del.icio.us
Digg It!
E-Mail to a Friend
Printable Version
Comments
Britain's royal family is to mark the 60th
anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ascension to the throne by
touring the world in 2012, placing an emphasis on Commonwealth
nations and countries with close links to Britain.
Younger generations of royals will travel abroad to visit the 15
nations which still have Queen Elizabeth II as their head, while the
monarch and her husband, Prince Philip, will tour Britain from the
end of March to the end of July, Buckingham Palace announced
Wednesday.
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will
tour Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea as part of
the celebrations.
But all eyes are expected to be on Prince William and his wife
Catherine, the former Kate Middleton, who will travel to Malaysia,
Singapore, the Solomon Islands and the tiny South Pacific island of
Tuvalu.
Royal aides recalled a 1982 visit to Tuvalu by the queen and
Prince Philip, when islanders carried them shoulder high -- seated in
canoes -- into the capital Funafuti.
Prince Harry, William's bachelor younger brother, will travel to
Belize, the Bahamas and Jamaica.
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, will visit India and his younger
brother, Prince Edward, will tour the Caribbean, while Princess Anne
is set to tour Zambia and Mozambique, the announcement said.
Queen Elizabeth II, who came to the throne following the sudden
death of her father, King George VI, in February 1952, is to mark her
Diamond Jubilee with a range of events, culminating in national
celebrations in June.
These will include a royal pageant on the river Thames and a
church service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
