TheNewsGuru

Tag: Christmas

  • Thank God it’s Christmas! By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    Thank God it’s Christmas! By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    In four days it will be Christmas. If you put ears on the ground at the moment you will hear the angels, the Magi, the Shepherds, men and women of our time who are inhabiting the four corners of the earth singing in exultation: “jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle all the way…” in celebration of Christmas. Christmas, unarguably, has its irresistible enchantment. From Donald Trump’s Washington D.C to London, Paris, Ottawa, Tokyo, Brasilia, Madrid, Rome down to Abuja the houses, streets, offices and shops are decorated with special festoons and rosettes at the dawn of Christmas. People selling and buying on the internet, in market places and in street corners. Children laughing and dancing in the alleyways, fields, pathways, streets and esplanades. There is exchange of Christmas gifts and messages among people of goodwill. Families re-uniting amid family warmth and affection.

    Christmastime is a time to regain our strength, our hope, our joy and our sense of humor. Everything may be collapsing; your purse might have grown lean; fortune might have turned its back on you; politics and politicians may be synonymous with hypocrisy and deceits; death might have struck and snatched away your beloved one. But nothing is to be gained by losing our peace at Christmas. It is true that we live in a sad world. It is true that most men and women of our time are sadists in a state of melancholy. It is true that the fragile peace in the world is continually being threatened by the stockpiling nuclear weapons. But with our laughter we can challenge the sad world to look at us and be hopeful. We cease to hope when we cease to smile. We cease to smile when we give in to despair. We give in to despair when we find no meaning in life.

    But Christmas offers us the true meaning of life. Christmastime is a time for a good beginning, a time for a new hope in life. According Michael Cook, editor of MercatorNet, “Whether or not you accept the Christian theological beliefs which underpin the celebration of Christmas, they have transformed Western society and they are in the process of transforming nations far from Bethlehem. Christmas, that is, the celebration of the moment in which the all-powerful creator of the Universe took on human flesh and entered human history, sends powerful, even unspoken messages”. At Christmas, we are invited to re-live that unfathomable mystery and historical event which took place more than 2000 years ago when Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind, took flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to be born in a relatively humble city of David called Bethlehem. The Psalmist recaptures the expectancy of the birth of the Saviour in these poetic lines,rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant iustum (Send the just One like dew, you heavens, and let the clouds rain him down). And Isaiah will quickly add, “say to the anxious: be strong and fear not, our God will come to save us”. If you take a quick glance again at the Christmas Crib, you will see the family atmosphere that was the hallmark of the first Christmas in Bethlehem more than two thousand years ago. Everything in the Holy family of Jesus, Joseph and Mary bespeaks pristine values of humility, family and social dedicated service, self-abnegation, self-forgetfulness and altruism.

    Therefore, in re-living the exemplary life of Jesus, Joseph and Mary we should learn to build bridges across the troubled waters of political, ideological, racial, ethnic and personal differences. We should strive to build a new world order in which security of lives and property, justice, peace, love, service, respect for human dignity and respect for religious freedom can flourish. We must eschew hatred, rancour, greed and avarice. We must build an ethic of human solidarity aimed at promoting the common good and the welfare of fellow men and women. Christmas enjoins us to see our neigbours as human beings, not mere instruments to be used for our personal gain and comfort.

    DEFEAT OF THE ANTI-NGO BILL

    Last Wednesday the anti-NGO bill sponsored at the House of Representatives by Hon. Umar Buba Jibril suffered a disgraceful defeat on the floor of the Public Hearing Room of the House of Representatives. A disgraceful defeat because with the exception of one or two members of the House of Representatives in favour of the Bill all the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society organizations (CSOs) and others that participated at the Public Hearing last Wednesday were vehemently opposed to the Bill. Not even Hon. Jibril, the sponsor of the unmeritorious Bill, was at the venue of the Public Hearing of the Bill to at least introduce his Bill or explain why he was sponsoring it. It is not unlikely that Hon. Jibril took to his heels upon seeing the mammoth crowd of protesting NGOs and CSOs storming the National Assembly in reminiscent of the storming of the Bastille. Last Wednesday was a day every Nigerian lawmaker will live to remember. It was a day members of Civil Society in Nigeria rose up in great solidarity to kill what they felt was a veritable monster threatening democratic tenets in Nigeria. When the history of the National Assembly, Abuja is re-written the revolution that took place at the National Assembly last Wednesday will be re-written in fine gold. As early as6.30 am last Wednesday the representatives of NGOs, CSOs, Churches, Mosques and so forth had encumbered the National Assembly in readiness to defeat the Bill. The import of this is that the people are the real sovereigns in our democracy. Power belongs to the people. But the Nigerian political leaders behave as if power belongs to them. But the revolution that occurred last Wednesday has once again shown that power belongs to Civil Society. Long live Civil Society!. Long live Freedom!

  • Tony Elumelu becomes new King of Pop at Christmas

    Nigerian economist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Tony Elumelu, on Saturday declared himself the new King of Pop at the Heirs Holdings Christmas party.

    TheNewsGuru reports Heirs Holdings is an African proprietary investment company with interests in power, oil and gas, financial services, hospitality, real estate and healthcare.

    The company held its annual Christmas party on Saturday night.

    Elumelu, the Chairman of Heirs Holdings, took to Instagram to share the experience of being the new king of pop.

    “I’ve always been a huge fan of Michael Jackson; so on Saturday night at the 70s Disco themed @Heirsholdings Christmas party, when I was tasked to channel a celebrity, naturally I chose to be the King of Pop. I think I tried,” he said.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc1yfa0Fyhv/?taken-by=tonyoelumelu

     

  • Ekiti workers shun Fayose’s Xmas gifts, demand payment of salaries

    Civil servants in Ekiti State have appealed to Governor Ayodele Fayose to concentrate on paying their salary arrears rather than doling out Christmas clothes and other items to their children.

    They expressed regrets that many of them are dying of hunger while others are afflicted with debilitating ailments and lack money to access quality healthcare delivery.

    Acting under the aegis of the Enlightened Workers’ Forum (EWF), they welcomed the directive from the Presidency that governors should clear all arrears owed workers before Christmas.

    In a press statement made available to The Nation on Friday, EWF Coordinator, Mike Bamidele, criticised the decision of the governor to provide free Christmas clothes to 20,000 children in the state.

    Describing the Free Xmas Clothes for Kids project as a “misplaced priority,” Bamidele said workers’ salaries should remain the governors’ priority rather than “unnecessary grandstanding and splurge on frivolities.”

    Bamidele said hunger occasioned by the non-payment of salaries has unleashed hardship on workers some of whom, he said are dying of hunger and ailments the can’t treat.

    He said: “We are still at a loss why the governor still owes core civil servants five months arrears, workers in institutions on subventions seven months and local government workers and primary school teachers nine months.

    “Rather than making sincere and concrete efforts to pay our salaries, the governor is busy distributing Christmas clothes for 20,000 children.

    “If he pays their parents regularly, it will be easy for them to buy clothes for their children. It is not the business of government to be buying Christmas clothes for children and this has turned Ekiti to a laughing stock.

    “Offering to buy Christmas clothes for children when salaries are not paid is an attempt to play politics with the poverty of the people and turn the innocent kids to pawns on the political chessboard.

    “We reject this Christmas Clothes for Children project in its entirety; all we need are our salaries and allowances. Let the governor look for means to pay them so that we can have relief.

    “A labourer deserves his wages and the sweat of his labour must not dry on his forehead. We have worked for this money, it is our right and not privilege, the governor must pay our salaries.

    “We are also using this medium to call on the Federal Government to investigate how bailout funds, Paris Club refunds, Budget Support Funds sent to Ekiti State were spent.

    “We believe if these monies are deployed to payment of workers, all these arrears would have been offset by now.”

  • Osinbajo, Gowon, Shonekan, others grace Villa Christmas Concert

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Head of State Yakubu Gowon and ex Head of the Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan, were among dignitaries who graced the 2017 Christmas Praise Concert on Thursday in Abuja.

    The event, which took place at the State House Conference Centre, was onganised by the Presidency to honour God for the gift of Christ, keeping the country together as well as for greater opportunities for the country in future.

    Other dignitaries at the event were serving and former ministers, the Head of Service, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, former and serving members of the National Assembly, led by Reps Speaker Yakubu Dogara.

    Also in attendance were governors of Plateau and Osun as well as former Governor of Rivers, Dr Peter Odili and his wife, Justice Mary Odili.

    Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), handled the ministration.

    He prayed for Nigerians and the leaders of the country and for God to continue to direct their affairs.

    Adeboye said that Nigerians should be grateful to the Almighty for keeping the country together in spite of the challenges and prayed that the peace in the country should be sustained.

    Citing many testimonies of individuals who received God’s favour in various forms, the cleric stated that God is Almighty and lifts people and nations out of troubles and sicknesses by touching, lifting, embracing the one He chooses.

    Accordingly, he said that anyone so favoured would continue to reap the benefits.

    Adeboye, however, warned that those who shun following the ways of the Lord could be left by Him to suffer and advised all who had not given their lives to God to quickly do so.

    TheNewsGuru reports that three scripture lessons were read at the concert by Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun as well as the Head of Service, Mrs Oyo Ita.

    The event also featured songs of praise and Christmas carol delivered by the Aso Villa Chapel Choir and its Children’s wing; Minna Choral Society choir; the Port Harcourt Male Ensemble International and combined choir of the military and para military forces.

    Special renditions were also made by the FCT School for the Blind choir to the admiration of the guests as well as by top gospel singers, Blessing Ilagha, Nathaniel Bassey and Pastor Kunle Ajayi.

    The Spokesman to the Vice President, Pastor Laolu Akande, on behalf of his boss, thanked the guests for keeping a date with the Presidency and prayed for God to see the nation through in its endeavours.

  • Christmas And Financial Holocaust, By Bobson Gbinije

    “True love is like ghosts,

    which everybody talks about but few have seen”

    (William Shakespeare.)

     

    By Bobson Gbinije

    The anthropocentric calculus posits that whether by centripetal or centrifugal diversions man has become the monumental leverage on which the social-political, economic and cultural pendulum swings. Man has therefore created laws, principles, social mores, ethics, ceremonial commemorations and religious practices to enhance and concretize the basis of the ‘social contract’ of which ‘man’ are the cardinal focus, the Christmas day being one of them.

    Christmas is the annual ceremonial commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ by Christians on December 25. The encyclopedia Americana posits in the 1977 edition, volume 6, page 666 that “the reason for establishing December 25 as Christmas day was chosen to correspond to pagan festivals that reason took place around the time of the winter solstice, when the days begin to lengthen to celebrate the rebirth of the sun. The roman saturnalia (A festival dedicated to Saturn, the god of agriculture, and to the renewed power of the sun), also took place at this time, and some Christmas customs are thought to be rooted in this ancient pagan celebration”

    The exact day of Christ’s birth is still subsumed in the ponderous thicket of scriptural imbroglio and shrouded in theosophical incongruities. Emperor Marcus Aurelius proclaimed the sun god on the 25 December 274. A.D. the principal patron of the Roman Empire and dedicated a temple to him in the campus martins. These ceremonial antics by emperor Aurelius stimulated a bandwagon effect bandwagon effect on Christian group and they quickly adopted December 25 as the birthday of Jesus Christ. Another version of the date of Christ’s was assigned the date of winter solstices December 25 in the Julia calendar), because on this day, as the sun began its return to northern skies, the pagan devotees of Mithras celebrated the birthday of the invincible sun (die natails solis invicti).

    However, notwithstanding the penumbra of political and semantically mélange surrounding the date of the birth of Jesus Christ, it is clear that Jesus Christ is the reason for the Christmas season. He remains the lucent diadem on the Christian’s armour. He gave us his all as the son of the living God so that we might be salvaged from the labyrinth of eternal perdition. He explicitly sermonized on the laying down of our lives for one another through love and helping to fortify the basis of a common Catholic humanity. He incarnated humility and warned against materialism and the psychotic love of money.

    That the unblemished and innocent Jesus Christ was tortured, persecuted, executed and crucified for the sake of mankind lends credence to the fact that the son of the living god loved us first. He came and was born out of love for us. He remains the quintessential reflection of love. He further admonished us to live and share our love with one another. He said in 1st John chapter 4 verses 20-21 that “if anyone say “I love God”, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anymore who does not love his brother, whom he has seen cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command. Whosoever loves God must also love his brother”. But whither goeth mankind and the commemoration of the glorious birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

    Christmas has become a season for the satanic expression of boundless mercantilism syphilization of morality of morality, the luciferous rendition of the carols of commercialism and the baptism of financial nightmares and holocaust. The whole world is entangling in the zeitgeist of materialism. The reader’s digest asserted that “in 1999 America’s commercial exchanges during the Christmas season rose to 70 billion dollars, Canada 30 billion dollars, Britain 34 billion pounds and Australia 15 billion dollars. Africa and Asian countries are already following suit in this depraved and reckless commercialization of Christmas.” The Christmas season has become one of the best commercially strategic period for manufacturers, wholesalers and merchants to new and grotesque Christmas carols blaring form music shops, churches and private houses. There is massive noise pollution.

    The commercial hype is intensified with salesmen carrying large bags of Christmas knickknacks and souvenirs plying their trade on commuter buses and other public transport contraption. All these Christmas drama compels ‘parents to buy toys and shoes for their children and companies are compelled to invest heavily on corporate gifts as public relations gimmicks. The Father Christmas or grandfather frost is introduced to milk presents dry. There is monumental production sales and hypocritical exchange of gifts. The commercial debauchery is further compounded by the deadly bouts of revelry and saturnalian spree. This is accompanied by sexual carousals and shameless licentiousness. Is this what Christmas should be? Is this the way Christmas should be spent? What a shame!

    In the political hierarchy are political Executive, members of board, Ministers, Governor Commissioner’s local government chairmen, Political Appointees, member of the judiciary and councilors etc who have apotheosized corruption and have looted the treasury of the people jubilating in “Thanksgiving services’ in various church for escaping with loots milking the people dry.

    The religious leaders, especially Pentecostals pastors who are founder and sole owners of their churches will very busy preaching the fear of hellfire and the dangers of not paying your tithes. They then convert the tithes, vows, pledges and donations in acquiring the state of the art cars, jets and palatial edifices for themselves. The Journalists, Lawyers and Policemen will be smiling home with hampers and cash from politicians, clients and syndicated criminals. What a shame!

    It is clear that Christian has become completely demonized and sunken in the hot cauldron of commercialism. Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour posited that, we can not serve God and Mammon. The world is a state of moral degeneracy and cocooned in theatrical brummagem because of the greed, tenebrous and rancid hypocrisy inherent in our leadership echelon. How can we conscientiously say we are celebrating Christmas when poverty and disease have become the grandiloquent bodyguard of 99% of Nigeria and nay Africans. Do the poor know that it is Christmas? We live in a world of tragic contrast between the rich and the poor. Why can’t we see free medical health care delivery system, free education at all levels, good road, transparency and honesty in leadership and government, instead of propaganda hypes? We need effective transportation system and a new national implosive surgeonisain. We want to see President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan launch a steadfast fight against corruption and political skullduggery in Nigeria.

    Finally as we celebrate Christmas in the frills of the thrill of salaciousness and Christlessness let us spare a thought for the poor in the world. Our celebration will be hollow if we cannot carry the poor along. We, as a nation must stand for the truth and altruism. In the nomination acceptance speech of Richard Nixon on 8th August he said, “let us begin by committing our selves to the truth, to see it like it is, and tell it like it is, to find the truth, to speak the truth and to live the truth.” Let us all chant glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and good tiding to all mankind:. Where are our good tidings to all mankind? Christmas should be spent in the retreat of the Holy of Holies with our conscience and in the presence of our God. HAPPY CHRISTMAS FELLOW NIGERIANS.

    CHIEF BOBSON GBINIJE

    MANDATE AGAINST POVERTY (MAP)

    WARRI.

    08023250378.

  • Buhari to commission newly acquired locomotives, coaches before Christmas – Amaechi

    In a deliberate attempt to ease movement of Nigerians throughout the yuletide season, the Federal Government on Tuesday said it will soon commission two rail locomotives and 10 coaches.

    The minister of transport, Rotimi Amaechi, made this known on Tuesday in Papalantoro, Ogun State.

    Mr. Amaechi spoke with journalists during a tour of the Federal Government rail project in Ogun state.

    The minister said the government had received delivery of the locomotives and coaches.

    “The president will be commissioning it this December. We want to make sure that those travelling from Abuja to Kaduna are able to use the new coaches and locomotives,” he said.

    The minister, who examined the level of work done by the contractors, expressed worry over the rate at which the project is being executed.

    He, however, assured Nigerians that the December 2018 deadline set for the completion of the project still holds, saying the contractors would need to intensify their efforts.

    The minister also assured that none of the contractors is being owed by the government.

    More details later….

  • State Assemblies will pass ‘Not Too Young To Run’ bill before Christmas – Kwara Speaker assures Nigerians

    The Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Ali Ahmad, has said the ‘Not Too Young To Run’ bill will be passed by the various state Houses of Assembly before December 25 this year.

    Mr. Ahmad gave the assurance in an address at the ‘Not Too Young To Run’ town hall meeting on constitution review in Abuja on Monday.

    He said ‘Not Too Young To Run’ is a global affair and not just for Nigeria, as international human rights organisations are interested in the way it is operated.

    “If there is one bill that is going to pass at the state level, definitely it is the ‘Not Too Young To Run bill’. The bill was able to survive at the national level. If you have an objective, pursue it passionately and whatever roadblocks you might have, just believe you will succeed,” he said.

    Mr. Ahmad said age should not disqualify a candidate who is interested in governing his people.

    “Kwara State will be among the first states that will turn their own constitution to the National Assembly. In 2019,young mind should set the motion, start from the beginning, start from the grassroots level,” he said. .

    “The proposed age for contesting for presidential election is 35 and it used to be 40. For House of Representatives is 25, while it used to be 30. So the minimum age to contest for an election apart from the president is 25, don’t let 2019 go without having a space in the political sphere,” he said.

    Samson Itodo, the convener of the ‘Not Too Young To Run’ constitutional review meeting, said the bill is among the 15 bills sent to state Houses of Assembly by the National Assembly, noting that the bill enjoys wide support from Nigerian youth as it seeks to promote inclusion by reducing the age for running for political offices in Nigeria.

    “We cannot say a country will develop without including the youth in the political affairs. It is important to engage youth in the political business of the country. So we call on state Houses of Assembly to vote yes to ‘Not Too Young To Run’ that will give young people the opportunity to contribute to national development,” Mr. Itodo said.

    According to him, for young people, it is a question of whether our political parties will uphold the principles of democracy, transparency and accountability by ensuring that delegates are not substituted 24 hours before primaries and that young people are given opportunities to buy party nomination forms.

    He said the impact of money in Nigerian elections is strong, noting that Nigerians need to enforce the campaign spending law.

    “The Electoral Act is very clear on the amount of money you can spend on election but our leaders don’t comply, even President Buhari broke the law in 2015 by spending above the stipulated amount. INEC needs to be empowered and capacitated to hold our political parties accountable,” he said.

    The ‘Not Too Young To Run’ bill needs endorsement by 24 state Houses of Assembly before it goes to the president for his assent to become law.

    Hillary Bisong, the Speaker of Cross River State House of Assembly, however, said Nigerians need to change their mentality from entitlement and inheritance to investment.

    He said Nigerian youth need to run for an office because of their capacity and not age.

    “There is no ‘Too Old To Run’ bill, they know the youth are well educated and that is why they are using age as a barrier. Experience and quality matter a lot too,” he concluded.

    The House of Representatives passed the ‘Not Too Young To Run’ bill on July 27, a day after it was passed by the Senate. The bill seeks to reduce the minimum age for elective offices in Nigeria.

    If passed and signed into law, it would mean that an individual can contest for the office of President at the age of 35 and governor and the Senate at the age of 30.

     

  • Yuletide: President Trump sends strong Christmas message to the world

    Yuletide: President Trump sends strong Christmas message to the world

    United States’ President Donald Trump has sent a resounding Christmas message to Americans, and to the rest of the world.

    TheNewsGuru reports President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump participated in the 2017 National Christmas Tree Lighting on Thursday, November 30 at the White House.

    “A great honor to light the National Christmas Tree with First Lady Melania at the White House…! Thank you to everyone who came out to join us and tune in on TV,” the president said during the ceremony.

    In his Christmas message, Trump said though people’s belief may differ, the birth of Jesus Christ changed the course of human history, and that the spirit of Christmas is not about what people have but that what matters is that everyone is a child of God.

    “The Christmas Story begins 2,000 years ago with a mother, a father, their baby son and the most extraordinary gift of all – the gift of God’s love for all of humanity.

    “Whatever our beliefs we know that the birth of Jesus Christ and the story of this incredible life forever changed the course of human history.

    “Each and every year at Christmas time we recognize that the real spirit of Christmas is not what we have; it’s about who we are, each one of us, is a child of God.

    “That is the true source of joy this time of the year. That is what makes every Christmas merry,” he said.

    “And now as the president of the United States, it’s my tremendous honour to finally wish America and the world a very merry Christmas,” he went further to say.

    TheNewsGuru reports this is Trump’s first Christmas as the President of the United States of America, and the 2017 National Christmas Tree Lighting is the 95th annual tree lighting at the White House.

     

  • Revealed:Tiwa Savage,Tee Billz spent Christmas together

    There have been several speculations that Tiwa Savage and her estranged husband are back together. They were spotted together on Friday December 30, 2016 since their marital feud.

    As a loving mother showing that she cares about her son, Tiwa Savage posted a certain picture of her son, Jamil Balogun in a red dotted Pyjamas playing with a new toy which happens to be a piano and microphone.

    She writes: “Of all the PLENTY presents Jamil got today, this is what he has been playing all day … Hmmm what does this mean o.”

    Amazingly, that same day, Tee Billz shared a related picture of himself and Jamil garbed in the same outfit

    He says:”Our Santa is such an Awesome God! Merry Christmas”

     

    What ignited their reunion tale was when Tiwa Savage posted a photo of her son Jamil Balogun in July when he turned one.

    “You are my reason for everything … Dada and Mama love you so much #JamJamIsOne” wrote Tiwa Savage in the caption of the photo. Obviously the word ‘Dada’ indicated to some that Tiwa Savage and Tee Billz are now back together.

    Back in 2016, Ali Baba predicted that Tee Billz and Tiwa Savage would reunite.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Cold Weather: Queen Elizabeth misses Christmas, New Year church services

    Cold Weather: Queen Elizabeth misses Christmas, New Year church services

     

    Britain’s Queen Elizabeth missed a New Year’s Day church service on Sunday due to a heavy cold, Buckingham Palace said, a week after the 90-year-old monarch missed a Christmas Day service for the first time in decades.

    The world’s longest-reigning monarch, who became unwell before Christmas, stayed indoors at her Sandringham country estate in Norfolk, eastern England, while other members of the royal family attended the service.

    “The Queen does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

    Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip, 95, were both suffering from heavy colds in the week leading up to Christmas and delayed their journey from London to Sandringham by a day, travelling there by helicopter on Dec. 22.

    Philip attended both the Christmas and New Year services. On Sunday he arrived by car before walking into the grey stone parish church of St. Mary Magdalene, but the queen, who is the symbolic head of the Church of England, made no public appearance.

    A few dozen parishioners and a crowd of photographers had gathered outside the church on Sunday morning in cold, rainy weather as other members of the royal family arrived.

    The queen’s daughter, Anne, and her third son, Edward, were among those who attended.

    Elizabeth had previously attended the Christmas service at the church every year since the royal family started celebrating Christmas at Sandringham in 1988.

    After more than six decades on the throne, the queen has cut back on international tours but still regularly performs official duties around Britain.

    The palace announced on Dec. 20 she would step down as patron of several charities and other organizations to reduce her workload.

    While Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, died at the relatively young age of 56, her mother, known as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, lived until 101 and was still appearing in public almost up until her death in 2002.

    Elizabeth has maintained the popularity of the monarchy despite years of political, social and cultural change since she became queen on Feb. 6, 1952, aged just 25