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Royals celebrate King’s first birthday parade

The flags were traditionally described as “Colors” because they displayed the uniform colors and insignia worn by soldiers of different units…reports Asian Lite News

King Charles III rode on horseback Saturday to take part in his first Trooping the Color ceremony as U.K. monarch, inspecting hundreds of soldiers and horses in a spectacular annual military display at central London’s Horse Guards Parade.

Charles, 74, the colonel in chief, received the royal salute and watched as the most prestigious regiments in the U.K. army paraded to mark his official birthday.

It was the first time in more than 30 years that a U.K. monarch has taken part in the pomp-filled ceremony on horseback.

Earlier, Charles’ eldest son, Prince William, and the king’s siblings, Prince Edward and Princess Anne, also rode on horseback in procession from Buckingham Palace. All the royals were dressed in red and gold tunics and tall black bearskin hats, matching the uniforms worn by many of the 1,400 soldiers taking part.

Others in the royal family, including Queen Camilla, Kate, the Princess of Wales, and her three young children, rode in horse-drawn carriages as thousands of people thronged the Mall, the grand avenue outside Buckingham Palace, to watch the pageantry.

Birthday parade

Trooping the Color is essentially a grand birthday parade to honor the reigning monarch. The annual ceremony is a tradition that dates back more than 260 years.

Huge crowds turn out each June to watch the display, which begins with a procession involving horses, musicians and hundreds of soldiers in ceremonial uniform from Buckingham Palace. The monarch then inspects their troops, including both foot guards and horse guards. Gun salutes and a crowd-pleasing military flyby over the palace typically round out the celebrations.

Charles’ actual birthday is November 14, 1948. But U.K. monarchs have traditionally celebrated two birthdays — their real one and an official one — to ensure that public celebrations can take place in warm summer weather.

Charles’ late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, always held the Trooping the Color birthday parade in June, while she celebrated her actual April birthday privately with family.

The Color

The central part of the parade features a battle flag — or the “Color” — being displayed and marched past troops and the monarch.

This is a ceremonial reenactment of the way regimental flags were once displayed for soldiers on the battlefield to provide a crucial rallying point if they became disoriented or separated from their unit.

The flags were traditionally described as “Colors” because they displayed the uniform colors and insignia worn by soldiers of different units.

A different flag is trooped each year. This year the “Color” was the King’s Color of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.

King on horseback

Saturday was the first time a monarch has ridden on horseback at the event since Elizabeth did so in 1986. The queen rode her favorite horse, called Burmese, to 18 Trooping the Color ceremonies until the black mare retired in 1986. After that she decided to use a carriage for the event instead.

Charles also rode on horseback for the spectacle last year, when as heir to the throne he inspected the troops on behalf of his mother. Elizabeth died last September at the age of 96.

Bonus military flyby

The birthday parade typically reaches its climax when, at the end of the military procession, the royal family lines up on Buckingham Palace’s balcony to watch a spectacular flyby.

The Royal Air Force’s aerobatic team, the Red Arrows, usually wows the crowds as they fly in formation leaving plumes of red, white and blue vapor trails.

This year, the flyby was even more impressive, because a similar display on Charles’ coronation day in May had to be scaled back because of bad weather. Around 70 aircraft took part Saturday, including Spitfire and Hurricane fighters from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Eighteen Typhoon fighter jets flying in precise formation spelt out “CR” — “Charles Rex” — in the sky as the royal family and thousands of spectators cheered.

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Will coronation bring peace among Royals?

Prince Harry, in his memoir Spare, made some shocking revelations about the royal family, including his brother Prince Williams’ “physical attack” on him…reports Asian Lite News

King Charles III’s coronation will take place on May 6. In a statement, Buckingham Palace said, “The ceremony will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside The Queen Consort.”

Now, with just months left for the much-awaited ceremony, preparations are going on in full swing. In the middle of this, one of the major highlights is expected to be Prince Harry and Megan Markle’s presence at the coronation ceremony. Things have not been the same since the release of  Prince Harry’s memoir Spare. And, as per a report by Daily Mail, the Royal family is in no mood to entertain Prince Harry and Megan Markle. The source told the daily that the only thing the family will talk about with Prince Harry and Megan is the “weather”.

“Members of the family have told me that both Harry and Meghan will definitely come. They fully expect that. And they should realise that there is only one subject that many members of the Royal Family will be willing to discuss… and that’s the weather,” the source was quoted as saying.

The source added, “Harry revealed details of private conversations, so everyone is on edge. You ask about the Sussexes, and everyone immediately changes the subject. They are spitting feathers but not minded to provide any fuel for the fire.”

As per King Charles III, his coronation can be a way to draw peace in the family, reported Vanity Fair. As per sources, King Charles III will invite his younger son Prince Harry and Megan Markle to the ceremony “because it is the right thing to do and will hopefully pave the way for peace.”

Prince Harry, in his memoir Spare, made some shocking revelations about the royal family, including his brother Prince Williams’ “physical attack” on him.

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Royals not to release Markle ‘bullying’ probe details

Meghan and Harry shocked the royal family when they accused unnamed members of racism during an interview with US talk show star Oprah Winfrey…reports Asian Lite News

The details of a probe into allegations of bullying by the Duchess of Sussex against royal family staff will not be published despite its outcome leading to reform in the palace’s administration, according to a senior family source.

Buckingham Palace launched an investigation last year and gathered testimony from staff about their experiences of working for Meghan, before she and husband Prince Harry quit frontline duties in January 2020.

During a briefing on the annual royal finances report, published Thursday, a senior palace source said the details would remain hidden to protect the privacy of those who took part.

“Because of the confidentiality of the discussions we have not communicated the detailed recommendations,” they said.

“The recommendations have been incorporated within policies and procedures wherever appropriate, and policies and procedures have changed.”

Meghan and Harry shocked the royal family when they accused unnamed members of racism during an interview with US talk show star Oprah Winfrey.

She denied the bullying allegations, which first emerged in March 2021, just before the Oprah interview, and called them “a calculated smear campaign”.

The allegations and the interview deepened a crisis for the family, which has been hit by revelations about Prince Andrew’s links to late billionaire financier and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Relations between Harry and his father Prince Charles have reportedly been strained, but a royal source said he had a “very emotional” first meeting with his granddaughter Lili earlier this month.

Harry and Meghan were low-key attendees at the queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, jetting in from California with their children Lili, aged one, and Archie, aged three.

Charles’s charitable foundation is currently under investigation for an alleged cash-for-honours scandal.

Separately, the Sunday Times last weekend reported Charles had accepted £2.5 million ($3 million) in charitable donations from Qatari former prime minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani in carrier bags and holdalls.

The royal source said at the Wednesday briefing the cash was “passed immediately to his charities”.

“For more than half a decade, with the situation as it has evolved, this has not happened and it would not happen again,” the source added.

The briefing was held as the family released its 2021/22 report on the Sovereign Grant, which pays for the monarch’s official duties and upkeep of royal palaces.

The report showed the pandemic was still curtailing the family’s earning power, with income below 50 percent of pre-coronavirus levels as public visits to palaces took a hit.

Keeper of the Privy Purse Michael Stevens warned that the family finances were also likely to be squeezed by rising prices.

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Jamaicans shun royals, demand slavery reparations  

The weeklong royal tour of Central America and the Caribbean that began on Saturday was taken at the behest of the queen, who is William’s grandmother…reports Asian Lite News

Dozens of well-known leaders in Jamaica including professors and politicians are demanding an apology and slavery reparations as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge prepare for a trip to the former British colony.

The group is rejecting the visit of Prince William and Kate scheduled for Tuesday, part of a larger trip to the Caribbean region that coincides with the 60th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence and the 70th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, ABC reported.

“We see no reason to celebrate 70 years of the ascension of your grandmother to the British throne because her leadership, and that of her predecessors, have perpetuated the greatest human rights tragedy in the history of humankind,” read a letter published Sunday ahead of the couple’s visit and signed by 100 Jamaican leaders.

The weeklong royal tour of Central America and the Caribbean that began on Saturday was taken at the behest of the queen, who is William’s grandmother. The trip aims to strengthen Britain’s ties with Commonwealth countries, but it’s off to a rocky start and comes as some countries consider cutting ties to the monarchy like the eastern Caribbean island of Barbados did in November.

Local opposition forced the royal couple to cancel a visit to a cacao farm in Belize that was planned for Saturday, while the upcoming trip to Jamaica has angered some who say they are still waiting for an apology and slavery reparations.

Jamaica lawmaker Mike Henry, who has long led an effort to obtain reparations that he estimates at more than 7 billion pounds, told The Associated Press in a phone interview that an apology is only the first step for what he described as “abuse of human life and labor.”

“An apology really admits that there is some guilt,” he said.

Hundreds of thousands of African slaves toiled in Jamaica under more than 300 years of British rule and faced brutal conditions. There were numerous bloody rebellions, with one woman called “Queen Nanny” leading a group of formerly enslaved Africans known as Jamaican Maroons whose guerrilla warfare became renown and battered British forces. “Queen Nanny” remains the sole female of Jamaica’s eight national heroes.

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Royals Get Bond Treatment

The 53-year-old actor said to being “greatly relieved” that ‘No Time To Die’, which had previously seen its release delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, is now finally ready to be released in cinemas, after so many months of frustration…reports Asian Lite News.

The Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall along with William and Kate attended the world premiere of the new Bond film ‘No Time To Die’.

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, have hailed the “inspirational” efforts of the cast and crew.

The Royal couple said in a post on their Twitter account @KensingtonRoyal: “Wonderful to see @007 back on our big screens! No Time To Die is the 25th Bond film and Daniel Craig’s last after 15 years in the role.

“It showcases the inspirational work of actors, musicians, directors, cinematographers and all those involved in making the film so special.”

Funds from the world premiere have been awarded to charities that support serving and former members of the UK’s intelligence agencies, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

  The royals have welcomed the news in their Twitter post.

 The tweet added: “Tonight’s world premiere will benefit charities supporting serving and former members of the three intelligence agencies: the Secret Intelligence Service, the Security Service, and @GCHQ.”

  The Duke and Duchess were joined at the premiere by Daniel Craig, who is making his last-ever appearance as James Bond in the movie.

 The 53-year-old actor said to being “greatly relieved” that ‘No Time To Die’, which had previously seen its release delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, is now finally ready to be released in cinemas, after so many months of frustration.

  Reflecting on the lengthy delay, Craig said: “We’ve had Covid so everything has to be put into perspective doesn’t it?

  “I am greatly relieved: we make Bond movies for the cinema and we’re here and I couldn’t be happier about that.”

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