This weekend, Queen Elizabeth was accused by Britain’s most republican-minded newspaper, the Guardian , of using an arcane parliamentary procedure to avoid disclosing her shareholdings. The palace has brushed off the accusation. They insist that the mechanism known as Queen’s Consent, in which legislation that may directly affect the interests of the monarch is presented to her before being debated in the House of Commons, is purely ceremonial and has never been abused for Her Majesty’s benefit. Queen’s Consent should not be confused with Royal Assent, which is when the monarch signs off on prepared legislation after debate, as a kind of constitutional coda. The Guardian has unearthed some correspondence which does, however, clearly show the queen’s solicitors objecting very strongly to proposed legislation in the 1970s to identify all shareholders of publicly listed companies. The queen’s advisers were clearly aghast at the prospect of her “embarrassing” and extensive … [Read more...]

Prince Charles, who was famously resentful that Princess Diana outshone him , is now said to be annoyed at the increasingly high profile of his brother Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie Wessex. This irritation might go some way to explaining his reported decision not to honor his late father Prince Philip’s wishes to give Edward the title Duke of Edinburgh. Also forming part of Charles’ decision to deny Edward the dukedom, which Philip promised him, according to the seasoned Daily Mail social scribe Richard Kay , is childhood sibling rivalry, which he alleges goes back to Philip’s preferential treatment of Edward when they were boys. Edward was said to have benefited from a relaxed and loving father-son relationship with Philip, who read him stories and helped build models with him as a kid, Kay says. Charles was famously treated very harshly by his father and said as much when telling his life story to his official biographer, Jonathan Dimbleby. In an attempt to explain … [Read more...]

What to give the Royalist who has everything for Christmas this year? Well, hint hint, how about t his doorstepping Taschen book , “Her Majesty” , which weighs in at a truly regal 11.7 pounds? The book features formal studies taken by famous photographers alongside others snapped by bystanders. In one shot the monarch is pictured meeting a line-up of stars, including Marilyn Monroe, at a film premiere in Leicester Square in 1956. The images include photographs of state visits and meetings with dignitaries as well as unguarded personal moments such as the Queen driving through Windsor in her Daimler in 1957, with Prince Charles in the passenger seat and Princess Anne in the back of the car. Some previously unseen shots, unearthed by the book's editor Reuel Golden, are among those featured. Previously unseen shots – such as one of the royal couple waving goodbye from the steps of a jet returning from a tour of the West Indies in 1966 – were discovered by Golden. The … [Read more...]

Welcome to The Hill’s Morning Report. It is Friday! TGIF! We get you up to speed on the most important developments in politics and policy, plus trends to watch. Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver are the co-creators. Readers can find us on Twitter @asimendinger and @alweaver22. Please recommend the Morning Report to friends and let us know what you think. CLICK HERE to subscribe! Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported each morning this week: Monday, 609,021; Tuesday, 609,231; Wednesday, 609,529; Thursday, 609,862; Friday, 610,177. Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy Pelosi Democrats plow ahead with Jan. 6 probe, eyeing new GOP reinforcements GOP's Banks burnishes brand with Pelosi veto Meghan McCain on Pelosi, McCarthy fight: 'I think they're all bad' MORE (D-Calif.) and House Democrats are moving ahead with their investigation of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and are looking into adding more GOP gravitas to their efforts after Republican … [Read more...]