Tag: royal family

  • Buckingham Palace reject’s request to send remains of Ethiopian prince to family

    Buckingham Palace has once again rejected a request from Ethiopian officials to send back the body of Prince Alemayehu, who passed away at the age of 18 in the United Kingdom.

    Born in Magdala in 1861, Alemayehu was only seven years old when the British arrived in Ethiopia in 1868 and laid seige to Tewodro’s mountain fortress which led to a fierce battle that ended with the death of the emperor, Tewodros II.

    The British stole many valuable artefacts and heirlooms, along with the Empress Tiruwork Wube and her son, Prince Alemayehu. By the time the young prince arrived in the UK, he was an orphan after his mother died during the journey.

    After his arrival, Queen Victoria took sympathy upon the boy, taking up financial responsibility for his expenses.

    Alemaheyu was first sent to a public school, and then to a military college in Sandhurst where he was bullisd. A private tutor was hired to teach him at his home in Leeds, where he became ill and began refusing treatement, fearing he was poisoned.

    The prince also reportedly longed to go back home, as correspondence had shown, but this idea was constantly shut down.

    Alemayehu passed away at his home at the age of 18.

    Queen Victoria had written about her sadness in her diary:

    “Very grieved and shocked to hear by telegram, that good Alemayehu had passed away this morning. It is too sad! All alone, in a strange country, without a single person or relative, belonging to him,” she wrote.

    “His was no happy life, full of difficulties of every kind, and was so sensitive, thinking that people stared at him on account of his colour… Everyone is very sorry.”

    Demands for the return of the remains of Prince Alemaheyu date back to 2007, when the country’s then-president Girma Wolde-Gior sent a formal request to Queen Elizabeth II, but nothing came of it.

    Recently, a spokesperson from the Buckingham Palace sent a statement to the BBC explaining their refusal to send the remains back to his home, stating that shifting his remains would disturb the other bodies buried at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.

    “It is very unlikely that it would be possible to exhume the remains without disturbing the resting place of a substantial number of others in the vicinity,” the palace responded.

    They further mentioned in the statement that the Royal Palace has awlays accomodated those from Ethiopia who wished to visit the prince’s resting place, and were aware of the need to honor Prince Alemaheyu’s memory.

    Speaking to the BBC, Faisal Minas, a descendant of the Royal Family in Ethiopia, said:

    “We want his remains back as a family and as Ethiopians because that is not the country he was born in. It was not right for him to be buried in the UK.”

  • Prince Harry, Meghan Markle in ‘near catastrophic car chase’ in New York

    Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were in a “near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi” after attending an event in New York, their representatives have said.

    According to People magazine, the spokesperson for the royals revealed that it was the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Markle’s mother Doria, were being driven back to a friend’s private residence, where they staying during their visit to New York. Along the way, a dozen cars began chasing after them, running over red lights, and trying to take photographs of the couple and Doria in the car.

    “Last night, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms. Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi. This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers. While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety.”

    The two were in New York to attend the Ms. Foundation 2023 Women of Vision Awards: Celebrating Generations of Progress and Power at the Zeigfield Ballroom in Manhattan. Markle had been honoured as this year’s Women of Vision Award.

    Prince Harry’s mother, the late Lady Diana, passed away in a car crash in 1997 in Paris, when paparazi were relentlessly chasing after her car.

    In a mental health documentary ‘The Me You Can’t See’ , Harry spoke about how trauma from watching his mother’s death is the reason why he chose to step back from his royal role, to prevent his wife Meghan from going down the same path:

    “My mother was chased to her death when she was in a relationship with someone who wasn’t white, and now look what’s happened. You’re talking about history repeating itself? They’re not going to stop until she dies.”

    It’s incredibly triggering to potentially lose another woman in my life,” Prince Harry added about Meghan.

  • ‘Revenge’: Twitter roasts Sonam Kapoor for upcoming performance at Charles’ coronation

    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.

    We’re solely tuning in if this happens

    https://twitter.com/ProfPinkman/status/1652619378142367746?s=20
    https://twitter.com/phoolandtanhai/status/1652587879024181248?s=20

  • Pakistan’s first female architect Yasmeen Lari receives Royal Gold Medal from King Charles

    Pakistan’s first female architect Yasmeen Lari has been granted the prestigious Royal Gold Medal for architecture from King Charles, making it the first architecture medal of his reign.

    The renowned Lari received the award in recognition for her role in designing homes for Pakistan’s vulnerable and poverty striken community, after retirement from her practice:

    “Whilst recognising the importance of her role in practice, as a symbol of change in Pakistan, it is the work she has undertaken since her retirement in 2000 that the Royal Gold Medal celebrates.”

    “In the last 23 years Lari and The Heritage Foundation of Pakistan, which she founded with her husband, have reacted imaginatively and creatively to the physical and psychological damage that a number of major natural disasters, earthquakes, floods and conflicts have inflicted on the people of Pakistan.”

    Lari was born in Dera Ghazi Khan and shifted to London with her family when she was 15, where she studied at the Oxford Brookes University, moving back to Karachi in 1964 and opening Lari Associates alongside her husband.

    The duo also founded the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan in 1980, which has been spearheading conservation projects around rural villages in Pakistan, earning it the Recognition Award from the United Nations.

    She received the Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 2006 and the Fukoka Award in 2016 for her services to arts and culture.

  • Humayun Saeed is surprised there wasn’t much criticism on THAT kissing scene

    In an interview with Independent Urdu, Humayun Saeed opened up about playing Dr. Hasnat Khan in Season 5 of ‘The Crown’ and talked about the controversial kissing scenes between him and Elizabeth Debicki, which had been slammed by social media users in Pakistan on the double standards male and female actors are subjected to.

    Saeed had played Dr Hasnat Khan, a Pakistani born British heart surgeon who had a romantic relationship with the late Lady Diana from 1995 to 1997, and was described by the Princess as “the love of her life.”

    Addressing the controversy now, Saeed said that he didn’t face extreme public scrutiny like he had expected from Pakistanis:

    “I am well aware that in our society such things aren’t acceptable for us, but my scene and the way we executed it was done in a tasteful manner. And there was not a lot of backlash from Pakistanis on that scene, because it wasn’t like the way they had thought.”

    Previously, Saeed had revealed in the talk show ‘The Fourth Umpire’ that the kissing scene was not real, and it was staged to look like it was real.

    Talking about how he took on the role of Hasnat, who is a private individual and has not publicly discussed his relationship with Diana, Saeed revealed:

    “It was not necessary that I imitate his every single move. While we were shooting for ‘The Crown’, there were two or three options on how we should develop his character. We knew that he was very successful in his career, but in his relationship with Lady Diana he was very shy so we decided to capture that. Maybe in reality he wasn’t that shy in his relationship, but we decided to capture that.”

    Listen to the complete interview here:

  • Kate Middleton’s fingers break Royal Family tradition during Easter

    Kate Middleton’s fingers break Royal Family tradition during Easter

    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.

  • Emeralds, rubies and diamonds: report reveals jewels stolen from India by British Empire

    Emeralds, rubies and diamonds: report reveals jewels stolen from India by British Empire

    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.

  • Nawaz to visit Saudi as royal guest

    Nawaz to visit Saudi as royal guest

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif will perform Umrah in the last days of Ramzan on the invitation of the royal family.

    Nawaz is set to visit the Kingdom on the invitation of the Saudi ruler, with the former Prime Minister being a royal guest in the country.

    The news of Sharif’s planned visit to Saudi Arabia has led to speculation that he may use the opportunity to return to Pakistan. However, there has been no official confirmation from Sharif or his party about his plans to return.

    The PML-N supremo was granted an eight-week bail on medical grounds in October 2019, and, he was allowed to travel to London for treatment for four weeks. However, Nawaz has not returned since then.

  • Pakistani-born businessman receives MBE from Prince William

    Pakistani-born British entrepreneur and restaurateur Suleman Raza was awarded the MBE by Prince William for his services to the business and philanthropy sector in Britain. Raza revealed on Twitter that he was happy to witness immigrants coming to Britain and becoming successful.

    According to his Medium article, Raza hails from Rawalpindi, but had moved to London where he started working as a chef in an eatery. He went on to open a restaurant in Tooting where he served Pakistani food.

    Raza also launched the project ‘No One Eats Alone’ in 2019 to provide meals to elderly and homeless communities during Christmas. He received public praise for his campaign “One Million Meals” to support National Health Service (NHS) workers in hospitals during the pandemic by providing them with hot meals.

  • Royal family skips invitation to Harry, Meghan’s daughter’s christening

    Royal family skips invitation to Harry, Meghan’s daughter’s christening

    Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s daughter Lilibet has been christened last Friday in an intimate gathering of around 20 to 30 guests. However, none of Harry’s royal family were present, despite being invited.

    A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed that Lilibet Diana was christened last week on Friday by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, Reverend John Taylor.

    Among the attendees were Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, Lilibet’s godfather, Tyler Perry, and another unnamed godmother.

    Since the release of Prince Harry’s controversial biography ‘Spare’, there have been extensive reports of the divide between the younger son of King Charles and royal family members, who had also recently asked Harry and Meghan to leave Frogmore Cottage, where the family had stayed during their trips to Britain.

    British media has reported that the King will offer them an apartment at Buckingham Palace instead.

    When contacted by media outlets, the Palace did not comment on “personal invitations” as is routine.

    Harry and Meghan were officially invited to King Charles’ coronation, scheduled to take place in May. The Duke and Duchess are yet to confirm if they will attend what is perhaps the most important day in Charles life.