Cave News

Queen Elizabeth urges 'generosity and self-sacrifice' in front of an ornate gold piano

An ‘out of touch’ Queen Elizabeth II delivered her annual Christmas address at Buckingham Palace with a lavish gold piano behind her.

"Even with the most deeply held differences, treating the other person with respect and as a fellow human being is always a good first step towards greater understanding," the Queen said during the speech.

The 91-year-old monarch's words seem pretty benign: She doesn't actually scold viewers or tell anyone to, say, put on a sweater, as President Jimmy Carter once did with disastrous results. But the juxtaposition of her speech and the piano, a symbol of her substantial wealth, seems to have been enough to unsettle citizens who are already on edge about Brexit.

The privileged wealthy hereditary monarch getting £76m a year (over $96,000,000), sitting in front of a golden piano in the palace she's billing taxpayers £369m ($470,000,000) to tart up, kills satire by lecturing the nation to pull together," wrote Kevin Maguire, associate editor at the Daily Mirror, in a tweet that has since been liked 12,000 times.

The Queen's personal wealth totals at least $520,000,000, which is the most of anyone in the family, Wealth-X estimates. The private wealth of all of the family members together would top $1 billion!

The royal family cost Britain roughly $96 million in 2018 through the Sovereign Grant. The Grant currently includes $38 million for the renovation of Buckingham Palace, which has 775 rooms.

Queen Elizabeth II - as a truck mechanic in 1945

.

Prince Charles has his shoelaces ironed every morning - really

From a report at the link below:

Being first in line for the British throne may have gone to Prince Charles’ head.

The Prince of Wales, 69, has reportedly earned a special nickname among the staff at Clarence House: The Pampered Prince. That’s because, according to Amazon Prime’s new documentary “Serving the Royals: Inside the Firm,” Charles needs help doing just about everything.

“His pajamas are pressed every morning, his shoelaces are pressed flat with an iron, the bath plug has to be in a certain position and the water temperature has to be just tepid,” Princess Diana’s former butler, Paul Burrell, revealed in the documentary, per Yahoo.

Burrell even said that Charles “has his valets squeeze one inch of toothpaste onto his toothbrush every morning.”

This isn’t the first time that Prince Charles’ odd behavior has made headlines.

He brings his own toilet seat with him when he travels, changes outfits five times a day. He only recently discovered what Saran wrap is and never shows up to a dinner party without his own food.

Waiting 69 years for your mother to die so you can begin your life’s work will do that to you. It’s no wonder Princess Di insisted on ‘splitting the blankets’ and left him so he could share his half of the blankets with his lover Camilla and they could continue their long-time romance without further interruption.

Link

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are climate ambassadors to the common man

Never mind that they drive around in their $450,000 Jaguar that has been converted to electricity.

They have almost unlimited wealth to spend on any tree hugging project they choose.

But with all of these photos, plus many others, floating around on the Internet aren’t the Royals rubbing it in just a bit?

A Guardsmen faints during Trooping the Colour ceremony

British Guardsmen were Trooping the Colour for the Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. They were dressed in full uniform which included bearskin in the heat near St. James Park.

The Guardsmen were standing in formation as the band marched past them when one of the guardsmen in the second row collapsed to his knees before he landed face down with his hands to his side.

4

The other Guardsmen maintained their position around him causing a unique photo opportunity. Three soldiers walked to his aid and lifted him onto a stretcher and carried him out.

___________________________________

For those of us here in the Colonies the custom of Trooping the Colour dates back to the time of Charles II in the 17th Century when the Colours of a regiment were used as a rallying point in battle and were trooped in front of the soldiers every day to make sure that every man could recognize those of his own regiment.

In the present time Trooping the Colour is done to mark the birthday of a sovereign. In this case Queen Elizbeth II.

Prince Charles is entrusted with the real important jobs

Painting little wax ducks .

Report: Americans are royally confused about the British monarchy

A new poll reveals Americans’ conflicted feelings about the British royal family and the system built around it.

Some Americans are fascinated by the pomp and circumstance surrounding the British monarchy. Others are somewhat amused by it all but most could care less.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip are shown above during the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle

___________________________________

In 1871 British General Cornwallis (pictured) was forced to surrender at Yorktown, Virginia. Cornwallis was surrounded by American and French troops while the French navy blocked British ships from rescuing or reinforcing Cornwallis forcing him to surrender thus ending the American Revolutionary War. Claiming to be ill, the irked Cornwallis sent General O'Hara to attend the surrender ceremony in his place.

Had Cornwallis received reinforcements, Yorktown may have been just another battle on the way to a British win and America would have become another British colony.

___________________________________

Somehow I just can’t imagine the thought of being ruled by the insufferable Prince Charles (pictured) should he become King someday. At age 70, Charles is still waiting for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, to die so he can begin his life’s work as King.

Link

Thomas Markle regrets not attending wedding, tells family to now 'shut up'

From an MSN report at the link below:

Of course Meghan Markle's father Thomas is happy for the newly anointed Duchess of Sussex, and her picturesque marriage to Prince Harry -- and he's upset that he couldn't be there. But his message to relatives as the couple sets off on their honeymoon is quite curt: "shut up."

"Now I pray that Harry and Meghan can go on a nice honeymoon and rest and relax," he told TMZ, before adding," and all of my relatives will just shut up about everything."

Meghan with her father Thomas Markle

Thomas Markle recently spoke to TMZ to tell them that he texted Meghan on her wedding day to let her know that he loves her, and that he did watch the ceremony from his bed, where he is recuperating from heart surgery.

Link

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrive at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for the wedding

.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry drive off for an evening reception in a classic silver blue convertible car

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, now the Dike and Dutchess of Sussex, step out for an evening reception hosted by the Prince of Wales. They are set to embark in a silver blue classic convertible car.

The vehicle is a Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero. This vehicle was originally manufactured in 1968, and has since been converted to electric power. A similar car is shown below.