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We don’t know where this year has gone to, but what a momentous one it has been for the British Royal Family, with Her Majesty the Queen celebrating her Sapphire Jubilee.
A 41-gun salute was fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery in Green Park at noon on February 6th to mark the occasion, and the Band of the Royal Artillery played a selection of celebratory music close to the firing position while 89 horses pulled six First World War-era 13-pounder field guns into position in the park.
For the Queen, February 6th denoted the very beginning of her reign and a great sadness at the death of her beloved “Papa”. King George VI, who was suffering from lung cancer, died unexpectedly, but peacefully, while Princess Elizabeth was thousands of miles away in Kenya, with the Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Philip broke the sad news to his wife while they were alone. But Princess Elizabeth, now Queen, was ready to fulfil her duty, as she has done in an unwavering fashion ever since.
Her Majesty’s rock solid marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh, has helped immeasurably through some turbulent times. They were married in Westminster Abbey back in 1947, and celebrated an astonishing 70 years as man and wife on November 20th, 2017. Their platinum wedding anniversary is a milestone not reached by any other British monarch.
Prince Philip also reached a milestone in that he finally and deservedly retired in 2017 at the grand old age of 96, though we trust he still has many good years ahead of him!
A statement from Buckingham Palace said that the Queen fully supported her husband’s decision to give up public engagements. But they added: “He may still choose to attend certain public events from time to time.” The Prince remains patron, president or a member of more than 780 organisations and will continue to be associated with them. And of course he will continue to support his wife behind the scenes.
Meanwhile, the younger Royals have been doing their bit to take on the duties of both the Queen and Prince Philip, and both Prince William and Prince Harry have given up their ‘day jobs’ to concentrate on Royal engagements and charity work. The Duchess of Cambridge would have been doing more too, but for the happy fact that she now has a third child on the way. But the busiest Royal of 2017 was actually Princess Anne, who according to recently published figures has conducted almost a quarter of all work undertaken by the British Monarchy in 2017. Princess Anne has worked more days than The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry combined – not at all bad for a sprightly 66-year-old!
After Princess Anne the next busiest royal was her brother, Prince Charles, followed by the Queen herself, who of course also works every day managing ministerial red boxes. As the end of the year approaches we wish all of the British Royals a nice break from work, as well as a very happy Christmas and exciting New Year.
We’re looking forward to a new Royal baby and possibly even a Royal wedding, so roll on 2018, we can’t wait!
Included in this issue:
- An Exciting Announcement: A Cambridge Family Album
- Royal Life News
- Royal Platinum Love Song CD Competition
- Busy Times For The Duke Of Cambridge
- Meet Warrant Holders: Halcyon Days (Competition)
- Rumours Of An Engagement: A Royal Romance For Prince Harry
- An Extraordinary Week: Invictus Games 2017
- Strengthening Ties: Prince Charles and Camilla In Asia
- A Momentous Year: Happy Royal Anniversary
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