The latest addition to the royal family has been named James Alexander Philip Theo by his parents, the Count and Countess of Wessex. The boy, who is eighth in line to the throne, was born on Monday weighing 6lbs 2oz (2.8kg). He is the eighth grandchild of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and also now the eighth in line to the throne.
While his full-name will be James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor, he will also take the title of Viscount Severn.
Prince Edward, 43, and Sophie, 42, already have a daughter, four-year-old Lady Louise Windsor born in 2003. The four-year-old is now ninth in line to the throne after being supplanted by her younger brother.
Friday, December 21, 2007
How does the Queen celebrate Christmas?
Hello,my name is Michael. I am 10 years old. I live in Germany.
My question is: How does the Queen celebrate Christmas?
The British Royal Family spend Christmas at Sandringham, the Queen’s Norfolk estate .
They open their presents on Christmas Eve, a German tradition.
On Christmas Eve, the family gathers in the White Drawing Room around a 20ft Christmas tree – cut from the estate and traditionally decorated by the Queen herself.
Name cards on white-linen-covered trestle tables indicate where they are to place each other’s presents. The grand opening of presents takes place early in the evening. The royal family gather around the Christmas tree awaiting the Queen’s signal to start unwrapping their presents.
After they have opened their presents, the Royals retire to dress for dinner – reconvening for cocktails in the Saloon. All the adults drink gin and tonic – except the Queen, Prince Philip and Prince Charles, who enjoy dry martinis.
Dinner is eaten by candlelight, and is served at 8.30pm. It is a black-tie affair (dressed in their best clothes), for which the finest china and silverware is laid out on the dining table decorated with Christmas flowers from the Sandringham nurseries.
What do the Royal family eat for their Christmas Eve dinner?
Norfolk shrimps, lamb or locally-shot game may be followed by tarte tartin (a caramelized apple tart served upside down) with brandy creme or a souffle. White wine is served with the hors d’oeuvre claret with the main course and champagne with the dessert.
The royal family awake on Christmas day to stockings, stuffed with small gifts and fruit, at the foot of their beds. They eat a full English breakfast.
At 11 am they attend a Christmas morning service at St Mary Magdalene, the church on the estate.
What do the British Royal family eat for Christmas Dinner?
The food the royals eat is a traditional British Christmas dinner. At 1pm, they eat a giant turkey served with all the trimmings.
At 3pm all the Royals settle down in the Saloon, warmed by a log fire, to watch the Queen’s Christmas Day speech on the television.
Christmas Traditions in England
My question is: How does the Queen celebrate Christmas?
The British Royal Family spend Christmas at Sandringham, the Queen’s Norfolk estate .
They open their presents on Christmas Eve, a German tradition.
On Christmas Eve, the family gathers in the White Drawing Room around a 20ft Christmas tree – cut from the estate and traditionally decorated by the Queen herself.
Name cards on white-linen-covered trestle tables indicate where they are to place each other’s presents. The grand opening of presents takes place early in the evening. The royal family gather around the Christmas tree awaiting the Queen’s signal to start unwrapping their presents.
After they have opened their presents, the Royals retire to dress for dinner – reconvening for cocktails in the Saloon. All the adults drink gin and tonic – except the Queen, Prince Philip and Prince Charles, who enjoy dry martinis.
A Royal Christmas Eve Dinner
Dinner is eaten by candlelight, and is served at 8.30pm. It is a black-tie affair (dressed in their best clothes), for which the finest china and silverware is laid out on the dining table decorated with Christmas flowers from the Sandringham nurseries.
What do the Royal family eat for their Christmas Eve dinner?
Norfolk shrimps, lamb or locally-shot game may be followed by tarte tartin (a caramelized apple tart served upside down) with brandy creme or a souffle. White wine is served with the hors d’oeuvre claret with the main course and champagne with the dessert.
Christmas Day
The royal family awake on Christmas day to stockings, stuffed with small gifts and fruit, at the foot of their beds. They eat a full English breakfast.
At 11 am they attend a Christmas morning service at St Mary Magdalene, the church on the estate.
What do the British Royal family eat for Christmas Dinner?
The food the royals eat is a traditional British Christmas dinner. At 1pm, they eat a giant turkey served with all the trimmings.
At 3pm all the Royals settle down in the Saloon, warmed by a log fire, to watch the Queen’s Christmas Day speech on the television.
Christmas Traditions in England
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Tourist visa to the UK ‘to be halved’
The present 6 month visa to enter the UK maybe reduced to only 3 months.
“Visitors to the UK would have to leave after three months instead of the current six under new visa proposals being considered by the government. Families might also have to pay a financial deposit to ensure relatives from outside the EU whose visit they were sponsoring left the UK on time.” BBC News 18 December 2007
The proposals are aimed at those who deliberately overstay or work illegally in the UK.
The government has not revealed how much families would be asked to pay to sponsor an overseas visitor, but press reports suggest it could be a £1,000 bond. This money would be returned to the family, once their visitor has left the country.
“Visitors to the UK would have to leave after three months instead of the current six under new visa proposals being considered by the government. Families might also have to pay a financial deposit to ensure relatives from outside the EU whose visit they were sponsoring left the UK on time.” BBC News 18 December 2007
The proposals are aimed at those who deliberately overstay or work illegally in the UK.
The government has not revealed how much families would be asked to pay to sponsor an overseas visitor, but press reports suggest it could be a £1,000 bond. This money would be returned to the family, once their visitor has left the country.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Why don’t we have two Christmases in England?
Our online advent calendar about how Christmas is celebrated around the world has highlighted the fact that many other European countries have two present receiving days for children. They receive presents on 6 December and then again on Christmas Eve (24 December). In England, and the rest of the UK, children receive presents on Christmas Day. So, why don’t we celebrate St Nicholas’ Day (6 December) in England?
I believe it is because our version of Santa Claus (Father Christmas) does not originate from St Nicholas like he does in other European countries.
Father Christmas in England, was originally part of an old English midwinter festival, normally dressed in green, a sign of the returning spring. He was known as ‘Sir Christmas’, ‘Old Father Christmas’ or Old Winter’.
In this earliest form, Father Christmas was not the bringer of gifts for small children, nor did he come down the chimney. He simply wandered around from home to home, knocking on doors and feasting with families before moving on to the next house.
The Ghost of Christmas Present in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is based on Father Christmas. He is described as a large man with a red beard and fur-lined green robe.
Father Christmas, the man we know today dressed in red, became known in England during the 1870’s. We owe much about what we know about the Father Christmas today to the Americans of the 19th Century. In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore described what he imagined Father Christmas to look like in a poem and the image of the red coat was introduced to England in 1930s in an advertisement by Coca-Cola.
Christmas in England
www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/
Father Christmas
www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/santa.html
Christmas around the world Advent Calendar
I believe it is because our version of Santa Claus (Father Christmas) does not originate from St Nicholas like he does in other European countries.
Father Christmas in England, was originally part of an old English midwinter festival, normally dressed in green, a sign of the returning spring. He was known as ‘Sir Christmas’, ‘Old Father Christmas’ or Old Winter’.
In this earliest form, Father Christmas was not the bringer of gifts for small children, nor did he come down the chimney. He simply wandered around from home to home, knocking on doors and feasting with families before moving on to the next house.
The Ghost of Christmas Present in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is based on Father Christmas. He is described as a large man with a red beard and fur-lined green robe.
Father Christmas, the man we know today dressed in red, became known in England during the 1870’s. We owe much about what we know about the Father Christmas today to the Americans of the 19th Century. In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore described what he imagined Father Christmas to look like in a poem and the image of the red coat was introduced to England in 1930s in an advertisement by Coca-Cola.
Christmas in England
www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/
Father Christmas
www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/santa.html
Christmas around the world Advent Calendar
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Christmas traditions disappearing
The traditional British Christmas is slowly disappearing and being replaced by Christmas customs from around the world.
“Coins in the Christmas pudding and chestnuts roasting on an open fire are heading for the history books as Britons reinvent their Christmas celebrations.
One in four of us will be sending up fireworks on Christmas Day and two thirds of adults will treat themselves to a glass of champagne at breakfast.
But only three per cent will put coins in their puddings and just five per cent will be bothered to roast chestnuts.
According to a survey yesterday from UKTV, stocking fillers are also disappearing – 69 per cent of the 3,000 questioned said they had no knowledge of the tradition of adding walnuts and tangerines to Christmas stockings.
Christmas cake may be going the same way with more than half the country preferring alternatives such as trifle, chocolate logs, stollen and panatone.
But even though a family game of charades is likely to lose out to an interactive DVD or computer game, all is not lost.
Decorating the tree and giving presents remain firm favourites. .”
Daily Mail December 2007
“Coins in the Christmas pudding and chestnuts roasting on an open fire are heading for the history books as Britons reinvent their Christmas celebrations.
One in four of us will be sending up fireworks on Christmas Day and two thirds of adults will treat themselves to a glass of champagne at breakfast.
But only three per cent will put coins in their puddings and just five per cent will be bothered to roast chestnuts.
According to a survey yesterday from UKTV, stocking fillers are also disappearing – 69 per cent of the 3,000 questioned said they had no knowledge of the tradition of adding walnuts and tangerines to Christmas stockings.
Christmas cake may be going the same way with more than half the country preferring alternatives such as trifle, chocolate logs, stollen and panatone.
But even though a family game of charades is likely to lose out to an interactive DVD or computer game, all is not lost.
Decorating the tree and giving presents remain firm favourites. .”
Daily Mail December 2007
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