Happy Holidays

 I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in 2012.

Royal Tours for 2012

On the 14th of December 2011, Buckingham Palace announced the following royal overseas visits for 2012.

The Prince of Wales will be visiting the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will be visiting Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Papa New Guinea 

The Duke of York will be visiting India

The Earl and Countess of Wessex will be visiting Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Gibraltar, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago

The Princess Royal will be visiting Mozambique and Zambia

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be visiting Malaysia, Singapore, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu

Prince Harry of Wales will be visiting Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas

The Duke of Gloucester will be visiting the British Virgin Islands and Malta

The Duke of Kent will be visiting the Falkland Islands and Uganda

New Deputy Lieutenants of Warwickshire

On the 13th of December 2011, Mr Martin Dunne, Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Warwickshire commissioned the following to become Deputy Lieutenants of the County of Warwickshire.
Mr Andrew Charles Firth
Mrs Joseph Greenwell
Mr David Jeremy Owen
Lady Susan Mary Saunders
Mrs Anna March Trye

New Member of the United Kingdom Privy Council

On the 9th of December 2011, Her Majesty the Queen approved the following person member of Her Majesty’s most Honourable Privy Council.
Jonathan Sumption QC

New Deputy Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire

On the 1st of December 2011, Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher Bt JP, Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire commissioned the following to become Deputy Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire.
Mr Roger Jefcoate CBE

New Deputy Lieutenant of Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale

On the 1st of December 2011, Captain The Hon. Gerald Maitland-Carew, Lord-Lieutenant of Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale commissioned the following to become Deputy Lieutenant of Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale.
Richard Scott, Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry KBE

New Deputy Lieutenants of the County of Herefordshire

On the 1st of December 2011, The Countess of Darnley, Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Herefordshire commissioned the following to become Deputy Lieutenants of the County of Herefordshire.
Mrs Joanna Hilditch
Mr Robert Simon Dyke Tabor
Mrs Helen Maureen Thomas

A Royal Olympics

On the 1st of December 2011, The British Olympic Association appointed The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry ambassadors of the British Olympic and Paralympics Teams for London 2012.

New Lord-Lieutenant for Wiltshire

On the 28th of November 2011, Sarah Troughton was appointed by the Queen to become Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire when Mr John Bush Esq. OBE CStJ JP retires on the 5th of February 2012.

New Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Derbyshire

On the 10th of November 2011, Mr William Tucker, Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Derbyshire commissioned the following to become Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Derbyshire.
Miss Susan Elaine Welch MVO

New Member of the United Kingdom Privy Council

On the 9th of November 2011, Her Majesty the Queen approved the following person member of Her Majesty’s most Honourable Privy Council.
Dr. Denzil Douglas

New Lord-Lieutenant for Shetlands

On the 7th of November 2011, Mr Robert Walter Hunter was appointed by the Queen to become Lord-Lieutenant of Shetland when Sir John Scott KCVO retires on the 30th of November 2011.

New Member of the United Kingdom Privy Council

On the 7th of November 2011, Her Majesty the Queen approved the following person member of Her Majesty’s most Honourable Privy Council.
Sir Desmond de Silva QC

New Privy Councillors of the United Kingdom

On the 3rd of November 2011, Her Majesty the Queen approved the following people members of Her Majesty’s most Honourable Privy Council.
Sir Nigel Davis
Sir Kim Lewison
Sir David Kitchin

British Empire Medal

On the 29th of October 2011, the British Prime Minister David Cameron announced the revival of the British Empire Medal (BEM). The BEM has not been awarded since 1993 in the UK. The Honour will be given to people who have done voluntary and community work across the UK. The presentation of the award will be carried out by the Lord-Lieutenant of the recipient’s county, 300 honours are to be awarded yearly from 2012.

The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust

On the 28th of October 2011, The Commonwealth Heads of Government announced at their biennial meeting in Perth, Australia the establishment of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust a charitable trust covering all commonwealth nations under the chairmanship of the former British Prime Minister Sir John Major KG CH.

Royal Succession

On the 28th of October 2011, the 16 Commonwealth Realms that Queen Elizabeth the Second is monarch of have agreed to change the rules of succession from male preferred primogeniture to equal primogeniture giving females and males the same rights. Second change to the rules of succession is that members of the royal family will be able to marry a Roman Catholic. The changes to the rules will not be retrospective and will start with the descendants of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. To implement these proposals they would have to pass new laws and amend current ones across the 16 Commonwealth Realms which could take a number of years.

New Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia

On the 27th of October 2011, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia appointed Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz al Saud Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia following the death of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud on the 22nd of October 2011.

New Deputy Lieutenants for Merseyside

On the 21st of October 2011, Dame Lorna E F Muirhead DBE, Lord-Lieutenant of Merseyside commissioned the following to become Deputy Lieutenants of Merseyside.
Miss Pauline Lydia Burrows
Mr Alan John Chick
Sir David Clive Clarke
Rt.Hon.Frank Ernest Field MP
Mr John Robert Flamson
Mr Stephen Maddox OBE
Mr Stephen Barry Loy Yip MBE

New Deputy Lieutenants for Greater Manchester

On the 19th of October 2011, Mr Warren J Smith Esq.JP, Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester commissioned the following to become Deputy Lieutenants of Greater Manchester.
The Revd Canon Paul Denby
Mr Paul Horrocks
Mr Stephen John McGuirk CBE QFSM FRSA
Mrs Carole M Nash