As an American, I have never been much of a fan of the monarchy and I confess I can't appreciate the import it has on the psyche of the citizens of the UK, but I have always thought the late Queen comported herself with great poise and grace as befitted her office. She is certainly beloved the world over. I offer my prayers for her eternal rest. May God grant her the peace the world cannot give and may light perpetual shine upon her. May King Charles know a similarly successful reign as did his mother.
Using the Prayer Book for the last few years and so having prayed frequently for Her late Majesty, she became more dear to me in ways than just seeing her image on coins, bank notes and stamps ever could have (I am Canadian). I worked for two summers as a student at the library which had her portrait hanging near the card catalogue. That did make more of an impression on me, but the Prayer Book ingrained in me an appreciation for the monarchy and HM Queen Elizabeth II especially. I thank God for her many years of tireless service and I don't doubt her legacy will continue to encourage and inspire. The part of the Intercession in the service of Holy Communion where we give thanks for the good examples of those who have departed this life in the faith and fear of Lord has a renewed resonance as I write this reflection.
Elizabeth had such a lengthy and wonderful reign. It's a wonder they didn't change the name to "United Queendom" for the duration. But changing it back and forth would become tedious, I'm sure. At any rate, it does appear set to be a KINGdom for quite some time to come (plenty of boys).
King Charles III is the sovereign, and his heir apparent is his elder son, William, Prince of Wales. William's eldest son, Prince George of Wales, is second in line, followed by his sister, Princess Charlotte, and his younger brother, Prince Louis. So anything could happen. If Charles and William and George all went down in a helicopter for example (God forbid), then Charlotte would become Queen. Taking it further, Harry and Archie are next in line. I only make this point because no one knows what might happen (even abdication of some kind). History has shown us not to be too sure in our assumptions.
And the Queen was very annoyed (it was said) that William's family used to travel by helicopter together frequently. So now that she is dead, who knows what shenanigans anyone will get up to!
Simply because it omits Northern Ireland and at the moment people in Northern Ireland, who support the Union, already feel they've been forgotten because of the regulations put in place when the UK exited from the European Union.
I've noticed that and wondered why a team of athletes from the UK are branded with a name for only part of our country.
Fortunately, he is far enough down the line of succession that he is most unlikely to become the king. If he does I shall probably consider emigtration. I have no idea what has made him turn on his family but I think he's a disgrace. I've had disagreements with my family as I suspect the vast majority of us have. I would never dream of insulting them publicly. Family matters are, in my opinion, private matters. To do it in an interview with probably the world's most famous interviewer was a most concerted and deliberate attack designed to hurt his family. He disgusts me.
Etymology Because the Hebrides have been successively occupied by speakers of several languages since the Iron Age, many of its islands’ names have more than one possible meaning. Nonetheless, few, if any, have accumulated as many different names over the centuries as the island now known in English as "Iona". The place-name scholar William J. Watson has shown that the earliest recorded names of the island meant something like "yew-place". The element Ivo-, denoting "yew", occurs in inscriptions in the ogham alphabet (Iva-cattos [genitive], Iva-geni [genitive]) and in Gaulish names (Ivo-rix, Ivo-magus); it may also be the basis of early Gaelic names like Eógan (ogham: Ivo-genos). The island's name may also be related to the name of a mythological figure, Fer hÍ mac Eogabail, the foster-son of Manannan, whose forename meaning "man of the yew". Mac an Tàilleir (2003) has analyzed the more recent Gaelic names of Ì, Ì Chaluim Chille and Eilean Idhe. He notes that the name Ì was "generally lengthened to avoid confusion" with Ì Chaluim Chille, which means "Calum's Iona" or "island of Calum's monastery". (“Calum”’s Latinized form is "Columba".) This confusion would have arisen because ì, the original name of the island, would have been confused with the now-obsolete Gaelic noun ì, meaning "island", which was derived from the Old Norse word for island (ey). Eilean Idhe means "the isle of Iona", also known as Ì nam ban bòidheach ("the isle of beautiful women"). The modern English name comes from yet another variant, Ioua,[18][19] which arose either from Adomnán's 7th-century attempt to make the Gaelic name fit Latin grammar, or spontaneously, as a derivative of Ivova ("yew place"). The change in the island's name from Ioua' to Iona, which is attested from c.1274, resulted from a transcription error due to the similarity of "n" and "u" in Insular Minuscule script. Despite the continuity of forms in Gaelic from the pre-Norse to the post-Norse era, Haswell-Smith (2004) speculates that the island’s name may be connected with the Norse word Hiōe, meaning "island of the den of the brown bear". The medieval English-language version of the name was "Icolmkill" (and variants thereof). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iona#Etymology
I think that's the island "Iona", not the alternative name for the British Isles - "IONA". Wikipedia claims this confusion is one of the reasons why the name is disliked.
I believe that is a harsh assessment. The role of the spare in the system of hereditary monarchy is a difficult role. As an active serviceman who served abroad, he is clearly not simply self-entitled nor is he allergic to duty. The complexity of his marriage has brought to his life balancing his duty to serve and his duty to protect, and clearly, it was a monumental disaster. I don't walk in his moccasins, however, looking from afar it seems to me he ended up with nowhere else to turn. I don't know what the future holds, however it seems to me, somehow or other, he belongs in the family.
I love Harry and Meghan. I am sure the Royal family has treated them horribly, especially with regard to the mixed race issue. The Royal Family is basically a cult and it destroyed Diana and no doubt would have tried to destroy Meghan as well. They are wise to have escaped that oppressive regime.