Royal aides said that Prince Philip, who was dressed in his uniform as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, had been "determined" to accompany the Queen in her Diamond Jubilee year to the annual display of pomp and pageantry marking her 86th birthday.
At times, however, he looked frail under the weight of his Bearskin as he was buffeted by strong winds.
Riding behind them, accompanied by the Sovereign’s Escort of 200 horses from the Household Cavalry, were the Royal Colonels - the Duke of Cambridge, Colonel of the Irish Guards dressed in the scarlet tunic he wore at his wedding, the Prince of Wales, Colonel of the Welsh Guards, the Princess Royal, Colonel of the Blues and Royals and the Duke of Kent, Colonel of the Scots Guards.
The Duke of Cambridge rode Wellesley, the dappled-grey charger of the Household Division on which he made his parade debut on horseback last year.
The Duchess of Cambridge, wearing a pale grey embroidered silk dress by Erdem and matching hat by Jane Corbett, travelled in an open-topped carriage to the parade ground in Whitehall with the Duchess of Cornwall, who was wearing a blue suit by Fiona Clare, and Prince Harry, dressed in his Blues and Royals uniform and Army Air Corps beret.
The Colour being paraded at the event was the flag of the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, who have completed two tours to Afghanistan in recent years, and are due to deploy again next year.
It was the 60th parade at which the Queen has presided. She first took the royal salute in 1951, when she deputised for her gravely ill father, King George VI, and has continued receiving the mark of respect every year since - with the exception of 1955 when there was a national rail strike.
Trooping the Colour is an enactment of the traditional preparations for battle when the Colours, or flags of a regiment were “trooped” down the ranks in order to be recognised by soldiers.
The honour of carrying the Colour was given to 2nd Lieutenant Hugo Codrington, who carried the flag bedecked with a wreath to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Dettingen, in which the Coldstream Guards fought in June 1743.
More than 1,600 officers and soldiers were on parade in the traditional uniforms of the Household Cavalry, Royal Horse Artillery and Foot Guards, under the command of Lieutenant Robin Sergeant of the Coldstream Guards.
The ceremony included 241 horses, among them, Majesty, a Household Cavalry black which has been newly-named by members of the public who were invited to name a horse belonging to the regiment in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year.
As Colonel in Chief, the Queen began the parade by inspecting the line of foot guards from the Glass Coach to the sounds of the Slave Chorus from Verdi’s Nabucco followed by a medley of West Country songs, played by the Band of the Welsh Guards.
Taking a seat next to Prince Philip, she then took the Royal Salute, nodding her head and tapping her foot in time to the music as the massed bands of the Household Division paraded past the monarch, first to a slow, then a quick march, to the tunes of Handel’s Scipio and the Red Feathers regimental march.
Members of the Royal family including the Duke of York, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent watched the parade from a balcony in Horse Guards Building.
The Prime Minister, David Cameron and his wife Samantha, the Defence Secretary Philip Hammond and General Sir David Richards, the Chief of the Defence Staff, were also among the guests at Horse Guards, which next month will be transformed into the Olympic arena for the beach volleyball events.
In a nod to the brighter weather than the showers which accompanied much of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations two weeks ago, the Queen wore the primrose yellow Angela Kelly “sunray” dress and the matching hat that she wore to the Duke and Duchess of Cambride’s wedding last year, with the Brigade of Guard brooch pinned to her lapel.
After the parade, the Royal procession returned to Buckingham Palace, cheered by thousands of well wishers who had gathered along the Mall, bedecked with Union flags and lined with 250 foot soldiers from the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards and the 1st Battalion Irish Guards.
To mark the Queen’s official birthday, the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery, who missed last year’s ceremony due to a suspected outbreak of ringworm, fired a gun salute in Green Park at 12.52pm, which was followed by another gun salute from the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company.
Shortly before 1pm, the Queen and more than 30 members of her family appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony, where they were cheered by the huge crowds that had gathered outside the Palace.
The celebrations culminated with an RAF flypast featuring a Hercules, an E3D surveillance plane and the £150 million Voyager, the RAF’s newest and biggest ever aircraft.
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which includes a Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane, could not take part due to the windy conditions, but the flypast ended with rousing cheers from the crowds as the Red Arrows soared over Buckingham Palace, trailing their customary red, white and blue smoke.
On Sunday the Duchess of Cambridge will visit a primary school in Kent where she will meet children taking part in an outdoor residential course. The Duchess will join them in their activities, including building a shelter, campfire building and outdoor cooking.
On Monday, she and the Duke of Cambridge will join the Queen and Prince Philip at the Order of the Garter Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Kent’s chief constable honoured by the Queen - Kent News
Chief Constable Ian Learmonth
Saturday, June 16, 2012
10:45 AM
Ian Learmonth among a list of the county’s finest to be recognised in the birthday honour’s list
Kent’s chief constable has received the prestigious Queen’s Police Medal in the birthday honours list.
Ian Learmonth, who joined Kent Police in July 2010, was among a list of the county’s finest to be recognised for their services and work in the county.
The chief constable was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal, which is given to officers for distinguished service.
Mr Learmonth joined Essex Police as a Cadet in 1974, and served with the force in a variety of uniform operational roles until 2005 when he was promoted to Assistant Chief Constable of Strathclyde Police.
In that role he led the major police operation for the G8 summit in 2005, and the policing response to the attack on Glasgow Airport by terrorists in 2007.
He was promoted to Deputy Chief Constable of Norfolk Police in 2007, where he led a major programme to redesign the force to put more officers on the frontline.
In July 2010, he was promoted to Chief Constable of Kent Police. His work with the force has been praised by both the Prime Minister in August 2011 during the disorder that gripped the country, and by the Home Secretary.
Mr Learmonth is the national lead for the police service on public order policing, a role he was given after last summer’s disorder.
He said he was both delighted and humbled to receive the Queen’s Police Medal.
“The success of Kent Police is down to the hard work and deep sense of public service of my officers and staff,” he said.
“I have not worked with a more dedicated team.
“I don’t consider what I do to be special, but I’ve worked with some amazing people over the years and seen the profound impact that effective policing has on people’s lives.”
Deputy Chief Constable Alan Pughsley added: “Ian Learmonth has given 38 years of his life to selflessly serving the community in a variety of difficult and dangerous police roles.
“He is an exemplary police officer who has always put the public first. It is a privilege to serve under his leadership, and this award from the Queen is very richly deserved and brings honour to the force as a whole.”
Director of Turner Contemporary, Victoria Pomery, was honoured with an OBE for services to the arts.
Ms Pomery runs the hugely successful gallery in Margate, which attracted more than half a million visitors in its first year of opening.
Others recognised in the honours list were leading hop grower Tony Redsell, who farms across Kent, who was awarded an OBE for services to the UK’s hop industry; Sally Anne Sweeney Carroll, founder and mentor of Transport for Sick Children, who received an MBE for services to child care; and Professor Christopher John Rudge, formerly national clinical director for transplantation and consultant in renal transplantation, who was honoured with CBE for services to transplantation and organ donation.
Mary Butcher, from Canterbury, and Heather Clemence, from Tonbridge, were both recognised for their talents and services to the community.
Ms Butcher was awarded an MBE for services to basket making after 35 years in the industry.
She said: “When I first saw a letter from the cabinet office, I wondered what I had done. Then I opened it and I couldn’t quite believe it.
“It’s such an honour, not just for me personally, but for the craft too.
“I have taught people in the last 35 years who have become traditional basket makers, and I have taught people to think differently about the basket making process.”
Heather Clemence has volunteered at Sevenoaks’ British Heart Foundation branch for more than 30 years and received a British Empire Medal for her long service.
She said: “I was completely surprised because I had no idea about it at all. I got it through my charity work which my husband and I have been doing since 1978.
“The award of the BEM is a great surprise and honour. I must share it with all those who, over more than 30 years, worked together as fundraisers.
“But most of all I will always remember the friendship we all shared, the happy meetings, the fun which we all had over coffee and biscuits and the pleasure of fundraising events.”
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk
Southend woman's face gouged during mugging - BBC News
A 22-year-old woman had her face gouged during a mugging by a gang in a park in Southend.
It happened at 12:30 BST on Tuesday in Southchurch Hall Park.
A female attacker scratched the victim's face while four men kicked her in the legs and waist and stole £62, store cards and a gold chain.
Det Con Rory Scarlett said: "This was an absolutely terrifying attack on a woman who was left severely distressed and covered in blood."
Police said one line of inquiry is that an organised gang may be responsible for a number of muggings in the area.
The victim, who asked to be named only as Leanne, has agreed to the police releasing a photo of her injuries.
Forced to groundShe told the police she was grabbed from behind and had her hair pulled back by the female who led the attack.
The four men helped force her to the ground and the gang stole her bag which contained the items.
Leanne was comforted by passersby until the police and paramedics arrived.
Essex Police said the female attacker is thought to be in her 20s, of mixed race and has dark hair in a pony tail.
Three of the men were black, wearing black or red hooded tops and thought to be in their early 30s.
The fourth man is described as white, in his 20s, of skinny build and wearing a black jumper.
Det Con Scarlett said: "We want to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident or from anyone who saw the attackers lurking in the park before the incident or running away afterwards."
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Kent defends environmental cuts included in the budget bill - CBC
Saturday, June 16, 2012 | Categories: News Promo, Past Episodes |
Source: www.cbc.ca
Kent Council Managing Director Katherine Kerswell Gets £500,000 Redundancy Payout For 16 Months' Work - huffingtonpost.co.uk
A former council managing director has received a pay-off of more than £500,000 after she was made redundant less than half way through her four-year contract.
Katherine Kerswell was paid £420,000 redundancy, her £139,806 salary and a pension of £29,359 when she left her post at Kent County Council in December last year, according to the authority's statement of accounts for 2011-12.
Ms Kerswell, who took the job in Kent in March 2010 after leaving Northamptonshire County Council, was one of 1,500 staff who were made redundant as part of council spending cuts and restructuring, the report said.
Council leader Paul Carter told BBC Kent: "We've taken £1m out of the cost of running the senior directors' cadre and £45m of staff savings across the piece.
"I can't talk specifically as we're bound to a confidentiality agreement, but this job was one of the top jobs in local government.
"So if somebody had left a job to come to a new job then 16 months in you've restructured and decided a post is no longer needed, there has to be a severance payment that pays for that loss."
John O'Connell, research director of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "This huge pay-off will infuriate the taxpayers who have to pick up the bill, particularly because of the short amount of time that the managing director was in post.
"What's equally frustrating is that the council initially refused to provide this information. Local authorities must become more transparent to the ordinary families whose council tax has almost doubled over the last decade.
"In the future, it's crucial that taxpayers are not held to ransom because of poorly-drawn-up contracts, and the senior public sector merry-go-round must grind to an immediate halt."
Source: www.huffingtonpost.co.uk
Visit Kent chief defends its public funding for tourism promotion - thisiskent.co.uk
THANET has paid more to Visit Kent to promote the area's tourism than all the other districts in the county combined.
The figures were revealed through a Freedom Of Information Act request to each authority after Visit Kent refused to reveal how much public money it receives.
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PROFILE: Visit Kent used Turner Contemporary and Botany Bay as images in its advertising campaign. Chief executive Sandra Matthews-Marsh (left) insists Visit Kent is open about how much money it gets from the public purse, and Iris Johnston, right, said the council reviews payment to external organisations
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Sandra Matthews Marsh
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Thanet. Margate. Cabinate member for Tourism Iris Johnston infront of the tudor tea house which is set to re-open.
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Thanet. Margate. Turner Contemporary. National launch of Tracey Emins's new exhibition called "She Lay Down Deep Beneath The Sea". Evening showing. No celebs but snapped a few people as they went in including Clive Hart, Laura Sandys and Stuart Neame.
Since 2005 Visit Kent has received nearly £2.8 million in public money with more than £671,000 of that coming from Thanet.
The Thanet share is £2,000 more than that paid over the same period by all other Kent districts and Medway.
Over the same period Kent County Council has paid £1.3 million to Visit Kent.
Robert Oxley, campaign manager of The TaxPayers' Alliance said it was "appalling" that Visit Kent had resisted attempts to publish how much taxpayers' money it receives.
He said: "If Kent residents are unable to scrutinise how much of their cash is ending up in the company's coffers, then it makes it impossible to judge whether they are getting good value for money from the agency.
"Thanet residents in particular will be left wondering why on earth so much of their council tax has been handed over as they appear to disproportionately foot the bill for this opaque tourist agency."
Visit Kent chief executive Sandra Matthews-Marsh said she "resented" the implication that Visit Kent was anything other than transparent.
She added: "Visit Kent monitors all its activities to ensure good value for money, guaranteeing that for every £1 from local authorities it is match funded at least by £4.
"Tourism is worth £3.2 billion to the Kent economy and employs 63,000 people. Thanet makes up eight per cent of this.
"From 2006 until 2009 Thanet as well as Shepway saw the biggest increase in economic value of tourism growing by ten per cent.
She added that last year Botany Bay and Turner Contemporary had featured heavily in the Kent Contemporary London advertising campaign – something the district could not afford to do on its own.
She said: "Botany Bay was the image that most appealed to potential visitors with 43 per cent saying it made them want to come to Kent. Thanet is only one of six partners in this campaign."
In 2010/2011 financial year Thanet council saved £75,000 by closing its Visitor Information Centres in Ramsgate and Broadstairs. The following year it increased its budget for Visit Kent from £73,720 to £87,784.
Councillor Iris Johnston, cabinet member for tourism said the council's payments to Visit Kent had to be seen in context.
She said: "Much of the Thanet economy depends upon a healthy tourist trade, so it's not surprising that we would place more emphasis than, for example,
Sevenoaks."
Source: www.thisiskent.co.uk
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