No, sorry, we don’t have a name yet—but we can tell you that the royal baby has met his royal great-grandmother, known to you commoners as Queen Elizabeth. She and Prince Harry met the babe this morning at London’s Kensington Palace, Us reports. Potential names were probably discussed during… …read more
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By Cecilia Rodriguez, Contributor
In the frenzy of preparations for the latest arrival to the royal family, great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth has been quietly laying the groundwork for the succession to the throne, which eventually will put the new baby as second in line to wear the crown. …read more
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MPs passed a bill legalising same-sex marriage in England and Wales, paving the way for the first gay weddings in 2014.
The House of Commons decided not to oppose a number of minor amendments to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill proposed by the House of Lords.
The legislation is now expected to receive official assent from Queen Elizabeth later this week after MPs agreed to changes such as ensuring protections for transgender couples.
Already on Monday night, jubilant gay rights activists danced outside parliament as the government-backed bill passed unopposed through the House of Lords. Some members there wore pink carnations.
A spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, which is overseeing the new law, told AFP the bill would probably receive royal assent on Wednesday or Thursday.
“But we are looking at seeing the first gay weddings in the middle of 2014 because there are various issues to sort out, such as its impact on pensions,” the spokesman added.
Government computer systems also need to be updated to allow same-sex marriages to be registered, at an estimated cost of ??2 million.
But the government hopes legalising gay marriage will bring an overall boost to the economy, estimating that the change could bring in up to ??14.4 million a year for caterers, hotels and the rest of the wedding industry.
The bill survived a stormy passage through parliament, with dozens of Tories voting against it.
Tory minister Gerald Howarth criticised the way the government had backed the bill.
“I have to say that it is astonishing that a bill for which there is absolutely no mandate, against which a majority of Conservatives voted against, has been bulldozed through both Houses and just two hours of debate tonight is an absolute parliamentary disgrace,” he said.
“I think the government should think very carefully in future if they want the support of these benches. Offending large swathes of the Conservative Party is not a good way of going about it.”
An attempt in the Lords last month to kill off the legislation with a “wrecking amendment” failed.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the new law would ensure that gay couples felt “recognised and valued, not excluded”.
Gay rights activists have vowed to press on for equal marriage in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
But opponents of gay marriage have warned that the legislation will “come back to bite” Prime Minister David Cameron.
The Coalition for Marriage campaign group said it would mobilise a 700,000-strong support base ahead of next year’s European elections and the general election in 2015.
“They are passionate, motivated and determined to fight on against a law that renders terms like ‘husband and wife’ meaningless,” said the group’s chairman Colin Hart.
Civil partnerships for gay couples have been legal in Britain since 2005, giving them identical rights and responsibilities to straight couples in a civil marriage.
But campaigners point to differences, such as gay couples’ inability to choose a religious ceremony or to call their partnership a “marriage”.
The new law will ban the Churches of England and Wales — which are …read more
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Former Sen. Richard Lugar is being knighted on orders from the Queen of England, joining a select list of Americans to receive the distinction.
The Indiana Republican, who this year left the Senate after serving 36 years, will receive the rank of honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire during a ceremony at the British Embassy in Washington on Tuesday. The British Ambassador, Sir Peter Westmacott, is set to preside.
Since leaving the Senate, Lugar has taken on various roles, including leading the Richard G. Lugar Institute for Diplomacy and Congress with the German Marshall Fund. He also serves as a distinguished scholar and professor at the Indiana University School of Global and International Studies.
Lugar said he is deeply honored to be knighted. “I will focus my service on solving our most serious challenges in a spirit of cooperation between our countries,” he said in a statement Monday.
He said he was first inspired by Queen Elizabeth‘s leadership “when she received me as the young Rhodes Scholar in London, 58 years ago and asked me about Indiana.”
Lugar’s studies at Oxford University were his first outside of the United States. He went on to become one of the Senate’s foremost foreign policy experts, focusing much of his work on nuclear proliferation issues and relations with Europe. Along with former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., Lugar crafted legislation that helped eliminate nuclear warheads in the former Soviet Union.
Lugar will not be known as “sir” Lugar — only royal subjects can carry that title. But few Americans have received honorary knighthood, including Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
Lugar was defeated in a Republican primary in 2012, finishing his sixth term in office early this year. Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly won the race to replace him.
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/national/~3/rZwhdEazrCA/
Stella McCartney may have made headlines for being made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire today, but she’s not the first person in fashion who’s made it onto Queen Elizabeth‘s annual New Year Honors List.
In fact, there’s a rather large handful of designers, educators, and other people in the industry who’ve made the list. From Alexander McQueen‘s Sarah Burton to Fashion East’s Lulu Kennedy, take a look at all the most honorable people in fashion here in the gallery.
– Additional reporting by Robert Khederian
Getty
…read more
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LONDON, March 12 (UPI) — Britain’s Queen Elizabeth has canceled her public appearances for the next two days as she slowly recovers from a stomach bug, Buckingham Palace said Tuesday.
By Matt Cantor 
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home
By The Huffington Post News Editors
Queen Elizabeth II is expected to sign a new charter for the Commonwealth, a document which many have interpreted as a nod to gay rights.
On Monday, Queen Elizabeth will sign the Commonwealth Charter which lays out the core values of the 54 member states, NPR notes. One particular line in this document is making headlines around the world because people have interpreted it as the first time Queen Elizabeth will openly support gay rights in her 61-year reign.
Via the Daily Mail:
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More on Queen Elizabeth II
British media say Queen Elizabeth II will leave the hospital Monday afternoon after a one-day stay caused by a stomach ailment.
BBC, Sky News and Britain’s Press Association said Monday that the queen will leave King Edward VII Hospital later in the day. It had been announced earlier that she would stay for two days because of gastroenteritis.
The 86-year-old queen fell ill Friday and was being treated at Windsor Castle until Sunday, when she was moved to a central London hospital as a precaution.
It is the first time she has been hospitalized in a decade. Palace officials say she is otherwise in good health.
LONDON, March 4 (UPI) — Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II has been released from the London hospital where she was treated during the weekend for a stomach illness, palace officials said.
The Dubai owners of the storied passenger liner Queen Elizabeth 2 say the ship will be moved to Asia as a floating luxury hotel.
The deal marks the latest twist in the fate of the QE2, which has been docked in Dubai since it was purchased by the state investment company Istithmar World in 2007 at the height of the city’s boom. In July, plans were announced to keep the vessel in Dubai as a hotel and part of a maritime center.
A statement Thursday from Dubai officials did not give any details on the ship’s destination in Asia, but a map at the port shows a route taking the vessel to China.
It said the QE2 will become a 500-room luxury hotel after undergoing checks in Dubai.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
By Evann Gastaldo 
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