Her Majesty’s Sapphire Jubilee

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King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, King George VI of the United Kingdom, Kings and Queens of England, kings and queens of Scotland, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Victoria, Royal Family, Sandringham Estate, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

In a few short weeks, on February 6, 2017, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland will celebrate 65 years on the throne technically inaugurating 2017 as her Sapphire Jubilee Year. In September 2015 she surpassed her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, to become the longest-reigning British monarch and the longest-reigning queen regnant and female head of state in world history. In October 2016, she became the longest currently reigning monarch and head of state following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. Her Majesty became Queen on February 6, 1952 when her father, King George VI, passed away in his sleep at the Sandringham estate.

From what I have read there will be no official celebration for her Sapphire Jubilee and I for one think this is a good idea. On April 21 of this year Her Majesty will also be 91 and although this dedicated monarch will continue to carry out her royal duties there are already signs that she will be slowing down a bit as she hands off some of her duties to other members of the Royal Family. I think this is a good idea. After a long battle with a severe cold, which can be be quite serious for the elderly, I would like to see Her Majesty slow down a bit and take care of herself. I do not want to see her abdicate and nor will she ever, I just would like to see her slow down a little.

 

 

 

Kate Middleton? NO, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge!

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Kate Middleton, Prince Charles, Prince William, styles, The Duchess of Cambridge, titles, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

After more than five years of marriage to HRH The Duke of Cambridge, his wife, the former Kate Middleton, is still often called Kate Middleton or many other incorrect titles. Her correct title, simply is, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge. I swear if by some unfortunate tragedy the Duke of Cambridge were to wake up tomorrow to find that he is the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain the press and others would still call his wife Kate Middleton!

She is a Princess of the United Kingdom via her marriage to HRH The Duke of Cambridge, but because she was not born a member of the royal family she is not entitled to be called Princess Catherine. That right is reserved for women who are the daughter of the sovereign or the granddaughter of the sovereign in the male line. (an exception has been made for little Princess Charlotte of Cambridge who is a great-granddaughter of the sovereign in the male line…more on that in another post).

This was the same case/situation for the late Diana, Princess of Wales (her correct title after the divorce). While Diana was married to HRH The Princes of Wales her correct title was, again simply,  HRH The Princess of Wales. Since Diana was not born either as daughter of the sovereign or the granddaughter of the sovereign in the male line it was not correct to call her “Princess Diana.”

The press never got that right and that is why they and others flounder in what to call the wife of the Duke of Cambridge…Duchess Kate: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (this way of referring to her indicates she is divorced for that is how Diana was referred to after her divorce): Princess Catherine: Princess Kate and a combination of all the above. All are wrong. Her correct style is, Her Royal Highness, and her correct title is…The Duchess of Cambridge. That is it! If you have a peerage title you are known by that peerage title (along with the style His or Her Royal Highness in the case of the royal family members that hold peerage titles) and not your first name. If you are a wife of a peer you take the feminine form of your husband’s title…in the case of the lovely lady formerly known as Kate Middleton, the title is Duchess of Cambridge.

In the future HRH The Duchess of Cambridge will be known as HRH The Princess of Wales when her father-in-law (the current Prince of Wales) becomes king and eventually invests his son as Prince of Wales. Further in the future, and God willing, when the Duke of Cambridge becomes King, as King William V of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (assuming he doesn’t select another regnal name) and the simple correct way to refer to him will be, His Majesty the King, and his his wife’s correct style and tittle will be Her Majesty The Queen. So lets stop calling her Kate Middleton.

Maybe tomorrow or very soon I will write a post on the history of titles and their correct forms and usage.

Kingdom of Scotland

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Aberdeenshire, Alba, Balmoral Castle, Dál Riata, Education Act 1496, Elizabeth I of England, Elizabeth II, Garden Party, James IV, James VI of Scotland, Kenneth MacAlpin, King Cináed I of Scotland, King of Scots, Kingdom of Northumbria, Kingdom of Strathclyd, Picts, Queen Victoria, Referendum Bill, Royal Deeside, Scotland, Scottish Government, The Honors of Scotland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland., University of Aberdeen, University of Glasgow, University of St Andrews

The Honors of Scotland

Today I want to look at the Kingdom of Scotland. I have always had a warm spot in my heart for Scotland. Although I became interested in royalty by examining the kings and queens of England I quickly learned that Scotland had its own kings and queens, its own traditions and its own identity. I feel that in some ways the identity of the Scottish monarchy has been lost, engulfed and out shined by its bigger brother. Those are feelings attitudes that I can relate to. I was watching the show Monarchy, the Royal Family at Work last night and they were showing guests at a Garden Party where one English lady spoke about being nervous meeting the “queen of England.” As I said in another post Her Majesty is neither the queen of England nor the queen Scots as these ceased to be separate sovereign states in 1707. She is the queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Scotland existed from 843 until 1707 as its own sovereign state. Scotland, known as Alba in more distant history, was united by King Cináed I of Scotland (Kenneth MacAlpin) in 843. Cináed united the clans of the ancient kingdoms of Dál Riata and the Picts. The Kingdom of Strathclyde and the northern regions of the English Kingdom of Northumbria was incorporated into Scotland at a later date. Sadly too many people get their image of Scotland from such movies as Braveheart which depicted Scotland as a nation of warring primitive clans. While warring clans is a part of their history, Scotland also had a rich culture and by the fifteenth century Scotland was very advanced in areas such as educational systems with the founding of the University of St Andrews in 1413, the University of Glasgow in 1450 and the University of Aberdeen in 1494, and with the passing of the Education Act 1496 under James IV, King of Scots.

When James VI of Scotland inherited the throne from Elizabeth I of England in 1603 and moved south to London, Scotland lost its epicenter and part of its identity as a separate sovereign state. Its unique identity was lost in 1707 with the union with England. The monarchs of Great Britain payed little head to Scotland unless it was needed such as the times of the English Civil Wars of the mid 17th century. The monarchs making their home in London did not have much of a presence in Scotland until the reign of Queen Victoria who purchased Balmoral Castle located at Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 1852 and has been a favorite retreat for the royal family ever since.

In the fall of 2014 the Scottish Government will vote on a Referendum Bill seeking independence from the United Kingdom. From what I have read they will continue to have Elizabeth II be their head of state, as Elizabeth, Queen of Scots. Whatever the outcome I do want to continue to raise awareness of people to the uniqueness and splendor of Scotland.