Monarchy
New Zealand
The Journal of The Monarchist League of New Zealand Incorporated
ISSN 1174-8435
Volume 7 Issue 2 May 2002
The Monarchist League of
New Zealand, Inc.
Patron: Hon Sir Peter Tapsell, KNZM MBE MBChB FRCSEd FRCS
The Secretary, 1/39A Clonbern Road, Remuera,
Auckland 1005, New Zealand
Council:
Chairman: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD CertTertTchg HonCIL FCIL FFASL FBS
Vice-Chairman: Merv Tilsley, Esq.
Secretary: Chris Barradale, Esq.
Treasurer: Stephen Brewster, Esq., MBA BCA CA
Councillors:
Nicholas Albrecht, Esq., MA(Hons)
Roger Barnes, Esq., FHSNZ
John Cox, Esq., LLB MNZTA
Neville Johnson, Esq.
Ian Madden, Esq., MA LLB FSA(Scot)
Robert Mann, Esq., MSc PhD
Professor Peter Spiller, BA LLB PhD LLM MPhil PhD
League Officers:
Legal Adviser: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD CertTertTchg HonCIL FCIL FFASL FBS
Librarian and Archivist: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD CertTertTchg HonCIL FCIL FFASL FBS
Provincial Representative, Wellington: Mathew Norman, Esq.
Editor, Monarchy New Zealand: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD CertTertTchg HonCIL FCIL FFASL FBS
Assistant Editor and Advertising Manager, Monarchy New Zealand: John Cox, Esq., LLB MNZTA
Honorary Chaplain: Revd Canon Gerald Hadlow, LTh
Webmaster: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD CertTertTchg HonCIL FCIL FFASL FBS
Monarchy New Zealand is published by The Monarchist League of New Zealand Inc. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the policy of The Monarchist League of New Zealand. Correspondence should be addressed to the Editor, Monarchy New Zealand, 123 Stanley Road, Glenfield, Auckland 1310, New Zealand. Tel: +64 9 444-7687; Fax: +64 9 444-7397; E-mail: [email protected]
Editorial
This year has been trying for the royal family. First the death of Princess Margaret in February, then the Queen Mother passed away at the age of 101 years at the end of March. Whilst Her Majesty’s death was not unexpected, it was received with widespread mourning. At a time when we should be celebrating the 50 years of The Queen’s reign, one of the great supports of her life has been removed. But for the first time The Queen can be said to be truly the matriarch of the royal family. And as several commentators have said, the Queen Mother would want people to honour her memory by giving The Queen the best jubilee possible.
A refrain common to a number of commentaries which followed the death of Princess Margaret in February was that her death marked a further step in the passing of the "old guard" in the Royal Family. It is true that the princess, at 71, was older than most commentators. But the monarchy is hereditary and evolutionary. Princes and princesses, kings and queens, die, and in so doing pass on the mantle to their heirs. Such a thing is natural. What made Princess Margaret’s life different from that of her predecessors was that it was lived in the glare of the mass media. In this regard she was the first of the new order, not the last of the old.
The public and private lives of royalty are largely inseparable, but even royalty should enjoy the right to live their private lives out of the media spotlight. That right was denied the Princess. Indeed, as with later members of the Royal Family, the media found her private life more interesting than her public life. Thus she was categorised as a party lover. Little was said of the dedicated charitable work that occupied most of her time.
The early years of the Princess’ life were spent relatively free from media coverage. First as the younger daughter of the second son of the King, and later, in wartime, she was able to live a relatively private life. Today, members of the Royal Family are subject to relentless media intrusion, however junior they may be.
The role of Princess Margaret, like that of her ancestors, was to support the work of the Sovereign. This she did with devotion throughout her life. The increased expectations of members of the Royal Family, the age of Her Majesty, and the increasing ages of the Kent and Gloucester cousins, means that there is an greater role for the so-called "junior" members of the Royal Family. Like Princess Margaret before them, they will be subject to constant, often hostile, scrutiny.
We can be grateful that the media coverage of the passing of the Queen Mother was more sympathetic and respectful.
News in Brief
Death of the Queen Mother
The Queen Mother passed away on 30th March, at the age of 101 years. After lying in state in Westminster Hall, and a funeral service in Westminster Abbey, Her Majesty was interred in the George VI Memorial Chapel, St George’s Chapel, within Windsor Castle.
The highlights of Her Majesty’s life were given considerable media coverage. Her death, and the period of mourning and the funeral which followed, showed the degree to which the monarchy remains central to our consciousness.
Perhaps the media were taken by surprise by the extent of the grief shown, but ordinary people in the street were attached to the Queen Mother. Partly because of her own character, perhaps because of what she stood for, we could all appreciate the contributions made by the Queen Mother over almost a century.
The Chairman was in London at the time of the Queen Mother's death, and signed the condolences book in St James's Palace on behalf of the Monarchist League. Salutes were fired in honour of the Queen Mother in London and elsewhere. The Chairman witnessed The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery firing a 41-gun salute in Hyde Park. Salutes were also fired in Auckland and Wellington.
Her Majesty The Queen made a statement on the 8th April, in which she expressed her appreciation for the public response to The Queen Mother’s death:
Ever since my beloved mother died over a week ago I have been deeply moved by the outpouring of affection which has accompanied her death. My family and I always knew what she meant for the people of this country and the special place she occupied in the hearts of so many here, in the Commonwealth and in other parts of the world. But the extent of the tribute that huge numbers of you have paid my mother in the last few days has been overwhelming. I have drawn great comfort from so many individual acts of kindness and respect.
Over the years I have met many people who have had to cope with family loss, sometimes in the most tragic of circumstances. So I count myself fortunate that my mother was blessed with a long and happy life. She had an infectious zest for living, and this remained with her until the very end. I know too that her faith was always a great strength to her.
At the ceremony tomorrow I hope that sadness will blend with a wider sense of thanksgiving, not just for her life but for the times in which she lived - a century for this country and the Commonwealth not without its trials and sorrows, but also one of extraordinary progress, full of examples of courage and service as well as fun and laughter. This is what my mother would have understood, because it was the warmth and affection of people everywhere which inspired her resolve, dedication and enthusiasm for life.
I thank you for the support you are giving me and my family as we come to terms with her death and the void she has left in our midst. I thank you also from my heart for the love you gave her during her life and the honour you now give her in death.
May God bless you all.
Death of Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret, The Queen’s younger sister, died 9th February after a long illness. She had been plagued with ill health for many years.
HRH The Princess Margaret Rose was born at Glamis Castle, on the 21st August 1930, the second child of the Duke and Duchess of York (later HM King George VI and HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother). She was the first royal baby so close to the succession to be born in Scotland since Charles I in 1600.
Princess Margaret was educated at home with her sister, now HM The Queen, mainly by Miss Marion Crawford and other royal governesses.
Princess Margaret spent the war years living at Windsor Castle. She began to carry out public engagements when still very young. In 1947 she accompanied the King and Queen and the then Princess Elizabeth on a tour of South Africa. She afterwards represented The Queen on many important occasions around the world.
On 6th May 1960 Princess Margaret married Antony Armstrong-Jones, who was later created Earl of Snowdon. Lord Snowdon, who was born 7th March 1930, is the son of Major Ronald Armstrong-Jones, MBE QC DL, of Plas Dinas, Caernarvonshire, and of Anne (now Countess of Rosse), daughter of Lt-Col Leonard Messel, OBE. They were divorced on 24th May 1978, and Lord Snowdon has since remarried.
Princess Margaret’s children were the Honourable David Armstrong-Jones, known as Viscount Linley, born 3rd November 1961, and Lady Sarah Chatto (neé Armstrong-Jones), born 1st May 1964. Viscount Linley married 8th October 1993 at St Margaret’s, Westminster the Honourable Serena Stanhope, daughter of Hon Charles Stanhope, commonly called Viscount Petersham, eldest son and heir to the 11th Earl of Harrington, and Virginia Freeman-Jackson. David Linley is Chairman of David Linley Co Ltd, and David Linley Furniture Ltd.
Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones married 14th July 1994 at St Stephen Walbrook, City of London, Daniel Chatto, son of the late Thomas (Tom) Chatto, actor, and of Mrs Thomas Chatto (Rosalind), theatrical agent. They have one son, Samuel Chatto, born 28th July 1996.
Princess Margaret was known as Countess of Snowdon, a title which she retained until her death. She was made a Companion of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India (CI) in 1947, and Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in the 1953 Coronation Honours List.
She was also a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St John of Jerusalem (GCStJ). In 1990 she became the first member of the present Royal Family, other the late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to hold the Royal Victorian Chain.
Princess Margaret was much concerned with children’s welfare, youth activities, the cure of the sick, and with nursing organisations. She was President of the Girl Guides from 1965, and Chairman of Council of the Girl Guides Association. She was also Grand President of the St John Ambulance Association and Brigade.
She was Patron of Barnado’s, having handed over the Presidency, which she had held from 1944, to Diana Princess of Wales in 1984. She was also President of the Victoria League. Princess Margaret was Chief Ranger of the British Commonwealth 1953-65.
The Countess of Snowdon was formerly Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Corps, and of The Northland Regiment, until the reorganisation of the infantry corps in 1964.
As Special Representative of Her Majesty The Queen, Princess Margaret was present at the Independence Celebrations of Jamaica 1962, Dominica 1978, Tuvalu 1978, Antigua and Barbuda 1981, and St Christopher and Nevis in 1981. She never visited New Zealand.
Her Royal Highness was buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel following a funeral service in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on the 15th February 2002. A memorial service was held 19th April in Westminster Abbey.
Donations in memory of the Princess may be given to one of the charities supported by her during her lifetime, such as the Guides Association or Barnado’s. Any member of the Monarchist League of New Zealand making a donation to these or any other charity in memory of the Princess is asked to notify the Secretary or Editor of their gift.
Golden Jubilee
The Queen has issued an online message of thanks to her peoples, marking the 50th anniversary of coming to the throne:
Prince Philip and I have been deeply touched by the many kind messages about the Golden Jubilee.
This anniversary is for us an occasion to acknowledge with gratitude the loyalty and support which we have received from so many people since I came to the throne in 1952.
It is especially an opportunity to thank all those of you who help others in your own local communities through public or voluntary service.
I would like to think that your work will be particularly recognised during this jubilee year.
I hope also that this time of celebration in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth will not simply be an occasion to be nostalgic about the past.
I believe that, young or old, we have as much to look forward to with confidence and hope as we have to look back on with pride.
I send my warmest good wishes to you all,
ELIZABETH R
6 February, 2002.
A Golden Jubilee Thanksgiving Service will be held in Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell, Auckland, at 3 pm Sunday 9th June. All members in the Auckland area are urged to attend this inter-denominational service. It will be followed by a dinner to formally mark the Golden Jubilee. For details of this see "League News" below.
Royal Diary
Royal Visit to New Zealand
The visits to Australia and New Zealand by Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, postponed due to the terrorists attacks on New York and Washington last year, took place in February.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled to take place in Brisbane, Australia, from the 6th to the 9th October 2001, was postponed little more than a week before it was due to commence, and with it the planned royal visit to New Zealand and Australia.
Due to the shortening of the visit to New Zealand, which was from 22nd to 27th February, the city of Dunedin was not included on the schedule, which comprised Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. In Dunedin the Queen was to have opened the Information Services Building at the University of Otago, visit the Natural History New Zealand studios, and walk in the Octagon, the principal open space in the central city.
In Auckland, Her Majesty and His Royal Highness hosted a garden reception in the grounds of Government House, to mark the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty’s accession. The Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the League were amongst the guests.
Her Majesty also visited the Liggins Institute of Medical Research, at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland. This institute is named after Sir Graham Liggins, CBE, Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, former Director of the Research Centre in Reproductive Medicine, University of Auckland.
Her Majesty’s visit to the Team New Zealand America’s Cup headquarters, Viaduct Basin, Waitemata Harbour, Auckland, was rendered more poignant by the recent death in the Amazon of yachtsman Sir Peter Blake, KBE, who was responsible for the successful New Zealand challenge for the America’s Cup.
In Wellington there was a ceremony of welcome at Parliament, following a drive through the city. The royal couple later attended a state dinner in the executive wing of Parliament Buildings, the Beehive.
In Christchurch the royal couple visited the Ngai Tahu Rehua marae for a ceremony of welcome.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh also visited Burnham Military Camp, where The Queen met New Zealand Defence Force personnel training for duty in East Timor.
In some respects the rescheduling of the royal visit to New Zealand was advantageous. It had been expected that, with no royal visit in 2002, there would be comparatively little celebration in New Zealand of the Golden Jubilee. With the Queen visiting, and particularly in the month during which the Jubilee began, there was undoubtedly greater impetus to celebrate this royal milestone. Her Majesty’s visit provided just the focus her subjects needed.
Her Majesty’s brief tour was a resounding success. But two aspects are worth noting. Firstly, there were no events which might be termed constitutional. There was no meeting of the Privy Council- one has been held on every visit since 1953. Perhaps this is unsurprising given the present Government’s view of the future of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. However there was also no meeting of the Executive Council (Ministers of the Crown).
Another convention which was ignored was a traditional state opening of Parliament by Her Majesty. The House resumed a week and a half before Her Majesty’s arrival. Instead of The Queen delivering the Speech from the Throne, the Prime Minister commenced proceedings for the year with a Prime Ministerial speech. The annual state opening of Parliament by the Governor-General was abandoned several years ago in favour of a purely political occasion, with the Prime Minister usurping a major constitutional role of the Governor-General.
Even ceremonial matters were ignored. There was no meeting of the members of the Order of New Zealand, nor an investiture. The only walkabout scheduled lasted five minutes.
The result was a visit which denied Her Majesty any constitutional functions, and limited contact with her people. Indeed, apart from its length, there was little to distinguish the homecoming of the Queen of New Zealand from the visit of a foreign ruler. No doubt this was intended by those in positions to influence such matters. The Queen should be treated with due respect. The outspokenly republican Jim Bolger had the courtesy to treat Her Majesty as Queen when she was last here. The present Government could have done the same.
The second aspect of the visit worth noting was the active hostility shown by some elements of the news media. Almost without exception the electronic media deliberately dismissed crowds welcoming the Queen as being both small in numbers and elderly. Neither view was accurate. Many newspapers were scarcely more balanced. We are in a serious situation when the media can misrepresent and manipulate public opinion in this way, something which they have not generally done in earlier visits.
League News
Golden Jubilee Dinner
On Sunday 9th June there will be a Monarchist League dinner in Auckland to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen. It will be held after the Thanksgiving Service at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell.
The venue is the Crown Plaza Hotel, the time 7 pm. Dress is as formal as you wish.
For bookings and further information, contact John Cox, phone (09) 489-3188 (office hours), or (09) 444-5946 (after hours).
Jubilee presentation 2002
The Monarchist League’s Golden Jubilee gift to The Queen was accepted on Her Majesty’s behalf by Mr Tim Tichens, Assistant Private Secretary, in March. The gift, a scrivened address in a specially commissioned folder, was handed over at Buckingham Palace by the Chairman, during a visit to London.
An earlier presentation
In 1897 about 25,000 children from the Auckland Education District signed a congratulatory address to Queen Victoria on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee celebrating 60 years as Queen. The Auckland Education District covered all public schools from Northland to Rotorua and Tauranga.
The original manuscript is held in the Special Collections (NZMS 540) of the Auckland Public Library. Because of its fragile condition the manuscript has been copied onto microfiche. A charge will be involved for copies searched.
Ian B Madden
Annual General Meeting and seminar
A Golden Jubilee Seminar will be held at the International Seafarers’ Centre, 114 Quay Street, Auckland Sunday 26th May, starting 10am. A donation of $5 is requested to cover expenses. A light lunch will be provided.
Speakers will give a range of presentations on the Queen, the monarchy, and our royal heritage. Members of the public are welcome to attend. Please bring any items of royal interest for display.
The 2002 Annual General Meeting of The Monarchist League of New Zealand Inc will be held at the conclusion of the seminar, at about 3 pm. A notice of the Annual General Meeting is enclosed with this journal.
Candidates are now being sought for election to the Council. Nominations, which are to be in writing, signed by the nominee and another member of the League, should be received by an officer at least three days prior to the Annual General Meeting. The Secretary can arrange for nominations to be signed where a member does not have ready contact with another member.
Overseas News
Jubilee events
The Queen will travel the length and breath of the United Kingdom during the Golden Jubilee celebrations.
She will criss-cross the nation from May to early August travelling as widely as possible across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Beginning on May Day, the Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, will first visit the south-west of England.
They will both begin their tour at the National Maritime Museum, Falmouth, Cornwall, before attending a lunch to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Diocese of Truro.
After meeting representatives of the county at Truro Cathedral, they will attend a musical performance by young people in Exeter, and a reception hosted by the County of Devon, at County Hall, Exeter.
The Queen will also view a Celebration of Cornish Gardens, Trelissick, while the Duke visits Falmouth College of Art.
The next day the Queen and the Duke will visit the Farmers’ Market and Vivary Park in Taunton, then go on to Wells, where the Duke will also present Award Scheme Gold Awards.
Lunch will be hosted by Bath and North East Somerset Council at Guildhall, Bath, and in the afternoon they will view Bath Abbey restoration and attend a reception at the Pump Rooms.
The rest of the itinerary is as follows:
May 7th-8th: The Queen and Duke will tour the North East. They will open Winter Gardens in Sunderland, the Metro Link between Sunderland and Gateshead, and the Millennium Bridge. Other visits will include Fellgate Primary School, the Baltic Centre, and the Gala event at City Hall, Newcastle.
The next day they will visit Seaham, Easington, Blackhall Rocks, Durham Castle, Darlington and open Millennium Place, Durham. The Duke will present Award Scheme Gold Awards at Peterlee, and visit Stockton Campus, University of Durham.
May 9th: The Queen and Duke will visit East London.
May 10th: The Queen and her husband will visit Higginson Park, Marlow and Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre, and the Queen will visit Aylesbury.
May 16th-17th: The Queen and Duke will attend the Royal Windsor Horse Show. The next day they will take the Salute at All The Queen’s Horses at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
May 20th: The Queen and the Duke will visit Chelsea Flower Show.
May 21st: The Queen and Duke are scheduled to open the new Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace.
May 22nd: The Queen and Duke will attend an Arts Reception at the Royal Academy of Arts, London.
May 23rd: The Queen and Duke begin their week-long tour of Scotland with a thanksgiving service at Glasgow Cathedral.
May 24th: The Queen and Duke will open the Jubilee Wheel at Millennium Link between Forth & Clyde and Union Canals, Falkirk. They will also give a reception in the Palace of Holyroodhouse for Scottish national figures.
May 25th-26th: The Queen and Duke will open the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Edinburgh, and give a garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The following day they will attend the General Assembly Service, St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh.
May 27th: The Queen and Duke will visit the Isle of Skye, attend lunch at Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, and attend a tea party at Wick, Caithness.
May 28th: The Queen and the Duke will visit the ‘Aberdeen Our City’ Jubilee Celebration in Duthie Park, Aberdeen, and visit the Scottish Parliament, sitting at King’s College, Aberdeen University. The Queen will open the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, Dundee, while the Duke visits Dundee University’s Wellcome Trust Biocentre. Both will then attend a reception at City Chambers, Dundee.
May 29th: The Queen and Duke will visit Lauder, Scottish Borders, and Melrose Abbey, attend a lunch hosted by Scottish Borders Council, and then attend a Borders Gathering, at the Melrose Rugby Club.
June 1st-2nd: The Queen and Duke will hold a classical concert, The Queen’s Concert, in the Gardens at Buckingham Palace. The following day both will attend a Jubilee Church Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
June 3rd: The Queen will hold a pop concert, The Queen’s Concert, in the Gardens at Buckingham Palace, light a National Beacon in the Mall and view a fireworks display.
June 4th: The Queen and Duke will attend a National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, after a ceremonial procession from Buckingham Palace. Both will also attend a lunch hosted by the Lord Mayor and the Corporation of London at Guildhall in the City of London, and the Golden Jubilee Festival in the Mall. They will make a balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace, and watch an RAF fly past.
June 6th: The Queen and Duke will visit North London; followed by a garden party at Lambeth Palace.
June 7th: The Queen and Duke will tour the South East, starting with an attendance by the Queen and Duke at the South of England Show in Ardingly, West Sussex.
June 10th: The Queen and Duke will give a reception for representatives of different Faiths, at Buckingham Palace.
June 11th: The Queen and Duke will arrive at Llanfairpwll railway station for a three-day tour of Wales. They will visit a crafts exhibition and fair at Beaumaris Castle, Anglesey, and attend a thanksgiving service at Bangor Cathedral. They will have lunch hosted by the National Trust Wales and the chairman of Gwynedd County Council at Penrhyn Castle and attend a Jubilee sports event, in Colwyn Bay.
June 12th: The Queen and Duke will attend Powys picnic in Dolau, open an improvement works and new lock at Burry Port Harbour, Llanelli, and a Millennium Coastal Park, Llanelli. They will attend a lunch hosted by Camarthenshire County Council, visit Carmarthenshire Enterprise Day Business Exhibition and attend Festival of Youth and Community Service in Margam Park.
June 13th: The Queen and Duke will drive through the shopping centre of Bridgend, attend Welcome to the Valleys at Treorchi, Rhondda Valley, and visit Heritage Park, Trehafod, Porth. Lunch will be hosted by Newport County Borough Council, followed by a visit the National Assembly of Wales and a reception hosted by Cardiff City Council.
June 15th: The Queen and Duke will take the Salute at Her Majesty’s Birthday Parade, Horseguards.
June 17th: The Queen and Duke will attend the Service of the Order of the Garter at St Georges Chapel, Windsor, and give a dinner for European Sovereigns at Windsor Castle.
June 18th-22nd: The Queen and Duke will attend Royal Ascot.
June 25th-26th: The Queen and Duke will visit West London. The next day they will give a dinner for representatives of the Armed Services at Windsor Castle.
June 27th: Both will visit the Armed Forces, Portsmouth, and tour Portsmouth.
July 2nd-3rd: The Queen and Duke will tour the West Midlands, starting with a visit to Touchwood, Solihull’s town centre redevelopment. The Queen, accompanied by the Duke, will open Millennium Point science and learning centre, Digbeth, Birmingham, and they will both attend a reception and concert in Symphony Hall, Birmingham, for the West Midlands region.
The next day they will visit the National Museum of Brewing, Burton upon Trent. The Queen will then visit Brewhouse Arts Centre, Burton upon Trent, while the Duke visits Best Foods’ Marmite factory. They will then visit the National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire; and the Royal Show, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire.
July 4th: The Queen and Duke will visit South London.
July 5th: Both will attend a Parade in the Gardens of Buckingham Palace for all Her Majesty’s Body Guards and the In-Pensioners of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
July 9th: The Queen, accompanied by the Duke, will present medals to the winners of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Poetry Competition for Schools, at Buckingham Palace. They will then give a Garden Party in the Gardens of Buckingham Palace, when guests will include those born on Accession Day.
July 11th-12th: The Queen and Duke will tour Yorkshire, starting with a visit by the Queen to Leeds Civic Centre, and the set of Emmerdale. The Queen and the Duke will also visit Harewood House and attend a Jubilee celebration, and meet Queen’s Golden Jubilee Baton relay runners. The Duke will visit the National Coal Mining Museum, Wakefield, and Bradford Grammar School.
The next day the Queen and Duke will attend a service for rural life at Beverley Minster and visit Beverley Racecourse for the County Fair and Golden Jubilee Race.
July 16th: The Queen and the Duke will give a garden party in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, when guests will include young people who have been born since the 1977 Silver Jubilee.
July 17th-18th: The Queen and Duke will tour East Anglia, starting with a visit to Ipswich and a visit to Stowmarket. They will attend a lunch in Bury St Edmund’s and a performance in Abbey Gardens, Bury St Edmund’s.
The next day the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will visit Norwich Castle Museum, Norwich and open the Forum Building (the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library). The Duke will open the Norfolk Nelson Museum, Great Yarmouth. The same day the Queen and the Duke will give a garden party at Sandringham House.
July 23rd: The Queen and Duke will open the new Greater London Authority building and attend a Gala at Covent Garden.
July 24th-25th: The Queen and Duke will tour the north west, starting with a visit by the Queen to King’s School, Macclesfield, and Christie Hospital, Greater Manchester. The Queen and Duke will attend a service celebrating the new City Centre at Manchester Cathedral and the Duke will open Imperial War Museum North.
The following day the Queen will visit Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, whilst the Duke will present Award Scheme Gold Awards, Town Hall, Bootle, Liverpool. The Queen and Duke will attend a reception at the Walker Art Gallery and visit Liverpool Town Hall. The Queen and Duke will open the Commonwealth Games in Greater Manchester.
July 26th: The Queen and the Duke will visit Commonwealth Games sports venues and the athletes’ village.
July 30th: The Queen and the Duke will give a garden party at Buckingham Palace, when guests will include representatives of charities of which the two are patron.
July 31st-August 1st: The Queen and Duke will visit the East Midlands. On the first day the Queen will open Lindsey Lodge Hospice Extension, Scunthorpe. Accompanied by the Duke, she will then visit Scunthorpe Town Centre, visit Normanby Hall, and attend a performance at the National Ice Centre, Nottingham. The Duke will present Award Scheme Gold Awards at 20/21 Arts Centre, Scunthorpe.
The following day the Queen and Duke will visit Leicester City Centre, visit the National Space Centre, Leicester and attend a celebration at Pride Park, Derby.
August 4th: The Queen, accompanied by the Duke, will close the Commonwealth Games in Greater Manchester.
August 5th: The Queen and the Duke will attend a community event, and a reception which will include guests from the Duchy of Lancaster in Preston, followed by a garden party at Carlisle Castle, Cumbria. They will also attend the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Edinburgh Castle.
August 7th: The Queen and the Duke will give a garden party at Balmoral Castle.
İDaily Telegraph 29th January 2002
Royal Poetry
The Poet Laureate Professor Andrew Motion has written a sonnet to celebrate the life of Princess Margaret. The poem was released on the day of her funeral.
THE YOUNGER SISTER
The luxuries, of course, and privilege-
The money, houses, holidays, the lot:
All these were real, and all these drove a wedge
Between your life and ours. And yet the thought
Of how no privilege on earth can keep
A life from suffering in love and loss-
This means we turn to you and see how deep
The current runs between yourself and us.
And now death spells it out again, and more,
As it becomes your final human act:
A daughter gone before her mother goes;
A younger sister heading on before;
A woman in possession of the fact
That love and duty speak two languages.
Professor Andrew Motion
Royal Residences past and present
Chevening House
Chevening first appears in the King’s Rolls in 1199-1203, although there are references to it in an early twelfth-century list of Kent churches. The present house in its original form was built by Richard, 13th Lord Dacre, between 1616 and 1630, to a design attributed to Inigo Jones. It continued in the Dacre family until 1717, when it was purchased by General James Stanhope.
Over the next two and a half centuries the Stanhope family carried out extensive modifications and extensions to the house, its environs, and its interior decoration and furnishings. These included some fine panelling and chimneypieces, as well as the house’s most spectacular feature, a circular staircase inserted in 1721 by Nicholas Dubois. This soars up two storeys from the Hall, with one complete gyration per storey, and is attached to the wall at only two points.
The last Lord Stanhope, who died without an heir in 1967, left the heavily endowed house to the nation, to be managed by a body of trustees. The Chevening Estate Act stipulated that the future resident should be the Prime Minister, a Cabinet Minister, the widow or lineal descendant of King George VI, or the spouse widow or widower of such a descendant. He expressed the particular wish that the resident might be the Prince of Wales.
The tenancy was duly offered to the Prince of Wales, and, after initially declining it, he accepted it in 1974. At the time the trustees were carrying out a major programme of renovation and redecoration, to which the Prince made several contributions. However, as the house was in the wrong part of the country for his own principal commitments and interests, the Prince of Wales gave up his "occupancy" in 1980. With 115 rooms it was thought too grand, though this doesn’t seem to have worried subsequent political tenants. The house reverted to the trustees for reallocation.
Subsequent tenants have been Ministers of the Crown, and the programme of restoration, especially to the park, continues to this day.
Letters to the editor
Sir,
Just speculating on this monarchy or republic future for New Zealand, after Elizabeth, business.
The republic change would be expensive and open to corruption by sponsors of presidential candidates. And there are plenty of other reasons for not wanting it.
I was wondering if there is a third option. Namely a monarchy for New Zealand where the monarch lives here, and rules no other country.
For continuity with British heritage it would imply that we take one of the younger royals, and train them up with a ten-year apprenticeship to become our exclusive monarch.
Then to allow for Maori inclusion it would require an arranged marriage with someone from the Maori Queen’s lineage. Thus the best of both worlds. Is this an option, I wonder?
Peter Johnstone