British Royal Family Current Events 1: November 2002-November 2005


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Palace: British Royals 'A Good Value'
Wed Jun 22, 3:28 PM ET



LONDON - British taxpayers paid the equivalent of $1.12 each last year to support Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family, a "good value" as far as monarchies go, Buckingham Palace said Wednesday.

The palace, which has been under political pressure to control costs in recent years, said in its annual summary that the senior royals' expenses totaled the equivalent of $67.1 million in the fiscal year ending March 31.




That is down 0.3 percent from the previous year. Considering inflation, spending was down 2.3 percent, the palace said.

"We believe this represents a value-for-money monarchy. We're not looking to provide the cheapest monarchy. We're looking at one of good value and good quality," said Alan Reid, keeper of the privy purse, the official responsible for royal finances.

Significant savings had been made on insurance and through a property tax rebate on Buckingham Palace, Reid said. The royals were refunded the equivalent of more than $1.83 million from a local council for taxes paid on the central London property after successfully winning an appeal against a large tax increase in 2000.

The royal family spent more money in the past year on employing staff, hosting receptions for visiting heads of state, ceremonial occasions and overseas tours.

The queen visited France and Germany and hosted visits from the presidents of Poland, France and South Korea.

Buckingham Palace spent $4 million throughout the year on catering and hospitality, $914,600 of which went to hosting six garden parties attended by about 39,000 people.

Royal travel expenses amounted to $9.15 million compared to $7.05 million in the 2003-2004 financial year.

Prince Charles' chartered plane trip to Sri Lanka, Australia and Fiji in February cost nearly $548,760, while $1.3 million was spent on the royal train, on which the queen and her family took 19 journeys.

Ian Davidson, a governing Labour Party lawmaker from Scotland, said spending on the royal train, made up of nine coaches including sleeping and office quarters, was a "gross extravagance."

"It costs far, far more to travel by royal train than by any other method. There is no justification as far as I can see for the extravagance of the royal train," Davidson told British Broadcasting Corp. radio.

The Sunday Times Rich List of 2004 estimated the Queen's worth at $457 million. The estimate only covers the queen's residences at Balmoral and Sandringham which are actually held in her name, her stamp collection, private jewelry collection and a portfolio of private investments. It does not include castles, palaces, art collections or the crown jewels which are held by her in trust to be passed on to successors.

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On the Net:

British monarchy: http://www.royal.gov.uk



AP Photo: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, at the Royal Ascot race meeting held at York racecourse, York,...
 
House of Windsor, the Wal-Mart of Royal Families javascript:void window.open('http:/...=640,height=480,directories=no,location=no'); Friday, 24 June 2005
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So now we know. The British royal family may be anachronistic, starchy and, in its pleasantly decorative way, somewhat surplus to requirement, but at least it is cheap.

According to the latest figures out of Buckingham Palace, the queen and her courtiers cost British taxpayers little more than the price of a medium-budget Hollywood movie in the last fiscal year: 36.7 million pounds to be precise, or about $67 million.

In terms of cost per subject, the House of Windsor represents a setback of 61 pence — not much more than a buck — per man, woman and child of the realm.

Amortized over the commonwealth, the whole shebang works out cheaper still. Imagine: For the price of the occasional grande decaf latte at Starbucks, you could build global dynasties if only you knew how to be parsimonious enough.

Alan Reid, the Keeper of the Privy Purse (aka the royal bean-counter in chief), refers with satisfaction to what he calls the "value-for-money monarchy" — a curious phrase, to be sure, coming from an institution whose reason for being is to dazzle its subjects with the allure of ermine, gold and 10 centuries' worth of fine jewelry.

Value for money was not exactly what Henry VIII had in mind when he took his entire court on a lavish three-week field trip across the Channel in 1520 and vied with the king of France for the most nauseatingly ostentatious display of wealth and finery. The so-called Field of the Cloth of Gold featured gilded fountains spouting claret and spiced wine, tents made of silk and woven with pearls, masked balls, banquets and jousting tournaments. And for what? The diplomatic value of the trip is deemed by most modern historians to have been virtually zero.

Value for money wasn't one of George IV's hallmarks either. When he wasn't gambling or drinking away the exchequer, the playboy son of mad King George III was enacting budget-busting schemes to rebuild central London. At his coronation in 1820, George's costume was so extravagant and heavy that he almost passed out and had to be revived with smelling salts. One of his critics remarked with disgust that he looked "more like an elephant than a man."

If times have changed, it is because the monarchy is locked in a struggle to justify its existence. Feudalism, after all, hasn't been popular for several centuries, and looting and pillaging on behalf of the crown — one of Henry VIII's favorite pastimes — are deemed inconsistent with modern standards of leadership. In the 21st century, royals must behave or risk extinction.

Since the collapse of the British empire, the Windsors have wrestled mightily to live up to a paradoxical expectation: to remain aristocratic and special while somehow adhering, not always successfully, to ordinary middle-class notions of decency and restraint.

The eminent historian David Cannadine has called this (referring to one of the queen's numerous castles and palaces) the "Balmorality play" of the House of Windsor, a somewhat joyless exercise in pomp and straitened circumstance.

Here, though, is a dirty little secret about the British royals: They have been stingy for far longer than you might think. George IV, the last of the great spenders, suffered endless battles with Parliament because of his profligacy, leading to the emasculation of his plans for Regent's Street and Trafalgar Square.

William IV described his own coronation as "a pointless piece of flummery" and spent so little on it that it became known as the "Half-Crownation."

When Elizabeth II acceded to the throne about 50 years ago, she didn't want to pay for brand-new gilded coaches at her coronation, so she rented them from a film company.

But don't worry: The Windsors are still capable of the occasional splurge. Prince Charles spent more than $100,000 to charter a plane for Ronald Reagan's funeral last summer. The queen once packed 147 bags for a four-day trip to Paris.

As Reid, the privy purse keeper, put it: "We're not looking to provide the cheapest monarchy. We're looking at one of good value and good quality."

Elizabeth and Charles, Prince Philip and Camilla — now there's quality you can take to the bank.

By Andrew Gumbel, Andrew Gumbel is the Los Angeles correspondent for the Independent of London.
June 24, 2005
 
all royal family, obvious is not real
 

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Any pictures of the Duchess of Gloucester and the Michaels of Kent at the Fleet Review at Spithead on 28/6/05? I have seen pictures of the other Royals who attended but not any of these members of the family.
 
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nice photo! in here he looks soo much like the Duke Of Edinburg, his grandfather.
 
He is so cute with that dog, I love Beatrice's outfits. He seemed really excited about the game too...he must miss me.
 
This is the upcoming Royal Engagements of Members of the Royal Family in the next few months:
Saturday, 3rd September 2005
The Earl and Countess of Wessex will hold a Reception and Concert to Celebrate the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar at Bagshot Park, Bagshot, Surrey.

The Duchess of Gloucester President, The Royal Academy of Music, will attend a performance by the joint Orchestras of The Royal Academy of Music and The Juilliard School, New York, at a Promenade Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London SW7.

Monday, 5th September 2005
The Princess Royal will attend The International Towing Tank Conference Luncheon at the Roxburghe Hotel, Edinburgh.

The Princess Royal will give the Angus Millar Lecture at Royal College of Physicians, 9 Queen Street, Edinburgh.

Tuesday, 6th September 2005
The Princess Royal Patron, Central Scotland Forest Trust, will visit Little Boghead Nature Park, Slyvan Way, Bathgate, West Lothian and open the 10th Anniversary Forum at Hilcroft Hotel, East Main Street, Whitburn, West Lothian.

The Princess Royal will open The Miller Group's new Headquarters at Miller House, 2 Lochside View, Edinburgh Park, Edinburgh.

Wednesday, 7th September 2005
The Earl and Countess of Wessex will attend a Reception at the Burrastow House Hotel, Walls, Shetland.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex will visit the Knitwear Designer, Joanna Hunter's shop 'Ninian' in Lerwick, Shetland.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex will visit Lerwick Town Hall and meet Members of the Shetland Islands Council, Lerwick, Shetland.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex will visit Sullom Voe Oil Terminal at Calback Ness, Shetland

The Princess Royal Patron, United Kingdom Sailing Academy, will attend the Re-dedication of Gipsy Moth IV at Greenwich, London.

Thursday, 8th September 2005
The Earl of Wessex , Patron, will attend the Gala Opening of His Majesty's Theatre, Hilton Place, Aberdeen.

The Earl of Wessex Trustee, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, and The Countess of Wessex will visit the Anderson High School in Lerwick, Shetland.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex will visit North Atlantic Fisheries College, Port Arthur, Scalloway, Shetland.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex will launch the new Citizens Advice Bureau, Market House, Market Street, Lerwick, Shetland.

The Princess Royal will open the John Fieldhouse Building, The Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Haslar Jetty Road, Gosport, Hampshire.

The Princess Royal President of the Patrons, Crime Concern, will visit the 3D Project, 1A Bevois Hill, Southampton, Hampshire.

The Princess Royal Patron, Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, will launch the Paediatric Centre Appeal at Queen Victoria Hospital, Holtye Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex.

The Duchess of Gloucester Patron, will attend a Garden Party at Papworth NHS Hospital, Papworth Everard, Cambridgeshire.

Friday, 9th September 2005
The Princess Royal will open Withington Community Hospital and NHS Treatment Centre, Nell Road, Withington, Manchester.

Sunday, 11th September 2005
The Duke of Gloucester will attend the Armed Man Gala Concert for Hope and Homes for Children at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow.

Monday, 12th September 2005
The Duke of York Patron, York Central, will give a Dinner at Buckingham Palace.

The Duke of York Chairman of the Trustees, Outward Bound Trust, will hold a Trustees' meeting at Buckingham Palace.

The Princess Royal President, Save the Children, will attend the Business Traveller Awards 2005 at The London Hilton, 22 Park Lane, London W1.

The Princess Royal Patron, The Firefighters Memorial Charitable Trust, will visit the Blitz Exhibition at Guildhall, Gresham Street, London EC2.

Tuesday, 13th September 2005
The Earl of Wessex will open the newly restored Queen's Park in Chesterfield.

The Earl of Wessex will present The Queen's Award for Enterprise at Toyota Limited, Burnaston, Derbyshire.

The Earl of Wessex will open the new extension at Ashgate Hospice, (specialist palliative care) in Chesterfield, Derbyshire.

The Princess Royal President, The Princess Royal's Trust for Carers, will attend a Lancashire Carers Conference at the Woodlands Centre, Southport Road, Chorley, Lancashire.

The Princess Royal Patron, Townswomen's Guilds, will attend a Townswomen's Guilds Environmental Conference at Royal Agricultural College, Stroud Road, Cirencester, Gloucester.

Wednesday, 14th September 2005
The Queen accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, will open the World Headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Gogarburn, Edinburgh.

The Duke of York will visit Cambridge.

The Earl of Wessex will open the St Annes Performing Arts Centre, Rotherham.

The Earl of Wessex will visit Clifton Park Museum, Rotherham.

The Earl of Wessex will carry out engagements in Barnsley & Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

The Earl of Wessex Trustee, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award will attend the Awards, Secretaries and Regional Offices Conference at Aston Hall Hotel, Rotherham.

The Earl of Wessex will visit Greenacres School, Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

The Princess Royal will attend a Windsor Leadership Trust 10th Anniversary Dinner at the Banqueting House, Whitehall Palace, Whitehall, London SW1.

The Princess Royal Patron, The Butler Trust, will visit Her Majesty's Prison and Yong Offenders Institute Hull, Hedon Road, Hull.

The Princess Royal will open projects at Preston Road Neighbourhood Development Company, Preston Road, Hull.

The Princess Royal President, National Association of Victim Support Schemes will attend the 25th Annniversary of the opening of Victim Support in East Yorkshire at Country Park Inn, Cliff Road, Hessle, East Yorkshire.

The Duke of Gloucester will carry out engagements in Norfolk.

The Duchess of Gloucester will carry out engagements in Suffolk.

Thursday, 15th September 2005
The Duke of York will visit Wiltshire.

The Princess Royal will attend The Victoria Cross and George Cross Association 24th Reunion Dinner in the State Apartments of The Royal Hospital Chelsea, Royal Hospital Road, London SW3.

The Princess Royal President, Royal Yachting Association, will attend the International J24 World Championship at Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth, Dorset.

Friday, 16th September 2005
The Princess Royal Honorary Air Commodore, University of London Air Squadron, will attend the 70th Anniversary Church Service at St. Clement Danes Church, Strand, London WC2.
The Princess Royal Master, The Honourable Company of Master Mariners, will attend the Thames Nelson Flotilla Reception at HQS WELLINGTON, Temple Stairs, Victoria Embankment, London WC2.

Monday, 19th September 2005
The Earl and Countess of Wessex will attend the Explorers' Reception at the Travellers Club, 106 Pall Mall, London, SW1.

Tuesday, 20th September 2005
The Earl and Countess of Wessex will visit the Beacon Youth and Outdoor Activity Centre, Lee Abbey, North Devon.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex will visit the Devon in Touch Roadshow.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex Trustee, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award and The Countess of Wessex, will visit the Devon and Somerset Air Cadets, 326 (Hartland) Squadron, Hartland, Devon.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex will open the second phase of the Lakeside Development, South West Lakes Trust, Higher Coombepark, Lewdown, Okehampton, Devon.
Princess Alexandra Princess Alexandra will open the new Groves Medical Centre at Clarence Avenue, New Malden, Surrey.
Subsequently, Her Royal Highness will open the new Performing Arts Block and Sports Hall at Coombe Girls School at Clarence Avenue, New Malden

.
 
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Josefine were they there togather?
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Yes they were there together they sat together a bit then moved away with their own frendz. I dunno y but i dont see them beign very close.
 
Ducks endanger the Royal family (for once it's not a Sun journalist)

The article is in French and I can't find its English counterpart

Article in French

So basically Charles has bought seven ducks (meet Arabella, Antoine, Parsley, Sage, Rose, Mary and Thyme :D ) in a bid to get rid of snails and others nuisances in a eco way (always the Green Prince).
The problem is the ducks are very active and spend their days (and nights) running on the grass of Balmoral. Doing so, they active the uber sophisticated security system which can detect steps on the floor all the time.
So basically, it's a security nightmare.
But it's eco-friendly, for sure :p .
 
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Idriel said:
The article is in French and I can't find its English counterpart

Article in French

So basically Charles has bought seven ducks (meet Arabella, Antoine, Parsley, Sage, Rose, Mary and Thyme :D ) in a bid to get rid of snails and others nuisances in a eco way (always the Green Prince).
The problem is the ducks are very active and spend their days (and nights) running on the grass of Balmoral. Doing so, they active the uber sophisticated security system which can detect steps on the floor all the time.
So basically, it's a security nightmare.
But it's eco-friendly, for sure :p .
Click to expand...

I like their names. :rolleyes:
These alarms are very sensitive if they can be activated by ducks.
 
Translation of the Important Parts of the Previous French Article:

The security alarm systems installed by the Royal Family in Scotland are sounding off day and night due to seven ducks and their daily, vociferous migrations.

Their names are Arabella, Antoine, Parsley, Sage, Rose, Mary, and Thyme. Their boundless energy is making the British Security crazy by their movements sounding off the newly installed security alarms. The birds were bought by Prince Charles to eliminate snails and other nuisances on his Balmoral lands near Birkhall.

After several undesirable intrusions at Buckingham Palace and Windsor, the improved security system was installed at Balmoral with underground detectors as a part of it. These detectors, however, cannot recognize the difference between a duck's running footsteps and a human's. The sound of their collective footsteps set off the detectors very easily adds a source.

The ducks are extremely active in comparison to other ducks explains the Times. These ducks run instead of just walking. Their appetite for snails and other natural contaminents of the soil, make them an excellent ecological way to eliminate these contaminents, which is important to the heir to the British Throne who champions organic and ecological farming.
 
tiaraprin said:
Their names are Arabella, Antoine, Parsley, Sage, Rose, Mary, and Thyme. Their boundless energy is making the British Security crazy by their movements sounding off the newly installed security alarms.
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That is soooo CUTE :p
 
Well, maybe Charles can get an organic security system installed like German shepherds and Dobies and so on, assuming they could be trained to ignore running ducks.

Thanks for the translation, Tiaraprin.:)
 
Trial against the Royal Family

From L'intelligent Jeune Afrique
Original article in French

My own attemp of a translation (to give some rest to Tiaraprin :) )

An Ugandan King loses his trial against the Royal Family
OUGANDA - 24 august 2005 - PANAPRESS


The King of Bunyoro, Solomon Gafabusa Iguru, has lost his trial against the British Monarchy which he accused of having plundered Uganda's treasures and of committed atrocities during the colonial occupation.

He also accused the UK government of having given away two Ugandan counties (Buyaga and Bugangaizi) to the Kingdom of Buganda. The King asked for compensation for the bad treatment of his people and the steal of the country's natural resources by Britannic colons.
While classifying the file, the Ugandan judge, Richard Oscar Okumu-Wengi, from the High Court of Justice, said that the British Government refused to send a representan arguing that the trial was taking place in a foreign country.
 
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French Duchy restored!

Idriel said:
The King of Bunyoro, Solomon Gafabusa Iguru,...accused the UK government of having given away two Ugandan counties (Buyaga and Bugangaizi) to the Kingdom of Burgundy.
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Surely that should be the Duchy of Burgundy? Sounds positively medieval! A crown for the Comte de Paris, perhaps? Thanks for the translation Idriel - aren't the British to blame for everything? - but I'll go for Burundi.

:)
W
 
Warren said:
Surely that should be the Duchy of Burgundy? Sounds positively medieval! A crown for the Comte de Paris, perhaps? Thanks for the translation Idriel - aren't the British to blame for everything? - but I'll go for Burundi.

:)
W
Click to expand...
Lol Warren :) . I guess you're right, soory. I'm not sure about the English for Buganda, but they definitely talk about a Kingdom in the article.
 
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