Watching

Tags

Ceremonial, Parliament, Queen, UK

Today I was watching the State Opening of Parliament at Westminster. The ceremonial is interesting and it is about a multitude of details and how it is very different from the way we, in Canada, open Parliament in Ottawa with the Governor General or even with the Queen.

The parade from Buckingham Palace which is undergoing major renovations at this time, saw a first maroon coloured Rolls Royce with the Imperial State Crown with its 3000 precious stones and large diamonds on a cushion on display with a senior military officer being driven down to Parliament. The second maroon coloured Rolls Royce had 2 senior Officers one carrying the Cap of Maintenance and the other the Great Sword of State of 1685 which represent the authority of the Sovereign. The Cap of Maintenance is a strange hat a gift of the Pope , it was first gifted to both Henry VII and Henry VIII during their respective reigns.

The Kings were so pleased to have received this special privilege from The Vatican, they paraded the Cap on a stick around the City of London to solidify the monarch’s authority.

The third Rolls Royce carries 2 Royal Mace which are so large that the windows are open and they stick out. The Procession continues with a fourth Rolls Royce, today carrying HRH Prince William and finally the last car carried HRH The Prince of Wales and his wise the Duchess of Cornwall. As they past down Great George Street the honour guard will give the Royal Salute to each passing car.

This year the HRH Prince Charles entered the House of Peers (Lords) by the door on the Left of the Throne and exited the same way, though he is the Heir, he still represented the Sovereign, usually the Queen enters by the right door to the Throne and exits by the left door this for practical reasons as she explained once, wearing the long Ermine cape it is so heavy that it is not possible to walk backwards.

HRH Prince William accompanied by Lord Chomondoley (pronouced Chumley) who is Lord Great Chamberlain of England who walks in front of the Sovereign with the white staff.

The order in which members of the Royal Family arrive anywhere is prescribed order by rank of seniority, the junior first and the senior last. In this case Prince William arrived before his father Prince Charles.

Today the seating in the House of Peers (Lords) was re-arranged to show rank on the dais.

Prince William is below the Throne on the left of the photo next to Baroness Evans of Bowes. Prince Charles sits on the Throne reserved for the Heir on the right, the Imperial State Crown is next to him in the post where usually the Throne of the Queen would be. Next Camilla Duchess of Cornwall.

Unlike Canada, the Prime Minister and other MPs are at the back of the room by the door. In Canada the Prime Minister sits next to the Throne, while MPs are gathered at the back of the Senate Chamber. In Canada if the Queen opens Parliament, there is no Crown, but she will wear a tiara, usually the Queen Alexandra Kokoshnik Tiara of 1888.

The pomp today in Parliament was somewhat restrained given the Queen was not present and honours for the Heir to the Throne cannot be similar. Also I found that Prince Charles and Prince William were subdued in their demeanor. No doubt they know more about the Queen’s state of health than we do. The opening parliament is one of the Queen’s most important constitutional duties, and she can’t just ask someone else to do it for her. She had to issue Letters Patent that enabled two of her Counsellors of State—the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge—to perform the duty in her place. The Prince of Wales was deputized to read the speech on his mother’s behalf.

Prince Charles wore the uniform of Admiral of the Fleet, the same one that was worn by his father for years for the same event. You’ll note that the orders worn with the uniform include the collar and star of the Order of the Garter, the dark green sash and star of the Order of the Thistle, and the neck badge of the Order of the Bath.

It was in a way a look at how it will be when Prince Charles becomes King and Camilla is Queen Consort. Prince William will then be the Heir.

Renovations

Tags

Buckingham Palace, London, Queen

Renovations to Buckingham Palace have been planned for some years and in the last 24 months they have been moving along. Some 385 million Sterling Pounds are being spent to upgrade the wiring and plumbing and do many more infrastructure repairs. Not much has been done since the 1950’s and given the age of the building it was time before an accident happened.

What I did not know was how much the building changed over the course of the last 260 years. Originally Buckingham House was a country house on the outskirts of London and did not have the look nor the shape we see today. It was also not used as a Residence for the Sovereign until Victoria became Queen in 1837 and moved in.

George III bought Buckingham House in 1761 for his wife Queen Charlotte to use as a comfortable family home close to St James’s Palace, where many court functions were held. Buckingham House became known as the Queen’s House, and 14 of George III’s 15 children were born there. 

George IV, on his accession in 1820, decided to reconstruct the house into a pied-à-terre, using it for the same purpose as his father George III. 

As work progressed, and as late as the end of 1826, The King had a change of heart. With the assistance of his architect, John Nash, he set about transforming the house into a palace. Parliament agreed to a budget of £150,000, but the King pressed for £450,000 as a more realistic figure.Nash retained the main block but doubled its size by adding a new suite of rooms on the garden side facing west. Faced with mellow Bath stone, the external style reflected the French neo-classical influence favoured by George IV. 

The remodelled rooms are the State and semi-State Rooms, which remain virtually unchanged since Nash’s time.

The north and south wings of Buckingham House were demolished and rebuilt on a larger scale with a triumphal arch – the Marble Arch – as the centrepiece of an enlarged courtyard, to commemorate the British victories at Trafalgar and Waterloo.

By 1829 the costs had escalated to nearly half a million pounds. Nash’s extravagance cost him his job, and on the death of George IV in 1830, his younger brother William IV took on Edward Blore to finish the work. The King never moved into the Palace. Indeed, when the Houses of Parliament were destroyed by fire in 1834, the King offered the Palace as a new home for Parliament, but the offer was declined.

Queen Victoria was the first sovereign to take up residence in July 1837 and in June 1838 she was the first British sovereign to leave from Buckingham Palace for a Coronation. Her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840 soon showed up the Palace’s shortcomings. 

A serious problem for the newly married couple was the absence of any nurseries and too few bedrooms for visitors. The only solution was to move the Marble Arch – it now stands at the north-east corner of Hyde Park – and build a fourth wing, thereby creating a quadrangle. The cost of the new wing was largely covered by the sale of George IV’s Royal Pavilion at Brighton. 

Blore added an attic floor to the main block of the Palace and decorated it externally with marble friezes originally intended for Nash’s Marble Arch. The work was completed in 1847. By the turn of the century the soft French stone used in Blore’s East Front was showing signs of deterioration, largely due to London’s notorious soot, and required replacing. 

In 1913 the decision was taken to reface the façade. Sir Aston Webb, with a number of large public buildings to his credit, was commissioned to create a new design. Webb chose Portland Stone, which took 12 months to prepare before building work could begin. When work did start it took 13 weeks to complete the refacing, a process that included removing the old stonework.

The present forecourt of the Palace, where Changing the Guard takes place, was formed in 1911, as part of the Victoria Memorial scheme.

The gates and railings were also completed in 1911; the North-Centre Gate is now the everyday entrance to the Palace, whilst the Central Gate is used for State occasions and the departure of the guard after Changing the Guard. The work was completed just before the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.

Here are some images of the Palace as it evolved to today’s look.

Buckingham House in 1760

Buckingham Palace with Marble Arch standing in front as the main gate to the U shaped palace, C. 1840.

Buckingham Palace under Queen Victoria with the new front facade closing the courtyard and Marble arch has been moved to its current location down the avenue. Around 1850.

Buckingham Palace today with the gates built with the refacing of the new stone in 1913 at the same period the Victoria Memorial Monument in front of the Palace was also built. The money was collected by public subscription.

Today the palace is the central administrative centre of the Monarchy and is used for State functions but rarely used as a residence. The offices of those who support the day-to-day activities and duties of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh and their immediate family, such as the Private Secretary’s Office and the Privy Purse and Treasurer’s Office are located at Buckingham Palace. The Palace has 775 rooms. These include 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms.

During the renovation period, the rooms have to be emptied of their furniture, carpets, paintings and all objects. This requires a lot of attention given how rare and unique the furnishings and works of art are. The electrical work cannot be intrusive given the age of the building and original decorations and plaster work.

Happy Birthday

Tags

Birthday, Canada., EIIR, life, Queen, Reign, Sovereign

Today is H.M. the Queen 94th Birthday.  Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born on 21 April 1926 at number 17 Bruton street, Mayfair, London. The house does not exist anymore. She was named Elizabeth after her mother; Alexandra after  her grandfather’s King George V mother Alexandra of Denmark who had died six months earlier; and Mary after paternal grandfather’s wife Queen Mary of Teck.

She is the longest reigning Monarch of Canada and Great Britain at 68 years. In 1947, she married Philip Duke of Edinburgh, a former prince of Greece and Denmark, with whom she has four children: Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.

In 2017, she became the first Canadian and British monarch to reach a Sapphire Jubilee, (65yrs). She is the longest lived and longest-reigning. She is the longest serving female head of State in world history, and the world’s oldest living monarch.

Queen Elizabeth II, personal Standard in Canada, flown when she is on Canadian soil.

Very Happy Birthday and best wishes to Her Majesty.

Princess Elizabeth, portrait 1929.

6 February

Tags

EIIR, King, Monarchy, Queen, Sovereign

On this day 2 Kings died, Charles II son of the unfortunate Charles I who died at the hand of Cromwell, died on 6 February 1685 at age 54 at WhiteHall Palace of kidney failure. Having no children of his own, his brother James II became King.

Nearer to us on 6 February 1952 King George VI died in his sleep at age 56 at Sandrigham House, his daughter Princess Elizabeth was proclaimed Queen 68 years ago today. Her Coronation was held in June 1953 respecting the rules of mourning. She is today the longest reigning Monarch of Canada. Queen Elizabeth II will be 94 years old in April. The 6 February is not celebrated but a day of remembrance for Queen Elizabeth of her late father.

King George VI and his daughter Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen. 

The Funeral of the late King George VI in London, February 1952. He is buried in St-George’s Chapel in Windsor with his wife the Queen Mother, d. March 2002 and daughter Princess Margaret, d. February 2002.

 

So a new mandate

Tags

Canada., Government, Liberals, Ontario, Parliament, Quebec, Queen, Trudeau

Well the National Election is over and Justin Trudeau got a new mandate, despite all the  dirt the so called conservative party and its leader tried to throw at him. The CPC has a unit which works at unearthing anything that could hurt a candidate and then publicize it through right wing affiliated newspapers like The Sun, CTV network and PostMedia including the once reputable Globe & Mail. The negative stories are written for effect and are often inaccurate or right out lies simply repeated. A very disturbing trend but you have to know the background of it, the owners are long time supporters of alt-right conservative policies, some big business interests, some American oil companies, the Trump administration and the Republican party including the one surviving Koch brother. No it is not the Russians in our case but the US Republican party. The Chinese Communist party (Chinese Government) also played a very negative role, given our current dispute with China over the extradition to the USA of the Huawei executive. Two Canadian have been kidnapped by the People’s Police in China and held in secret jails, denied Canadian Embassy Consular services and put under psychological torture for months now. Unfortunately the Canadian Media has all but forgotten about them. The position of the CPC and its Chief Andrew Scheer has been to side with China with the false narrative that this will help resolve the crisis.

So this election confirmed one thing, Canadians are concerned about climate change now seen as a crisis, Canadian want action (84%) and will not vote for a candidate who denies the crisis or has no plans to fight it, as was the case for Andrew Scheer.
Canadians also do not like a candidate who imitates the American fashion of posing as a born again or evangelical Christian, like Andrew Scheer did. Canadians prefer their candidates and party leader to be neutral and quiet on this topic. There were too many stories about Conservative Candidates who came out as being anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ, pro-gun lobby and supporting the NRA, while we get weekly news from the USA of gun violence, something that horrifies most Canadians. Several also were not shy and made hate filled comments and rants against anyone who is not white or christian, thinking that it was ok to do so. Finally Andrew Scheer was the master of avoiding to answer any question on pretty much any topic. He also refused to denounce or remove a candidate who displayed hateful tendencies. Scheer also refused to attend any PRIDE event or parade during the Summer, all other party leaders did and participated. Trudeau was accused by the CPC of being a deviant and corrupt. What was suppose to be an easy victory for the Conservative turnout to be a defeat despite getting more votes and gaining more seats in the House of Commons, though not a majority. But they failed miserably in the two big provinces of Ontario and Quebec and in the Maritimes which holds the bulk of the population in Canada, some 26 million people out of the 38 million. It is well known that if you cannot secure the votes in Ontario especially around Toronto and in Quebec you cannot win an election in Canada.

So since the Liberal party victory on 21 October, Andrew Scheer has felt the heat of this party who is planning to replace him ASAP. No despite Trudeau having a minority government he has a workable minority and does not need to have a coalition with another party like the Green or NDP. The way our Westminster Parliamentary system works, there is a way to govern and you can always find support here and there in the House to pass your bills. No one wants another election for at least another 14 to 24 months for the simple reason there is no money and the Conservatives will be looking for a new leader soon.

The media also do not help the issue by spreading false concepts borrowed from the USA. Canada is NOT a Republic we are a Kingdom and our Parliamentary system is a copy of Westminster so it is quite different matter.

When the Prime Minister went to see the Governor General Julie Payette to ask she dissolve Parliament as is her role as Head of State, the Prime Minister and the Ministers all remain in Office for the duration of the election. The Prime Minister only  resigns his position after the election if he or she looses the election and IF he or she can no longer hold the Confidence of the House. That is very important to understand, we have had historically cases where the Prime Minister lost an election but stayed in power because he could hold the confidence of the House. Strange but true in Canada, that is our system.

The day after the election the Prime Minister returned to visit the Governor General at Rideau Hall to inform her of what his intentions were for the new Legislative program and priorities. This is largely a courtesy call because the Speech from the Throne (in England it is called the Queen’s Speech) is read by the Head of State in the High Chamber our Senate by the Governor General or the Queen if she is in Ottawa, but it is all written by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The Press got it wrong by talking about Trudeau seeking permission to form a government. What nonsense, he is the PM and remains so, he has a new mandate NOT a term, we don’t have those in Canada. The only thing Trudeau needs is to get the confidence of the House through a formal vote in the House of Commons on the Speech from the Throne or on the Budget bill. Very unlikely that he would not be able to get it under present circumstances. In Canada the role of the Queen or Governor General is to warn on a course of action or counsel the PM, the power to govern rests entirely in the House in Parliament, this is why we have responsible government since 1867. It is quite amazing to see how many journalists and editors get this wrong, watching too much of The West Wing I suppose.

On November 20 the Prime Minister will announce his new Ministry or Cabinet, a shuffle of portfolio is the big challenge for Trudeau or any Prime Minister because they have to make sure they have all regions of Canada represented in Cabinet and this is tough at the moment with no Liberal Member of Parliament from Alberta or Saskatchewan, pop 5 million total, Trudeau will have to be creative but there are various workable solutions.

So the final result of this election Canadians want modern and progressive governments and NO we are not revisiting the Abortion debate it was settled decades ago, we have rights for all including the LGBTQ and same-sex marriage and Canadians don’t want to deny rights to segment of the population, we also want the right to die which was legislated and gun control including hand guns. It should also be a warning to any new conservative leader at the Federal level not to associate with Neo-Nazi elements and other white supremacist hate groups as Andrew Scheer did thinking that it was a winning card.

I do expect that with the beginning of this new mandate the conservatives and their friends in the right wing press will continue negative attacks against Trudeau but hey that’s life. At least we do not have a Conservative government and that is a blessing. No one wanted the sort of horror show we see in Ontario at the Provincial Level with Doug Ford who emulates Donald Trump his hero or the politics of civil war and hate in Alberta with Jason Kenney. Interestingly the Conservative Premier in Manitoba does not want to associate with Kenney or Ford and the Premier in New Brunswick who is himself in a minority situation is walking back on his own extreme positions which are mostly anti-French in a province considered to be  the heart of French Acadia.

 

 

Opening and closing

Tags

Canada., EIIR, Parliament, Queen, Speech, Westminster

This morning the Queen went to Parliament to read what is called the Queen Speech or the Throne Speech as we say in Canada. Because Prince Philip who is 96 is unwell with what appears to be a recurring bladder infection in hospital, it was the Prince of Wales and Heir to the Throne accompanied her.

They arrived by car taking a different route following Birdcage Walk Rd unto Great George Street bringing them directly to Parliament instead of following Pall Mall down through Admiralty Arch.  It is just a 3 minute drive and it was certainly not the leisurely procession by carriage and horse mounted escort seen on such an occasion.

The Queen entered Westminster Palace through the Sovereign’s Entrance greeted by David Cholmondeley, KCVO, Lord Great Chamberlain who is an Officer of the Royal House.

She was not wearing the Robes of State, or the Imperial State Crown as is customary. Prince Charles was in morning dress.

The Crown which arrived in its own late model Rolls Royce, placed on a cushion and carried by one of the Great Officers of the Royal Household, it was placed on the right hand of the Sovereign.  It all had the look of a hurry up event, this scaled back version is the first one since 1974. In fact when the Gentleman of the Black Rod was sent from the House of Peers to the House of Commons to summon the members to attend the Queen, one veteran member of the Labour Party Dennis Skinner said quite loudly, put on your skates, meaning that someone was in a hurry to go to Ascot for the races. Everyone laughed.  It is understood he meant the Queen. The Queen read the speech with no great enthusiasm, going through the paces but trying not to give anything away. This is the Westminster parliamentary system and PM May does have to show that she can govern and given the chance to prove it. It is the same thing in Canada, as long as a Prime Minister has the confidence of the House, he or she can stay in Office.

From the speech it is clear that the current government of Theresa May will not last very long it was a hollow speech with nothing of significance in it. I expect a vote of no confidence and either the Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn will be asked to form a government or there will be fresh elections. Not a good start to the Brexit talks this week.

In the meantime in Canada, Parliament could go into recess today Wednesday or tomorrow Thursday depending on what the Senate will do with the Budget bill. Much protest by the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about Senators trying to delay or question the content of the bill and the part relating to the Infrastructure Bank. This is all too strange, it is the Constitutional duty of the Senate to examine and raise question. The Government representative in the Senate, Peter Harder even went so far as too say that it was costing money to delay passage of the Budget bill. As if he was suggesting we could have democracy only if it was on the cheap. In an unheard of move, some government member and Minister Bardish Chaggar, Liberal House Leader even came to the Senate Chamber and stood at the bar to observe the vote of the Senators. This was seen by the Conservatives Senators as an intimidation gesture. What was also strange was the tabling of 4 new bills by the Government, on important matters. Obviously they will not be debated until the House returns in the Fall. There are also rumours of a Cabinet shuffle by PM Trudeau and a possible prorogation of Parliament in the Fall which would see all unfinished business abandoned unless the Government decided to re-table the same bills. It has also been announced that the Governor General David Johnston’s mandate will expire in September. So who will be the new Governor General?  At any rate Members of Parliament are in a rush to go on vacation for the Summer.

The Senate Chamber in Parliament in Ottawa.

 

The longest reigning Monarch

Tags

Anniversary, Canada., EIIR, Queen, Reign, Sovereign

Today we have passed a milestone as H.M. Queen Elizabeth II becomes the longest serving Monarch in British and Canadian history, 63 years and 7 months. Longer than any British Monarchs reign in Canadian history, the only other Monarch in Canadian history to have reigned longer is the Sun King Louis XIV who reigned for 72 years.

This milestone happened at 17:30 London Time, calculated at 23,226 days, 16 hours and approximately 30 minutes. The Queen is 89 years old is at Balmoral in Scotland today.

Best Wished to her on this day! 

God Save the Queen – Dieu Sauve la Reine