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The powerful Habsburg dynasty that ruled Spain for nearly 200 years came to an abrupt end in 1700 with the death of King Charles II, who left no heirs to the throne. The termination of that royal lineage may be the result of frequent inbreeding of the line, which may have left Charles II ill and infertile, a new study suggests. .... Historical data show that "in order to keep their heritage in their own hands, the Spanish Habsburgs began to intermarry more and more frequently among themselves," the authors of the new study wrote. Records show that the Spanish...

Amman, Jordan - At a critical juncture in the Arab-Israeli peace process, President Obama on Tuesday underscored his commitment to a two-state solution in his first private meeting with an Arab leader since taking office. King Abdullah II of Jordan, who arrived at the White House on Tuesday morning, in many ways represented the agenda of his allies in the Middle East. While many Arabs are hopeful that Mr. Obama's administration will turn a new page in the region, they have been waiting for the new president to clarify to what extent he will depart from his predecessor's policies. Top...

April 16, 2009 Raffles Hotel put on market as Prince Alwaleed attempts to stop wealth draining away Dominic Walsh A byword for colonial grandeur, and a favourite watering hole of such literary luminaries as Somerset Maugham, Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling, Raffles Hotel, home to the Singapore Sling cocktail, has been put up for sale for up to $450 million (£300 million). Apparently, the hotel's owner, Prince Alwaleed of Saudi Arabia, is feeling the pinch. The Times understands that Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, in which the Prince's Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) has a controlling stake, is seeking buyers for its...

Did he or didn't he? Did President Obama bow to Saudi King Abdullah at the G-20 meeting in London? That question is creating a bit of a dust-up in the blogosphere. The brouhaha reminds me of the tsk-tsking a few years back when President George W. Bush was photographed holding hands with then-Crown Prince Abdullah. I'm uncomfortable with images of hand-holding and something that looks like a bow. But let's face it -- no one would be bowing, holding hands or in other ways showering obsequious shows of respect on this monarch if Saudi Arabia weren't sitting on the world's...

I never imagined I’d say it, but I’m beginning to identify with Barack Obama. I’m certainly not referring to his politics or his narcissism, but it seems that both of us really suck when it comes to gift giving. First, he gave Prime Minister Gordon Brown some DVDs that were incompatible with English electronics, and then he gave Queen Elizabeth an iPod that contained his speeches. Well, I hate to admit it, but I can empathize. Shopping for a prime minister has got to be hard enough, but trying to shop for a woman who has her own country would...

So far, the media has remained entirely silent on Barack Obama’s deep-waist bow to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. They used to defend American protocol a lot more closely, as The Anchoress discovered in doing research on the subject. The New York Times sharply criticized Bill Clinton for a mere inclination of his shoulders towards Japanese Emperor Aikihito in 1994: It wasn’t a bow, exactly. But Mr. Clinton came close. He inclined his head and shoulders forward, he pressed his hands together. It lasted no longer than a snapshot, but the image on the South Lawn was indelible: an obsequent...

Footage has emerged of the Queen appearing to express mild irritation at Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for being too noisy. The incident took place as the Queen posed with world leaders from the G20 summit in the traditional "family" photograph at Buckingham Palace. Mr Berlusconi then shouted "Mr Obama", prompting Her Majesty to turn around in mock frustration at the noise. Buckingham Palace have denied that any offence was taken by the Queen. The footage has been placed on the YouTube website and has quickly proved to be a popular clip. 'Loud and jolly' A palace spokeswoman said the...

President Barack Obama has stirred yet another controversy when he appeared to bow to the King of Saudi Arabia during the recent G20 Economic Summit. The appropriateness of an elected President bowing before an absolute monarch has been questioned. The writer Mark Steyn suggested, rather caustically, "So let me see if I understand American protocol in the age of Obama: The First Lady hugs Queen Elizabeth as if she's some granny at a seniors' center photo-op, but the President of this republic prostrates himself before King Abdullah as if he's a subject of the Saudi pseudo-Crown." While the behavior of...

But the bigger headline came out of the reception that Buckingham Palace threw for leaders attending the G-20 summit in London. It was there that Elizabeth rested her hand on Michelle Obama's back.

Obama Bows in obeyance to the King of Saudi Arabia. Seems that Obama has more respect for the King of Saudi Arabi than he does for the Queen of England. Surely he did not give the King an IPod, but something more in line with diplomatic protocol.

Protocol seems to be dispensed with when the Obamas come to town. Michelle Obama and the Queen slipped their arms around each other towards the end of a reception at Buckingham Palace held in honor of the G20 leaders and their wives. The president and his wife appeared very relaxed in the company of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh from the start.

The rules are set in stone, and so the eagerly watching British media sputtered when the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, briefly put her hand on the back of Queen Elizabeth II as the two chatted at a reception. Etiquette is quite stern about this ("Whatever you do, don't touch the Queen!"). In 2007 John Howard, then Prime Minister of Australia, got plenty of criticism for apparently putting his arm around the Queen to direct her through a crowd. He denied actually touching her, but photographs suggest that he came quite close. (Another former Australian Prime Minister...

Picture of Obama bowing to Saudi King

The new Saudi king has ordered citizens not to kiss his hand, saying the traditional gesture of respect is degrading and violates Islam. "Kissing hands is alien to our values and morals, and is not accepted by free and noble souls," Abdullah told a delegation from Baha, in southwest Saudi Arabia, which came to the royal palace to offer congratulations on his accession. "It also leads to bowing, which is a violation of God's law. The faithful bow to no one but God."

Raymond P. Martinez (Chief of Protocol): Good afternoon everyone. Thank you very much for having me on “Ask the White House.” I look forward to talking with you today about the Office of the Chief of Protocol and what our role is for the President. We are responsible for many activities including the planning, hosting, and officiating of ceremonial events for visiting chiefs of state and heads of government, as well as coordinating logistics for the visits. We also manage Blair House, the President's guesthouse, and oversee all protocol matters for Presidential, Vice Presidential and Presidential delegation trips abroad. As...

LONDON – Michelle Obama's meeting with Queen Elizabeth II began with a handshake and ended in a hug. The first lady arrived Wednesday with President Barack Obama. After separate meetings on the eve of the G-20 summit, the couple attended an evening reception for world leaders hosted by the queen. Mrs. Obama clearly made an impression with the 82-year-old monarch — so much that the smiling queen strayed slightly from protocol and briefly wrapped her arm around the first lady in a rare public show of affection. It was the first time Mrs. Obama — who is nearly a foot...

April 02, 2009Obama bows down to Saudi KingClarice Feldman I am quite certain that this is not the protocol, and is most unbecoming a President of the United States.

Loyal to Liberty An article on the games of the ninth Olympiad in the Encyclopedia of the modern Olympic Games takes note of the following: "The American team was also watched closely for their etiquette as they marched passed the reviewing stand. Led by AOC head MacArthur, the Yankee squad continued the American custom of refusing to bow to or salute any foreign monarch…" Since he is no Olympian, when Barack Obama met with the King of Saudi Arabia recently he proffered what might be interpreted as a deep and unmistakeable bow. Whatever the eventual excuse given for this apparent...

The exact definition of “Dhimmi”, a term which we talk about all the time on this blog, is: Dhimmi was the name applied by the Arab-Muslim conquerors to indigenous non-Muslim populations who surrendered by a treaty (dhimma) to Muslim domination The President of the United States Barack Obama (C back to camera) greets King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (C) before the official G20 leaders photograph with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on April 1, 2009 in London, England. Obama is on his first trip to the UK as President and will be attending G20 world leaders’ summit dedicated to...

President and First Lady Obama gave Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II a video iPod with inscription, songs uploaded and accessories, plus a rare musical songbook signed by Richard Rodgers. Uploaded onto the iPod: * Photos from the Queen's 2007 White House State Visit * Photos from the Queen's 2007 Jamestown, Va., Visit * Photos from the Queen's 2007 Richmond, Va., Visit * Video from the Queen's 1957 Jamestown Visit * Video from the Queen's 2007 Jamestown Visit * Video from the Queen's 2007 Richmond Visit * Photos from President Obama's Inauguration * Audio of then-state senator Obama's speech at...

In addition to an IPOD (see source for list of items on it, then hang your head in shame for America), there was this: Britain's Press Association reports that the Royal couple gave the Obamas "a silver-framed, signed photograph of themselves."

Michelle Obama, the 9 foot goon with guns-for-arms, offends the Queen! Would anyone expect anything less? Jackie Kennedy, whom the MSM want to reincarnate in Michelle Obama, would never have been so UN-etiquette-ical.

So instead of an Ivy League Billy Dee Williams we got Fred Sanford handing out Ripple deluxe instead. NIce.

AMERICA'S First Lady has cosied up to the Queen as Prince Philip once again put his foot in his mouth when the Obamas visited Buckingham Palace. Barack and Michelle Obama met with the Queen her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, ahead of a reception for other G20 leaders and international organisations. Prince Philip latest gaffe came after Mr Obama said: “I had breakfast with the Prime Minister, meetings with the Chinese, the Russians, David Cameron...” Prince Philip replied: “Can you tell the difference between them?" The Independent said Philip had "displayed his uncanny knack for leaving his mark on a...

President Barack Obama met Queen Elizabeth II and presented her with an iPod that was pre-loaded with a video of the first lady’s 30-minute arm-toning routine, complete with the peppy Broadway show tunes that keep MO motivated to go for the burn. Perhaps her expectations lowered by the gift of state presented to PM Gordon Brown, the Queen didn’t exactly go all out either: She gave the Obamas the same signed portrait of herself and Prince Philip that everyone else gets.

The rules are set in stone, and so the eagerly watching British media sputtered when the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, briefly put her hand on the back of Queen Elizabeth II as the two chatted at a reception. Etiquette is quite stern about this ("Whatever you do, don't touch the Queen!"). In 2007 John Howard, then Prime Minister of Australia, got plenty of criticism for apparently putting his arm around the Queen to direct her through a crowd. He denied actually touching her, but photographs suggest that he came quite close. (Another former Australian Prime Minister...

CNN correspondent Alina Cho loaded the regal language into her report on Wednesday’s American Morning about Europe’s “apparent love affair” with Michelle Obama. Besides the obligatory Jackie Kennedy references, Cho gave a preview of the first lady’s tea with Queen Elizabeth II: “On today’s schedule: tea with the queen, and insiders say the queen and America’s queen bee will be fast friends.” The correspondent even compared Mrs. Obama to Princess Diana. She also referred to the Obamas as the “royal family of the United States.” Cho began her report by hyping the first lady’s popularity, how it apparently isn’t exclusive...

Hey, you never know when Hopenchange fee-vah might strike. She could be sitting there, listening to show tunes, and suddenly think, “You know what I’m in the mood for? Obama’s 2004 convention speech.” Only a quick menu-scroll away. And to think, you guys thought this gift wasn’t special. Uploaded onto the iPod: * Photos from the Queen’s 2007 White House State Visit * Photos from the Queen’s 2007 Jamestown, Va., Visit * Photos from the Queen’s 2007 Richmond, Va., Visit * Video from the Queen’s 1957 Jamestown Visit * Video from the Queen’s 2007 Jamestown Visit * Video from the...

Barack Obama met the Queen at Buckingham Palace today and gave her a gift of an iPod loaded with video footage and photographs of her 2007 United States visit to Richmond, Jamestown and Williamsburg in Virginia. In return, the Queen gave the President a silver framed signed photograph of herself and the Duke of Edinburgh - apparently a standard present for visiting dignitaries.

On her first visit to Britain since husband Barack became US president, Michelle Obama dazzled London with her signature classic style Wednesday, leading one newspaper to dub her "Mighty Michelle". The First Lady accompanied her husband to Downing Street first thing for breakfast with British premier Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah before the men discussed Thursday's G20 summit and the women visited a cancer care centre. Later, she was to meet "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling when she sits next to her at a pre-summit dinner. Michelle Obama's understated chic has injected a welcome dash of class into the...

LONDON (AP) — President Barack Obama has arrived at Buckingham Palace for a private meeting with Queen Elizabeth II. Several thousand well-wishers crowded the traffic circle in front of the gated palace on Wednesday to cheer and wave as the limousine carrying Obama and first lady Michelle Obama rolled past.

Obama gives Queen an iPod @ 1:25 pm by Eric Zimmermann President Obama has reportedly given the Queen of England an iPod during his visit to Buckingham Palace. The iPod contains video of the Queen's visit to the United States in 2007. In return, the Queen presented Obama with a framed photograph of her husband and herself, the same gift she gives to all visiting dignataries.

Barack Obama met the Queen at Buckingham Palace today and gave her a gift of an iPod loaded with video footage and photographs of her 2007 United States visit to the Richmond, Jamestown and Williamsburg in Virginia. In return, the Queen gave the President a silver framed signed photograph of herself and the Duke of Edinburgh - apparently a standard present for visiting dignitaries. The Queen already has an iPod, a 6GB silver Mini version she bought in 2005 at the suggestion of Prince Andrew. UPDATE: Pool reporter Richard Wolf of USA Today says that an Obama aide told him...

Barack Obama met the Queen at Buckingham Palace today and gave her a gift of an iPod loaded with video footage and photographs of her 2007 United States visit to the Richmond, Jamestown and Williamsburg in Virginia. In return, the Queen gave the President a silver framed signed photograph of herself and the Duke of Edinburgh - apparently a standard present for visiting dignitaries. The Queen already has an iPod, a 6GB silver Mini version she bought in 2005 at the suggestion of Prince Andrew. Earlier, Mr Obama had spoken of his admiration for Her Majesty but indicated that his...

LONDON – President Barack Obama has arrived at Buckingham Palace for a private meeting with Queen Elizabeth II. Several thousand well-wishers crowded the traffic circle in front of the gated palace on Wednesday to cheer and wave as the limousine carrying Obama and first lady Michelle Obama rolled past. On the eve of a global economic summit, Obama promised world leaders he would listen, not lecture, as they seek a common fix to the financial crisis. "We can only meet this challenge together," he said Wednesday as the U.S. and Russia spoke on the summit sidelines about nuclear warhead reduction....

This just in: Diplomatic jaws dropped across the continent yesterday when it was revealed that U.S. President Barack Obama had, once again, fumbled a routine protocal of international statecraft: finding the right gift for a foreign leader or head of state. In a private ceremony with Queen Elizabeth, Her Royal Highness bequeathed to the Obamas one of the earliest known copies of William Shakespeare's Henry V. She also presented him with the framed orginal sheet music of John Newton's "Amazing Grace." To the Obama daughters, the Queen gave a dollhouse-sized replica of Windsor Castle with a functioning train station in...

President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle arrived in Britain last night to bring some glamour to the G20 summit of world leaders. The Presidential plane, Air Force One, touched down at Stansted just before 8pm for Mr Obama's first official visit to Europe. A crowd of well-wishers, many waving U.S. flags, had gathered in the cold to welcome the couple Hand in hand, they waved from the steps of the Boeing 747, the First Lady wearing a bright yellow dress and the President in a dark suit and spotted tie. They were greeted by Chancellor Alistair Darling - and...

The gifts have been selected with extra care, protocol lessons on royal etiquette are being delivered and a week's wardrobe of casual and formal attire set aside for a first lady who is also an international style icon. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle head to London on Tuesday to start their first overseas tour in office, accompanied by an entourage of several hundred aides, advisors, secret service agents and bodyguards and an imported cavalcade of armoured vehicles and helicopters. A visit to Buckingham Palace on Wednesday afternoon is the formal showpiece of a packed working schedule of back-to-back...

Last week Prince Charles said that our current financial crisis was “nothing ” compared to the horrors of global warming. This week he says it is “depressing” that his ravings about climate change have not been heeded. Prince Charles is flying around South America in a private jet and giving speeches about being depressed about global warming. Yes he is. Really. This from Agence France-Presse: Prince Charles said he finds it "depressing" that his frequent warnings over climate change have not been heeded. The Prince of Wales added, though, that he was "delighted'' that it seemed people had begun to...

Last Catholic Monarchy Euthanized Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg Silenced! Brian McCall REMNANT COLUMNIST, Oklahoma   (Posted 03/20/09 www.RemnantNewspaper.com) The last act of the French Revolution came to a close on March 12, 2009, but hardly anyone was watching.  The demonic forces unleashed over two hundred years ago took on the aim of destroying all monarchial authority in Europe.  The rulers of the once Christian nations of Europe, or at least their governing authority, had all been executed, except for the tine nation of Luxembourg.  On March 12, without much fanfare, the parliament of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg...

Prince Charles has been accused of exploiting the public in times of hardship by launching what a leading scientist calls a "dodgy" detox mix. Edzard Ernst, the UK's first professor of complementary medicine, said the Duchy Originals detox tincture was based on "outright quackery". There was no scientific evidence to show that detox products work, he said. Duchy Originals says the product is a "natural aid to digestion and supports the body's elimination processes". But Professor Ernst of Peninsula Medical School said Prince Charles and his advisers appeared to be deliberately ignoring science, preferring "to rely on 'make-believe' and superstition"....

"China's last eunuch was tormented and impoverished in youth, punished in revolutionary China for his role as the "Emperor's slave" but finally feted and valued, largely for outlasting his peers to become a unique relic, a piece of "living history." He had stories of the tortuous rituals of the Forbidden City, Emperor Pu Yi's last moments there and the troubled puppet court run by the Japanese during the 1930s. He escaped back to the heart of a civil war, became a Communist official and then a target of radical leftists before being finally left in peace. This turbulent life has...

Sky News: It was more of an enthusiastic jive than a samba but the Prince's impromptu performance proved quite a hit with the crowd who clapped and cheered him on.

LONDON: The security cover for Britain's Princes William and Harry has been stepped up over fears that IRA terrorists are plotting to assassinate the royals, a news report said on Sunday. Scotland Yard fears the Princes, who are officers in the British Army, are prize targets for Irish Republican Army (IRA). The number of close protection officers guarding the two royals on each shift has been increased, Britain's Sunday Express reported today. The threat level has been upgraded following the murders of two soldiers and a police officer in Northern Ireland. "The Princes are regarded as legitimate targets by these...

With the economy in crisis, millions of Britons are scaling back their holiday plans this year, if they haven’t abandoned the idea completely. But Prince William doesn’t seem too concerned with tightening his belt – he has just booked a romantic £40,000 Alpine getaway with his girlfriend Kate Middleton. He is whisking her off to Klosters, the exclusive Swiss ski resort where the Royals normally spend their Easter, but this year – for a change – his father isn’t coming along.

THE current global financial crisis is "nothing" compared to the impact of climate change, Prince Charles warned as he called for urgent environmental protection measures. "We are, I fear, at a defining moment in the world's history," he told a meeting of Brazilian business leaders and officials in Rio de Janeiro halfway through a Latin America tour. "The global recession is far worse than any seen for generations," he said, adding that growing demand for energy and food created the potential for "political uncertainty in every continent". But, worse, he said, was that "the threat of catastrophic climate change calls...

Queen Charlotte was the wife of George III and, like him, of German descent. But did she also have African ancestry? Queen Charlotte died nearly two centuries ago but is still celebrated in her namesake American city. When you drive from the airport in North Carolina, you can't miss the monumental bronze sculpture of the woman said to be Britain's first black queen, dramatically bent backwards as if blown by a jet engine. Downtown, there is another prominent sculpture of Queen Charlotte, in which she's walking with two dogs as if out for a stroll in 21st-century America. Street after...

The Prince of Wales is to issue a stark warning that nations have "less than 100 months to act" to save the planet from irreversible damage due to climate change.Prince Charles will say that the need to tackle global warming is more urgent than ever before and that, even in a global recession, the world must not lose sight of the "bigger picture". His warning will be delivered on Thursday in a keynote speech in Rio de Janeiro. Aides believe it will echo one he gave in Sao Paulo in 1991 at the start of the last recession, when he...

President Obama has been rudeness personified towards Britain this week. His handling of the visit of the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to Washington was appalling. First Brown wasn't granted a press conference with flags, then one was hastily arranged in the Oval office after the Brits had to beg. Obama looked like he would rather have been anywhere else than welcoming the British leader to his office and topped it all with his choice of present (*) for the PM. A box of 25 DVDS including ET, the Wizard of Oz and Star Wars? Oh, give me strength. We do...