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  1. #476
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    King Charles’ first political row is about Brexit because of course it is

    Less than six months into his reign, King Charles is at the center of a Brexity political storm.

    The U.K. monarch’s meeting Monday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen — on the day a long-awaited deal to put months of wrangling over post-Brexit trade was struck — sparked swift fury among Euroskeptic politicians, who saw it as a crude attempt to bump them into backing an agreement.

    “I cannot quite believe that No10 would ask HM the King to become involved in the finalising of a deal as controversial as this one,” tweeted Northern Ireland’s former First Minister Arlene Foster. The “crass” move would, she said, “go down very badly” in Northern Ireland.

    The U.K. sovereign is, according to the unwritten British constitution, meant to represent the whole country and steer well clear of politics (although as prince of Wales, Charles was seen to have sailed close to the wind).

    Both No. 10 Downing Street and the European Commission stressed that von der Leyen’s visit was separate from talks on the Northern Ireland protocol. The BBC and the Daily Mail both reported that the pair, who have met before, would discuss climate change and the war in Ukraine. A European Commission spokesperson said von der Leyen’s meeting with the king was “not part” of the Brexit protocol talks, and instead on “separate tracks of discussion.”

    But the move came on a day of highly-choreographed political theater, including a joint press conference between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and von der Leyen in Windsor, home to royal residence Windsor Palace. Brexiteers were quick to make what they saw as a link, and trained their fire on No. 10.

    “I think the sovereign should only be involved when things have been completed and accepted,” Jacob Rees-Mogg, a former Cabinet minister, told broadcaster GB News on Monday morning.

    He added: “The king gives assent to acts of parliament when parliament has agreed; he doesn’t express his view on acts of parliament when they are going through the process. I think the same applies, that his majesty should not be involved until there is full support for this agreement.”

    Nigel Farage, the former Brexit Party leader and ex-MEP, said it was “absolutely disgraceful” to “even ask the king to get involved in something that is overtly political in every way.”

    Before an official announcement came, Democratic Unionist Party MP Sammy Wilson branded the idea — first reported by Sky News on Friday evening — a “cynical use, or abuse of the king” that would only raise the temperature in Northern Ireland.

    Conflicting accounts about the genesis of the meeting were flying on Monday as the face-to-face was confirmed.

    A palace spokesman said the king was “pleased to meet any world leader if they are visiting Britain,” and stressed it is “the government’s advice that he should do so.”

    Downing Street pointed to the palace. Sunak’s official spokesman said Monday that meeting von der Leyen was “fundamentally” a decision for Buckingham Palace, but declined to say who had requested the sit-down.

    The prime minister “firmly believes it’s for the king to make those decisions,” the spokesman told reporters at the daily No. 10 press briefing.

    “It’s not uncommon for his majesty to accept invitations to meet certain leaders,” he added, pointing to Charles’ recent audiences with the presidents of Poland and Ukraine.

    Former Cabinet minister — and close ally of ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson — Nadine Dorries wasn’t buying it. “Either No10 is lying or Buckingham Palace,” she tweeted. “I know which one my money is on.”
    Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

  2. #477
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    King Charles hosting Ursula von der Leyen ‘not unusual’, insists minister




    The foreign secretary, James Cleverly, has rejected claims the king was drawn into political matters when meeting the European Commission president after a new Brexit deal was agreed.

    Ursula von der Leyen was welcomed to Windsor Castle on Monday, and took tea with King Charles.

  3. #478
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    King Charles Coronation Chair Undergoing Work Before Crowning Ceremony

    King Charles III will be crowned in a gilded chair whose storied history began more than 700 years ago.

    While the Coronation Chair has provided a centerpiece for the crownings of British monarchs including Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II, that doesn't mean it's survived unscathed since it was created around the year 1300.

    "It has suffered occasionally over its lifetime, there is graffiti on the back from local schoolboys and visitors carving their names in the 18th and 19th centuries, and a bomb attack in 1914 knocked a small corner off it," a Westminster Abbey official said in a release Wednesday. Among the letters carved into the chair: "P. Abbott slept in this chair 5-6 July 1800."

    Now, the chair is being cleaned and stabilized by Westminster Abbey conservator Krista Blessley ahead of the May 6 coronation.

    "Given its age and use, the chair is in remarkable condition and much of the original gilding survives," added the Abbey release about the chair, which is made of oak and was originally covered in gold leaf.

    "The completed work will be entirely invisible but will ensure the preservation of these historic decorative layers not just for the Coronation but for centuries to come," added the Abbey statement.

    Commissioned by King Edward I to house the Stone of the Scone (also known as the Stone of Destiny), the ancient coronation stone of Scottish kings, the chair is elaborately decorated with colored glass and painted patterns of birds, foliage and — suitably — a king.

    While the chair was decorated to look as though it was made of solid gold, the glittering facade features intricate tiny dots known as punchwork, and its base — replaced in the 18th century — is also gilded with lions at each corner.

    Visitors to the Abbey will be able to see the conservation work taking place on selected days in St. George's Chapel, located in the Abbey's Nave, according to the press release.

    Buckingham Palace announced in October that King Charles' coronation will take place on May 6, 2023, at Westminster Abbey. Queen Camilla will also be crowned at the same time.

    The date is earlier than widely speculated — many believed that Charles would pick a June date as a tribute to the month when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, had her 1953 coronation.

    Following nearly a thousand years of tradition, the service will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

    "The Coronation will reflect the monarch's role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in long standing traditions and pageantry," Buckingham Palace said in a statement.


    _____________

    In other news.

    Artists refuse to perform at King Charles' coronation

    ___________


    Quote Originally Posted by S Landreth View Post
    Was able to purchase a 2023 1 oz British Gold Britannia Coin (BU, King Charles Obverse) this morning. Should arrive, soon.
    It was here when I arrived.



  4. #479
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    The King and The Queen Consort will undertake State Visits to France and Germany

    The King and The Queen Consort’s first State Visit of the new reign, to France and Germany, will take place from Sunday 26th March to Friday 31st March 2023.

    The visit will celebrate Britain’s relationship with France and Germany, marking our shared histories, culture and values. It will also provide an opportunity to look forwards and demonstrate the many ways the U.K. is working in partnership with France and Germany, whether that be to tackle climate change; respond to the conflict in Ukraine; seize trade and investment opportunities or share the best of our arts and culture.

    As well as speaking to the strength of the U.K.’s bilateral relationships with France and Germany, Their Majesties’ visits will include engagements highlighting the importance of sustainability and community – key themes which have been embraced by citizens of all our countries. There will also be opportunities to reflect on the sacrifices and challenges of our shared past, out of which has come an enduring legacy of cooperation and reconciliation.

    The State Visit Programme

    Their Majesties will travel to France on Sunday 26th March until Wednesday 29th, undertaking engagements in Paris during that time and on Tuesday 28th, visiting Bordeaux. Highlights of their French programme will include:


    • The King and The Queen Consort will join President and Mrs. Macron for a ceremony of Remembrance and wreath laying at the Arc de Triomphe;
    • His Majesty will address Senators and members of the National Assembly at the French Senate;
    • Her Majesty, together with Mrs. Macron, will officially open the new Manet and Degas exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay;
    • Their Majesties will be guests of honour at a State Banquet hosted by President and Mrs. Macron at the Chateau de Versailles;
    • His Majesty will witness first-hand the devastation caused by last summer’s wildfires on the outskirts of Bordeaux, hearing from emergency workers and the local community about their experiences;
    • Their Majesties will mark the opening of the British Consulate in Bordeaux and meet members of the local French and British communities;
    • The Royal couple will tour an organic vineyard, which has pioneered a sustainable approach to wine making.


    Their Majesties will arrive in Berlin on Wednesday 29th March. On Thursday 30th, they will undertake engagements in Berlin and Brandenburg, before heading to Hamburg on Friday 31st March.
    In Germany, highlights of their programme include:


    • A ceremonial welcome by President Steinmeier and Frau Büdenbender at the Brandenburg Gate;
    • Their Majesties will be guests of honour at a State Banquet, hosted by the President and his wife at Schloss Bellevue;
    • His Majesty will address the Bundestag, the German Federal Parliament;
    • His Majesty will meet refugees recently arrived from Ukraine and hear about the support Germany provides for them;
    • Her Majesty, accompanied by Frau Büdenbender, will visit the Komische Oper in Berlin, to learn more about the opera company’s outreach projects and community engagement;
    • In Brandenburg, His Majesty will meet representatives from a joint German/U.K. military unit and see a demonstration of their bridge-building amphibious vehicles;
    • In Hamburg, Their Majesties will visit the St. Nikolai Memorial, the remains of a church which was destroyed when the Allies bombed the city during the Second World War. His Majesty and the President will lay wreaths during a short ceremony of remembrance.
    • His Majesty will learn more about the port of Hamburg’s adoption of green technologies, meeting representatives from some of the firms involved.
    • The King and The Queen Consort will attend a celebratory reception with Hamburg residents and members of the local British community, accompanied by the President and Frau Büdenbender, marking the end of their State Visit.

  5. #480
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    I see the ginger whinger is at it again.


  6. #481
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    Quote Originally Posted by S Landreth View Post
    King Charles III will be crowned in a gilded chair
    Finger on the pulse of society, understanding their pain . . . what a great leader.

  7. #482
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    King Charles III gives Duke of Edinburgh title to his brother Prince Edward on his birthday

    King Charles III marked his brother Prince Edward's birthday by giving him a new title. Already the Earl of Wessex and Forfar, Edward was given the title of Duke of Edinburgh, Buckingham Palace announced Friday.

    Prince Edward, who turned 59 on Friday, is the youngest of the late Queen Elizabeth II's children. The Dukedom of Edinburgh was last held by his father, Prince Philip, who was given the title when he married then-Princess Elizabeth, who was then the Duchess of Edinburgh. She then became the queen in 1952.

    When Elizabeth died in September 2022, her eldest son Charles immediately became the king. Edward will hold the Duke of Edinburgh title for the rest of his life, the statement from the royal family said.

    Prince Edward was first given the Earl of Wessex title when he married his wife, Sophie Rhys-Jones, in 1999, and the Earl of Forfar title in 2019 when he turned 55.

    Only four other members of the royal family have had the Dukedom of Edinburgh bestowed upon them: Prince Frederick, King George II's son, who was the first to hold the title (1726), Prince William, King George III's brother (1764), Prince Alfred, Queen Victoria's son (1866), and Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband (1947).

    Although Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, moved to the U.S. and stepped down as "working" members of the family, they have kept their titles, as has King Charles' other brother Prince Andrew, despite having many of his formal honors and patronages removed by the family in the wake of his legal battle over alleged sexual abuse.

    Prince Harry, who is fifth in line to the throne after his brother, Prince William and William's children. Harry and Meghan's children follow him in the line of succession. Harry's young children Archie and Lilibet have taken the titles of prince and princess, which they have been entitled to since their grandfather ascended the throne late last year.

    Eighth in line after the Sussex children is Prince Andrew. Prince Edward, the newly named Duke of Edinburgh, is 13th in line.

    Last year, King Charles III made a move to allow his youngest siblings — Prince Edward and Princess Anne — to stand in for him.

    Traditionally the four most senior royals and the sovereign's spouse can fill in for the monarch. When Charles became king, that list included his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort; his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry; his brother, Prince Andrew; and his niece, Princess Beatrice. Charles included his younger sister and brother because both Harry and Andrew have left their roles as senior working royals.




  8. #483
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    King Charles makes first appearance on special stamps

    The first special stamps bearing the head of King Charles are being released by the Royal Mail, with his silhouette appearing on a set showing popular garden flowers.

    These are likely to be the first stamps showing the King's profile that will be widely seen by the public.

    This replaces a design showing the Queen's head used continuously on commemorative stamps since 1968.

    Last month saw the final issue of a new set of stamps with the Queen's head.

    David Gold, of Royal Mail, said using pictures of flowers for this landmark set of stamps reflected the fact that the King was a "passionate gardener".

    The Royal Mail had previously revealed the design for new regular first and second class stamps showing King Charles.

    But those new stamps will not begin to appear regularly on letters until stocks run out of existing stamps showing the late Queen's head.

    It is not expected that the new King Charles versions of ordinary first and class stamps will start to be seen until next month.

    That means that the first visible change in stamps for the new reign will be these 10 flower stamps, showing back garden favourites such as rose, dahlia, sunflower and fuchsia.

    These flower stamps can be ordered from Tuesday, and will go on general release next week.

    This ends the use of the late Queen's head for commemorative stamps.

    It had appeared on stamps marking hundreds of events and themes, from Concorde to Christmas and Doctor Who to Thomas the Tank Engine.

    The long-term planning for such special stamps meant that the Royal Mail had continued with plans in the pipeline made before the Queen's death last September.

    But the last planned set, marking the centenary of the Flying Scotsman, was revealed in February. The silhouette of Charles will now appear on all such special issues.




    Royal Mail

  9. #484
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    King Charles knights Brian May, of rock group Queen, at Buckingham Palace




    King Charles III knighted Brian May, co-founder of the rock group Queen, during a Tuesday investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace, the royal family announced. In addition to his fame as a rock guitarist, May is also an astrophysicist.

    May, now formally known as Sir Brian May, was made a Knight Bachelor for his services to music and charity. Saxophonist YolanDa Brown was also honored at the Tuesday ceremony.

    Anita Dobson, May's wife, was also in attendance. On Instagram, May shared a photo showing King Charles laying a sword on his shoulder.

    "No words," May wrote.

    The rocker made King Charles' U.K. New Year Honours List at the end of 2022. The Investiture ceremony, which is when someone awarded an honor receives it in person from a member of the royal family, was held Tuesday.

    "I will do my very best to be worthy," May said after he was named to the list.

    Tuesday wasn't May's first trip to Buckingham Palace. In 2002, he performed "God Save the Queen" from the palace roof during a celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee. He also attended a Music Day at the palace in 2005. That same year, May was appointed as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.


    __________

    Big screens to show King Charles III coronation

    The coronation of King Charles III will be shown on big screens at locations across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, it has been announced.

    The King will be crowned at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6 May.

    Screens will be put up for people to watch it in Leeds, Hull, Huddersfield, Barnsley, Bradford, Halifax, Dewsbury, Wakefield, Barnsley and Lincoln.

    Culture secretary Lucy Frazer said they would help people come together to mark the "exciting and historic event".

    During the ceremony, which will be televised around the world, the King will be crowned alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort.

    The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it had made more than £1m available for the screens showing the coronation across the country.

    In Yorkshire, big screens showing the event will be located at:

    City Hall, Hull
    Trinity Market, Hull
    City Park, Bradford
    The Piece Hall, Halifax
    St Peter's Parish Church, Huddersfield
    Dewsbury Library
    Millennium Square, Leeds
    Pontefract Castle, Pontefract
    The Peace Gardens, Sheffield
    The Glass Works, Barnsley

    Lincoln Castle has also confirmed it will have a big screen to broadcast the event and the government said more venues are expected to be added to the list as the date of the coronation draws closer.

    There will also be a weekend of celebrations surrounding the coronation, including cultural festivals, live music and street parties to mark the occasion.

    An extra bank holiday will be held on Monday 8 May as part of the coronation celebrations.

    Buckingham Palace has announced a concert and laser light show at Windsor Castle on Sunday 7 May, which will be shown on the big screens at some locations.

  10. #485
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Jug Ears is skipping his trip to France because they're burning some more fucking sheep or something.

    King and Queen Consort's state visit to France postponed following violent protests | UK News | Sky News

  11. #486
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    King Charles III officially opens EBRD’s new HQ

    King Charles III has today officially opened the new headquarters of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London’s Canary Wharf district.

    The King unveiled a plaque commemorating his visit and met members of the Bank’s Board of Directors, senior management and members of the staff, including those from Ukraine and Türkiye, during his time at the new HQ.

    His Majesty was also presented with a landscape painting by a 16-year-old Ukrainian girl from Tarashcha from an exhibition organised by staff in aid of the Kids and Art for Ukraine charity.

    ’It was an honour to welcome His Majesty to our new home today,’ EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso said. ’His passionate advocacy for sustainable markets and the environment predates our Bank’s existence and has been an inspiration to many in the EBRD regions.’

    The EBRD was founded in 1991 at the end of the Cold War to build open market economies and promote private enterprise in the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

    As Prince of Wales, the King inaugurated the Bank’s previous headquarters in Bishopsgate in March 1993, nearly 30 years ago to the day. At the time he noted the EBRD’s important role in ‘generating and sustaining the right momentum’.

    The Bank has since expanded into new regions and is now active in 36 economies across three continents. Since its creation it has invested over €180 billion in more than 6,600 projects.

    For the last two years the EBRD has also invested more than half its annual business volume in the green economy and, as of the start of 2023, has aligned all its activities with the Paris Agreement.

    Its new headquarters reflect its commitment to green values. Its new home at Five Bank Street has been acknowledged as one of the most environmentally advanced buildings in the United Kingdom.

    It boasts features such as rooftop photovoltaic panels delivering almost 20,000 kWh/year, grey water recycling, a green wall, green and brown roofs as wildlife habitats, and extensive cycle parking and facilities.

    The 26-storey skyscraper, 12 floors of which are occupied by the Bank, is fully powered by renewable energy.

    The EBRD is also the largest institutional investor in Ukraine. Last year, under wartime conditions and responding to the country’s urgent needs, it deployed €1.7 billion there, plus almost €200 million more from partner banks.

    EBRD staff last year donated €313,000 to local charities in Ukraine and other countries affected by the war. The Bank’s Community Initiative has matched that sum with nearly €482,000 of its own.

    Some of the Bank’s Turkish members of staff were also able to meet His Majesty during his visit. The EBRD recently announced plans to invest up to €1.5 billion in Türkiye’s south-east over the next two years to address the impact of last month’s earthquakes.

    _____________

    In other news.

    Jamaica 'Moving Ahead' With Plan to Scrap King Charles' Monarchy

  12. #487
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    Fit for a King! Charles' old Land Rover Discovery sells for 12,000 at auction





    A Land Rover Discovery once owned by King Charles has sold for just over £12,000 at auction.

    The monarch, 74, had the Discovery 3 model delivered to the garage of Highgrove House in 2007 - when he was still the Prince of Wales.

    Since then, the all-purpose 4x4 went on to have two further owners and has covered almost 118,000 miles to date.

    The Tonga Green model - which is currently located in Ilminster, Somerset - is kitted out with heated front and rear leather seats as well as a cooled storage box.

    Over the past few days, the vehicle received over 50 bids - with the highest offer jumping from £5, 450 to £12,050 in the final hours of the sale.

    As part of the sale, the new owner will receive a letter George Hassall - the former Director of Royal and Diplomatic Affairs - wrote to Charles' Head Chauffeur Tim Williams.

    The correspondence outlines how the driver can obtain replacement glass and tires for the car and details of the user handbooks.

    The auctioneers Collecting Cars described the car as a 'a handsome example of the Land Rover Discovery 3, with excellent documented royal provenance.'

    King Charles has owned several Land Rovers in the past few decades and his late father Prince Philip was particularly fond of the 4x4s.

    The Duke of Edinburgh spent 16 years working on his custom-made Land Rover Defender TD5 130 chassis cab - which was used to carry his coffin at his funeral in April 2021.

    Along with modifying the open-top rear, Philip also requested that the original Belize Green paintwork was changed to Dark Bronze Green like those used by the armed forces.

    In 2013, King Charles happily got behind the wheel of his Land Rover while on a visit to Kitridding Farm, near Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria.

    The car firm had teamed up with Charles' Countryside Fund to offer five Freelander 2 vehicles for a year to individuals and groups who can prove they can put it to good use for the benefit of their community.

    Launching the scheme, the Prince showed off his driving skills as he drove one of the vehicles on a mini-Terrapod that uses a combination of steep slopes, low friction surfaces and other obstacles to emphasise the grip and traction abilities of the vehicle.

    He gushed at the time: 'I want to use this opportunity to express my warmest possible gratitude to Land Rover for their really remarkable generosity in ensuring we now have this splendid scheme.

    'This is a wonderful act of generosity. It is the sort of willingness to become involved on the part of different companies which can make such a fantastic difference, above all in ensuring we can maintain the priceless national asset which is our precious countryside. In particular, the upland areas which tends to be the ones that visitors want to go to - millions of them every year.'

    This isn't the first time one of Charles' old vehicles has gone up for sale.

    In 2019, the royal's six-litre Aston Martin convertible - which reaches speeds of 175mph - went on sale for a staggering £275,000.

    ___________

    In other news

    Who is attending King Charles’ coronation?

  13. #488
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    Is this the one his idiotic father ran into a woman with?

  14. #489
    Days Work Done! Norton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    Is this the one his idiotic father ran into a woman with?
    Nope. Phillip's Range Rover a much newer model.

    prince philip car accident - Google Search

  15. #490
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    King Charles visits Germany in first foreign visit as UK monarch

    King Charles III has spoken of the “enduring value” of the relationship between the United Kingdom and Germany during his first state visit abroad since ascending the throne last year.

    Charles and Camilla, the Queen consort, received a 21-gun salute after landing at Berlin’s government airport in the early afternoon on Wednesday, as two military jets performed a flyover. The initial leg of the trip to France was delayed.

    “I have been struck by the warmth of the friendship between our nations,” Charles said in a speech, delivered partly in German, at a state banquet in the German capital hosted by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

    Highlighting the “generosity of spirit of the German people”, the British monarch paid tribute to the nation’s hospitality in hosting more than one million Ukrainian refugees.

    In his ongoing focus on sustainability, Charles credited German expertise in organic farming as “greatly improving my own farms and soil”.

    Steinmeier and his wife Elke Budenbender met the British royals at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate and then accompanied and hosted them at a white-tie dinner at Schloss Bellevue, the German president’s official residence.

    “Today, exactly six years after Britain started its exit from the European Union, we are opening a new chapter in our relations,” Steinmeier said.

    Charles greeted hundreds of well-wishers lining the historic square and waving German and UK flags, after listening to a rendition of the national anthem and watching as soldiers hoisted up the UK flag on a mast.

    Underscoring Charles’s interest in environmental causes, one of his first engagements in Berlin was a forum on sustainability, addressing matters from hydrogen and renewables to industrial decarbonisation, according to Buckingham Palace.

    There, he met German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock from the Greens party, a junior partner in the country’s three-way coalition, as well as business leaders, academics and civil society representatives.

    “Today, we friends and partners, we are looking forwards – and that’s why we are starting this state visit very consciously with a topic that is decisive for our future on this planet,” said Steinmeier.

    He said he was grateful that Charles had become involved in these issues early on. “We also benefit from your conviction today, your Majesty,” said Steinmeier.

    On Thursday, the king is scheduled to give a speech to the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament. He will also meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz, talk to Ukrainian refugees, and meet UK and German military personnel working on joint projects. In the afternoon, he will visit an organic farm outside Berlin.

    Charles, 74, who ascended the throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September, is set to be crowned on May 6. He had initially planned to first visit France but the first leg of his trip was cancelled due to the large-scale protests over planned pension changes there.

    The visit to EU powerhouses France and Germany was designed to underscore UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s efforts to rebuild relations with the bloc after the UK’s exit as well as their shared history as they combat Russia’s military action in Ukraine.

    Sunak hopes goodwill created by a royal visit can help pave the way for progress on other issues post-Brexit, including the UK’s return to an EU programme that funds scientific research across Europe.

    In Germany, the king faces the first big test of whether he can win hearts and minds abroad, just as his mother did for seven decades, and become an effective conduit for the “soft power” the House of Windsor has traditionally wielded.

    The visit will also be an opportunity to highlight the causes he holds dear, like sustainability and the environment.

    The royal couple plan to go to Hamburg on Friday, where they will attend a green energy event and visit the Kindertransport memorial for Jewish children who fled from Germany to the UK during the Third Reich, before returning to the UK.

    __________

    King Charles plants tree
    in memory of Queen with German president during Berlin visit

    __________

    First portrait of King Charles III released




    The first portrait of King Charles since he took the throne has been revealed.

    Painted in oils by artist Alastair Barford, the image depicts His Majesty wearing a blue suit, white shirt, pink tie and pocket square with his hand resting casually in his jacket pocket.

    Though not an official portrait, it is the first commissioned portrait of the King to be unveiled since he became monarch.

    Mr Barford said he wanted to capture a "personal and intimate" image of His Majesty, which is why he depicted him in a suit rather than ceremonial robes.

    The 35 year old, who also painted the late Queen in 2015, completed the portrait in just two weeks, which he described as a "huge challenge".

  16. #491
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    ^ That's the second portrait with KC wearing that Amazonian bracelet and yet I have never seen him actually wear it in public.

  17. #492
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    ^from the artist

    King shown wearing bracelet from indigenous Amazon leader in new portrait

    A new portrait of King Charles III depicts his “warmth” and “empathy” and shows him wearing a bracelet given to him by an indigenous Amazon leader, the artist has said.

    Alastair Barford said he wanted to capture Charles’s “sensitivity” in the oil painting, with the inclusion of the bracelet a nod to his environmental campaigning.

    The picture was commissioned by the Illustrated London News for its special coronation edition, which is on sale from Thursday.

    Charles did not sit for the portrait, but Barford attended a biodiversity reception at Buckingham Palace and spent around an hour and a half observing the King as he greeted guests.

    He said of his work: “I wanted it to be more about the man and less about the role so I was trying to capture something of a warmth and an empathy which I saw in his interactions with those people when I was there.

    “I felt that there was a sort of a sensitivity.”

    Charles was presented with a necklace made from seeds – symbolic of an alliance between the King and indigenous people – and a bracelet by Domingo Peas, leader of the Achuar Nation of the Ecuadorian Amazon, at the Palace reception in February.

    Barford said: “I thought it was really nice to leave the bracelet in as a nod to the event and a nod to his interest in environmental matters.”

    The artist, from Bridport in Dorset, was also commissioned by Illustrated London News to paint the late Queen in 2015.

  18. #493
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    An excellent speech by King Charles in the Bundestag today and a well earned standing ovation.

  19. #494
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    ^I haven’t had the chance to listen to much of it yet, but it does seem that he was well received





    King Charles avoids mention of Brexit in speech to German parliament

    King Charles said he wanted to “renew the special bond of friendship” between the UK and Germany, without mentioning the B-word that has caused the friendship to grow cold in recent years, as he addressed the Bundestag in Berlin on Thursday.

    The monarch’s speech in front of Germany’s federal parliament was the first by a non-elected head of state. It was pitched as a celebration of cultural commonalities and joint ventures past and present – from a shared love of music and comedy to energy and security cooperation – and an attempt to repair ties that have fractured since the Brexit vote seven years ago.

    “Great Britain and Germany are, and will remain, close allies and trusting partners, even after the decision to leave the European Union,” said the Bundestag’s president, Bärbel Bas, in her introduction, but Charles III did not pick up the baton. In his 25-minute speech, he declined to mention Brexit or the EU.

    Instead, the king thanked the German people for their condolences on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, “who had held a special place in German hearts”, and spoke of the role she had played in the reconciliation process that brought the two countries together again after the second world war.

    In a stopgap history that covered the Hanseatic League, Shakespeare, football rivalries, Kraftwerk and the Beatles, the king also highlighted Anglo-German leadership on offshore wind-power production and material and financial support for Ukraine’s defensive war against Russia.

    “Germany’s decision to give Ukraine such great military support is considerably brave, important and welcome,” Charles said.

    Switching repeatedly between his English tongue and the German language spoken fluently by his late father, he only occasionally stumbled over unwieldy compounds such as Rechenschaftspflicht (“accountability”). It might have helped if an aide had pointed out that there is no “sh” sound in Bundestag.

    At a gala dinner at Bellevue Palace on Wednesday night, the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, described the king’s decision to visit Germany ahead of his coronation as not just a great personal statement but a “strong European gesture”. “It means a lot to me, a lot to us Germans,” he said.

    The German head of state tried to repay the gesture to his British counterpart by putting on an evening full of the kind of formal pageantry that is a relatively rare sight in the comfortably dishevelled metropolis on the river Spree.

    King Charles says Germany and UK have shared future in speech to Bundestag

  20. #495
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    King Charles at Hamburg memorial for Allied wartime air raids

    King Charles stood shoulder to shoulder with Germany's president as he remembered those who died in Allied bombings in Hamburg in World War Two.

    On the third day of his state visit, the King laid a wreath at the ruins of St Nikolai church as a symbol of reconciliation.

    The church was preserved as a memorial to the heavy air raids carried out by US and British air forces 80 years ago.

    On Thursday, the King also made a speech about healing wartime divisions.

    During the service on Friday, a choir sang and there were readings in the remains of the 19th Century church.

    That included a reference to "remembering those who perished in the Allied bombing of Hamburg in 1943".

    A display at the site recalls that 34,000 people died in a series of air raids in the intense bombing and firestorms that followed in the city in July 1943.

    There was also a description of prisoners from a Nazi concentration camp who were forced to carry out the salvage and clearing operation after the raids.

    King Charles laid a black and red wreath with the inscription "In everlasting remembrance" and the Queen Consort Camilla laid a white rose on the steps beside it.

    They were accompanied by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, on a state visit that has sought to acknowledge the past but commit to a stronger future partnership.

    The roofless church is now only a skeleton of its former self, but it had been designed by the English architect, George Gilbert Scott.

    The same architect had designed the Albert Memorial in London, built in honour of the King's German ancestor Prince Albert.

    But the high Gothic steeple of the church had been used as a navigation aid for bomber pilots and much of the church was destroyed.

    Readings at St Nikolai spoke of setting grievances aside and avoiding the "hatred that divides nations from nations".

    As with other parts of the state visit, there was tight security, with a police helicopter flying overhead as the choir sang.

    The royal couple had travelled by train from Berlin to Hamburg, Germany's second-largest city - and on their arrival visited a memorial to the Kindertransport, in which thousands of Jewish children were rescued from the Nazis and brought as refugees to Britain.

    There was also a visit to Hamburg's city hall and an event at which the King heard about efforts to develop green technologies.

    This was the final day of a three-day state visit to Germany, the first of the reign of King Charles.

    In speeches and events he delivered a message of needing to strengthen relations between Britain and Germany, against shared challenges such as the war in Ukraine and tackling climate change.




    Extra


  21. #496
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    New-found respect for the man.

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    Coronation invitations issued by King Charles and 'Queen Camilla'

    The first glimpse of the coronation invitation shows the official use of "Queen Camilla", marking the transition from the title of "Queen Consort".

    The ornately illustrated invitation, sent to about 2,000 guests, is from "King Charles III and Queen Camilla".




    Her grandchildren will be among the pages at Westminster Abbey, alongside the King's grandson, Prince George.

    With a month to go before the coronation, a new official photo of the royal couple has also been released.

    The invitation for the 6 May coronation, printed on recycled paper, shows the coronation will mark a change in how Camilla is titled.

    A royal source suggested that in the initial part of the new reign it made sense to use "Queen Consort" as a way of distinguishing her from the late Queen Elizabeth. But from the coronation it would be an "appropriate time" to officially change to "Queen Camilla".

    At the coronation service next month, Camilla will be crowned alongside the King, 18 years after the couple married.

    And it is not much more than a year since the late Queen Elizabeth had addressed what was still the unresolved question of Camilla's future title.

    The late Queen had given a public endorsement for Camilla, saying she should be called Queen Consort, at a time when there were still suggestions that she would be known as a Princess Consort.

    Reflecting the King's many years of environmental campaigning, the artwork for the coronation invitation uses the folklore figure of the "green man", with features made from ivy, hawthorn and oak leaves.

    According to Buckingham Palace it is a symbol of spring and rebirth which celebrates a new reign.

    The design by illustrator Andrew Jamieson also includes images of the natural world, including wildflowers, birds and insects, as well as national and heraldic emblems.



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    King Charles and Queen Consort join first Easter coins ceremony of reign

    King Charles has taken part in a centuries-old Easter tradition for the first time since becoming monarch.

    He and the Queen Consort handed out specially minted coins at York Minster during a day of visits in the region.

    The pouches contained a coin celebrating the King's upcoming 75th birthday, and one marking the 75th anniversary of the Windrush generation.

    The tradition of kings and queens distributing gifts on Maundy Thursday dates back to AD600.

    The King waved to crowds as he arrived at the medieval cathedral, while a smaller group of protesters holding up placards reading 'Not my King' jeered as the royal car passed.

    The monarch and the Queen Consort were handed a traditional small bouquet of flowers as they entered the cathedral for a service marking the important Holy Week date, which commemorates Jesus washing his disciples' feet and the Last Supper.

    The royal couple were also expected to formally open the Minster's new Refectory Restaurant as part of their visit, which is on the site of a former school that was forced to close in 2020 due to financial difficulties.

    The Maundy Money ceremony takes place each year on the Thursday before Easter Sunday, with special coins given to one man and one woman chosen for each year the monarch has lived - 148 in this instance.

    A white purse contained silver Maundy coins equivalent in value to the age of the King.

    A red purse contained two commemorative coins, which symbolise the sovereign's historic gift of food and clothing.

    The first recorded distribution of Maundy money took place at Knaresborough in North Yorkshire by King John in 1210.

    Queen Elizabeth II decided the traditional ceremony should take place in a different Anglican cathedral each year, to ensure it was not always held in London.

    The coin-giving ceremony has been held at York Minster on two previous occasions by the late Queen, on 5 April 2012 and 30 March 1972.

    The archbishop said the monarch's visit was a "joy," especially given that the final choice of location for the Maundy service rests with the King.

    "We weren't really expecting this, we were delighted because it's his choice where he comes," he said.


  25. #500
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    Thumbs up

    Can someone translate from the Battenburgische-SexCoburger Beobacther

    "Kong Karl der dritte nit hatte Hausfrau Keppelhure geknobt, wahrendaway Earer Bruder Anders bezahlt Jeffrey Einshag und Jizzlane Mixwell fur Kindershageggen" Oberpflz Kurier erklart er sagt in Berlin "Ich bin ein Tampon"

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