Interesting Links:

We love The Queen…perhaps a little too much.

Australia won’t hold referendum

In Quebec, the Queen is still Wolfe in sheep’s clothing

Who will wear the crown in Canada?

So which is it? Is Her Majesty spending more or cutting back? It’s an Express report vs. a CNN report.

On July 1st, just days prior to the release of the Royal budget, royal reporter Richard Palmer stated in his Express blog that the Queen’s spending had gone way up in the past year.

Draft figures which will form the basis of her annual financial report, due to be published on Monday, show that her Civil List spending as head of state has risen by 2.1 per cent in a year – and 4.9 per cent if you include exceptional items.

CNN reports on Buckingham Palace’s statement on Monday, July 5th:

Queen Elizabeth II’s annual budget this year is £38.2 million ($57.8 million), down from £41.5 million ($62.8 million) last year, Buckingham Palace announced Monday.

“Her annual spending has fallen by 17 percent in real terms since 2001,” the palace stated.

The British government covers the budget only for the Queen and her husband through the Civil List. Other members of the Royal Family are funded by the Parliamentary Annuity. In exchange, the Queen reimburses the government with the income from the Duchy of Lancaster, the monarch’s personal property. Would it be possible, then, for the senior members of the Royal Family (save for Prince Charles) to live off of the income from royal holdings alone?

Any accountants out there?

Who is keeping one’s books? Is the budget more or less?

Today I review the 3-DVD set of Fall of the British Empire. It is a riveting documentary beginning with the funeral of Queen-Empress Victoria, covering all the major events and players – Nehru, Mountbatten, Gandhi, and more. [Click here to go to RoyaltyNow!]

NEXT: Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman.

“The sun never sets on the British Empire”.

The far-reaching political and cultural might of the Sceptered Isle is embodied in this documentary. Vintage Movietone News footage reveals the pageantry and magic that was, as well as the players of the worldwide drama that shaped nations and events.

Review coming soon!

Arriving on Kapiti Island

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The official Maori greeting

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Holding a Kiwi (weka) bird
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Wearing the traditional Kiwi feather cape
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Opening the Supreme Court Building in Wellington
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Flashback: Maoris greet the Queen in 1954 on her first foreign royal tour
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Flashback: 12–30 March 1970: The Queen participated in the James Cook bicentenary celebrations and introduced The Prince of Wales and The Princess Anne to New Zealand. This tour marked the first ‘walk-about’ in a Royal visit.

Her Majesty wears the traditional Kiwi cape
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Prince Philip talking to Maoris

Flashback: April 1983 – Diana visits Gisborne, New Zealand

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He made it! Prince William has kicked off his New Zealand/Australia tour. See the photos here!

There is no going back. As he walked off the aircraft at Auckland International Airport, Prince William must have known it: the next significant stage in his development as a senior royal is under way.

BBC News

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ITN’s coverage of Prince William’s New Zealand visit: