Category Archives: Monarchy

Anti-coronation protest leader hits out at police over arrests

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Graham Smith said Met officers should hang their heads in shame after 52 detained in central London

Police who arrested anti-monarchy protesters before King Charles III’s coronation have “destroyed whatever trust might have existed between peaceful protesters and the Metropolitan police,” the chief executive of the campaign group Republic has said.

After six members of the group were arrested at about 7.30am on Saturday – before their protest had begun – and had their placards seized, Graham Smith said officers “should hang their heads in shame” and that police had shown “no judgment, no common sense and no basic decency”.

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French left attacks ‘nauseating’ coronation but right gives praise

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Jean-Luc Mélenchon also criticises French TV coverage while National Rally MP hails ‘magnificent’ ceremony

Almost 9 million people watched King Charles’s coronation live on TV in France, where the pomp and ceremony sickened the radical left while impressing the far right.

As the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who is close to Charles, attended the service at Westminster Abbey, congratulating the monarchy who he said were “friends to France”, the French media’s massive focus on the event – with souvenir front pages and lengthy TV specials across different channels – caused high emotions across the polarised political landscape.

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Liverpool fans boo during national anthem before match at Anfield

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Football club says how spectators choose to react to God Save the King is a ‘personal choice’

The British national anthem has been met with resounding boos at Anfield, with Liverpool fans drowning out the music with heckles before their fixture against Brentford hours after King Charles’s coronation.

Liverpool supporters could also be heard chanting “Liverpool, Liverpool” in what has become somewhat of a tradition whenever the national anthem is played at the ground.

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King Charles and Queen Camilla crowned at Westminster Abbey – as it happened

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Coronation comes after anti-monarchy protesters arrested in central London. This blog is now closed

My colleague Alexandra Topping is out and about with the crowds in central London early this morning:

Crazy scenes around the streets of the coronation route London this morning, which have been heaving since the very early hours as people hope to secure a good spot.

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Global heads gather in London for lavish coronation of Charles and Camilla

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Crowning of new king and queen will include UK’s biggest military spectacle in 70 years

Foreign royalty, heads of state and other dignitaries from around the globe have descended on London for the crowning of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, which will include a military spectacle unmatched in Britain in 70 years.

Seven thousand troops will be on parade with 19 military bands in a coronation procession stretching one mile from front to rear, the most at any state occasion since the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

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Coronation build-up live: King Charles and Camilla at Westminster Abbey for final rehearsal

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Dignitaries arriving in London ahead of tomorrow’s ceremony as people already gather to line procession route

A children’s biography of King Charles III has topped the UK book chart before the coronation on 6 May.

Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara’s King Charles is part of the Little People, Big Dreams series, which includes illustrated biographies of notable figures such as Stephen Hawking and Michelle Obama.

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King’s coronation weather likely to be a washout, says Met Office

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Rain forecast for UK over bank holiday weekend, including in London as Charles III is crowned

A coronation washout is forecast for many this weekend with rain and drizzle likely to provide a quintessentially British backdrop to the royal pomp and pageantry.

Saturday, the day of the formal ceremony, is forecast by the Met Office to be a cloudy and wet day for many, including in the capital around midday, just as King Charles III is being crowned.

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Belize likely to become republic, says PM, as he criticises Rishi Sunak

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Exclusive: Johnny Briceño attacks his UK counterpart’s refusal to apologise for atrocities of slavery

The prime minister of Belize, Johnny Briceño, has sharply criticised Rishi Sunak’s refusal to apologise for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade, and said it was “quite likely” Belize would be the next member of the Commonwealth realm to become a republic.

Speaking to the Guardian in the country’s capital, Belmopan, Briceño argued the British government had a moral responsibility to apologise for the atrocities of slavery and added to the calls throughout the English-speaking Caribbean for financial reparations from the UK.

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What coronation? Many Australians don’t know when it’s on and few seem inclined to recite the oath

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Guardian Australia encounters a mix of apathy, indignation and enthusiasm on the streets of Melbourne and Sydney

King Charles III is just days away from his coronation but you wouldn’t know it from the mood on Australia’s streets.

Many people Guardian Australia spoke to in the lead-up to Saturday’s coronation didn’t know it was coming up – and certainly had no intention of pledging allegiance to the king from their couch, as the public will be invited to do.

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First major bank passes on rate hike – as it happened

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This blog is now closed.

Asked whether he would swear allegiance, Albanese replied he “will do what is entirely appropriate as the representative of Australia” promising to “engage in that spirit” by swearing the oath – as he has done 10 times when sworn in to parliament and as a minister.

Albanese noted that Australians had voted at the 1999 referendum to remain a monarchy, but acknowledged that Australians have a “wide range of views” on whether to become a republic.

I think that Australia should have an Australian as our head of state, I don’t shy away from that. I haven’t changed my views.

But my priority is constitutional recognition – I can’t imagine going forward, for example, going forward as was suggested by some legitimately that we should be having another referendum on the republic before that occurs.

All Australians wish King Charles well regardless of the different views of people will have about our constitutional arrangements.

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Princess Anne: slimmed-down royal family ‘doesn’t sound like a good idea’

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King Charles’s sister responds to reports that monarch could reduce number of working royals and cut back staffing

Princess Anne, the 16th in line to the British throne, has said she does not think a slimmed-down monarchy is a “good idea”.

Speaking to the Canadian public broadcaster, CBC News, the princess royal was asking about reports that her brother King Charles intends to overhaul the institution, in a move frequently referred to as a “slimmed down” monarchy.

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Minister defends ‘offensive’ coronation-day oath to King Charles

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Mark Harper and Labour MP back ‘homage of the people’, but republicans say it ‘holds people in contempt’

A cabinet minister has said he “hopes people do” swear the proposed oath to the king on the day of his coronation, as republicans described it as “an offensive and tone-deaf gesture that holds the people in contempt”.

The transport secretary, Mark Harper, said he would be swearing the oath, to be known as a “homage of the people” and pointed out that MPs already “pledge allegiance to his majesty” on taking their seats.

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Public invited to swear their allegiance as king is crowned

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British subjects asked to form a ‘chorus of a million voices’ and make oath of loyalty while watching service

Members of the public watching the coronation on television, online and in parks and pubs will be invited to swear aloud their allegiance to the monarch in a “chorus of millions of voices” to be known as the Homage of the People.

People around the UK and abroad will be invited to say the words “I swear that I will pay true allegiance to your majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God”, in a declaration that replaces the traditional homage of peers.

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British public support for monarchy at historic low, poll reveals

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On eve of king’s coronation, survey shows only three in 10 Britons think monarchy is ‘very important’

Only three in 10 Britons think the monarchy is “very important”, the lowest proportion on record, a poll shows as the king’s coronation approaches.

A survey by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) shows public support for the monarchy has fallen to a historic low. A total of 45% of respondents said either it should be abolished, was not at all important or not very important.

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Ivory displayed at Prince William’s palace despite his criticism of trade

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Artwork exhibited at Kensington Palace among nearly 2,000 artefacts in royal collection

For more than a decade, Prince William has spoken out vehemently against the use of ivory, calling it “a symbol of destruction, not of luxury”. The royal patron of the anti-ivory charity Tusk has lobbied leaders in China, the US and countries across Africa.

He has even said that he wants to destroy all the ivory owned by the royals. In 2019, a spokesperson for William clarified that while destroying all the ivory in the royal collection was beyond the prince’s control, he had “ensured there is no ivory from the collection at Kensington Palace”, his place of residence.

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Prince Andrew held investments in shell company set up to keep holdings secret

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Prince was among at least five members of royal family who used Bank of England Nominees – set up in 1970s to prevent disclosure of queen’s investments

Prince Andrew held his shareholdings through a government-backed shell company that was created to conceal royal investments from public scrutiny.

The prince was among at least five members of the royal family who used the shell company Bank of England Nominees, which was set up in the 1970s to prevent the “embarrassing” public disclosure of Queen Elizabeth II’s investments.

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King Charles and Camilla choose coronation quiche as signature dish

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Recipe follows coronation chicken and platinum pudding as suggested centrepiece for parties and events

From coronation chicken to platinum pudding, royal occasions demand a signature dish and King Charles III’s coronation is no exception.

The “coronation quiche” has been personally chosen by the king and Camilla, the Queen Consort, in the hope it will be a centrepiece to many a coronation “Big Lunch” at street parties and community events on 6 May.

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Official jewellery gifts to royals worth £80m are not in national collection

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Palace refusing to explain why official state gifts worn by Princess of Wales and Camilla are not in the royal collection

Buckingham Palace is refusing to explain why 11 pieces of jewellery potentially worth £80m that were official gifts to the royal family are not held in a trove of national heritage.

The jewels, which have been worn by Queen Elizabeth II; Camilla, the Queen Consort, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, are not contained in the royal collection, the custodian of culturally significant items held in trust for the nation.

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King’s green energy firm was investigated after 38-day greenhouse gas leak

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Health and Safety Executive also issued several notices related to worker safety and explosive substances at JV Energen

A green energy company set up by King Charles was investigated for numerous health and safety breaches after the unauthorised leak of more than 1,000 tonnes of global-heating gases.

Methane, CO2 and traces of the toxic gas hydrogen sulphide were released after a gas-holder at the plant split open in 2020. The incident, which lasted for 38 days, was described as “significant” by the Environment Agency.

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Over 850 people with community and charity roles to attend king’s coronation

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Guests will include more than 450 British Empire Medal recipients, many of whom helped in Covid lockdowns

More than 850 community and charity representatives have been invited to the coronation of King Charles III, mingling with the royals, heads of state, politicians, peers and diplomats at Westminster Abbey.

Buckingham Palace has announced more than 450 recipients of the British Empire Medal (BEM) will attend in recognition of the contributions made by volunteers and community champions across the country.

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