The Chelsea Barracks controversy has a judge asking: Who leaked Prince Charles’ letter?
His Royal Highness made no secret of his unhappiness over the Chelsea Barracks development, saying the proposed plans did not fit with the neighborhood’s architecture. Prince Charles said that the local people were also distressed at the plans and he wanted to help by speaking out. He also wrote a letter to the Emir of Qatar, urging him to rethink funding towards the project.
Property developers for the barracks, Nick and Christian Candy, brought a suit against the Qatari royal family’s investment company Qatari Diar, alleging breach of contract when they rescinded their approval. Christian Candy’s witness statement indicated that he was concerned that the letter from Prince Charles to the Emir may have derailed the project.
“[...]I was concerned that Qatari Diar (on the instruction of His Excellency or the Emir) might decide to withdraw the Planning Application as a favour from one royal to another.”
Justice Geoffrey Vos, the presiding judge, said he is waiting to be told who spilled the beans to the media and when.
“It is not irrelevant. It’s part of the factual background,” he said.
Prince Charles’ private secretary, Sir Michael Peat, allegedly knows “who dunnit”, claims John Ward, an executive with Qatari Diar. Ward says Peat knew but would not give him any names.
“He said that he did know and that the source was from our side,” said Ward.
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Happy birthday (almost), says US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, is probably feeling a bit sheepish right about now. Her office sent a birthday message of good wishes to Her Majesty the Queen – except it was a week early for her official birthday, and almost two months late for her real one.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said that the situation was a simple mistake and that there was no offense taken whatsoever.
The tradition of the Sovereign celebrating two birthdays began with King Edward VII, the Queen’s great-grandfather. The king was born in November, but wanted the birthday parade to take place in June when there would be a better chance of nice weather.
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Patrick Stewart knighted by the Queen
Patrick Stewart, now Sir Patrick, was knighted by the Queen for his contribution to the arts.
The investiture was conducted June 2nd, the 57th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation.
Stewart said he owed his knighthood to Cecil Dormand, his childhood English teacher. Dormand had been the one to “put a copy of Shakespeare in my hand” and told Stewart he should act professionally. Stewart has spent 16 years with the Royal Shakespeare Company and is best known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation. His television and film roles have been great experiences for him, “but theatre is my love,” says Stewart.
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Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Anglotopia was started to get us back to the UK for a trip and it did that in 2009. Now, the goal is for Anglotopia to make our dreams of traveling to the UK whenever we want a reality.
