Free Republic

THE Queen has arrived in Melbourne ahead of tonight's opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games. Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, the royal couple touched down at Melbourne Airport at 12.30pm (AEDT). The chartered British Airways 777 taxied to a secure area of the tarmac where about 150 people were waiting to greet the couple. The crowd – a mix of Games volunteers, airport staff, and families – cheered as the Queen, wearing a lime-coloured dress and hat, left the plane. The Queen shook hands and greeted several members of the crowd before leaving in a black limousine. Commonwealth Games...

SOUTHAMPTON, England (AFP) - Queen Elizabeth II (news - web sites) formally named the Queen Mary 2, the world's biggest ocean liner, ahead of its maiden transatlantic voyage to the United States. AFP Photo   "I name this ship Queen Mary 2. May God bless her and all who sail in her," the British monarch said, before a hefty jeroboam of Veuve Cliquot champagne smashed against the spotlit starboard side of its black bow. Horns blew in celebration, and the 2,000 invited guests broke into a triple chorus of "hip, hip, hurrah!" Built in France for Cunard, the venerable British...