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

New Vice Lord and Deputy Lieutenants for the County of Moray

On the 18th of October 2011, Lt Col Grenville Johnston, Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Moray
appointed Mr Jim Royan OBE DL Vice Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Moray and commissioned Major General The Hon Seymour Monro CBE LVO to become Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Moray.

Sir Michael Peat GCVO

On the 17th of October 2011, Sir Michael Peat KCVO was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) upon he’s retirement as Principal Private Secretary to The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.

New Member of the United Kingdom Privy Council

On the 17th of October 2011, Her Majesty the Queen approved the following person member of Her Majesty’s most Honourable Privy Council.
Justine Greening MP

Royal Wootton Bassett

On the 16th of October 2011, Princess Anne presented the Letters Patent to the town of Wootton Bassett conferring the title of "Royal" on the town for they tributes during the repatriations of British military personnel that passed though the town from RAF Lyneham. Royal Wootton Bassett is the first town to receive royal status in 100 years.

Peter and Autumn Phillips announced Pregnancy

On the 15th of October 2011, Mr and Mrs Phillips announced they are having a second child and its due in spring 2012.Peter Phillips is 11th in the line of succession to the British throne.

New Deputy Lieutenants of the County of Lincolnshire

On the 13th of October 2011, Mr Tony Worth, Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Lincolnshire commissioned the following to become Deputy Lieutenants of the County of Lincolnshire.
Mr Nigel Denis Spence Brown
Mr Roger James Douglas
Miss Ursula Frances Rosamond Lidbetter
Mr John William Lockwood
Mrs Sarah Elizabeth Robinson
Mr Christopher John Simpkins

New Deputy Lieutenants of the County of Shropshire

On the 11th of October 2011, Mr Algernon Heber-Percy Esq., Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Shropshire commissioned the following to become Deputy Lieutenants of the County of Shropshire.
Mr Robert John Bowring Bland
Dr Geoffrey Davies OBE
Dr Robert Ashley Fraser
Lord Hamilton of Dalzell
Mr Peter Holt
Mrs Fiona Rogers-Coltman
Mr Peter John Stewart
Mrs Anna Turner

New Privy Councillors of the United Kingdom

On the 6th of October 2011, Her Majesty the Queen approved the following people members of Her Majesty’s most Honourable Privy Council.
Dame Anne Rafferty
Sir Andrew McFarlane

New Deputy Lieutenants of the County of West Sussex

On the 3rd of October 2011, Mrs Susan Pyper, Lord-Lieutenant of the County of West Sussex commissioned the following to become Deputy Lieutenants of the County of West Sussex.
Sally Gunnell OBE
Mr Simon Knight
The Earl of Lytton

New Deputy Lieutenants of the County of South Glamorgan

On the 1st of October 2011, Dr Peter Beck, Lord-Lieutenant of the County of South Glamorgan commissioned the following to become Deputy Lieutenants of the County of South Glamorgan.
Mr Raj Kumar Aggarwal OBE
Mrs Lisa Nichole Gerson

The Duchess of Alba marries for a third time

On the 5th October, Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba married Alfonso Díez Carabantes at the Palacio de las Dueñas in Seville, Spain.

The Duchess is the head of the House of Alba and holds more than 40 titles of nobility. A descendant of  King James II of England, VII of Scotland  and Arabella Churchill and is a distant relative of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.She is one of the richest people in Spain with a number of palaces and vast amounts of land all over the country, including a priceless collection of paintings and antiques. So when the 85 year old Duchess announced that she intended to marry for a third time to Alfonso Díez Carabantes a 61 year old civil servant, there were objections from her children believing Alfonso was marrying her for her fortune. In August 2011, Cayetana decide to give her children their inheritance in advance and Alfonso formally renounced any claim to her fortune, in an attempt to prove that he is marrying her for love.

New Vice Lord-Lieutenant for the County of Kent

On the 28th of September 2011, Mr Richard John Oldfield DL was appointed Vice Lord-Lieutenant for the County of Kent.

New Deputy Lieutenants of the County of Oxfordshire

On the 26th of September 2011, Mr Tim Sevenson OBE Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Oxfordshire commissioned the following to become Deputy Lieutenants of the County of Oxfordshire.
Mr Samuel Clarke
Mrs Elizabeth Paris
Mr Bernard John Taylor

The Knights of Glin are no more

On the 14th of September 2011, Desmond FitzGerald 29th Knight of Glin passed away aged 74.The title Knight of Glin was inherited by Desmond upon the death of his farther in 1949; Desmond also inherited the family estate Glin Castle. Desmond went to university to study Architecture and Art History upon leaving he got job at the Victoria and Albert Museum he then went on to work for Christie’s the world famous auctioneers. His passion for Architecture didn't stop there he became involved in the Irish Georgian Society and served as the society’s president from 1991 to his death. He wrote extensively about Irish Architecture and Irish Country Homes. Through out his life he dedicated himself to the restoration of Glin Castle and placing the estate on a sound financial footing. Leaving his wife Olda and his three daughters’ Catherine, Honor and Nesta FitzGerald to continue his work. Sadly on leaving no male heir to succeed him, Desmond Fitzgerald is the last Knight of Glin.

New Deputy Lieutenants of the County of Renfrewshire

On the 1st of September 2011, Mr Guy Clark Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Renfrewshire appointed the following to become Deputy Lieutenants of the County of Renfrewshire.
Mr Peter Thomas McCarthy
Mr Jonathan Andrew Macfie Muirhead
Mr John Scott Perry
Mr Alexander Stoddart

Lord-Lieutenant for the County of Cornwall

Colonel Edward Bolitho OBE DL has been appointed by the Queen to become Lord-Lieutenant for the County of Cornwall When Lady Mary Holborow DCVO retires on the 19th of September 2011. Colonel Bolitho was born in 1955 and has served in the Grenadier Guards for 20 years. He is the current High Sheriff of Cornwall.

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