BRITAIN: Queen Announces Referendum On UK Leaving The European Union

Via the Guardian:

Tax freezes, the devolution of power and an EU referendum were all on the agenda as the Queen’s Speech marked the first day of the new parliamentary year. The speech was the Queen’s 64th and the first all Conservative Speech she has given in parliament since 1996, following the party’s majority election victory at the beginning of the month. In the speech written and given to her by Conservative ministers, the Queen outlined the government’s plans in an 9-minute speech. The Queen’s big announcements included the news that there would be a referendum on Britain’s membership to the European Union in 2017, and the government’s “tax lock commitment” that would see a freezing of income tax, value added tax and national insurance for the next five years.

BRITAIN: The New Line To The Throne

Newborn Charlotte Elizabeth Diana is fourth in line to the British throne. The Los Angeles Times explains who all those other people are.

Charlotte Elizabeth Diana Of Cambridge

Via the Daily Mail:

A princess called Charlotte — a name that is French in origin — is a nod to her grandfather, the Prince of Wales, while Elizabeth and Diana are an obvious mark of respect to William's 89-year-old grandmother and his late mother respectively. Royal aides told MailOnline that the baby's second names were self-evident and would 'speak for themselves'. As for Charlotte, they pointed out that much had been written about it being the feminine form of Charles. Another royal source said they understood the couple simply liked the name – but admitted it was a 'happy coincidence' that both William's father and mother would live on in their grand-daughter. For William, naming his daughter after Charles will be seen as a clear public demonstration of his love for the prince.

What Happens When The Queen Dies?

A fascinating look from Business Insider:

Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of this Realm and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, is not going to live forever. Since ascending to the throne in 1952, the monarch has seen 12 Prime Ministers serve Britain, and lived through another 12 US Presidents. She's now 88. At some point — not for many years yet, we hope — Queen Elizabeth II's reign will come to an end. But what happens then?

For at least 12 days — between her passing, the funeral and beyond — Britain will grind to a halt. It'll cost the British economy billions in lost earnings. The stock markets and banks will close for an indefinite period. And both the funeral and the subsequent coronation will become formal national holidays, each with an estimated economic hit to GDP of between £1.2 and £6 billion, to say nothing of organisational costs.

But to focus on the financial disruption doesn't begin to describe the sheer magnitude of it. It will be an event unlike anything Britain has ever seen before. There will be trivial disruptions — the BBC will cancel all comedy shows, for example — and jarring cultural changes. Prince Charles may change his name, for instance, and the words of the national anthem will be changed, too.

Hit the link for much, much more.

Queen Elizabeth Delivers Holiday Speech

Queen Elizabeth Sends Her First Tweet

Via CNN:

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II dipped a toe into 21st-century communications Friday when she posted her first tweet. Signing herself Elizabeth R., for regina or queen, she welcomed visitors to a new Information Age gallery focused on the evolution of modern communications at the Science Museum in London. The inaugural tweet was posted to the official British monarchy Twitter feed, which has more than 700,000 followers.

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SCOTLAND: Queen Elizabeth Gives Royal Assent For Gay Marriage Law

Gay Star News reports:

Queen Elizabeth II has signed same-sex marriage into law in Scotland today (13 March). By the end of the year, Scottish gay couples will be able to unite in matrimony. It is the last step in the long battle to get the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill through Parliament, making it an Act. Alex Neil, cabinet Secretary for Health and Well-being, said: "I am delighted that the Same Sex Marriage Bill has now received Royal Assent. We continue to work in close co-operation with Westminster on implementation of the Act so that the first same sex marriage can take place in Scotland as soon as is possible."

The bill was approved by the Scottish Parliament last month in a lopsided vote of 105-18.

BRITAIN: Queen Elizabeth Congratulates Gay Charity On Its 40th Anniversary

Gay Star News reports:

Queen Elizabeth II has praised a gay charity, in what is believed to be her first ever comment about the LGBTI community. In her 62-year reign of the UK and the Commonwealth, she has never once visited or become a patron of a charity for gay rights. And even in reforming laws for the community, such as when homosexuality was decriminalized or same-sex marriage in England and Wales passed into law, the words ‘gay’, ‘lesbian’, ‘bisexual’, and ‘transgender’ have never been reported as crossing the lips of the reigning monarch. But in a first, the Queen has praised the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard on its 40th birthday. She said: ‘Best wishes and congratulations to all concerned on this most special anniversary.’

Prime Minister David Cameron and London Mayor Boris Johnson also congratulated the charity.

Dame Angela Lansbury

Via the Royalist:

Angela Lansbury has been created a Dame in the Queen's New Year honors list for services to drama and charity. The news raises the intriguing possibility that the Queen is a fan of the TV series 'Murder She Wrote' with which Dame Angela, as we shall now have to get used to calling her, is synonymous. Angela Lansbury, 88, was born in London’s East End. She moved to the United States in the 1940s where her acting career took off.

I'm still in awe of meeting her at Bea Arthur's memorial.

Queen Gives Royal Assent: Gay Marriage Now Legal In England & Wales

She didn't waste any time, did she?

BRITAIN: Queen Elizabeth Awards MBE To Leader Of LGBT Chorus Charity

A London gay man has been named to this year's list of Queen Elizabeth's birthday honors for his work with LGBT choruses.

Martin Brophy, of Muswell Avenue, Muswell Hill, was awarded an MBE for services to music by promoting singing among the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The 59-year-old does this through his role as the executive chairman of the charity Fruitvox and is a longstanding member of the London Gay Men’s Chorus. He said: “The first thing I thought when I received the letter for the prime minister is - what do people wear to these things? “I didn’t really believe it and I thought it was a joke because it was a very plain letter but then I looked online and found out it was real. I didn’t start volunteering because I wanted to win an MBE I did it because I wanted to make a difference and winning it is just a bonus.”

Brophy will visit Buckingham Palace to receive his medal from the Queen.

RELATED: I met Martin at the Colherne in Earls Court during a 1991 trip to London. Six of us had flown in from Miami to see Miss Saigon before it opened on Broadway. (I know.) I didn't have much interest in seeing the show, but tagged along because I'd never been to Britain. Our group hit it off with Martin and his partner and they gave us some great pointers for our visit. Since then I've run  into him at bear things here and there. Congratulations, Martin!

Queen Photobombs Live BBC Broadcast

In what the BBC is calling "one of the most bizarre bits of television" they've produced in a long time, today Queen Elizabeth walked into the live shot of the announcers describing her tour of the their newly remodeled studio. The Guardian reports:

The Queen "photobombed" the news on Friday in one of the more surreal moments in live broadcasting history as she officially opened the BBC's revamped Broadcasting House in central London. As BBC News presenters Julian Worricker and Sophie Long addressed viewers from their glass-windowed studio, the Queen, who was being given a studio tour, loomed into view behind them, peering intently from the newsroom. The two turned to see the diminutive Queen, resplendent in turquoise coat and hat, linger for several long seconds as BBC journalists crowded behind her raised a resounding cheer.

HomoQuotable - Peter Tatchell

"Media reports are wrong. The Queen has NOT expressed support for LGBT equality. The Commonwealth Charter that she’s signing includes no pledge on LGBT rights. LGBT rights were deliberately excluded. In 61 years as Queen, she has never publicly uttered the words lesbian or gay. She is a patron of hundreds of charities but none of them are gay ones. Not once has she visited or supported a gay charity. For the last four years, I’ve been pressing Buckingham Palace over the Queen’s failure to acknowledge the existence of LGBT people - and got nowhere.

"The Commonwealth Charter does not include any specific rejection of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This was vetoed by the homophobic majority of member states. They blocked its inclusion in the charter. This makes the Queen’s signing of the charter even less of a big deal. It is certainly not the breakthrough for LGBT rights that some people are claiming." - British activist Peter Tatchell, posting on his Facebook page.

Headline Of The Day

This is major.  Via the Daily Mail:

The Queen will sign the new Commonwealth Charter and make a speech explaining her passionate commitment to it.  Insiders say her decision to highlight the event is a ‘watershed’ moment – the first time she has clearly signalled her support for gay rights in her 61-year reign. 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.’

The ‘other grounds’ is intended to refer to sexuality – but specific reference to ‘gays and lesbians’ was omitted in deference to Commonwealth countries with draconian anti-gay laws.  Sources close to the Royal Household said she is aware of the implications of the charter’s implicit support of gay rights and commitment to gender equality.

Homosexuality remains illegal in 41 of the 54 Commonwealth nations.

Royal Decree: If Kate & William's Baby Is A Girl, She'll Be A Princess

Queen Elizabeth has ruled that her future great-grandaughter (if there is one) will be called a "princess."

The Queen has spoken! Wanting to ensure that if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a daughter that she will have a proper title, Her Majesty has issued a formal decree that the royal arrival would be known as a princess. Up until now, following a century-old decree by George V, only the eldest son of the Prince of Wales's eldest son could have the title prince. That would have meant that any daughter born to William and Kate would have been called "lady." The declaration was signaled in the London Gazette Wednesday, although the Queen made the decision on New Year's Eve. And the decree covers all future children of the couple.

Apparently this is all a very big deal for royalists.

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Queen Elizabeth Arrives At Olympics

Major spoiler alert!

UK: Trans Woman Honored By Queen

Transgender activist April Ashley, 77, has been awarded an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire). According to some accounts, Ashley was the first Briton to undergo sexual reassignment surgery.

The recognition in the Queen's Birthday Honours has thrilled the 77-year-old. "It's unbelievable and wonderful and especially fantastic to receive it in the year of Her Majesty's Jubilee," she said yesterday, at home in Fulham, south-west London. She declined to speak until she had finished watching the Trooping of the Colour. Duncan Fallowell, her biographer, said: "It makes me proud to be British. Proud of an establishment that can make such an award, perhaps a rather eccentric award."

Unsurprisingly, Britain's tabloids are going wild, publishing numerous leering accounts of Ashley's younger days, including one story about her seducing late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence. (Tipped by JMG reader Helen)

Grace Jones At Queen's Jubilee Concert