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Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The extraordinary words Harry and Meghan used to tell the Queen they were calling their daughter Lilibet, revealed for the first time by royal insider
When Meghan Markle issued advice to expectant mothers this week to never tell anyone what you're planning to call your child, it was a timely reminder that she has experienced the furore a baby name can cause. In June 2021, Harry and Meghan announced the birth of their daughter Lilibet - named in honour of the affectionate childhood nickname given to the late Queen and used by her parents, King George VI, the Queen Mother, and her sister, , as well as her husband, , and a handful of close friends.
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
King George's overwhelming realisation following Edward VIII's departure – which got him sobbing on his mother's shoulder for an hour
It was meant to be a day of joy and celebration. A day when the House of Windsor would rise, phoenix-like, out of the ashes of the Abdication. Instead it was a day fraught with fear, loathing and a large dollop of incompetence. The Coronation of King George VI – King Charles 's grandfather – took place on May 12, 1937 against a troubling backdrop of uncertainty about the future of monarchy in Britain. The big question was: is the new King up to the job? George – or Bertie, as he was known by the family – was the second son of King George V and ideally placed to succeed his elder brother David, whose 325-day reign as King Edward VIII had ended abruptly five months before when he fled the country leaving behind a throne, an empire and a shocked nation. Despite warning-bells ringing for many months prior to Edward's departure, nobody thought to prepare the stuttering, ailing second son for kingship. And when the realisation finally dawned that Bertie would have to step up to the job, he sobbed for an hour on his mother's shoulder. He knew nothing about being King. And if Bertie was fearful of the path ahead, that was nothing by comparison with those who surrounded him – courtiers, politicians and churchmen. Few of them thought he could do it. The cracks in his reign started to show less than two months into the job, when in January 1937 Buckingham Palace announced Bertie wouldn't be attending the fabulous Durbar in India which had been arranged to celebrate his arrival on the throne. 'He was overwhelmed with the magnitude of the task thrust upon him,' reported his private secretary Lord Wigram. 'And he [insisted he] must have more time to settle down.' Wigram added that the King's doctors were advising against anything that could add to the nervous strain to which the new monarch was prone. One newspaper wrote that Bertie was suffering 'falling fits' – or, in other words, epilepsy. All this nervousness at the very top of the tree increased public speculation about Bertie's mental and physical health. The News Chronicle reported on 'a crop of rumours that the King's health is causing grave concern to the Cabinet and the royal entourage.' It wasn't just the politicians. Another newspaper report revealed, 'There is a malicious whispering campaign in Britain directed against the King. The scandal-mongers, who include famous Mayfair hosts and hostesses, prominent stockbrokers, and some politicians, might find themselves being charged with treason.' Not much chance of that. Stanley Baldwin, the prime minister, was sufficiently fearful Bertie might suffer a breakdown that he advised him to stay away from London at Sandringham for 'as long as possible' in the run-up to the Coronation, in order to calm his nerves. 'The Royal Family – and Britain – could not withstand a second failure,' wrote the historian Kenneth Rose. 'King Edward's departure had torn apart the fabric of monarchy. If King George was not fit enough to take on kingly responsibility, all faith in the monarchy as an institution would be lost. At that time, there were no other credible candidates worthy of sitting on the throne.' With no Plan B in place, those closest to the Palace grew ever more nervous as the big day approached. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Cosmo Lang, declared 'It is not worthwhile [having] Television [cameras covering the ceremony],' and turned down the BBC's request to have cameras in the Abbey. In fact the Archbishop realised that with live TV coverage, there was no possibility of censoring the output should something go wrong. And people were increasingly feeling that it would go wrong. 'Interfering and officious as ever,' wrote Bertie's biographer Sarah Bradford, 'Lang now recommended a new speech therapist to treat the King.' Up until now Bertie had relied on Australian Lionel Logue, whose great work in eradicating his stammer was captured in the film The King's Speech starring Colin Firth. The two men had a close relationship, and Logue had made great strides in dealing with the King's affliction. In the end it was realised that to introduce somebody new, with new techniques, to Bertie in the short run-up to the ceremony could prove disastrous. Far worse for Bertie than the ordeal ahead in the Abbey was the prospect of his Coronation Day broadcast. The microphone had become his gravest enemy. But with Logue, the BBC's Robert Wood and the corporation's formidable chairman Lord Reith all standing supportively nearby, Bertie got through the broadcast with flying colours. For him, the worst was over. That left the Coronation itself, an ancient ritual going back a thousand years and more. For the King, it turned into a bit of a comedy. At the dress-rehearsal he had to hold back his laughter as the pompous Archbishop of Canterbury and the roly-poly Dean of Westminster cannoned into each other and tripped over things. The next day's Daily Mail praised the 'glorious ceremony' which had gone off without a hitch The Bishop of Norwich, an elderly gentleman, was no match for the hefty Bible he was supposed to carry through the proceedings – 'he would have collapsed under the weight,' wrote Sarah Bradford and a smaller lightweight version had to be quickly found to save his blushes. Coronation Day started bright and early – 3am – with the testing of the public address loudspeakers just outside Bertie's bedroom window. 'Bands and marching troops for lining the streets arrived at 5am so sleep was impossible,' the King groaned to his diary. 'I could eat no breakfast and had a sinking feeling inside.' At the Abbey a fainting Presbyterian chaplain held up the arriving procession of Bertie's queen, Elizabeth, and 'I was kept waiting, it seemed as if for hours.' As he was due to read his Coronation oath, Bertie found the words had been obscured by the thumb of the Archbishop holding the book, while the Duke of Portland and the Marquess of Salisbury tangled up their Garter chains of office over a silk cushion. And then, to be helpful, someone had stitched a small piece of red thread as a marker so that the Archbishop would be sure to put the ancient Coronation crown on Bertie's head the right way round. Someone, equally helpful, had taken the thread away so Bertie never knew whether it was on the right way round. Just then, as he rose after the crowning, a bishop stood on his robe 'I had to tell him to get off it pretty sharply as I nearly fell down,' recalled Bertie with a laugh. In the end, though, through sheer guts and determination and supported by his loving wife Elizabeth, Bertie got through the day and began his reign proper, a reign which was to last a relatively short 15 years until his death aged 56 in January 1952 – but one which restored faith in the stability and importance of monarchy in Britain.
CTV News
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
Vehicles used by HM Queen Elizabeth II will be showcased at Toronto Distillery District this weekend
Land Rover Classic has curated a collection of the HM Queen Elizabeth II's state and personal fleet to celebrate the Queen's history with the automaker. Officials say five Royal vehicles will be displayed for the public at Toronto Distillery District this weekend, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The display is a tribute to the long history between the Royal Family and Jaguar Land Rover as an official supplier of vehicles to the Royals since 1948, when King George VI choose an original model Land Rover for state and personal use. Published: Image 0 of 8
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Wreaths at the Abbey... and later a plea from the King to bequeath a better world: ROBERT HARDMAN reflects on the conclusion to Britain's VE Day 80 celebrations
All this week, the spotlight had been fixed firmly on the events of May 1945 and Victory in Europe. Last night, the King concluded Britain's 80th anniversary commemorations by swinging that beam through 180 degrees and directing it forward to the future, urging today's world leaders to 'rededicate' themselves to the noble ideals of the wartime generation. Addressing last night's national concert on Horse Guards Parade, the monarch reminded an open-air audience of 12,000 veterans, charity workers and winners of a ticket lottery – plus millions of BBC viewers – of the VE Day words of his grandfather, King George VI: 'We shall have failed, and the blood of our dearest will have flowed in vain, if the victory which they died to win does not lead to a lasting peace.' With that in mind, the King went on: 'In turn, it falls to us to protect and continue their precious legacy – so that one day hence generations yet unborn may say of us, 'They too bequeathed a better world'.' His was a deliberately dramatic intervention in a two-hour TV spectacular designed to switch the national mood from commemoration to celebration, mirroring the atmosphere on the same night in 1945. Coming after a tribute to the Andrews Sisters plus a tour de force from a trio of Dames (Mary Berry, Joan Collins and Sheila Hancock) and before a reprise of Dad's Army, the evening's programme stated: 'Film: George VI's speech.' Suddenly, up on stage, to robust applause, appeared his grandson. Though clearly on a lesser scale, and in very different circumstances, this was a surprise sweetly reminiscent of the late Queen doing her magnificent turn with James Bond at the opening of the 2012 London Olympics. The King had been offered the option of pre-recording last night's speech. He had elected to do the whole thing live. The moment had been timed, to the minute, to replicate the same moment – 9pm – when his grandfather had broadcast to an exhausted, exhilarated nation on May 8, 1945. Charles III reminded last night's audience of the euphoria felt by all, including his late mother who was allowed to join the London crowds as a 19-year-old princess and subaltern in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. 'She mingled anonymously in the crowds across central London and 'walked for miles' among them,' said the King, quoting extracts from her diary. The next day, for example, she had written: 'Out in the crowd again. Embankment, Piccadilly. Rained, so fewer people. Conga-ed into House. Sang till 2am. Bed at 3am!' Though the Government had extended pub openings by two hours last night, the 76-year-old King was not going to emulate his teenage mother. 'I do hope your celebrations tonight are almost as joyful,' he added, 'although I rather doubt I shall have the energy to sing until 2am, let alone lead you all in a giant conga from here back to Buckingham Palace!' Because the Government only confirmed these commemorations two months ago, booking acts and celebrities had all been somewhat last minute. Thanks to the London Marathon, the entire stage and arena was only built this week. It made this event all the more impressive as it struck that upbeat note which had been missing until last night. Eclectic to say the least, it included everything from a Lancaster flypast to rock band, The Darkness. An equally stirring concert, supported by the Daily Mail and Classic FM, filled the Royal Albert Hall last night (it was also rather warmer for the veterans). Many other veterans had opted for the Royal British Legion's tea party at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. As with Monday's big parade down the Mall and the Queen's unveiling of the magnificent new poppy display at the Tower of London, the spirit and tempo of the 80th had hitherto been sombre and reflective, deliberately so. Some readers may recall 1995, when Britain marked the 50th anniversary. Back then, there had been exuberant concerts filling Hyde Park, much jitterbugging into the night and a jolly old sing-song in front of Buckingham Palace led by the late Queen and Queen Mother. In those days, though, there were tens of thousands of veterans still with us and a sense of a bright new dawn following the recent collapse of the Iron Curtain. Three decades on, with war back on European soil and just a few dozen veterans now able to attend big national events, it hardly seemed like a moment for congas and carousing this time around. The day began at Westminster Abbey, where the King, the Queen and the Royal Family joined 70 veterans and other members of the wartime generation for a National Service of Thanksgiving. It opened with the King and the Prince of Wales laying wreaths at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, flanked by several old soldiers. I spotted indefatigable Normandy veteran Ken Hay (late of the 4th Dorsets before becoming a prisoner of war). 'Out in the crowd again. Embankment, Piccadilly. Rained, so fewer people. Conga-ed into House. Sang till 2am. Bed at 3am!' the late queen wrote in her diary who celebrated VE day The overarching message of the occasion was the price so dearly paid for peace. 'Blessed are the peacemakers,' said the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, reading from Matthew 5. This was the sort of state occasion where we expect to hear from the Archbishop of Canterbury but, six months on from the resignation of Justin Welby, we still await a replacement. It was not lost on many of yesterday's worshippers that, at this very moment, the Vatican was making a mockery of the Anglican selectors. And so it was that the Archbishop of York entered the pulpit. The Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell opened his address on the same 'blessed are the peacemakers' theme, and quoted Jesus: 'When we are peacemakers, we become God's children.' He finished by repeating the words of yesterday's second hymn, I Vow To Thee My Country: 'Our world must follow him again, seeking that kingdom 'whose ways are gentleness... whose paths are peace'.' One of the most moving moments, however, was a testimony of war. Actor Josh Dylan read out an enchanting letter home from Lance-Corporal Frederick Burgess to his young son, Freddie. He gave a brave but cheery description of life on the Italian campaign while also urging his boy to say his prayers. 'When I do come home, and it will not be very long now, I'm going to buy you something extra specially nice for being such a good boy,' he added. The actor ended by informing us that, seven months later, L/Cpl Burgess was killed in action. The royals were not the only ones blinking hard. Somewhere in the congregation sat his granddaughter, Susan. She must have been every bit as proud as the Churchill family when Alexander Churchill, ten, stepped forward to join the list of notables reciting the prayers. 'Let us pray for peace in Europe and across the world,' said Alexander, in clear unwavering tones which suggest that this particular apple has not fallen far from the tree marked Winston. What a poignant day, too, for the oldest and most inconspicuous member of the Royal Family present. While the rest of the family processed down the aisle, the Duke of Kent preferred to arrive through a side door. He became Duke aged six in 1942 when his father was killed on active service in a flying accident. George VI wrote in his diary that the loss crushed him as much as any other reverse of the war. The Duke's younger brother, Prince Michael of Kent, was just two months old. Last night, he was royal guest of honour at the Royal Albert Hall. The Prince and Princess of Wales looked to be in high spirits as they joined King Charles and Queen Camilla - as well as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh - at a concert commemorating VE Day on Thursday Royal duties are not over just yet. The rest of Europe might have been liberated by the time the sun came up this morning 80 years ago – but one tiny patch was still under Nazi rule. Today, the Princess Royal heads for the Channel Islands to mark their liberation. Let it not be forgotten, too, that so many members of our Armed Forces were still fighting for their lives. Take Ted Rutherford, 99, from Gateshead. On May 8, 1945, he had been a gunner on HMS Howe in the Pacific. His thoughts yesterday? 'We never got to celebrate VE Day. As the celebrations broke out in Europe, we were being attacked by suicide bombers in Japan. 'We heard over the radio that Hitler had surrendered and heard they were partying. But our fleet was under attack. Two of our ships were hit.' For Mr Rutherford – and all those proud holders of the Burma Star – the party, such as it is, remains on hold until August 15, when victory was declared in Japan. Let us hang on to our bunting for VJ Day.
The Independent
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
King calls for global commitment to peace at VE Day 80th anniversary concert
The King has called for a global commitment to restoring peace as he paid tribute to the service and sacrifice of the wartime generation on the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Charles described the allied victory as 'a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when countries stand together in the face of tyranny'. He took to the Union flag-coloured stage during a celebratory concert – the finale of four days of VE Day commemorations – at London's Horse Guards Parade on Thursday evening. Echoing his grandfather, Charles delivered his address at 9pm – the exact time King George VI spoke to the nation in a radio broadcast on May 8 1945 to mark the end of the Second World War in Europe. In a lighter moment, the King joked to the concert-goers that he did not have the energy to 'lead you all in a giant conga from here back to Buckingham Palace'. Reading an extract from his late mother Queen Elizabeth II's personal diary about how she famously celebrated and danced incognito among the crowds in London on VE Day as a teenage princess, Charles said: ''Out in the crowd again. Embankment, Piccadilly. Rained, so fewer people. Conga-ed into House. Sang till 2am. Bed at 3am!'' He quipped, prompting laughter from the 12,000-strong audience: 'I do hope your celebrations tonight are almost as joyful, although I rather doubt I shall have the energy to sing until 2am, let alone lead you all in a giant conga from here back to Buckingham Palace.' His remarks brought smiles from the Prince and Princess of Wales who stood watching from the royal box, joined by Queen Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Stars such as Freya Ridings, Fleur East, Strictly dancers Amy Dowden, Carlos Gu and Kai Widdrington, The Darkness and actor Brian Cox were among the performers at the VE Day: A Celebration To Remember event, televised live on the BBC. Pubs were given permission to stay open for two extra hours, until 1am on Friday, in recognition of the anniversary. The celebrations followed poignant commemorations earlier in the day, with a national two-minute silence in honour of the war dead and thanksgiving services held across the country. The Queen was seated next to Mavis Bensley, an evacuee during the war, and the King next to Harry Richardson, a 107-year-old former Second World War bomber pilot – among the six veterans who were the guests of honour in the royal box. Revellers wore patriotic hats and suits and waved flags from their seats on the parade ground. Camilla wore a Britannia brooch, featuring the Union flag, which belonged to Elizabeth II, on her navy embroidered Anna Valentine coat, while Kate, with her hair half up, half down and pinned with a large, black velvet bow, was dressed in a white boucle jacket and Self Portrait dress, and a five-strand pearl necklace. The King referenced his grandfather's historic message as he delivered his own speech. 'It is now 80 years since my grandfather, King George VI, announced to the nation and the Commonwealth that 'the dreadful shadow of war has passed from our hearths and our homes'. The liberation of Europe was secured,' Charles said. 'His words echo down through history as all this week, and especially today, we unite to celebrate and remember with an unwavering and heartfelt gratitude, the service and sacrifice of the wartime generation who made that hard-fought victory possible. 'While our greatest debt is owed to all those who paid the ultimate price, we should never forget how the war changed the lives of virtually everyone.' He said of those in the armed forces, the Home Front and beyond: 'That debt can never truly be repaid; but we can, and we will, remember them.' With Russia's three-year invasion of Ukraine continuing, the King also turned to the need to restore a 'just peace'. 'We should also rededicate ourselves not only to the cause of freedom but to renewing global commitments to restoring a just peace where there is war, to diplomacy, and to the prevention of conflict,' he said. 'For as my grandfather put it: 'We shall have failed, and the blood of our dearest will have flowed in vain, if the victory which they died to win does not lead to a lasting peace, founded on justice and established in good will.'' The King added of the wartime generation: 'It falls to us to protect and continue their precious legacy – so that one day hence, generations yet unborn may say of us: 'they too bequeathed a better world'.' He spoke of the allied victory as a 'result of unity between nations, races, religions and ideologies, fighting back against an existential threat to humanity'. The King added: 'Their collective endeavour remains a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when countries stand together in the face of tyranny.' Charles had listened earlier in Westminster Abbey as the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell voiced his concerns about Europe, and warned that the 'good' resulting from the conflict to defeat Hitler's regime was 'under threat'. With dwindling numbers of veterans, the King said it was 'our duty to carry their stories forward, to ensure their experiences are never to be forgotten'. At noon, Charles had led the two-minute silence and placed a wreath with the words 'We will never forget' at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior at a service of thanksgiving in the abbey. A child's tiny gas mask and an air raid warden's helmet were among the everyday wartime objects processed to the altar in memory of the sacrifices made during the devastating six-year conflict. Seventy-eight veterans, now in their 90s or past the age of 100, gathered to bear witness and were handed white roses as the great-great-grandson of wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill, 10-year-old Alexander Churchill, lit a candle of peace. Kate and Camilla left posies at the Innocent Victims' Memorial as they left the church.
