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LONDON: A plot by al-Qa'ida operatives to kill the Queen during a state visit to Uganda less than two months ago was foiled by security services. The terrorists had planned to hide inside two broadcast vans owned by the Ugandan Broadcasting Corporation and then set off bombs during the Queen's visit to Kampala last November. London's Sunday Express reported the vans were seized after a tip-off from intelligence agents. As a result, the broadcaster was unable to transmit live pictures of key summit events, including the Queen's historic address to the Ugandan parliament on November 22. The Queen, Prince Philip,...

Australia will hold a referendum on removing the Queen as head of state after Kevin Rudd, the Labor leader and a staunch republican, swept to power at the weekend, bringing an end to 11 years of Conservative rule. Mr Rudd, 50, a former diplomat, has promised to hold a plebiscite on severing links with the monarchy. He said yesterday that he would withdraw Australian troops from Iraq and ratify the Kyoto pact on climate change. With 53 percent of the vote, Mr Rudd brought an emphatic end to the 11-year tenure of John Howard, an avowed monarchist who was set...

Queen and Prince Philip recreate honeymoon photo to mark 60 years of wedded bliss Beyond the obvious signs of ageing, there is little about the Queen and Prince Philip that appears to have changed in the 60 years since these pictures were taken - least of all their dress sense. The scene for both is the same: the grounds of Broadlands in Hampshire where the couple posed first on their honeymoon in November, 1947. And that pose is strikingly similar for the second shot 60 years on. The Queen's right hand nestles in the crook of her husband's left arm...

EU wants to purge the Queen from our passportsBy MATTHEW HICKLEY - More by this author » Last updated at 00:51am on 10th September 2007   Mention of the Queen could be removed from British passports and replaced by a page explaining why all EU citizens are entitled to use our embassies abroad, it emerged yesterday.  Current UK passports contain a traditional message from the British sovereign printed inside the front cover requesting 'assistance and protection' for the holder anywhere in the world 'in the Name of Her Majesty'. But the time-honoured passage could be dropped as a result...

The papers this morning were full of the revelation in a BBC documentary that the Queen had had a hissy fit and stormed out of a photo-shoot with the photographer Annie Leibowitz. As the Times reported: The Queen offered a rare, public display of displeasure when she sat for Leibovitz, who is famed for her Vanity Fair photographs of stars such as a pregnant Demi Moore in the nude. A camera crew was invited to film the encounter for a fly-on-the-wall BBC One series, A Year with the Queen, made by the production company behind Wife Swap. The portrait was...

BBC apologises over Queen clips A still from the five-part programme Controller apology The BBC has apologised to the Queen for mistakenly showing footage that wrongly implied she walked out of a portrait session during a documentary. The programme trailer showed the Queen in an exchange with photographer Annie Leibovitz, followed by a clip of her apparently walking off. The footage, revealed to the press on Wednesday, was not intended to be seen and was shown in error, the BBC said. The documentary, A Year With The Queen, will be shown later this year. "The BBC would like to...

Tony Blair has left Downing Street and travelled to Buckingham Palace, where he will hand in his resignation as prime minister to the Queen. Earlier, he received a standing ovation from MPs in the House of Commons in unprecedented scenes at the end of his final prime minister's questions. Politicians from all sides dropped their usual jibes to pay tribute to Mr Blair during the half hour session. His long-serving chancellor, Gordon Brown, succeeds him as PM later. Mr Blair and his wife Cherie made the short journey from Downing Street to the Palace by ministerial Jaguar - a car...

When you've just made it sound like the Queen is more than 200 years old, there may be a few ways of recovering from the gaffe. But turning to her and giving her a sly wink is probably not included in any book of royal etiquette. Is he winking at One? The President turns to the Queen and winks after his slip-up The Queen received the wink with a frosty glare That's what happened yesterday after George Bush mangled his greeting to the Queen on her state visit to the U.S. Stumbling over his words, he came perilously close to...

RICHMOND, United States (AFP) - Britain's Queen Elizabeth II headed Thursday for a rare state visit to the United States, to mark the 400th anniversary of an English settlement that laid the foundations of history's greatest superpower. After arriving on a chartered British Airways jet, Elizabeth was due to start her six-day trip in the Virginia capital Richmond and address the state's legislature, which is America's oldest representative body. Virginians from Governor Tim Kaine down brushed up on royal protocol as they prepared to greet the British queen during a walkabout and musical concert at the grounds of the newly...

LONDON (AFP) - Royal hit film "The Queen" starring Helen Mirren and the new James Bond movie "Casino Royale" grabbed the lion's share of nominations for the top British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards. "The Queen" tops the list with 10 nods from the BAFTAs, which are seen as key indicators to success at the Oscars in Hollywood, including for best film and for best actress for Mirren's portrayal of the 80-year-old British monarch. The other best film nominees are "Babel," "The Departed," "The Last King Of Scotland" and "Little Miss Sunshine." Other nominees for best actress...

Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Queen are to get two dedicated planes to use on official trips, the BBC has learned. One is likely to be a long-haul plane with 70 seats, while a 15-seater jet will be ordered for shorter flights, BBC correspondent James Hardy says. Since 1944 US presidents have had their own plane for presidential travel. Although the Queen will have first call on the aircraft, they are already being dubbed "Blair Force Ones". The Lib Dems and Tories have criticised the plan. The decision to order the two aircraft follows a study into the...

BRITAIN'S Queen Elizabeth is the most popular member of the royal family and more than half her subjects want her to reign for the rest of her life, a poll ahead of her 80th birthday suggested today. Some 26 per cent of respondents plumped for the monarch - who turns 80 on Saturday - as their favourite royal compared to just one per cent for Camilla, the second wife of Prince Charles, the Queen's eldest son and heir apparent. Prince William, 23, second in line to the throne and Charles' elder son, was second with 21 per cent followed by...

London-born Jonathan Ive, 38, Apple's senior vice president of design, on Friday was awarded the title of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) by the queen. The title recognizes Ive's achievements in industrial design as leader of the team that produced not only the iPod but also the iMac, iBook and PowerBook computer lines in his nearly 13-year career at Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple. Ive studied design and art at Newcastle Polytechnic in England. In 1989, he became a partner at Tangerine, a London-based design consultant where he worked on products ranging from power tools to...

The Queen has used her Christmas Day speech to reflect upon a year of tragedy that she said had "brought loss and suffering to so many people". Her annual message came at the end of a year which was dominated by natural disasters and acts of terrorism. She said: "This Christmas my thoughts are especially with those everywhere who are grieving the loss of loved ones during what for so many has been such a terrible year." She first focused on the Asian tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands of people when it struck on Boxing Day last year. She...

Al-Qaida has named Queen Elizabeth II "one of the severest enemies of Islam," the Sunday Times newspaper reported, citing a video message allegedly obtained by Britain's security service. Government officials were not immediately available Saturday night to confirm the report. A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman refused comment, saying it was a matter for the police.

AL-QAEDA has threatened the Queen by naming her as “one of the severest enemies of Islam” in a video message to justify the July bombings in London. The warning has been passed by MI5 to the Queen’s protection team after it obtained the unexpurgated version of a video issued by Al-Qaeda after the 7/7 attacks. Parts of it were broadcast on Al-Jazeera, the Arabic satellite channel. In the video, Ayman al- Zawahiri, second-in-command to Osama Bin Laden, targets the Queen as ultimately responsible for Britain’s “crusader laws” and denounces her as an enemy of Muslims. A senior Whitehall official said:...

QUEEN Elizabeth II said she was "deeply shocked" by a wave of terrorist attacks on London underground trains and a bus, and sent her sympathy to those affected. Meanwhile, US President George W. Bush said Thursday the London blasts showed the war on terrorism must continue. "The war on terrorism is on," Mr Bush told reporters on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit here.

Albert Mohler Author, Speaker, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Tuesday, August 26, 2003 The House of Windsor and the Future of the Faith "We have come to regard the Crown as the head of our morality," explained Walter Bagehot, the most influential political journalist of the Victorian era. "We have come to believe that it is natural to have a virtuous sovereign, and that the domestic virtues are as likely to be found on thrones as eminent when there." It's a good thing Bagehot is not alive to witness the current heir to the throne. Great Britain calmly...

During the papal interregnum, divided Catholics await the new Holy Father to guide them in their third millennium, in which clergy in Roman-era headdresses send news releases via e-mail. Can conservatives save the church by sticking to 20 decades of received tradition? Or will liberals energize an embattled global parish only by ending priestly celibacy or seeing condoms as a tool in stopping AIDS? Yet the new pontiff, both his personality and ideas, will affect even those of us who are not Catholics. The pope is not a CEO who serves at the pleasure of his board. Nor like a...

New Zealand viewers turned out in force to watch the funeral of Pope John Paul II, but enthusiasm for the midnight wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla was more subdued. The Pope’s funeral, broadcast live on TV One on Friday night, was watched by more than 400,000 people, according to AGB Nielsen Media research ratings. TVNZ spokeswoman Michele Camilleri said the ratings were strong, especially among older people. "I think that reflects the historical significance of the event." The timing of the nuptials of Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, was all wrong for a New Zealand audience. Just...

I yield to no one in my disdain for Britain's petty and graceless political class, but I have to confess a certain reluctance to go once more unto the breach with my dear friends opposite. You'll recall that yesterday, in the midst of the leader page's general rejoicing over Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of — no, hang on, the Prince and Duchess of … well, anyway, in the middle of a bunting-draped leader, The Telegraph's editorial eminences deplored the decision of the three party leaders to show up in lounge suits, rather than the morning dress favoured...

Queen Elizabeth II delivered some extraordinary wedding day snubs to Prince Charles and his bride Camilla Parker Bowles yesterday. Her gloomy Majesty barely cracked a smile throughout the day. She never spoke to her new daughter in law and wouldn't even look at her.At one point, the Queen frostily turned her back on Camilla during the blessing of the couples marriage. But the worst moments for the new Duchess of Cornwall came when it was time to take the traditional family photos on the steps of St. George's Chapel. Royal aides had expected the Queen and Prince Phillp to spend...

ST. JOHN'S, NFLD. - On the eve of Prince Charles's wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles, 65 per cent of Canadians believe he should become king despite being divorced, suggests a CBC poll. Support for Charles ascending the throne was highest in Quebec, with 73 per cent saying he should become king. It was the lowest in Ontario at 61 per cent. Across the country, 27 per cent said he shouldn't become king, while nine per cent said they didn't care or didn't answer. The survey is part of the CBC's upcoming look at the state of marriage in Canada and...

I love Prince Charles. My wife hates him, which is why I’m expressing my point of view while she is out taking my daughter to Karate lessons and I am suppose to be mowing the lawn. I suppose Charles has not mowed any lawns of late, and I hold no grudge for that. Personally, I love mowing and gardening (I’ve heard tell the Prince also loves to get into the garden), but this was my chance to take a peek at some of the CNN coverage of the wedding. I think I should get right to the point, for those...

What is Prince Charles full name? anyone know? What would be on his drivers licence?

Charles’s hissy fit on the slopes shows him in his true colours, a man failing to engage with the modern world, says historian Tristram Hunt William and Harry had been out until 3am before last week’s unfortunate royal photocall in Klosters. But it was Prince Charles who demonstrated the grumpiness of the hungover. “I hate doing this,” he seethed, seemingly forgetting the microphones placed in the snow at his feet. Then when the BBC’s Nicholas Witchell gently asked about his wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles this Friday he hissed sotto voce, “Bloody people. I can’t bear that man. I mean...

Because they're stuffy Royal types, there's a short list of things you should not say at the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles if you plan to crash the party. "The Queen isn't here? Is it her bowling night?" "A civil ceremony? Great, I blew off The Apprentice for this?" "I never would've suspected Gary Coleman would be best man." "At least nobody here had to get off work today, ha-ha-ha-ha."` "After the civil ceremony there's a "dedication service"? Forget that crap, when do we eat?" "I give the marriage 6 months." "She's got a lot of nerve,...

LONDON — Prince Charles (search) and his wife-to-be, Camilla Parker Bowles (search), will confess their sins and admit they were adulterers at a church blessing of their marriage that will be broadcast to millions of people on Saturday. Charles is to acknowledge his "manifold sins and wickedness" and pledge to be faithful after he marries his longtime lover. Charles has chosen the words of penitence for the service of blessing conducted after he weds the woman some see as the cause for the breakup of his marriage to the late Princess Diana (search). Watch FOX News Channel's special coverage of...

LONDON, England -- The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles will acknowledge their "sins and wickedness" when their wedding is blessed by the Archbishop of Canterbury on Saturday, royal officials said.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The wedding of Britain's Prince Charles to a woman dubbed by one tabloid commentator "the Duchess of Frump" has stirred few hearts in America, distracted this week by the pomp and ceremony of a papal funeral. "America has a case of the royal blahs," said the Omaha World-Herald in Iowa, deep in the heartland of a country which, despite fighting a war for independence from England, has a soft spot for the glamor and old-world charm of the royals. "The marriage of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles on Saturday just isn't tugging at our heartstrings...

Staff at Windsor Castle have spoken of their frustration over "shambolic" preparations for Prince Charles's wedding. As recently as Monday many at Windsor were convinced that the wedding was going to be relocated to Balmoral to avoid further intrusive coverage. But they have been thrown into "utter confusion" by the rescheduling at such short notice - confusion which has grown greater every day this week amid a flurry of conflicting instructions from Clarence House. One senior member of Windsor's administrative staff said today: "You would expect a royal reception to run like clockwork - but this one is likely to...

Apr 9, 9:54 AM (ET) By CATHERINE McALOON (AP) Britain's Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, and his new bride Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall,... WINDSOR, England (AP) - Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles were married Saturday in a modest civil ceremony at the 17th century Guildhall, and the second marriage for each was blessed by the Church of England as the royals knelt before Archbishop of Canterbury in a majestic ceremony in the soaring, gothic St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. The wedding capped a decades-long love affair that lasted through the prince's first marriage to Princess Diana. The...

WINDSOR, England (AP) - First the horse race results, then the wedding. Queen Elizabeth II reportedly took it in that order Saturday as she toasted the marriage of her son and heir, Prince Charles, to the former Camilla Parker Bowles. The queen is a keen horse breeder and racing fan. She, like all of Britain, was keenly aware that the $1.32 million Grand National steeplechase, one of the biggest races on Britain's equine calendar, had been pushed back 25 minutes Saturday to avoid a TV coverage conflict with the prince's wedding, which had been postponed a day so he could...

For a knot-tying no-one seems to care much about, a remarkably large number of people keep asking me what my view of the Charles-Camilla nuptials is. Well, I wish the happy couple well, and I suppose it's for the best that he's making an honest woman of her. I'm not sure we're ready for a King with a "partner". Few of us would hold it against the Prince that his "fairy-tale marriage" didn't work out, were it not for the fact that he, unlike his bride and the rest of us, knew it wasn't a fairy-tale on the wedding day itself, and...

The Queen has let it be known that the reason she will not be attending the wedding of the Prince of Wales is because she is putting her duties as the head of the Church of England before family feelings. Heads together: the Queen takes her religious role very seriously She has told a friend that she feels it incompatible with her role as Supreme Governor of the Church to attend a civil marriage ceremony, particularly one involving the heir to the throne. She does not want to set a precedent that could damage the Church of England. "I am...

I yield to no one in my admiration for this great republic, but I’m a subject of Her Britannic Majesty and there are moments when the whole monarchy deal just falls into place for me. One of them occurred the other day, when the Queen hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace for the “British music industry.” This wasn’t “British music” as in Sir William Walton and Sir Edward Elgar, but the usual leathery old caterwaulers — though most of them now have knighthoods, too: Sir Elton John, Sir Mick Jagger, Sir Paul McCartney, etc. So Her Majesty found herself in...

Some of the sovereign countries who have the monarch as Head of State ‘want out’ THE confusion triggered by the Prince of Wales’s marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles could precipitate a new wave of republicanism across Britain’s former colonies and jeopardise the future monarch’s chances of becoming head of the Commonwealth. As the debate rages over whether Mrs Parker Bowles will become Queen Camilla, the issue has caused deep concern among some of the 15 sovereign countries around the world who still recognise the British monarch as their head of state. Joel Kibazo, spokesman for the Commonwealth Secretariat, which is...

Queen Elizabeth II met four of Britain's most famous guitarists Tuesday, asking them: "And what do you do?" Queen's Brian May, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck were all guests at a Buckingham Palace party to honor the British music industry. "It's great to meet her and it doesn't matter at all that she did not know who were are or what we do," Clapton said. "I wouldn't expect her to." Other guests included Charlotte Church, Cilla Black, Shirley Bassey, Roger Daltrey and Geri Halliwell. Phil Collins, another guest, said it wasn't the first time he...

The Queen has "distanced" herself from the wedding of the Prince of Wales to Camilla Parker Bowles because she believes that her son is putting personal gratification before duty, royal courtiers have disclosed. The courtiers also say privately that the Queen is "lukewarm" about the marriage and is worried that it could tarnish the monarchy. Buckingham Palace announced last Tuesday that neither the Queen nor Prince Philip would be attending the civil marriage ceremony at Windsor Guildhall on April 8 because they wanted to keep the occasion "low key". The announcement, however, was widely interpreted as a snub even though...

CHURCHGOERS are to be commanded by royal warrant to pray for Camilla Parker Bowles as part of regular Sunday services after her marriage to the Prince of Wales on April 8. The Queen is planning to issue the warrant in formal recognition of her new daughter-in-law’s status as one of the most high-ranking members of the royal family. At the moment, only the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Charles are individually remembered by the Church of England in state prayers during services of matins and evensong. Meanwhile doubts have been raised by senior lawyers over the legality of Charles...

It was a small gesture, but a pointed one, and designed to underscore the Queen's staunch support for London's Olympic bid. As members of the International Olympic Committee attended a banquet last night, Buckingham Palace abandoned tradition to present each with a menu card written not in French, but English. For as long as anyone can remember menus at the Queen's official banquets have been written in French, generally regarded as the international language of cuisine. But, as three generations of the Royal Family and the Prime Minister joined sporting stars and dignitaries in the State Dining Room alongside the...

The first museum dedicated to the life and times of Sir Winston Churchill has been opened by the Queen. The £6m museum has been built in the underground Cabinet War Rooms, where the prime minister directed British forces during World War II. Paying tribute to Churchill, the Queen said he had given the country "the hope, the courage and the confidence" to survive the war. The museum opens to the public on Friday and is set to be popular. Giving a short speech, the Queen said: "I am very pleased to be able to visit today the Cabinet War Rooms,...

To all the people of Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, the United Kingdom - a very happy Accession Day. On this day in 1952 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second began her happy reign. As it represents the anniversary of the death of Her Majesty's father, understandably she does not celebrate publicly. God Save the Queen Almighty God, who rulest over all the kingdoms of the world, and dost order them according to thy good...

Christmas is for most of us a time for a break from work, for family and friends, for presents, turkey and crackers. But we should not lose sight of the fact that these are traditional celebrations around a great religious festival, one of the most important in the Christian year. Religion and culture are much in the news these days, usually as sources of difference and conflict, rather than for bringing people together. But the irony is that every religion has something to say about tolerance and respecting others. For me as a Christian one of the most important of...

The Queen has made a rare intervention in world politics to warn Tony Blair of her grave concerns over the White House's stance on global warming. She is understood to have asked Downing Street to lobby the US after observing the alarming impact of Britain's changing weather on her estates at Balmoral in Scotland and Sandringham in Norfolk. The revelation gives an unusual glimpse into the mind of the monarch, who normally strives to stay above politics. Further evidence of the Queen's views on global warming will be seen this week when she opens one of the most high-profile conferences...

Queen and Thatcher Lead Tributes to Ex-President Reagan By James Lyons and Matt Adams, PA News The Queen and Baroness Thatcher tonight led the tributes to former US President Ronald Reagan, who has died at the age of 93. Mr Reagan died with his wife Nancy and their children at his side at the family’s home in California tonight. A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: “The Queen is saddened by the news.” Former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher hailed Mr Reagan as “a truly great American hero”. She told PA News: “President Reagan was one of my closest political and dearest personal...

Our nations must unite, says QueenBy Caroline Davies in Paris (Filed: 06/04/2004) The Queen yesterday urged Britain and France to put aside their differences and stand together in the war against terrorism. In a rare foray into the political arena, she emphasised that the two countries, at odds over the military campaign in Iraq, must not allow "immediate political pressures" to divide them at a time of great uncertainty and threat. Addressing a state banquet in Paris to mark the centenary of Britain's historic Entente Cordiale agreement with France, she praised the way the two nations had stood together "resolute...

Which one REALLY needs the shrink?????

Princess Anne Sending Pooch To Shrink Bull Terrier Has Attacked Others POSTED: 12:28 p.m. EST January 4, 2004 LONDON -- A British newspaper says Princess Anne will send her dog to an animal psychologist. The Sunday Telegraph reports the princess is taking the step so her bull terrier won't have to be euthanized. It attacked a royal maid and fatally mauled one of the queen's pet corgis. Psychologist Roger Mugford says he expects to begin work with Florence next week. He says the dog is not inherently aggressive or dangerous. Mugford is quoted as saying "it is just a...

LONDON - The prime suspect in a royal whodunit has been cleared. Princess Anne's bull terrier Dotty didn't fatally maul a corgi belonging to Queen Elizabeth II shortly before Christmas, Buckingham Palace said Tuesday. Instead, the palace pointed the blame at one of Anne's other terriers, Florence. Media reports had identified Dotty, a dog with a violent past, as the culprit after Pharos the corgi was attacked at the royal family's Sandringham estate early last week. The corgi was badly injured and had to be put down. The incident prompted widespread speculation that Princess Anne would have to destroy Dotty,...