian that seeks to penetrate the secrecy that has traditionally surrounded land ownership.

The findings, described as “astonishingly unequal”, suggest that about 25,000 landowners – typically members of the aristocracy and corporations – have control of half of the country.

Continue reading...

Meghan and Harry want to celebrate birth of baby in private

Posted on by

Duke and Duchess of Sussex rule out copying Kate and William with immediate photo call of newborn

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to keep the arrangements for their birth of their first child private, Buckingham Palace has said.

Harry and Meghan’s household said in a statement: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very grateful for the goodwill they have received from people throughout the United Kingdom and around the world as they prepare to welcome their baby.

Continue reading...

Neither the status quo nor military intervention will do in Venezuela | Letters

Posted on by
Kate Ferguson on the the crisis in the Latin American country, Michael Derham on its avocados, and Alan Knight on Prince Charles’s trip to Cuba

Julian Borger is right to draw attention to growing anxiety in Latin America as the Trump administration ramps up its rhetoric towards Venezuela, and to acknowledge the problematic trajectory of US-led armed intervention since Bush’s war on terror (Mexico raises concerns over US legal justifications for war, 3 April). Greater transparency in the formal legal justifications for military intervention is not just needed at the UN but here in the UK (which is why the public administration and constitutional affairs committee has rightly opened an inquiry into authorising the use of military force).

But with respect to Venezuela, what should be at the forefront of our minds is the human rights catastrophe facing Venezuelans. Their government has engaged in the systematic use of murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence since February 2014, to the extent that they are likely to constitute crimes against humanity.

Continue reading...

Queen shares digital milestone with royal Instagram followers

Posted on by

Monarch posted image of 1843 Charles Babbage letter to Prince Albert during Science Museum visit on Thursday

The Queen has proved she is in touch with the touch screen by sharing her first Instagram post in the latest personal technological milestone of her lengthy reign.

The 92-year-old monarch shared an archive image to the 4.6 million followers of @theRoyalFamily’s Instagram account during a visit to the Science Museum to formally open the new Smith Centre and summer exhibition, Top Secret.

Continue reading...

Prince Philip gives up driving licence three weeks after car crash

Posted on by

Buckingham Palace announces Duke of Edinburgh’s ‘voluntary decision’ following collision

The Duke of Edinburgh has voluntarily surrendered his driving licence just over three weeks after his car overturned following a collision with another vehicle near the Queen’s Sandringham estate.

Two days after the accident Prince Philip, who is 97, was seen behind the wheel of a new car and was given “suitable words of advice” by police when photographed not wearing a seatbelt while on a public road.

Continue reading...

Queen to be evacuated if Brexit turns ugly – reports

Posted on by

Cold war plans revived to move royals to safe locations away from London if unrest follows no deal

British officials have revived cold war emergency plans to relocate the royal family should there be riots in London if Britain suffers a disruptive departure from the European Union, two Sunday newspapers have reported.

“These emergency evacuation plans have been in existence since the cold war but have now been repurposed in the event of civil disorder following a no-deal Brexit,” the Sunday Times said, quoting an unnamed source from the government’s Cabinet Office, which handles sensitive administrative issues.

Continue reading...

Prince Philip apologises to woman injured in car crash

Posted on by

Duke of Edinburgh wishes Emma Fairweather ‘a speedy recovery’ and suggests low sun may have been to blame

A “very contrite” Duke of Edinburgh has personally apologised for his part in a car crash to a woman who was left with a broken wrist.

In a letter to Emma Fairweather, Prince Philip, 97, suggested glare from the winter sun may have been to blame for the incident as he pulled out from a side road on to the A149 near the Sandringham estate in Norfolk on 17 January.

Continue reading...

Prince Philip has not said sorry for car crash, injured woman claims

Posted on by

Emma Fairweather has reportedly said she is in a lot of pain after breaking her wrist in the collision but feels ignored

A woman who broke her wrist in a car crash with Prince Philip claims she has not received an apology from the royal family even though she could have been killed.

Emma Fairweather, 46, was a passenger in her unnamed friend’s Kia, along with her friend’s nine-month-old baby, when the collision with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Land Rover Freelander occurred as he pulled out on to the A149 near the Queen’s Norfolk estate on Thursday.

Continue reading...

Prince Philip undergoes hospital checks after car crash

Posted on by

Police investigating collision in which two women received minor injuries

The Duke of Edinburgh has undergone hospital checks on his doctor’s advice following his car accident in which two women received minor injuries and a baby escaped unhurt.

Buckingham Palace said Prince Philip, 97, went to the local hospital near the Sandringham estate in Norfolk on Friday, but was found to have no injuries of concern.

Continue reading...

Prince Philip involved in car accident near Sandringham estate

Posted on by

Duke of Edinburgh, 97, was not injured in collision on road near royal estate in Norfolk

The Duke of Edinburgh has escaped unhurt after the car he was driving was involved in an accident close to the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

Police were called to the scene of a collision involving 97-year-old Prince Philip on Thursday. Witnesses told the BBC that the Land Rover being driven by Philip had overturned after pulling out from a driveway on the A149. He was helped out of the car by eyewitnesses and was reportedly conscious but very shocked and shaken.

Continue reading...