London: For the first time in 40 years, Queen Elizabeth II will skip the Commonwealth summit to be held in Sri Lanka in November, deciding to send her son Prince Charles instead for the biennial event. 87-year-old Queen will miss the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) for the first time since 1973, Buckingham Palace announced on Tuesday.
"I can confirm that the Queen will be represented by the Prince of Wales. The reason is that we are reviewing the amount of long-haul travel that is taken by the Queen. As a result of that, she won't be travelling to the Commonwealth heads of government meeting later in 2013", a spokesman said.
This year's CHOGM has been mired in controversy, with campaigners including Amnesty International calling for not holding the summit until an investigation is carried out into alleged human rights abuses in the final six months of the 26-year Sri Lankan civil war.
Britain is facing pressure to lead a boycott of the meeting, with Canada indicating that it will not attend unless specific criteria are met. However, Buckingham Palace said the Queen's decision not to attend was not related to the political situation in Lanka....
more
04:15 PM, May 07, 2013
London: Former prime minister Margaret Thatcher's funeral will take place in London on Wednesday, April 17, David Cameron's office said on Tuesday. The service will be held in St Paul's Cathedral, Downing Street said. Buckingham Palace said in a statement that the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, will attend the service. The body of the 'Iron Lady' was removed from the Ritz Hotel, where she died of a stroke...
05:27 PM, Apr 09, 2013
A man in his 50's was tasered outside Buckingham Palace in London on Sunday after he was seen holding a knife to his own neck. The incident took place during the Changing of the Guard ceremony, when hundreds of tourists were present. ...
10:00 AM, Feb 04, 2013
London: Britain's Ministry of Defence says a Sikh soldier has become the first guardsman to parade outside Buckingham Palace while wearing his traditional turban. Fifty family members were on hand on Tuesday as Guardsman Jatinderpal Singh Bhullar as he took part in the changing of the guard at the London home of Queen Elizabeth II. Bhullar, a 25-year-old soldier with the Scots Guards regiment, was quoted by Britain's Press Association...
03:17 PM, Dec 12, 2012
London: A French magazine has reportedly published topless images of Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, who was holidaying with her husband Prince Williams in France. BBC reported that the images were blurry, but were clearly of the couple. Buckingham Palace has threatened legal action. The images come as an embarrassment to the Royal family after Prince Harry's nude images were leaked from a party in Las Vegas a few weeks...
05:25 PM, Sep 14, 2012
London: Want to drive around with the Queen in a Rolls Royce? Here's your chance, as the monarch has advertised for a chauffeur and all you need is a UK driving license and some "tact and diplomacy". An advertisement on the Royal Family's official website shows a vacancy has arisen within the Lord Chamberlain's Office for a driver based at Buckingham Palace. Candidates must have a full clean UK driving...
08:40 PM, Aug 15, 2012
He was presented with an honour in recognition of his outstanding sporting career and charity work. ...
09:38 PM, May 15, 2012
London: Come August, and the British Queen is to display royal diamonds at an exhibition in Buckingham Palace, to mark her 60 years on the throne, a report said. The exhibition, which will take place in August and September, will feature an unprecedented display of some of the Queen's personal gems, including those she is said to refer to affectionately as "my best diamonds". In fact, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee...
11:31 AM, Jan 03, 2012
London: Prince Harry, the third-in-line to the British throne, is all set to realise his long-held ambition of conquering Mount Everest this year, a report said. The 27-year-old Prince had dropped a broad hint about scaling the world's highest mountain in May this year at the end of his trek to the North Pole last year to raise money for 'Walking With the Wounded', a charity for wounded soldiers. Harry...
12:33 PM, Jan 01, 2012
London: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have finally left for their honeymoon to the Seychelles, known for its beautiful beaches and tropical seas. The newly-wed royals flew to Seychelles in a private jet Monday and will be there for a 10-day romantic break and will shell out 4,000 pounds-a-night for the villa they are staying in, reports contactmusic.com. A spokesman for St James's Palace said: "We are not confirming...
03:18 PM, May 10, 2011
London: Britain's Prince William and his new bride reveal their honeymoon destination on Saturday, after millions of people around the world tuned in to watch the couple tie the knot in a dazzling display of royal pageantry. The prince and Kate Middleton, his 29-year-old girlfriend of nearly a decade, married in London's historic Westminster Abbey on Friday in the biggest royal wedding for 30 years. A million cheering people crowded...
03:28 PM, Apr 30, 2011
A million people lined the procession route from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, many crying with joy, as Prince William wed Kate Middleton. An estimated 2 billion people tuned into the live broadcast in what may have been the most-viewed event in history. Would a big wedding in India generate as much frenzy as the British royal wedding?
12:30 PM, Apr 30, 2011
Though, the Confederation of the British Industry believes that an extra public holiday usually costs the economy around 6 billion pounds in lost output, the British government has said it hopes the day will give the UK a boost during a fragile economic recovery. ...
08:09 AM, Apr 30, 2011
London: It is the morning after the wedding of the decade. After all the pomp and pageantry of the event, the royal couple Prince William and Kate Middleton - now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - partied through the night with close friends and relatives. They were seen outside the Buckingham Palace, waving to spectators gathered outside the area on Friday. With not one but two kisses and tender...
07:25 AM, Apr 30, 2011
It is the big day as Prince William and Kate Middleton walk down the aisle at Westminster Abbey. Wish the royal couple on their special day.
09:01 AM, Apr 29, 2011
London: For some fans, no distance or discomfort is too great if the prize is a prime view of the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Some 200 people were already camped out on Thursday across the street from Westminster Abbey where the couple will tie the knot the following day. Dozens of tents have been set up, but despite a chilly breeze some fans are making do with...
08:45 AM, Apr 29, 2011
Just a day away from the big fat Royal Wedding, we get you an exclusive look at the royal menu from inside the palace. ...
09:52 PM, Apr 28, 2011
London: The Metropolitan police will deply nearly 5,000 officers on Friday, and promised a robust response to anyone or group seeking to disrupt the royal wedding's proceedings. Commander Christine Jones of the Metropolitan police said the force will ensure that the event is a 'safe, secure and happy event', and added that there was no specific threat so far. She said, "We would be wrong not to consider spontaneous protest...
10:41 PM, Apr 26, 2011
The biggest question on everyone's mind is what is the bride Kate Middleton going to wear. ...
08:38 AM, Apr 21, 2011
