The Aga Khan’s eldest son is engaged to American Model

His Highness Aga Khan IV, 49th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims has announced his eldest son’s engagement. Prince Rahim Aga Khan is engaged to marry Ms Kendra Spears. The wedding will be an Islamic ceremony and a date is to be announced.

The Dutch Abdication and Investiture

Today marks the abdication of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and the Investiture of her son King Willem-Alexander below is the outline of today’s events.

10:00 local time (08:00 GMT) - Queen Beatrix to sign the act of abdication at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam

10:30 - (08:30 GMT) the former queen, now Princess Beatrix, and the new King Willem-Alexander will appear on the palace balcony, with new Queen Maxima

14:00 - (12:00 GMT) King Willem-Alexander to be sworn in at the Nieuwe Kerk

19:30 - (17:30 GMT) performance of The Song for the King followed by a water pageant

New Deputy Lieutenants of the County of South Yorkshire

David Moody, Lord-Lieutenant of South Yorkshire commissioned the following to become Deputy Lieutenants of the County of South Yorkshire.
Mrs Hilary Massarella MBE
Robert Dyson Esq QPM

New Vice Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone

Robert Scott OBE, Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone has appointed Mr Patrick Killen OBE JP DL Vice Lord Lieutenant of the County of Tyrone.

Canada Honours Prince Philip

His Excellency The Rt Hon. David Johnston CC CMM COM CD FRSC(hon) FRCPSC(hon) Governor General of Canada has appointed Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh an Extraordinary Companion of the Order of Canada (CC) and a Commander of the Order of Military Merit (CMM) for his lifelong service to the Canadian people.

Succession to the Crown Act 2013

The Succession to the Crown Bill has now become law in the United Kingdom and is henceforth known as the Succession to the Crown Act 2013. The Act will not come into force until all of the other commonwealth realms pass legislation in their own Parliaments. For more information on this act here is a link to my post about it Succession to the Crown Bill

This Act symbols a new era for the British Monarchy an era which is full of equality and great change. But it sets a precedent for republicans within the Commonwealth realms to demand for more legislation to change the Monarchy limiting the royal prerogatives and finally putting an institution that has stood for more than a thousand years to the Guillotine. I don’t disagree with this act I believe in equality between men and women but as a royalist I am concerned for the future of the monarchy if the government can change a scared institution to how it suits them without consulting the people what next a British republic! That will give our future elected representatives unlimited power leaving us at their mercy. A monarchy safeguards the people it represents from the will of unscrupulous elected officials.

New Member of the United Kingdom Privy Council

Her Majesty the Queen approved the following person member of Her Majesty’s most Honourable Privy Council.
The Rt Hon. The Lord Spicer

New Member of the Order of the Garter

Her Majesty the Queen has appointed Air Chief Marshal The Rt Hon. The Lord Stirrup GCB AFC ADC a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (KG).

The Order of the Garter is the highest honour in the UK and is personally awarded by the Sovereign. Appointments to the Order are announced on St George’s Day and appointees are invested into the Order on Garter Day which will be the 17th June 2013.

The Sunday Times Rich List 2013

Today the Sunday Times rich list was released. I have made one of my own that lists all the Royalty, Princes and Princess, Dukes, Marquesses, Earls, Viscounts, Barons and Baronesses, Dames, Knights and Ladys within the Sunday Times rich list for 2013.

1. The Duke of Westminster £7800m
2. Sir Philip and Lady Green £3880m
3. Earl Cadogan and Family £3675m
4. Sir Richard Branson and Family £3514m
5. Sir Anthony Bamford and Family £3150m
6. Sir James Dyson and Family £3000m
7. Sir Henry Keswick and Family £2375m
8. Baroness Howard de Walden and Family £2364m
9. Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay £2350m
10. Lord Paul and Family £2000m
11. Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou and Family £1700m
12. Viscount Portman and Family £1385m
13. Lord Ashcroft £1200m
14. Lord Grantchester and Family £1200m
15. Sir Ian Wood and Family £1200m
16. Lord Kirkham and Family £1150m
17. Sir Terry Matthews £1122m
18. Sir Charles Dunstone £1080m
19. Sir Anwar Pervez and Family £1030m
20. Sir Ken Morrison and Family £1005m
21. Douglas and Dame Mary Perkins and Family £870m
22. Lord Ballyedmond £860m
23. Lord Sugar £860m
24. The Earl of Iveagh and the Guinness Family £850m
25. Sir Cameron Mackintosh £825m
26. Lord Laidlaw £770m
27. Lord Vestey and Family £750m
28. Sir Brian Souter and Ann Gloag £730m
29. The Duke of Devonshire £720m
30. Viscount Rothermere and Family £720m
31. The Hon. Nat Rothschild £700m
32. Sir Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell £680m
33. The Duke of Bedford £630m
34. Sir Donald Gordon and Family £620m
35. Lord Lloyd-Webber £620m
36. Lord Sainsbury of Turville £590m
37. Sir David McMurtry £586m
38. Sir Peter Rigby £550m
39. The Duke of Sutherland £525m
40. Sir Arnold Clark and Family £508m
41. Prince Jonathan and Princess Gesine Doria Pamphilj £500m
42. Sir David Samworth and Family £490m
43. Lord Rothschild £470m
44. Sir Evelyn and Lady Rothschild £467m
45. Sir Douglas Myers £448m
46. Lord Edmiston £440m
47. Rear-Admiral Sir Donald Gosling £430m
48. Lord Alliance and Family £400m
49. Viscount Cowdray and the Pearson Family £400m
50. Sir Michael Smurfit and Family £398m
51. Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones £375m
52. The Hon. Charlotte Townshend £375m
53. Sir John and Peter Beckwith £350m
54. Sir Tony and Lady O’Reilly £346m
55. Sir John Zochonis and Family £330m
56. The Duke of Northumberland 325m
57. Sir Martyn Arbib and Family £320m
58. Her Majesty the Queen £320m
59. Sir Paul Ruddock £300m
60. The MacAlpine Family £295m
61. Zac and Lady Annabel Goldsmith and Family £280m
62. Sir Paul and Lady Smith £280m
63. The Marquess of Salisbury £275m
64. Sir Bernard Schreier and Family £265m
65. Lord Heseltine and Family £264m
66. Sir Rocco Forte and Olga Polizzi and Family £250m
67. Sir Peter Ogden £250m
68. Lord Lliffe and Family £245m
69. Sir Elton John £240m
70. Sir Michael Bibby and Family £238m
71. Sir Stanley and Peter Thomas £230m
72. Sir Ronnie Cohen and Sharon Harel £220m
73. Sir Martin Sorrell £210m
74. Lord Bagri and Hon. Apurv Bagri £200m
75. Lord Glendonbrook £200m
76. Sir Mick Jagger £200m
77. The Marquess of Bath £180m
78. The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry and Family £180m
79. The Astor Family £175m
80. Dame Margaret and Helen Barbour and Family £175m
81. Sir Colin Giltrap £169m
82. Sir Euan Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe Bt and Family £160m
83. Sir Keith Mills £160m
84. Sir Philip Naylor-Leyland Bt £160m
85. Sir Angus Grossart £158m
86. Sir William Haughey £155m
87. Sir Peter Michael £155m
88. Sir Peter Vardy £155m
89. Sir Chris Evans £150m
90. Lord Foster of Thames Bank £150m
91. Lord Harris of Peckham £150m
92. Sir Robert Ogden £150m
93. Sir Richard Sutton £150m
94. Sir Tim Rice £149m
95. Sir Tom Jones £145m
96. Sir John Ritblat £140m
97. Lord Archer of Weston-super-Mare £135m
98. The Duke of Beaufort £135m
99. Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith £135m
100. Lord Saatchi and Charles Saatchi £135m
101. Sir Tom Farmer £132m
102. Lord Fink £130m
103. Sir Jack Hayward £130m
104. The Earl of Pembroke £130m
105. Sir Ray Tindle £130m
106. Sir Richard George £125m
107. The Duke of Rutland £125m
108. Sir Jonathan Ive £120m
109. Sir Martin Laing £120m
110. The Earl of Stockton and the Macmillan Family £120m
111. Earl Spencer £115m
112. Sir Frank Williams £115m
113. Sir Rod Aldridge £110m
114. Sir William Benyon £110m
115. The Marquess of Bute £110m
116. The Duke of Marlborough £110m
117. Sir George Meyrick £110m
118. The Duke of Roxburghe £105m
119. The Marquess of Northampton £103m
120. Viscount Hambleden £100m
121. Sir John Madejski £100m
122. The Duke of Richmond and Gordon £100m
123. Sir Simon Robertson £100m
124. Sir John Mactaggart £99m
125. Lord Deighton £95m
126. Sir David Garrard £95m
127. Lord Alli £90m
128. The Earl of Halifax £90m
129. The Marquess of Milford Haven £90m
130. Sir Fraser and Gordon Morrison £90m
131. The Earl of Rosebery £90m
132. Lord Tanlaw £85m
133. The Earl of Yarborough £84m
134. Sir Michael Marshall £82m
135. Sir Sean Connery £80m
136. Sir Terence Conran £80m
137. The Earl of Leicester £80m
138. Sir Michael Heller £77m
139. Lord Daresbury and the Greenall Family £75m
140. Lord Drayson £75m
141. Lord Noon £75m
142. Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise £75m
143. Lord Rana £72m
144. The Earl of Inchcape £65m
145. Lord Mostyn and Family £48m
146. Sir Billy Hastings £40m
147. Lord and Lady Kilclooney £40m
148. The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry £28m

New First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy

Admiral Sir George Zambellas KCB DSC has been appointed First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty the Queen in succession to Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope GCB OBE ADC.

New Communications Secretary to the Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall

Ms Sally Osman has been appointed Communications Secretary to the Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall’s Household. Ms Osman is currently Director of Corporate Communications for Sony’s European division. Ms Osman assumes her appointment in June this year.

New Member of the United Kingdom Privy Council

Her Majesty the Queen approved the following person member of Her Majesty’s most Honourable Privy Council.
The Hon. Lord Hodge

Queen Appoints New Honorary Dental Surgeon

Her Majesty the Queen has appointed Colonel W.C. Black her Honorary Dental Surgeon (QHDS). Colonel Black has previously served in the Royal Army Dental Corps.

LVO for Queen’s Watch Keeper

Robert Andrew Ball MVO has been appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) for his service as Senior Horological Conservator for the Royal Household.

New Clerk of Lieutenancy for East Sussex

Peter Field, Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex has commissioned Ms Penelope Thompson CBE Clerk to the lieutenancy of East Sussex.

Baroness Thatcher LG OM PC FRS (1925-2013)

Baroness Thatcher first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has passed away aged 87 following a stroke. Lady Thatcher was born Margaret Hilda Roberts in Grantham, Lincolnshire on the 13th October 1925 to Alfred Roberts and Beatrice Ethel Roberts nee Stephenson.

Miss Roberts attended Huntingtower Road Primary School followed by Kesteven and Grantham Girls School where she was head girl. Upon leaving school she went to Somerville College, Oxford to study Chemistry. In 1947 she graduated with second class honours degree.

In 1946 Miss Roberts became President of the Oxford University Conservative Association. Miss Roberts then went on to work as research chemist for Bx Plastics and J Lyons and Co in the 1950’s.

Miss Roberts stood as the Conservative Candidate for Dartford in the 1950 and 1951 general elections but fail to gain the seat on both occasions. In December 1951 she married Dennis Thatcher. Mrs Thatcher then embarked on a change of career studying to join the bar and become a barrister qualifying in 1953. Mrs Thatcher became a mother of twins on the 15th August 1953 a daughter named Carol and a son named Mark. 

Mrs Thatcher stood as the Conservative Candidate in the 1955 Orpington by-election but fail to win the seat. In 1959 she stood as the Conservative Candidate for Finchley and won. In October 1961 Mrs Thatcher was appointed Parliamentary Undersecretary at the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance.


Following the Conservative Party losing the 1964 General Election she became Shadow spokeswoman for Housing and Land then become Shadow spokeswoman for the Treasury in 1966. Mrs Thatcher then become Shadow spokeswoman for Fuel then Shadow spokeswoman for Transport. Mrs Thatcher last appointment in opposition was Shadow spokeswoman for Education.


In 1970 General Election the Conservative Party won and Mrs Thatcher was appointed Secretary of State for Education and Science. Mrs Thatcher made cuts to the Education budget resulting in the abolishment of free school milk for schoolchildren aged Seven to Eleven. The Labour Party and the Press dubbed her Margaret Thatcher milk snatcher.


In 1974 the Conservative Party lost the February and October General Elections Mrs Thatcher challenged Edward Heath the Party’s leader in a leadership contest wining the first ballot Edward Heath subsequently resigned. Mrs Thatcher went on to beat William Whitelaw in the second ballot becoming Leader of the Conservative Party on the 11th February 1975.


Following the Winter of Discontent in the late 1970’s the Conservative party with Mrs Thatcher at the helm won the 1979 General Election defeating the Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan. On the 4th May 1979 Mrs Thatcher became Britain’s first female Prime Minister in her speech on the steps of Number 10 Downing Street her said “Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope”. Mrs Thatcher went on to win the 1983 General Election and the 1987 General Election. Mrs Thatcher had to deal with some of the most important social and political events in the UK’s history during her premiership. The Following are just some she had to face.

1980 - The Iranian Embassy Siege

1981 - The Brixton Riots

1981 - The Irish Hunger Strike by Irish Republican Prisoners

1981 - UK goes into Recession

2nd April 1982 - The Falkland and South Georgia Islands are invaded by Argentina Mrs Thatcher sent a naval task force down to the Falkland’s and following two months of fighting and 258 British Serviceman dying Argentina surrendered on the 14th June 1982.

1984-1985 The Miners’ Strike. The National Union of Mineworkers call a strike in protest of pit closures the Strike ended in 1985 and the closures went ahead.

12 October 1984 - The Brighton Hotel Bombing the Provisional Irish Republican Army attempted to assassinate Mrs Thatcher killing 5 people and injuring 31 Mrs Thatcher escaped unharmed.

1984 - Signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration ensuring the safe handover of Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China.

1985 - Signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement a significant step in the Irish Peace process.

1986 - Secured a Large annual rebate from the European Union to the UK.

1989 - Abolished the Greater London Council and six other Municipal county Councils in England.

1989 - Defeated a leadership Challenge by Sir Anthony Meyer 3rd Bt.

1990 - Introduction of the Community Charge Commonly known as the Poll Tax.

1990 - Poll Tax Riots.

1990 - Michael Heseltine challenges Mrs Thatcher for the Leadership of the Conservative Party Mrs Thatcher wins the first ballot.

22 November 1990 following several members of the cabinet declaring they would not support her Mrs Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister.

Following Mrs Thatcher’s resignation her Mr Denis Thatcher MBE TD was created a baronet making him Sir Denis Thatcher MBE TD 1st Bt of Scotney in the County of Kent. Mrs Thatcher was then styled Lady Thatcher. Lady Thatcher was awarded the Order of Merit (OM) for her service as Prime Minister.

Lady Thatcher retired as MP of Finchley in 1992. In Lady Thatcher appointed to the House of Lords as a Life Peer under the Title Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven in the County of Lincolnshire. In 1995 Baroness Thatcher was appointed Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter (LG).

In her later years Baroness Thatcher suffered increasing poor heath including several mini strokes. She was unable to attend the Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011 due to ill health and showed increased frailty in her recent public appearances.

Today Baroness Thatcher’s spokesman Lord Bell announced she passed away peacefully following a stroke.

It has been announced that Baroness Thatcher will receive a Ceremonial funeral with military honours at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

LVO for Royal Protector

Mr Richard Frederick Griffin MVO was appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) for his service to Royal Protection.

New Private Secretary to Prince Henry of Wales

HRH Prince Henry of Wales has appointed Mr Edward Lane Fox Private Secretary to the Household of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. Mr Lane Fox is a Former Captain in the Blues and Royals.

New Member of the United Kingdom Privy Council

Her Majesty the Queen approved the following person member of Her Majesty’s most Honourable Privy Council.
The Hon. Lord Bracadale QC