The Indian Panorama

Tag: Queen Elizabeth

  • Queen to attend UK Jubilee celebrations, but snubs for Andrew and Harry

    Queen to attend UK Jubilee celebrations, but snubs for Andrew and Harry

    London (TIP): Queen Elizabeth plans to attend major celebrations to mark her 70 years on the British throne next month, Buckingham Palace said on May 7, but two out-of-favour royals, Princes Andrew and Harry, will be excluded from one traditional event. The 96-year-old, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, marked seven decades as queen in February, and four days of “Platinum Jubilee” events to recognise that landmark are being held at the start of June.

    Elizabeth has been struggling with mobility issues, meaning most of her recent public engagements have had to be cancelled, but Buckingham Palace said she did plan to be at a number of events.

    “Her majesty is looking forward to the weekend and will be taking part in the celebrations, but her presence will not be confirmed until much nearer to the time or even on the day itself,” a palace spokesperson said.

    The four days of events start on June 2 with the annual “Trooping the Colour” military parade in central London, followed by a thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral, a concert outside Buckingham Palace, and a pageant through the British capital on subsequent days.

    One feature of all major royal occasions is the gathering of the royal family to wave at crowds from the palace balcony. But, the queen has decided neither her son Prince Andrew nor grandson Prince Harry will be there this time.

    Andrew’s stock has plummeted after he settled a U.S. lawsuit in which he was accused of sexually abusing Virginia Giuffre when she was a teenager in February. He had already stepped down from public duties because of his connections to the late convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and has been stripped of military titles and royal patronages and is no longer known as “His Royal Highness”.

    Harry, younger son of heir Prince Charles, also gave up royal duties and lost his patronages after moving with his American wife Meghan to Los Angeles, from where they have delivered barbs and accusations of racism against the royal household. “After careful consideration, the Queen has decided this year’s traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance …will be limited to her majesty and those members of the royal family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the queen,” the palace spokesperson said. (Reuters)

  • Britain mourns Prince Philip; leaders honour service to Queen

    Britain mourns Prince Philip; leaders honour service to Queen

    London (TIP): Britain mourned the death of Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, on Friday as the BBC interrupted scheduled programming to broadcast the national anthem, “God Save the Queen.”

    The flag at Buckingham Palace, the queen’s residence in London, was lowered to half-staff after the announcement of Philip’s death. The Royal Family’s website featured a black-and-white portrait of the prince, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh.

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Philip “earned the affection of generations here in Britain, across the Commonwealth and around the world.”

    “Like the expert carriage driver that he was, he helped to steer the royal family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life.”

    Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour Party, was among the first to offer his condolences, noting Philip’s long  record of public service, first as a naval officer during World War II than during more than 70 years of marriage to the queen.

    “He will be remembered most of all for his extraordinary commitment and devotion to The Queen,” Starmer said in a statement.

    “For more than seven decades, he has been at her side. Their marriage has been a symbol of strength, stability and hope, even as the world around them changed — most recently during the pandemic. It was a partnership that inspired millions in Britain and beyond.” — AP

  • Prince Harry arrives back in UK for Prince Philip funeral

    Prince Harry arrives back in UK for Prince Philip funeral

    Winsdor, England (TIP): Prince Harry, whose explosive interview alongside his wife Meghan plunged the royal family into its biggest crisis in decades, has arrived back in Britain for Prince Philip’s funeral on Saturday. Philip, the husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth who had been at her side throughout her 69-year reign, died at Windsor Castle on Friday.

    Harry, Philip’s grandson, arrived in London on Sunday from Los Angeles on a British Airways flight, The Sun newspaper reported. Buckingham Palace said Meghan, who is pregnant, will not attend on the advice of her doctor. Harry, sixth in line to the throne, will quarantine in accordance with coronavirus guidelines so that he can attend the ceremonial funeral at Windsor Castle.

    Interviewed by Oprah Winfrey last month, Meghan said her pleas for help while she felt suicidal were ignored and that an unnamed member of the family had asked how dark their unborn child’s skin might be.

    Harry also bemoaned his family’s reaction to their decision to step back from official duties and move to Los Angeles. In response, Queen Elizabeth said the royals were saddened by the challenging experiences of her grandson and Meghan and promised to privately address revelations about a racist remark about their son.

    Philip, who died aged 99, is lying at rest in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle.

    On Saturday, the coffin, covered by Philip’s standard, a wreath, his naval cap and his sword, will be moved to the State Entrance of Windsor Castle by a bearer party from the Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. Prince Charles and other members of the royal family will take part in a procession on foot behind the coffin, which will be carried by a specially modified Land Rover that Philip helped to design. The queen, 94, will not walk in the procession.

    As the coffin reaches St George’s Chapel at Windsor, Britain will observe a minute of silence. There will be no public processions, and the funeral will be held entirely within the grounds of Windsor Castle and limited to 30 mourners in accordance with COVID-19 restrictions. A spring snowstorm on Monday struck Windsor Castle, where Queen Elizabeth pondered the loss of her husband of 73 years. Her son Prince Andrew said on Sunday the queen was stoical in the face of a loss that she had described as “having left a huge void in her life”. Andrew joined his siblings Charles, Anne and Edward in saying they had taken strength from a national outpouring of affection and would rally around their mother in her time of grief. Reuters

  • New Zealand businessman guilty of having child abuse images

    New Zealand businessman guilty of having child abuse images

    Wellington (TIP): One of New Zealand’s most well-known businessmen pleaded guilty on Thursday to possessing child sex abuse images, including some of children as young as 2. Ron Brierley’s pleas on three charges in an Australian court have sparked a rarely invoked procedure to strip him of the knighthood he received more than 30 years ago. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was initiating a forfeiture process for the honour, which requires approval from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. Brierley faces a maximum 10 years in prison when he is sentenced. He was caught with some images in his luggage at the Sydney International Airport in 2019 and authorities later found more at his Sydney home.

    One of his guilty pleas relates to photographs of girls as young as 2 in sexually suggestive poses. Another relates to a data storage device found at his home that allegedly contained more than 1,600 images of child abuse.

    Brierley’s lawyer has disputed the number of images in question, and the two sides have yet to file an agreed set of facts in the Sydney court. A police prosecutor dropped 14 other charges following Brierley’s guilty pleas.

    Now 83, Brierley in the 1970s and 80s executed a series of aggressive business maneuvers that grew Brierley Investments Ltd. into one of the nation’s largest corporations. His profile had faded somewhat following the 1987 stock market crash, but he continued to make business deals in New Zealand and in his new home of Australia.

    Business publication NBR lists Brierley as among New Zealand’s 100 wealthiest people, with an estimated fortune of 220 million New Zealand dollars ($153 million).

    He has donated an undisclosed amount of money to his former high school, Wellington College. The school said that following the guilty pleas, it has begun removing all signs with Brierley’s name on them, which includes a theater and sports field.

    The court has not yet set a sentencing date. Brierley’s bail conditions require him to live at his home in Sydney’s exclusive Point Piper. Upon sentencing, he will be added to the New South Wales state Child Protection Register for at least eight years.

    Brierley, who appeared frail at the court and walked with a cane, did not answer questions from reporters about his pleas and his lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.

    Denise Ritchie, a long-time campaigner against sexual violence directed at women and children, said she welcomed Ardern’s move to strip Brierley of his knighthood.

    “Young lives have been irreparably damaged as a result of this predator’s behavior,” Ritchie said. “This is an abhorrent trade in the rape and molestation of children that is fueled by male demand.” — AP