King Charles’ crowning coronation is only a week away. Media reports revealed how big names like Adele and Harry Styles had turned down the opportunity to play at his coronation, but it seems like there is a line-up of powerhouses ready to be part of the big day. The final list shows impressive A-listers like Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Tom Cruise, and Bollywood star Sonam Kapoor.
Some Twitter users are dumbstruck that a citizen from a former colonised nation is coming to celebrate the Royal Family, and that of all the people it was Sonam Kapoor?
But, Twitter would take up any opportunity to provide some hilarious memes and delivered beautifully.
It’s kinda embarrassing like ma’am his family colonized your nation for centuries, bled its coffers dry, raped and plundered the country and yet she’s gonna be out there celebrating another fucked up racist imperialist colonizer sitting on the throne https://t.co/1Otp4v8zII
The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, is well known for her strict adherence to royal customs while making public appearances for the Crown. However, during an Easter outing on Monday, the 41- years-old duchess stunned on-lookers by choosing to wear red nail polish, instead of a neutral color.
The event was the first time Middleton and her husband Prince William had made their appearance as the newly-inaugurated Prince and Princess of Wales, a title previously held by Prince Charles, who is now the King after the demise of Elizabeth II. The couple were joined by their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
Rules about dressing and appearance etiquette are extremely strict which members of the Royal Family must adhere to at all times. Women resist from wearing bright nail polish and can only stick to neutral shades when attending public events.
The late Queen wore bright colours in public in order to stand out from the crowd. Tiaras can only be worn by married women in the Royal Family, not single women or children.
The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle had drawn backlash in 2018, when she attended the Fashion Awards, where she was spotted flaunting a black manicure, which broke royal protocol.
As part of their ‘Cost Of The Crown’ series, investigating the British Royal Family’s wealth and finances, The Guardian has extracted a 46 page report from the Indian government which provided details of jewelry and other precious items stolen by the colonial British Empire during their reign over the sub-continent. Most of the gifts were handed over as gifts to Queen Victoria, the reigning monarch at the time.
The investigation was commanded by the late Queen Elizabeth II’s grandmother, Queen Mary, to find out about the origins of her jewels.
The report details the names of the jewels as well as their colonial origins and how they were stolen by the East India Company.
1 Koh-i-Noor
The legendary diamond Koh-i-Noor was taken from Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s kitty. The ruler of Lahorr had signed a treaty of friendship with the British in 1831, and six years later the then Governer-General of India, George Eden, and his sister, Fanny, visited him at his palace. The Guardian writes that Fanny had later written about Singh’s diamond collection, detailing how he decorated his horses with the finest diamonds she had ever seen:
“If ever we are allowed to plunder this kingdom, I shall go straight to their stables.”
in 1849, Singh and his heir, Duleep, were forced to sign over Punjab to the British army, who stole all of his jewels as a part of their conquest, along with the Koh-i-Noor.
The diamond is part of the Imperial Collection, imbedded into Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother’s crown, worn by consorts.
2 The Timur Ruby gemstone
Named after Timur, the founder of Timurind Empire in Central Asia, the gemstone is etched with the names of the five men who owned it: Jahangir (1569-1627), the 4th Mughal Emperor, Shah Jehan (1592-1666), the 5th Mughal Emperor, Farrukhsiyar (1685-1719), the 10th Mughal Emperor; Nader Shah (1688-1747), Shah of Iran; and Ahmad Shah Durrani (1722-1772), King of Afghanistan.
By 1813, the gemstone was under the possession of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who ruled over the Sikh Empire, and later was passed down to his heir Maharaja Sher Singh. From there, the necklace was inherited by his brother Duleep Singh, who became Maharaja when he was only five years old.
During 1948- 49, when the British Empire waged wars over the Sikh Empire, the East India Company took over Punjab and forced the then ten-year-old Maharaja to hand over his possessions. Duleep Singh was placed under a Scottish guardian, isolated from contacting his fellow countrymen.
3 Pearl necklace
Comprising of 244 pearls and a clasp of two magnificent rubies, the necklace had originally belonged to a ruler in Punjab, until it was stolen by the British. Queen Elizabeth II was spotted wearing this necklace at the Royal Opera House in London to celebrate her diamond jubilee.
4 Emerald girdle of Maharaja Sher Singh
The gold girdle inlaid with 19 emeralds first came to the public’s attention during Buckingham Palace’s celebration of Prince Charles’ 70th birthday, with a display of his favorite pieces from the royal collection. The item had previously belonged to an Indian Maharaja, Sher Singh, who used it to decorate his precious horses.
King Charles III’s coronation is finally taking place on May 6, however, the royal family has had to face disappointment as their preferred British singers were either unavailable or declined the invitation to perform.
According to Mail Online, Charles was very keen to have Adele and Ed Sheeran on board. However, they both are unavailable. Adele has not given a reason, but Sheeran has said that he will be performing in Texas on the date.
Harry Styles and Elton John will also be on tour and unavailable in May.
The Spice Girls had agreed to perform but are now out of the lineup after Victoria Beckham once again refused to do a live show.
Despite the absence of some big names in the industry, the concert will still feature impressive headliners, including Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Howard Donald, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and more.
Performers from across the pond, including Lionel Richie and Kylie Minogue, are in talks for an appearance.
According to media reports, King Charles is expected to humiliate Prince Harry and Markle by offering them cheap seats at his coronation ceremony.
King Charles’ coronation is anticipated to take place in the spring of 2023.
“Harry and Meghan will get an invite to the coronation, but they will be firmly seated in the cheap seats along with Beatrice and Eugenie, as they were at the funeral. That will be it. Charles will be ruthless when it comes to protecting the Crown, and that means keeping Harry and Meghan as far from the center of gravity as possible,” a source told The Daily Beast.
Prince Harry and Markle may give a good excuse for declining the invitation, according to some royal analysts, in order to avoid embarrassment.
At the Queen’s funeral in Westminster Abbey, Harry and Meghan were seated behind the King and Queen Consort, while the first row was taken up by William, Katherine, their children, Zara and Mike Tindall.
On Monday, the United Kingdom celebrated the life of Queen Elizabeth II with a state funeral steeped in tradition.
The site of the funeral service was Westminster Abbey in London. The Queen was crowned here 69 years ago and it was also where she married Prince Philip 75 years ago.
Leaders from around the world attended the state funeral of Britain’s longest serving monarch. Kings and Queens, Presidents, Prime Ministers, celebrities and friends from across the globe were among the 2,000 guests at the Queen’s funeral service
The Queen’s coffin was then taken to St. George’s Chapel in Windsor where after a committal ceremony, she was to be laid to rest with her parents, her sister and her late husband.
Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, breathed her last on September 8 in Balmoral Castle, United Kingdom (UK) at the age of 96.
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif is set to leave for a two-day visit to the United Kingdom (UK) on Sunday, September 18, during which he will represent Pakistan at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and meet Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif.
The premier is scheduled to have a three-hour-long meeting with his elder brother, Nawaz Sharif, in London.
According to news reports, PM Shehbaz will return to Pakistan on Monday soon after attending the state funeral for the late Queen — who died at the age of 96 on September 8 at her Balmoral Castle residence.
It is pertinent to mention here that senior analyst Suhail Warraich had recsbtly revealed that Nawaz Sharif is not satisfied with the performance of his brother Shehbaz Sharif or Finance Minister Miftah Ismail. Warraich said Nawaz wants Shehbaz to review his policies.
“Nawaz had already said that they should not take over the government and move towards elections. It seems like he [Nawaz Sharif] has made up his mind that he wants economic policies reviewed, and he would want Ishaq Dar to manage it. He [Nawaz Sharif] does not trust Miftah Sahib,” said Warraich on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’.
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif is expected to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on September 19 in London, United Kingdom.
The premier will reportedly reach London on September 17. Other than PM Shehbaz, United States (US) President Joe Biden and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida will also participate in the funeral along with almost 2000 other guests.
The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is now at London’s Westminster Hall, where the monarch will lie in state before her state funeral on Monday.
The Queen’s son, King Charles III, was joined by his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, and other members of the royal family as he walked behind the coffin during its procession route on Wednesday en route to Westminster Hall.
During this two-day tour, PM Shehbaz will also meet his brother Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif. He and three key cabinet members, who are currently in Samarkand, will embark on a visit to London on September 17.
Earlier this week, Pakistan observed a national day of mourning over the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Saudi police have arrested a man who claimed to have travelled to Mecca to perform an Umrah pilgrimage on behalf of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
On Monday, the man, a Yemeni national, posted a video recording of himself at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, in which he was holding a banner that read, “Umrah for the soul of Queen Elizabeth II, we ask God to accept her in heaven and among the righteous.”
A statement issued by the state of Saudi Arabia said the police have arrested a resident of Yemeni nationality who appeared in a video clip carrying a banner inside the Grand Mosque, violating the regulations and instructions for umrah.
“He was arrested, legal measures were taken against him and he was referred to public prosecution,” the statement added.
He’s performing umrah on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II. What is wrong with people? I don’t think he’s joking either. Too many Muslims getting carried away not knowing where to draw the line ♂️ ♂️ pic.twitter.com/7eK1Va9c6k
Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, breathed her last on Thursday in Balmoral Castle, United Kingdom (UK) at the age of 96. The Queen was the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, the mother church of the worldwide Anglican communion.
King Charles was officially proclaimed as Britain’s new monarch on Saturday at a ceremony in St. James’s Palace. The former Prince of Wales ‘Has become lawfully and rightfully Lord of Britain and Commonwealth’ on September 10.
Charles, 73, succeeded his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, immediately after her death on Thursday but an Accession Council met on Saturday to proclaim his succession, with his son and heir William, wife Camilla, and Britain’s new prime minister, Liz Truss, among those to sign the proclamation.
Making his personal declaration, Charles said: “My Lords, Ladies, and Gentlemen. It is my most sorrowful duty to announce to you the death of my beloved Mother, The Queen,” said Charles.
“I know how deeply you, the entire Nation – and I think I may say the whole world – sympathise with me in the irreparable loss we have all suffered.”
“In carrying out the heavy task that has been laid upon me, and to which I now dedicate what remains to me of my life, I pray for the guidance and help of Almighty God.”
“In taking up these responsibilities, I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set in upholding constitutional government and to seek the peace, harmony, and prosperity of the peoples of these Islands and of the Commonwealth Realms and Territories throughout the world.”
“In this purpose, I know that I shall be upheld by the affection and loyalty of the peoples whose Sovereign I have been called upon to be and that in the discharge of these duties I will be guided by the counsel of their elected parliaments.”
In his address, he bestowed upon Prince William and Kate Middleton the titles of the Prince of Wales and Princess of Wales.
Charles is now the King and head of state of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea.
