Monarch reflects on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in first Christmas Day broadcast
I am standing here in this exquisite Chapel of St George at Windsor Castle, so close to where my beloved mother, the late Queen, is laid to rest with my dear father.
I am reminded of the deeply touching letters, cards and messages which so many of you have sent my wife and myself and I cannot thank you enough for the love and sympathy you have shown our whole family.
Continue reading...Monarch expected to pay tribute to late mother during festive address from St George’s chapel
King Charles has chosen to broadcast his first Christmas message from St George’s chapel at Windsor Castle, where the committal service of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, was held three months ago.
In a photograph released before the broadcast on Christmas Day, the king is seen standing in the quire for his inaugural festive address to the country and the rest of the Commonwealth.
Continue reading...Monarch’s portrait on £5, £10, £20 and £50 likely to enter circulation in 2024
Designs for bank notes featuring an image of King Charles III have been revealed by the Bank of England, with plans to enter circulation by mid-2024.
Announcing the design for the first time in the run-up to the coronation in May, the UK central bank said the king’s portrait would appear on existing designs of all four of its polymer bank notes currently in circulation – £5, £10, £20 and £50.
Continue reading...Duke and Duchess accuse press of creating false narrative that privacy was a key reason behind their step back from duties
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have hit back at attacks over their sharing of personal video clips and photographs in their Netflix documentary.
A spokeswoman for Harry and Meghan said the narrative that privacy was a key reason behind the couple stepping back from royal duties and quitting the UK was a false one.
Continue reading...‘It is a relic from the past’: strong opposition to oath from three political parties of French-speaking province
Quebec’s premier, François Legault, said that his government would introduce legislation next week to end elected officials’ required oath to Britain’s King Charles, as pressure mounts in the Canadian province to cut such ties with the monarchy.
Fresh legislation from the governing Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) follows a separate bill introduced on Thursday by the left-leaning Québec Solidaire party that would allow elected officials to just take an oath to the people of Quebec.
Continue reading...Artist’s choice of footwear for Order of Merit luncheon highlights shoe brand’s enduring popularity
It is a question that must have plagued those attending King Charles’s first luncheon for the Order of Merit on Thursday – what to wear while eating partridge pie with the new monarch.
For the 85-year-old artist David Hockney it was simple – his signature checked Savile Row suit, a knitted checkerboard tie … and a pair of yellow garden Crocs. As a fan of the great outdoors, the king was delighted. “Your yellow galoshes!” he remarked. “Beautifully chosen.”
Continue reading...Tory government eager to focus on trade rather than Cyril Ramaphosa’s refusal to put sanctions on Russia
The South African president has started a two-day state visit to the UK, the first since King Charles took the throne, with the Conservative government eager to focus on trade rather than challenge South Africa’s refusal to impose sanctions on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.
Cyril Ramaphosa’s trip has been much delayed due to Covid and only by chance became the first state visit of the king’s reign.
Continue reading...Michael Fawcett resigned after revelations he offered to help Saudi donor obtain knighthood and British citizenship
A former aide to the King received a £60,000 payoff when he stepped down from the Prince’s Foundation amid a cash-for-honours scandal, it has emerged.
Michael Fawcett received the money after revelations that he offered to help a Saudi donor obtain a knighthood and British citizenship.
Continue reading...Extra bank holiday will follow king’s coronation two days earlier on Saturday 6 May
The government has announced an additional bank holiday to mark the coronation of King Charles III next year.
Downing Street said the UK-wide holiday will fall on Monday 8 May after the coronation at Westminster Abbey two days earlier.
Continue reading...RBA governor Philip Lowe says ‘monarch has been on at least one banknote since 1923’ but decision won’t be made until talks with Labor are complete
He’s on the throne but should he be on the fiver?
The Reserve Bank of Australia has begun consultations with the federal government to answer one of the burning questions following the death of Queen Elizabeth II – should King Charles III take her place on the $5 note?
Continue reading...Outspoken comments about schools policy were made before he became king in one-off episode of BBC show
King Charles has criticised the lack of vocational education in schools during his appearance in a special edition of the BBC television show The Repair Shop.
In the one-off episode, to be broadcast by the BBC on Wednesday, he praises the value of technical skills and apprenticeships, and describes the lack of vocational education as a “great tragedy”.
Continue reading...Former PM angered by fictitious storyline in which Charles seeks his help in getting the Queen to abdicate
As Netflix prepares to release its fifth season of big budget royal drama The Crown it has rejected criticism of the latest season after former prime minster Sir John Major described it as a “barrel load of nonsense”.
Major’s comments were made after concerns arose that a storyline in the hit programme could damage King Charles’s reputation.
Continue reading...Unusual diplomatic intervention prompted by fears over Liz Truss’s commitment to net zero
The Egyptian government, host of the next UN climate summit, has warned the UK against “backtracking from the global climate agenda”, in a significant intervention prompted by fears over Liz Truss’s commitment to net zero.
The warning before the Cop27 conference, which will take place in just over a month in Sharm el-Sheikh, to the host of Cop26, which took place in Glasgow last November, is highly unusual in diplomatic terms. The hosts of successive Cops are responsible for a smooth handover of the talks.
Continue reading...Ceremonial splendour in London gave way to a quiet burial in Windsor as Britain said goodbye to its longest-reigning monarch
After the majestical funeral pomp and military spectacle, unsurpassed in the nation’s living memory and watched across the world, the final farewell to Queen Elizabeth II would belong only to her family.
Night had fallen as she was laid to rest next to the Duke of Edinburgh in the George VI Memorial Chapel, Windsor, in private and away from cameras.
Continue reading...Survey respondents split 50-50 but women, older voters and Coalition supporters more likely to back new monarch, poll suggests
Australians are divided over whether King Charles III should be the country’s head of state, with the latest Guardian Essential poll suggesting a 50-50 split between those who support the new UK monarch and those who do not.
The survey of 1,075 people, taken after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, gives little hope to the republican cause with fewer than half of the respondents (43%) supporting Australia becoming a republic – a figure that has barely moved over the past five years.
Continue reading...Patrick will use the federal court to demand the information commissioner explain the lawfulness of her office’s delays in reviewing freedom of information decisions. Follow the day’s news live
The NSW government and the transport union will be meeting this afternoon behind closed doors after the union announced yesterday they’ll be withdrawing their plans to shut down the Opal card system.
Last week the union announced their plans to shut down the Opal card system indefinitely as part of their ongoing dispute with the state government.
[W]e know that higher interest rates will tend to depress residential and commercial property prices but there is considerable uncertainty about the magnitude and even the timing.
Not only can declining property prices have implications for economic activity, but also for financial stability as we outlined in the April financial stability review.
Continue reading...The official website of the royal family said a private burial took place in the King George VI Memorial Chapel
Food confiscated from people waiting in the queue for the Queen’s lying in state is being donated to charity, reports PA Media:
People are not allowed to take food or drink inside the Palace of Westminster and any such items will be confiscated.
Charity the Felix Project said it expects to collect over 2 tonnes of food, mostly snacks including crisps, chocolate and biscuits, and is also accepting unwanted blankets.
With people waiting up to 24 hours to complete the five-mile walk from Southwark Park to Westminster Hall to pay their respects to the Queen, they are coming with plenty of food to keep them going.
When they get to Victoria Tower Gardens the food is confiscated before entry to the parliamentary estate is allowed and instead of being thrown away, all non-perishable and unopened packages are saved.
The Felix Project will distribute the items to the thousands of community groups it works with across the capital.
Charity chief executive Charlotte Hill said: “We are honoured to be here to play a small part in this hugely poignant event and to know that an extra layer of good is being done here.
It’s hard to say exactly how many additional people [will travel], but we’re preparing for potentially a million people just within the footprint of the royal palaces and Hyde Park …
Continue reading...King’s ‘accession tour’ of UK draws to a close as prime ministers and presidents gather to pay their respects
After 10 days receiving the condolences of the British people, King Charles III was embraced by world leaders before Monday’s funeral for the Queen, after which he will finally lay his mother to rest in a private ceremony in a Windsor chapel.
The King’s black Rolls-Royce swept on to the forecourt of Buckingham Palace on Sunday morning as prime ministers and presidents from the US to Rwanda gathered. He waved to cheering crowds which have followed him around Britain over the last week on his “accession tour”, before holding his second meeting with Liz Truss, the prime minister.
Continue reading...Decision taken to close entry to queue permanently after it reached capacity before Monday’s funeral
The New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has told the BBC that in her conversation with King Charles he expressed gratitude for the condolences of the people who had come out to take part in the week’s events. PA Media reports she said:
I’ll keep my comments here very, very general because we always try to keep in close confidence the conversations we are lucky enough to have with His Majesty.
But the overriding sentiment was just the gratitude for the great effort that people were putting into coming and paying their respects, and by that I mean not just leaders, but people.
What you’re going to expect is the best of funeral services, the prayer book service, the words which were an inspiration to Shakespeare.
You’re going to hear this wonderful English at its best, also you’re going to hear angelic voices of the choir of the abbey plus the Chapels Royal, you really hear voices that are singing to the glory of God.
Continue reading...Australian prime minister also held informal talks with UK prime minister Liz Truss
Anthony Albanese has described his one-on-one meeting with King Charles ahead of the funeral for Queen Elizabeth as a “great honour”.
“I extended my personal condolences to King Charles but also the condolences of the Australian people,” the prime minister said from London on Sunday morning Australian time.
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