Monarchy
The Queen Does Not Inspire; That’s a Feature Not a Bug
Can’t republicans do better than this? If keeping quiet and cutting ribbons is all we can expect of our head of state then perhaps we can agree she’s done well… Continue reading
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The Queen’s Speech: full text
My Government’s legislative programme will focus on economic growth, justice and constitutional reform. My Ministers’ first priority will be to reduce the deficit and restore economic stability. Legislation will… Continue reading
36 CommentsThe Queen’s speech to Parliament (minus John Bercow)
The Queen has just delivered her Diamond Jubilee address to Parliament, which you can watch below. CoffeeHousers will be terribly disappointed, I know, that the video doesn’t include John Bercow’s… Continue reading
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From the archives: Britain’s new Queen
To mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s ascension to the throne in 1952, here is the leader that appeared sixty years ago on our front cover. It was… Continue reading
5 CommentsThe building of our history
Athens, for all its current woes, still has the Parthenon. Rome has the Colosseum, Paris the Louvre, Berlin the Reichstag, Beijing the forbidden city, Moscow the Kremlin and Washington the… Continue reading
18 CommentsReigning for dummies
What is the Queen’s secret? She seems to defy political gravity. Right now, an English monarch is in Australia being feted by her subjects, who seem delighted by this very… Continue reading
20 CommentsThis year’s other Royal Wedding
Coffee House congratulations to Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall, who were married in Edinburgh today. Footage via ConservativeHome:
6 CommentsA (slightly belated) Birthday message for Prince Philip
The Spectator is very proud to be the purveyor of a long-distance birthday message to Prince Philip, who turned 90 yesterday, from some of his most devoted admirers: the tribe… Continue reading
13 CommentsHMQ & BHO
A lovely picture of Her Majesty with the Obamas. Captions please! (Also, what joke is Prince Philip keeping to himself?) Meanwhile, I’ve a piece on Obamamania at the Daily Beast… Continue reading
6 CommentsWhen Dublin trembled
On 17 May 1974 — 37 years ago today — I was a 19-year-old student at Trinity College Dublin, celebrating the end of term in the Pavilion Bar near the… Continue reading
48 CommentsEight Hundred Years of Oppression and Now This?
Pete is right to say there’s a definite "resonance" to these pictures. Nevertheless, I suspect that British people’s view of the "historic" significance of Her Majesty the Queen’s visit to… Continue reading
11 CommentsAn historic moment
There is something incredibly resonant about the images of the Queen arriving in the Republic of Ireland this afternoon. You have probably heard the facts by now — that she… Continue reading
12 CommentsHMQ’s AV Victory
The success of Prince William’s wedding was one thing but if you want another indication that, whatever people think they think of Prince Charles right now, the monarchy is in… Continue reading
12 CommentsA model for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
With the newspapers still full of Royal Wedding pictures, I thought I’d draw CoffeeHousers’ attention to something remarkable: a visit by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (pictured, left, at Westminster… Continue reading
30 CommentsA princely marriage
There are some things that Britain does better than any country in the world, and we saw one of them today. Two particulars will have jumped out at the tens… Continue reading
67 CommentsThe Royal Wedding around the world
So we’ve seen the ceremony at Westminster Abbey. How was the Royal Wedding celebrated – by expats and locals alike – around the world? In Afghanistan, British troops celebrated with… Continue reading
6 CommentsA day when politics is not the story
This, it has to be said, is not much of a day for politics. Although the world’s laser-like attention will be focussed on Westminster, it will not be on the… Continue reading
11 CommentsThe Royal Wedding (extended expat version)
Last month, dressed as a town crier, the head of the British Club in Singapore, Sean Boyle, visited the offices of every major newspaper in the country. Accompanied by an… Continue reading
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