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August 22, 2011 Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary Reading 1 1 Thes 1:1-5, 8b-10 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the Church of the Thessaloniansin God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you,remembering you in our prayers,unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of loveand endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ,before our God and Father,knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God, how you were chosen.For our Gospel did not come to you in word alone,but also in power...

Plans for the Queen Mother to fly to Iran in Concorde were blocked by Harold Wilson because he was worried about the plane's safety, it has been revealed. The Labour prime minister intervened days before the planned trip in April 1975 when told there was a problem with the engine. Aviation watchdogs said the plane could be flown by an experienced test pilot. But Wilson said the government's position would be "indefensible" if the engine fault became known. The episode is revealed in government records from 1975 which have now been released for the public to see at The National...

Queen avoids taxes on mother's estate Under 1993 accord, $73 million inheritance exempt from 40% levy 05/08/2002 Associated Press LONDON - Queen Elizabeth II will pay no inheritance tax on her late mother's estate, Buckingham Palace said Tuesday, a collection that included race horses, jewels and art worth an estimated $73 million. Inheritance tax on such an estate would normally be 40 percent. But under a 1993 accord, assets passed from sovereign to sovereign or from the consort of a former sovereign to the reigning monarch are exempt. Commentators say the lack of controversy over the tax saving shows...

Tens of thousands of children may not be allowed to watch the Queen Mother's funeral on television because local councils say it might not be "appropriate" for those from ethnic backgrounds. Town halls have been asked by the Government and Buckingham Palace to encourage heads to suspend lessons so pupils can watch the historic event. But in London, one in three are refusing to do so. Some say it would be "inappropriate" for children from mixed ethnic and religious backgrounds, others that children would be "too young" to understand and might be upset. Their stance was greeted with outrage today...

Her subjects prepare to bury the most beloved of royals: The Queen Mother could always look her people in the face Preparing King Edward VII's grand Durbar in Delhi in 1903, the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, thought it best to delete Onward, Christian Soldiers from the program. Not because of any lily-livered multicultural sensitivity (most of the soldiers present were Hindu or Muslim) but because of one offending stanza: "Crowns and thrones may perish Kingdoms rise and wane ... "Not a thought to plant with the natives.Two years after the King's durbar, His Majesty's grandson, "Bertie", went to a...

LONDON (Reuters) - The Queen Mother, the 101-year-old mother of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, died in her sleep on Saturday with her daughter at her bedside, Buckingham Palace said. The Queen Mother, the widow of King George VI and a rock of support for her eldest daughter Queen Elizabeth, 75, died at 3:15 p.m. (10:15 a.m. EST) after a period of declining health. Buckingham Palace said: "The Queen, with the greatest sadness, has asked for the following announcement to be made immediately. "Her beloved mother, Queen Elizabeth, died peacefully in her sleep this afternoon, at Royal Lodge, Windsor." A palace spokesman...