TheNewsGuru

Tag: Buckingham Palace

  • Burkingham Palace announces date for Prince Philip’s burial

    Burkingham Palace announces date for Prince Philip’s burial

    The funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh will be held at Windsor on April 17, with no public access nor public procession beforehand, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said on Saturday.

    The event is to be a “ceremonial royal funeral”, rather than a state funeral, which “very much reflects the duke’s wishes”, a palace spokesman said.

    A national minute’s silence will be observed as the funeral begins at 15:00 BST at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor.

    Members of the public will not be allowed to attend as the proceedings have been scaled down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The funeral will be shown live on television.

    Given the current pandemic restriction which allows only 30 mourners to attend, the event will be reduced in scale. At this moment, there is no confirmation yet on the rest of the guest list.

    “In line with government guidelines and public health measures, there will be no public processions and the duke’s funeral will take place entirely within the grounds of Windsor Castle,” the palace spokesman said.

    The Queen has approved the prime minister’s recommendation that there be eight days of national mourning, to end on the day of the duke’s funeral, the palace said.

    During the national mourning time, union flags will remain at half-mast but the Royal Standard, which is flown when the Queen is in residence at one of the royal palaces, will be at full mast.

    The Royal Family will observe two weeks of mourning and royal engagements will continue, with mourning bands worn where appropriate.

    The Sky News reported that Prince Harry will be travelling from his home in the United States to attend, although his pregnant wife Meghan has been advised by doctors not to travel.

    Earlier Saturday, gun salutes were held across Britain on land and at sea in memory of the duke who passed away on Friday at the age of 99.

    The royal family website has asked people not to leave flowers and tributes at royal residences. The website encourages members of the public to consider making a donation to a charity instead of leaving floral tributes.

    Prince Philip was born on the Greek island of Corfu on June 10, 1921.

    He married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became Queen, and was the longest-serving royal consort in British history.

    The couple had four children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

  • Buckingham Palace breaks silence on Meghan, Harry’s racism claim

    Buckingham Palace breaks silence on Meghan, Harry’s racism claim

    Buckingham Palace has finally broken its silence on the discrimination allegations against it by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, saying the royal family is distressed to learn of the challenges the duo faced.

     

    The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had recently opened up on several issues relating to the royal family, including allegations of racism, in a no-holds-barred interview with Oprah Winfrey, the popular media mogul.

    According to AP, the UK palace issued a statement on Tuesday saying that the issues raised would be addressed “privately”.

    The royal family also said that Meghan and Harry’s revelations, most especially that of race, are “concerning” and will be taken seriously.

    “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning,” read the statement issued on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II.

    “While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.’’

    It further stated that “Harry, Meghan, and Archie will always be much-loved family members.”

    The family’s statement is the first by the palace following Harry and Meghan’s two-hour interview where they alleged that Meghan had experienced racism and insensitive treatment during her time in the royal family.

    It also came after Queen Elizabeth reportedly engaged Prince Charles and William in crisis talks as pressure mounted.

     

  • Prince Harry, Meghan not returning to royal duties – Buckingham Palace

    Prince Harry, Meghan not returning to royal duties – Buckingham Palace

    Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have informed Queen Elizabeth II they will not return as working members of the British royal family, Buckingham Palace said on Friday.

    The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they are formally known, rocked the British monarchy when they quit frontline royal duties a year ago.

    They have since embarked on a new life involving several commercial ventures in the United States, and now live in California.

    Under the initial terms of their departure thrashed out at an emergency summit with the queen in early 2020, Harry had agreed to review the decision a year on.

    “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family.

    “Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service,” the palace said in a statement.

    The palace added that the Royal Family is “saddened” by the decision of Harry and his wife who remain “much-loved members of the family.”

    Prince Harry, a former soldier, holds several honorary military titles, as well as Commonwealth appointments and some other patronages.

    Meghan was also handed several honorary roles after she wed Harry in a fairytale ceremony at Windsor Castle in May, 2018.

    The couple, who are expecting their second child, are poised to give an “intimate” interview about their lives with US chat show host Oprah Winfrey.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Prince Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties last year and moved to the United States with their son.

     

  • Intruder breaks into Buckingham Palace while Queen asleep

    An intruder has reportedly broken into the Buckingham Palace in Britain.
    The incident took place at about 2:00 am this morning while Queen Elizabeth slept just metres away from the trespasser.
    The Sun reported that the 22-year-old man climbed over the fence and was able to bang on the doors of the royal residence.
    Police on site took around four minutes to detain him as they tried to assess if he was armed, the paper said.
    Doors to the 93-year-old monarch’s home are locked up in the early hours of the morning, so the trespasser was unable to get inside.
    The royal standard flag was flying at the palace, which could have given the invader a clue that the Queen was at home.
    A royal insider told The Sun: ‘This intruder got into the Palace almost 37 years to the day since Michael Fagan ended up getting inside the Queen’s bedroom. The Queen was understood to be the only senior royal sleeping in the palace.
    ‘There is a genuine theory and very real fear that he could have been launching a copycat operation.
    ‘How is it possible all these years later that someone can climb the fence and get right inside the grounds without being stopped immediately?
    ‘What about heat censors and CCTV? The Queen’s safety should be paramount.’
    Scotland Yard said the man was arrested on suspicion of trespass and was held at around 2am by officers from the Met’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Command.
    He was not found in possession of any offensive weapons and the incident is not being treated as terrorism-related.

  • Synagogue church receives highest number of tourists annually in Nigeria

    The Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN) receives the highest number of tourists annually in Nigeria, a tourism expert has said.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Gbenga Onitilo stated this at the Nigeria Travel Week (NTW) 2018 event, being the 2nd edition of NTW, held in Lagos.

    “The synagogue church (SCOAN) in Ikotun receives the highest number of tourists in Nigeria. It is a city on its own,” Onitilo said.

    Every year, SCOAN hosts millions of national and international visitors.

    The church has been reported to attract more weekly attendees than the combined number of visitors to Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London.

    Figures released by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) indicated that six out of every ten foreign travellers coming into Nigeria are bound for SCOAN.

    Over two million local and inbound tourists visit the Christian organization, which runs Emmanuel TV television station from Lagos, annually.

    Also, the SCOAN’s popular services have resulted in an enormous boost for local businesses and hoteliers.

    “You need to sell to the world what you want them to come and see,”Ademola Sanya, a participant at the event, stated.

    According to Yemisi Shyllon, also a participant at the event, Nigeria has the potential to generate ten times more than what it is generating from crude oil.

    “From proven parameters, we are talking about $700 billion; and Lagos alone can make $70 million. Forget the roads and insecurity — there are dark spots all over the world. Why do we travel abroad? It’s because we want to see something foreign to our culture

    “We have to design our tourism to showcase our cultural identity. There is beauty around our culture (and identity), lets stop denigrating our culture. We Nigerians, we demean our culture; we demonise our culture; we destroy our culture. But that’s what you all go to Dubai to see/experience.

    “Tourism is about selling all the material and intangible culture of a people to foreigners,” he stated.

    Femi Lawson, a participant as well, stressed that Nigeria is getting to a point where the tourism industry would be run by foreigners.

    “It has happened to our crude oil already. We are getting to a point where the local tourism industry will be run by foreigners. We have to urgently take charge of our own narrative,” Femi said at NTW 2018.

    NTW is a multi-day tourism event platform that aims to drive the Nigeria tourism sector by bringing together buyers, consumers, travel techs, tourism/travel service providers and the media to network, review and discuss the development of tourism in the country.