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...And the London police have responded to the viral video of a police officer talking to a protester at Parliament Square – with a statement that reads like it is reminding officers people have the right to peaceful protests.
If you haven’t read the UK Guardian’s editorial today, you may enjoy it
Continue reading...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...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...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...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...Industry bodies join medical association in criticising Albanese government over notice for national day of mourning after death of Queen Elizabeth
Australian retail and business groups have joined the medical association in raising concerns about disruptions caused by the public holiday to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II after her death on 8 September.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, made the announcement on Sunday that a “one-off public holiday” would be held on 22 September as a national day of mourning, after the Queen’s funeral on 19 September.
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Continue reading...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.
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Continue reading...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...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...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.
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Continue reading...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...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...Cortege passing through villages of Royal Deeside where many considered monarch a dear neighbour
The Queen has commenced her final journey from her beloved Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire and is heading down the north-east coast to Edinburgh.
The cortege carrying her coffin left Balmoral at about 10am and was making slow progress through the villages of Royal Deeside, allowing the thousands who lined the route to bid a final farewell to the country’s longest-serving monarch and the woman many locally considered a dear neighbour.
Continue reading...Anthony Albanese has set 22 September as National Memorial Service Day for Queen Elizabeth II. This blog is now closed
Howard says the popularity of the Queen was the key reason behind the republican movement failing, but that the monarchy offers stability.
I think there’s also a keener appreciation of the value of the institution and its strength. People look around the world at the moment and the alternative governance systems on offer, everyone in democracies, don’t look all that flash on occasions. I think the strength and durability and flexibility of the constitutional monarchy is something that more people appreciate than is imagined.
That is fair enough. It’s a democracy. People can argue for change. My observation is the strength of the monarchy in Australia was immeasurably increased by the personal popularity of the Queen.
Continue reading...Thursday 22 September to be a one-off national holiday and will coincide with a memorial ceremony in Canberra
Australians will get a one-off public holiday as a national day of mourning to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has announced.
Appearing on the ABC’s Insiders on Sunday morning, Albanese said Thursday 22 September, which coincides with a memorial service for the Queen, would be a national public holiday.
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Continue reading...New Zealand and Australia hold ceremonies to recognise new head of state and pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II
Australia and New Zealand have held proclamation ceremonies for the new head of state King Charles III, with New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern saying she expected her country’s relationship with the royal family to “deepen”, and Australia declaring a one-off public holiday as a national day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II.
New Zealand held its formal ceremony on parliament’s grounds, with the proceedings led by governer general Cindy Kiro and Ardern, beginning with the national anthem and a prayer in te reo Māori – the Indigenous language.
Continue reading...Governor general David Hurley says the passing of Queen Elizabeth II is the end of an era, and Australia is an ‘unfinished product’
Australia has proclaimed the ascension of King Charles III, with hundreds of people lining the forecourt and streets around Parliament House to watch the formal ceremony on Sunday.
The federal executive council, which performs functions similar to that of the privy council in the United Kingdom and is made up of the ministers of government and the governor general, met on Sunday in Government House, where the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, recommended the ascension to the governor general, David Hurley.
Continue reading...Prime minister Gaston Browne reiterates plan for referendum in wake of Queen’s death
The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, has said he will call for a referendum on the country becoming a republic within three years, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Browne signed a document confirming Charles III’s status as the new King, but minutes later, said he would push for a republic referendum after indicating such a move earlier this year during a visit by the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
Continue reading...Under little-known nationhood obligation, MPs supply patriotic objects including flags, national anthem recordings and portraits of the monarch
When Helen Browne woke to the news of the Queen’s death, she rang her federal MP.
Browne was hoping to secure one of the last complimentary portraits of Elizabeth II on offer in Australia, part of a little-known entitlement to citizens under a nationhood obligation.
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