Free Republic

Prince Harry has laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on the latest leg of his US tour. The Prince, who has served twice in Afghanistan, was taken around some of the cemetery's 70 sections where military casualties from the US civil war to Afghanistan are buried. He also placed a wreath with a personal note next to the gravestone of Michael L Stansberry Jr, who died in July 2010. Dressed in the uniform of the Blues and Royals, it appeared a sombre and poignant moment for the Apache co-pilot gunner, acutely aware...

It’s official! Queen Elizabeth is keeping her promise to make Prince William the next King now that his wife Kate is pregnant – with twins. Only the new GLOBE reveals when the Queen will make the blockbuster announcement public and how the decision has devastated evil Camilla, who has plotted to get her husband, Prince Charles, the Throne.

Queen Elizabeth is dying and the Duchess of Cornwall has an 'evil plot' to seize the throne. Globe magazine alleges that the 86-year-old monarch is 'sick and fading fast.' The Duchess of Cornwall is frequently the target of negative coverage by the magazine. The publication claims she is trying to sabotage Prince William and Kate Middleton from stepping up to the throne.

Archaeologists dug up an unmarked grave in a quiet English churchyard in search of remains of King Alfred the Great, a ninth century monarch credited with fending off the Vikings. The exhumation was apparently triggered by fears that interest over the recent discovery of the skeleton of Richard III could lead grave robbers to dig the area for his bones. Alfred the Great is known to generations of schoolchildren through a popular legend that tells of his scolding by a peasant woman for letting her cakes burn while he watched over them. He was at the time preoccupied with the...

Acts such as showering the Princess’s hearse with flowers show that the public is reverting to a “Catholic” approach to death after centuries of protestant reserve, the Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols suggested. He said that the Princess’s funeral in 1997 marked a watershed in British history and would be remembered as the “end of the Reformation in England”. Catholic practices such as prayers for the souls of the dead and a belief in saints, which were dismissed by protestant reformers in the 16th Century, are now being rediscovered, he said. The recent growth in unofficial roadside...

He has long been fascinated by Islam and the culture of the Middle East. Now it has emerged that the Prince of Wales is having lessons in Arabic. The Prince told guests at a reception in Qatar today that the language 'goes in one ear and out the other'. But an aide revealed that he is so keen to learn it that he has been having private tuition for more than six months. Being able to read Arabic would enable the Prince, who is passionate about encouraging dialogue between different religions, to read the Koran in its original form. It...

The Queen will tomorrow back an historic pledge to promote gay rights and ‘gender equality’ in one of the most controversial acts of her reign. In a live television broadcast, she will sign a new charter designed to stamp out discrimination against homosexual people and promote the ‘empowerment’ of women – a key part of a new drive to boost human rights and living standards across the Commonwealth. snip The charter, dubbed a ‘21st Century Commonwealth Magna Carta’ declares: ‘We are implacably opposed to all forms of discrimination, whether rooted in gender, race, colour, creed, political belief or other grounds.’...

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II was hospitalized Sunday over an apparent stomach infection that has ailed her for days, a rare instance of ill health sidelining the long-reigning monarch. Elizabeth will have to cancel a visit to Rome and other engagements as she recovers, and outside experts said she may have to be rehydrated intravenously. Buckingham Palace said the 86-year-old queen had experienced symptoms of gastroenteritis and was being examined at London’s King Edward VII Hospital. … Elizabeth has ruled since 1952 and is Britain’s second-longest-serving monarch, beaten only by Queen Victoria in terms of the number of years spent on...

A facial reconstruction based on the skull of Richard III has revealed how the English king may have looked. The king's skeleton was found under a car park in Leicester during an archaeological dig. The reconstructed face has a slightly arched nose and prominent chin, similar to features shown in portraits of Richard III painted after his death. Historian and author John Ashdown-Hill said seeing it was "almost like being face to face with a real person". The development comes after archaeologists from the University of Leicester confirmed the skeleton found last year was the 15th Century king's, with DNA...

King Juan Carlos's daughter likely to be formally named as a suspect in multimillion-euro scandal ahead of possible indictment As a financial scandal engulfs the royal family and politicians begin to call for his abdication, Spain's King Juan Carlos faces one of the worst weeks in his 37-year reign, with prosecutors set to ask a judge to formally name his daughter Princess Cristina as a suspect in a multimillion-euro fraud and money-laundering case. The request, which would be a preliminary step to a possible indictment, is poised to be made next week and will be based on the testimony of...

The skeleton showing curvature of the spine (scoliosis) consistent with historical accounts © University of LeicesterThe mortal remains of England's warrior king Richard III have been found, bringing to a close a mystery that has puzzled scholars for centuries. Analytical tests on a skeleton found under a Leicester car park have confirmed the last resting place of the final king in the Plantagenet line.The announcement comes after months of feverish speculation. In September 2012, the University of Leicester announced that its detective work combing ancient texts had led its team to conclude that the King was buried at Greyfriars Monastery...

He wore the English crown, but he ended up defeated, humiliated and reviled. Now things are looking up for King Richard III. Scientists announced Monday that they had found the monarch's 500-year-old remains under a parking lot in the city of Leicester -- a discovery Richard's fans say will inspire new research into his maligned history. University of Leicester researchers say tests on a battle-scarred skeleton unearthed last year prove "beyond reasonable doubt" that it is the king, who died at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, and whose remains have been missing for centuries. "Richard III, the last...

LEICESTER, England (AP) - He wore the English crown, but he ended up defeated, humiliated and reviled. Now things are looking up for King Richard III. Scientists announced Monday that they had found the monarch's 528-year-old remains under a parking lot in the city of Leicester - a discovery that will move him from a pauper's grave to a royal tomb and that fans say could potentially restore the reputation of a much-maligned king.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands is to make a televised announcement, amid speculation in local media that she will abdicate the throne. … Unconfirmed Dutch reports say she will announce her abdication in favor of her son, Prince Willem-Alexander. …

The Prince, 28, has made it clear in interviews that he would love to get the chance of a third tour of duty, but his Apache squadron is not due to return before the scheduled pull-out of combat troops at the end of 2014. It is almost inconceivable that the Prince would be allowed to return as a foot soldier, his preferred option, meaning that unless the Nato withdrawal deadline overruns, he will not be going back to Helmand. The Prince is currently enjoying a month-long break from his Army duties following the end of his 20-week posting to Camp...

Compare and contrast one Prince Harry with another. This week, our own Captain Wales, in the PlayStation language of modern warfare, spoke of the ugly, deadly reality of service in Afghanistan. "Take a life to save a life, that's what we revolve around. If there's people trying to do bad stuff to our guys, then we'll take them out of the game." As a soldier, what mattered most was the safety of his mates. "I'm not here on a free pass … Our job out here is to make sure the guys are safe on the ground and if that...

Prince Harry's remarks that his job as a co-pilot in an Apache attack helicopter required him to "take a life to save a life" may have disconcerted some squeamish westerners. But it was Captain Wales's somewhat blasé attitude to fighting the hardline rebels that has most riled the Taliban. An indignant Taliban spokesman said the young prince was a coward who ran away from fighting the mujahideen, or "holy warriors", as the militants like to call themselves. "I don't believe that he participated in the fighting," said Zabiullah Mujahid. "Maybe he has seen the mujahideen in a movie, but that's...

Prince Harry on his controversial Las Vegas trip There is only one rule as far as the soldier prince is concerned: Work hard, play hard. In one of the most candid admissions of his interview, Harry remarks that concerned Prince Charles frequently attempts to remind him of what is required of the third in line to the throne. Harry confesses he ‘let himself and his family down’ after being photographed cavorting naked in Las Vegas last year, but, unsurprisingly given his comments, is largely unrepentant. The 28-year-old royal concedes he should have acted in a more ‘princely’ manner but says...

Ask yourself this question: How weird would it be if you changed your hair and it was on the news? No, seriously. Pull back from everything you know about celebrity and pretend it's about you. You change your hair. You decide, "Hey, you know what? It's been long for a while; what if I went a little shorter?" And so you go a little shorter. And then it is on the news. That's what happened to Michelle Obama when new photographic evidence emerged that proved — no paperwork needed, no investigative journalism, no shoe-leather reporting — that she has bangs....

Search for infamous monarch’s remains is the latest in the rush to dig up the dead and famousFor centuries, William Shakespeare seemed to have the last word. His Richard III glowered and leered from the stage, a monster in human form and a character so repugnant "that dogs bark at me as I halt by them." In Shakespeare's famous play, the hunchbacked king claws his way to the throne and methodically murders most of his immediate family—his wife, older brother, and two young nephews—until he suffers defeat and death on the battlefield at the hands of a young Tudor hero,...

In a sad and shocking twist, the nurse who works at the hospital where Kate Middleton was treated and who was reportedly duped by an Australian radio show has been found dead, and is suspected of killing herself. The Daily Mail reports that the nurse was found unconscious at an address near the hospital, King Edward VII Hospital in Paddington, London. She was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. One source told the Mail that she appeared to have killed herself. In a statement from the hospital, the nurse has been named as Jacintha Saldanha. She was described as...

THE nurse who took a prank call from two Australian DJs asking about the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge has been found dead this morning. Tragic Jacintha Saldanha, 46, is believed to have committed suicide as police are not treating the death as suspicious. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were said to be “deeply saddened" by the death of Jacintha, described by the hospital as an "excellent nurse" who was "well respected and popular" with colleagues. DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian made the prank call from Down Under, impersonating Prince Charles and the Queen to get information about Kate's...

Pregnant Kate Middleton could very well be carrying twins, medical experts have commented - because the duchess is suffering from acute morning sickness. Duchess Kate is currently being treated in hospital for the ailment, otherwise known as hyperemesis gravidarum – a condition which is more commonly associated with women who are carrying twins. Now rumours are rife that the royal, who is married to Prince William, could be carrying not just one baby, but two. But if Kate is indeed carrying twins we won’t know for a good few weeks yet. In fact the duchess isn’t even at the 12-week...

Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton are expecting their first child, the palace announced today. "Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby," the palace said in a statement today. "The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry and members of both families are delighted with the news." The duchess was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital today in central London with hyperemesis gravidarum, an acute morning sickness which requires supplementary hydration and nutrients, the...

In a series of remarkably candid comments, Prince Charles hinted that he feared his legacy as king would be cut short. During a visit to Dumfries House, the stately home in East Ayrshire which the Prince helped save for the nation, he joked about his reputation for pursuing projects with notorious vigour but made a poignant reference to his mortality. He said: “Impatient? Me? What a thing to suggest! Yes of course I am.” He added: “I’ll run out of time soon. I shall have snuffed it if I’m not careful.” The comments, which were recorded for a film on...

They are an example to follow but also a splendid and royal rebuke to our times Congratulations to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh who have celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary today. It is a significant achievement. I don’t mean the longevity aspect which is out of their hands, a mixture of luck and good genes; I mean the example they have set the country of a faithful and enduring marriage, based on mutual affection and respect. According to the Telegraph report, Prince Philip wrote to the Queen Mother on his honeymoon, saying that his wife was “the only...

full title......A royal snub! Kim Kardashian sends Kate Middleton freebie clothing from her Kollection ... but the Duchess sends them straight backKate Middleton is admired for her impeccable style, and designers all over the world line up to dress the royal brunette. So it's no suprise that during her recent trip to London, Kim Kardashian wanted to get a piece of the action. The reality star and her famous sisters recently launched a fashion collection at Dorothy Perkins, and reportedly send the Duchess a load of free clothing, only to get them send straight back.

'Where most people saw a crumbling, rust-stained hunk of concrete and steel, Paddy Roy Bates saw a kingdom. Bates, who has died aged 91, occupied an abandoned wartime fort in the North Sea and declared it the sovereign Principality of Sealand, with its own passports, flag, anthem and stamps — and himself as its monarch. What began as a swinging 60s attempt to set up a radio station became a micro-state that is still going strong more than 45 years later — although it has not been recognized by any government. "I might die young or I might die old,...

Prince Harry at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan on September 7. LONDON — Britain's defense secretary says Prince Harry got extra protection when the Taliban attacked his base in Afghanistan last Friday. Philip Hammond says the prince, a helicopter pilot, was moved to a secure position once it was clear that the perimeter of Camp Bastion had been breached. In an interview with the BBC Monday night, Hammond said: "He is serving there as an ordinary officer but clearly there are additional security arrangements in place that recognize that he could be a target himself specifically as a result of who...

Lawyers for Britain's royal family will make a criminal complaint against the photographer who took pictures of Prince William's wife Kate sunbathing topless in the south of France, William's office said Sunday.

Prince Harry has been deployed to Afghanistan for four months, the Ministry of Defence says. The prince, an Apache helicopter pilot, arrived on Thursday night at the main British base, Camp Bastion in Helmand. The 27-year-old, who is third in line to the throne, will take part in combat missions against the Taliban. It is his second Afghanistan deployment - he spent 10 weeks in Helmand province in 2007-08 but was pulled out after media reported his secret deployment. Captain Wales, as he is known in the military, arrived as part of the 100-strong 662 Squadron, 3 Regiment, Army Air...

A Taliban spokesman said Monday that the terror group would use "all our strength" to kidnap or kill the U.K's Prince Harry, who just begun serving a four-month tour of duty as a chopper pilot in Afghanistan. "We are using all our strength to get rid of him, either by killing or kidnapping," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by phone. "We have informed our commanders in Helmand to do whatever they can to eliminate him."

Turns out Prince Harry's Sin City shenanigans may have involved more than a rousing game of strip billiards. According to RadarOnline, the rebellious royal's late-night partying in Las Vegas earlier this month was actually a little more serious than initially thought because, according to an eyewitness, hard drugs like cocaine were at play. "Things got pretty crazy in Prince Harry's suite that night," the source told RadarOnline.com. "Everyone was drinking and drugs were also being used by some people." The source claimed that "some people were snorting cocaine," but clarified that Prince Harry himself didn't appear to be using any...

His title is Duke of Cambridge, but Prince William was a real-life knight in shining armor for a pair of teenage sisters in England. William, 30, was working his day job as a search-and-rescue pilot in the Royal Air Force (RAF) Thursday afternoon when a call came in that a 16-year-old girl had been swept out to sea off the coast of Silver Bay in Anglesey. From Crib to Captain: Prince William Through the Years The girl, who has not been identified, and her 13-year-old sister had been body-boarding in the water when they were caught on a riptide, according...

It was the night when the Queen appeared in her first movie acting role – and proved herself an instant comedy hit. Her Majesty was seen in a film alongside James Bond actor Daniel Craig before apparently ‘parachuting’ into the stadium for the opening ceremony. The recorded sequence opened at Buckingham Palace, where a tuxedo-wearing Craig as 007 was presented to the Queen by her personal footman as she was writing a letter and training her corgis Monty, Willow and Holly to roll over.

The United States may break with a controversial tradition and dip its flag to Britain's leaders at the opening ceremony for the London Olympics, U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) CEO Scott Blackmun said on Thursday.

Don’t be fooled by the pomp and dazzle of the Queen’s royal Diamond Jubilee flotilla easing past the tourists, celebrity-spotters, and pickpockets on the Thames. Britain is a country rotting from the inside, the first nation on earth that elected to destroy its culture with political correctness.Asks British columnist Rod Liddle, “Who are the people who have made Britain what it is today, the ones who ensured that we became a limp-wristed and decrepit, post-imperial satrapy of incompetence, sanctimony, self-obsession and self-loathing?”Who indeed? (By limp-wristed, Liddle means lacking in conviction, not gay). The short answer is the new aristocracy,...

Ecstatic crowds cheered the Queen's carriage procession through the streets of London today as British pomp and pageantry went on full display. The Queen was joined in her 1902 State Landau by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, as the Duke of Edinburgh is being treated in hospital for a bladder infection. Philip is said to be 'disappointed' at missing the festivities marking the end of the extended Diamond Jubilee Bank Holiday.

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: I have to say this, I just saw something on TV that reminded me. Tomorrow, in Great Britain, a big concert for the Queen. The Jubilee. They had the big thing yesterday with all the boats on the River Thames. Tomorrow is June 5th. Does that date ring a bell for any of you, June 5th? No? How quickly people forget. June 5th, right, Snerdley, right. June 5th, tomorrow, is going to be two blissful years for me. June the 5th. Do you happen to know who performed at my wedding? Do you remember, Snerdley? Correct. Sir...

Prince Harry is looking to find Mrs. Right. The redheaded royal expressed his desire to settle down during Katie Couric's ABC special “The Jubilee Queen” Tuesday night, saying he’s eager to start a family once he finds the right woman. "I've longed for kids since I was very, very young," the partying prince said. "And so I'm just waiting to find the right person, someone who's willing to take on the job." The single 27-year-old embarked on his first solo royal tour in March as his grandmother’s personal envoy, making stops in the Caribbean, Central and South America. Although he...

The Queen is marking her Diamond Jubilee this year and celebrations reach a peak in early June with a four-day weekend of events, between Saturday 2 and Tuesday 5 June.

It was a photograph that captured the youth, glamour and femininity of what would come to be called the new Elizabethan age. Britain’s 27-year-old Queen had been crowned in Westminster Abbey earlier that day, June 2, 1953, and now she poses for photographs in Buckingham Palace. She is wearing the Imperial State Crown and the exquisite Coronation gown designed by Sir Norman Hartnell. The 21ft ermine-trimmed velvet Purple Robe of Estate flows from her shoulders. She is flanked by her Maids of Honour: six of the country’s most blueblooded young women, all single, beautiful and, like the Queen, wearing gowns...

It would take more than mere heart surgery to shake the indomitable spirit of Prince Philip. Hours after his life-saving operation, he was demanding to be released from hospital. ‘I feel fine’, the irascible 90-year-old told doctors who had carried out an emergency operation to treat a blocked coronary artery. ‘I don’t want to make a fuss. I just want to go home.’ An insider at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire said: ‘He is itching to get out.’ However, it was confirmed that he would remain there for at least another night. The Queen, who flew the 60 miles by helicopter...

Just hours before, she joined her husband for a Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace with the Queen. But it was just the young royal set at the Sun Military Awards tonight. The Duchess of Cambridge was the belle of the ball in a strapless black velvet dress as she walked the red carpet with her husband Prince William, who looked dapper in black tie Prince Harry was two steps behind his older brother at London's Imperial War Museum, also donning a suit. Kate's black Alexander McQueen gown - the same designer as her wedding dress - had frill trim around...

Prince Harry became embroiled in a real-life crime drama when he came to the rescue of one of his best friends after he was mugged on a London street. According to police records, the Prince was on the phone to Thomas van Straubenzee at the exact moment a robber took his friend’s BlackBerry mobile. Harry heard the scuffle taking place and immediately drove to the scene with his protection officer. Fearing 28-year-old Mr van Straubenzee had been hurt, the Prince circled the streets of Battersea, South-West London, looking for him. When he could not find his friend, he drove to...

Queen Elizabeth II attended a ceremony at London's Westminster Abbey Wednesday to mark the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, often considered the most influential book ever printed in the English language. It came about when King James I summoned a conference at Hampton Court Palace near London in 1604, hoping to thrash out differences between Church of England bishops and Puritans. Failing to make progress on other issues, Puritan leader John Reynolds proposed a new translation which emerged in 1611

Prince William and wife Catherine opened the new specialist children's cancer treatment ward, the Oak Centre for children and young people, at the Royal Mardsen hospital London. (Sept. 29/AP)

Harry and Florence reportedly dated for two months. The 26-year-old royal ended his three-month romance with Florence Brudenell-Bruce, the daughter of a wine merchant, to concentrate on his Apache helicopter training, the Daily Mail reports. "Harry enjoyed spending time with friends over the summer, but he doesn't want to be tied town in a relationship when training, so he called time with Flee," a source told the British newspaper. The source said the prince expected to return to Afghanistan after his helicopter training. Harry began dating Ms Brudenell-Bruce, known to her friends as "Flee," in June (Read more: Harry dating...

The royal family is worried about Kate Middleton's health as the Princess collapsed at the end of her North American tour and was ordered immediate bed rest. The Duchess of Cambridge, who reportedly wears a perfect size zero has sparked off concerns that her weight loss might be detrimental to her health and her ability to conceive. An earlier report in IBT quoted Doctor Chris Steele telling Britain's Daily Star that if Kate continued to lose any more weight it was "entirely medically plausible she will have extreme difficulty getting pregnant." "You only need look at the pictures from the...