Why The Queen Does Not Appear on the “Rich List"

     A recent survey by Hurun Global Rich List was published, and it contains 56 people living in the UK who are billionaires. Among the monied group are well-known names such as Sir Richard Branson and the Duke of Westminster, but where is the Queen? After all, she's the Queen and has to be the richest person in the UK or at least amongst the top ten, right?

     In that light, you may have heard (or read) that Queen Elizabeth II has a net worth in the billions and that she owns one-sixth of the world's surface. So why is she not on the rich list?

The Queen is not as wealthy as you may believe.

     The answer is that such figures fail to make a distinction between the Queen's personal wealth as an individual and the assets held in trust by her as the sovereign of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms.

     Elizabeth II's personal fortune is not officially known, but recent estimates have placed it at around $300-500 million. This figure includes only the assets held by her as a private individual - including her personal estates of Balmoral and Sandringham (which include revenue-generating working farms) and privately-held heirlooms such as jewellery, artwork, and her grandfather's stamp collection.

     These are assets that Elizabeth would still control even if she were not Queen, and she can sell them at anytime (except for some property that may be kept in accordance to will instructions). The important thing to remember is that these assets are not handed down to the beneficiaries by virtue of being monarch; they are handed down in a personal capacity outside of the constitutional realm.

The Sandringham Estate is privately owned by the Royal family.

     For example, when George V died in 1936, Edward VIII inherited Sandringham and Balmoral because they were willed to him by his father, as opposed to Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, which he obtained because of his role as monarch. When Edward abdicated that year, Windsor, Buckingham, and the other state-owned residences automatically passed to his brother, George VI, who had to purchase Sandringham and Balmoral from Edward so that they would stay within the Royal family.

     In private terms, the Queen's wealth - albeit sizable - is peanuts compared to other fortunes in Britain and across the world. She does not even make it to the billionaire's list.

     So then, what about the supposed billions under Her Majesty's throne?

     Those "billions" are in reference to assets nominally held by the monarch but are not private property, and cannot be owned or sold by the monarch. These entities are the Crown Estate, the Duchy of Lancaster, the Royal Collection, and the occupied royal residences.

     The Crown Estate is a property portfolio owned by the Crown, but held in trust and governed by Act of Parliament. It is one of the largest property owners in the United Kingdom, with a total worth 

Regent Street is among the properties
owned by the Crown Estate.

of £8.1 billion as of June 2013. Originally, the lands of the Crown Estate and their revenues belonged to monarch, but under George III in 1760, the revenues were surrendered to Parliament in return for a fixed annual payment to fund the Civil List - the official income of the monarchy. Today, the Crown Estate owns various properties throughout the UK, including 356,000 acres of rural land, urban properties (including significant parts of Central London such as Regent Street), more than half of the UK's seashore, as well as the Ascot Racecourse and Windsor Great Park. Surplus revenue from the Estate are paid to the Treasury and go toward funding the UK Government. In 2012, a new financial arrangement was implemented under which the monarch receives 15% of the annual Crown Estate revenues as a single payment - known as the Sovereign Grant - in place of the Civil List (and three other sources of official government funding) for the operation of the monarchy.

     The Duchy of Lancaster is another land portfolio - worth £429 million as of March 2013. It was created for John of Gaunt, a younger son of Edward III of England in 1362, who also became Duke of Lancaster. When John's eldest son ascended to the throne as Henry IV, he declared that the Duchy be a separate inheritance 

Standard of the Duchy of Lancaster.

from the estates owned by the Crown. The result is that unlike the Crown Estate, the Duchy's revenues do not go the UK Treasury. Instead, they are distributed to the Privy Purse, which is the personal income of the British monarch and subject to income tax. But in similar fashion to the Estate, the Duchy is not personally owned by the monarch, and is instead held in trust for the benefit of the monarch. Today, it covers 46,000 acres of land (including 190 miles of seashore) in England and Wales, and each succeeding monarch holds the title Duke of Lancaster, including female monarchs, who are known as "The Queen, the Duke of Lancaster." Some of the revenues from the Privy Purse (provided by the Duchy) are used to cover expenses not borne by the Sovereign Grant, usually from other members of the Royal family.

     Then there is the Royal Collection, which is the collection of priceless artifacts owned by the British monarch as sovereign, but held in trust for his or her successors and the nation. In other words, the Collection is not owned by the monarch in a personal capacity, and its contents cannot be sold. Very few items of the Collection survive prior to the 1500's, and its modern foundations were laid by Charles I - who was a patron of Anthony van Dyck and purchased an enormous quantity of works from other artists. The Collection was sold off by Oliver Cromwell in the 1650's, but was largely restored when the monarchy itself was restored. Since then, succeeding generations of monarchs and/or their consorts have either purchased items for the Collection or have received gifts from individuals and countries that have made their way to the Collection.

The Imperial State Crown is one of most precious items of the Royal Collection

     Today, it is one of the largest and extensive collections on the world, with over 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolors and drawings, about 150,000 old master prints, photographs, tapestries, furniture, ceramics, books, gold and silver plate, and other works of art. Also included are the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, arms and armor, jewellery, and other assorted items. The Collection is dispersed across the state-owned royal palaces (both occupied and unoccupied), including Windsor, Buckingham Palace, Holyroodhouse, and Hampton Court Palace. Parts of the Collection are also on loan to various museums and touring exhibitions, including the British Museum and the National Gallery. The Collection's value is indeterminable in part because many items (including the Crown Jewels) are priceless.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, the Queen's official residence in Scotland.

     Finally, there are occupied and state-owned Royal residences, including Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Hillsborough Castle, Clarence House, St. James's Palace, and Kensington Palace. They are held in trust for the official use of succeeding monarchs and their families, and like the Crown Estate, the Duchy of Lancaster, and the Royal Collection, are not personally owned by the Queen and cannot be sold by her.

     As for the claim that Elizabeth II owns one-sixth of the world's land surface (6.6 billion acres), well that figure appears to be the sum of the geographic land area of all of the Commonwealth realms and territories, including the UK, Canada, the Bahamas, the Falklands, Gibraltar, parts of Antarctica, and many others. Again, these are lands that are not owned by the Queen in a personal capacity, and not all land in those countries is Crown land (in Canada's case, its 89%) and such land is held by the various governments in the name of the monarch. (It should be noted that this spurious claim is made alongside Pope Francis owning a large chunk of the world, but only because the Catholic Church owns these lands).

     So on the surface, the Queen appears to be up to her eyeballs with a fortune that is one of the largest in the world. But the reality is that her personal wealth is modest compared to the assets held by her in trust for her successors and the countries over which she reigns. The most important thing to remember is that those assets cannot be owned outright by the Queen and she cannot sell them for personal profit, which is a basic tenet for something to be counted as personal wealth.

And this is why the Queen does not appear on any rich list.



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Royal Overexposure?

     On Thursday, February 27th, Princess Beatrice had her Twitter account formally verified (@yorkiebea), making her the second known member of the Royal family to establish a personal account on the social media site.

The Princess's Twitter account ballooned from just under 2,000 followers to over 10,000 in the five days since it was verified on February 27th.

     She follows in the footsteps of her father, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who took to Twitter in April 2013 (@TheDukeofYork), as well as her mother Sarah (@SarahTheDuchess). In addition, Buckingham Palace has its own page representing the Queen and the Royal family in general (@BritishMonarchy), and Clarence House created a page for Prince Charles, Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry (@ClarenceHouse).

     All of these pages - alongside sister accounts with Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, etc. - are usually for the posting of official activities and to keep followers informed on how the monarchy works, as well as on what the Royal family is doing and to give "shout-outs" to people, charities, and organizations they support. It is however, extremely rare for a member of the family to write a personal tweet - Andrew usually sign's such tweets with "AY" at the end for Andrew York - and in the case of Princess Beatrice, one has to believe that her account had to be cleared by the Palace in some way, and (perhaps) that she has been given guidance on using Twitter, given her status. The Princess is after all, sixth in line to the 16 Commonwealth thrones (including the United Kingdom).

     Nonetheless, this embrace of social media has not been received well by everybody. Naturally, republicans and cynics will roll their eyes and claim that the royal family is attempting to control the message that we receive about them (which is not new, because message control and PR have been going on centuries - including from republicans themselves), and even people with positive opinions on the monarchy have expressed concerns about the social media strategy. On Twitter, Victoria Arbiter - a royal contributor for CNN and CTV News - remarked on February 27th:

     "Am clearly stuck in the last century, but royals tweeting doesn't seem like a good idea! Survival is down to maintaining an air of mystery."

     This sentiment was further echoed by Victoria Coren Mitchell, writing for the Observer on Saturday, March 1st. In response to the reports that Prince George may be getting a full-time nanny after all, she poured water on the idea of royalty (or anyone else of high social status) "pretending" to be ordinary, and offered a warning that "if the new generation actually succeeds in becoming 'just like the rest of us' then republicans will not be placated and royalists might just stop caring."

     These beliefs uttered by Arbiter and Mitchell are not new; they have been echoed through the generations within, and outside of, royal circles - most famously and succinctly by the 19th Century constitutional commentator Walter Bagehot, who said: “We must not let in daylight upon magic.”

     The implication is that the danger going forward is not scandal or the appearance of being aloof and out-of-touch; it is that by becoming increasingly accessible to the people - and acting in ways that appear ordinary - the monarchy risks becoming irrelevant by losing its mystic qualities, which requires that Royal family place a veil between themselves and the people, and that their lives must reflect their status. To do any less would at best, be a dereliction of duty and at worst, be seen as patronizing and insulting to real ordinary folk who know that the royal family cannot possibly relate to them.

     In other words, if you are going to be royal, act royal, with the nannies, protocol, pomp and circumstance, and the like. That's what you are are paid to do.

     However, I believe it is false to espouse that the monarchy and members of the royal family cannot enjoy the best of both worlds: to be extraordinary and ordinary, as well as to be more accessible without letting everything hang out in the open. (Indeed, I would caution against anyone claiming to know everything about the monarchy, for there is much that we do not know, and should never know).

The Queen has deftly managed the transition of the monarchy into the new media age. Her's is reign that has witness the rise of various forms of media - from radio and television to the Internet and social media.

     It is a balancing act that must be delicately maintained. Members of the Royal family must place themselves above the people, but not become so high-minded that they appear look down on them with contempt and confirm the worst stereotypes of hereditary power and social status. At the same time, it does not hurt to become relatable in ways that are helpful, such as Princess Beatrice discussing her issues with dyslexia, and lending her support to charities that assist others with the same condition. Making personal connections with ordinary people is just as important as displaying a difference between them.

     Indeed, the story of monarchy in Britain for the past 1,500 years has been the story of a dialogue between Crown and People, which has, in the words of David Starkey, shaped the country's "social and political life to this day." Contact and interaction are necessary, especially in the present age. The question is: How much?

     Over the last century and up to the present, the balancing act has been executed well by the Queen, who - along with her advisers - has shrewdly seen the need to open up the Palace and bring it closer to the masses, but only so much. As time goes on, the pressures of the new media landscape and the voracious appetite for all things royal will challenge to monarchy to break down more barriers. 

     However with Prince William's protective attitude towards his family - born out of the chaos of his parents marriage - we should expect the balance to be healthily observed in a way that serves the interests of both Crown and People.

Royal Docket for the Week of March 2, 2014

Monday, March 3, 2014

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

     Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh will hold a reception at Buckingham Palace for the Canada Club - a 200 year old organization for people in the UK who have an interest in issues affecting Canada. The Duke has been Patron of the Club for 60 years, and the reception will be a celebration of his contributions.

     Prince Harry of Wales will be representing the Queen at the memorial service commemorating the life of Nelson Mandela at Westminster Abbey.

     Birgette, Duchess of Gloucester will be celebrating World Tennis Day in her role as Honorary President of the Lawn Tennis Association. At the Palace of Westminster (the Houses of Parliament), the Duchess will be attending a WTD reception, as well as a World Tennis Day Showdown at Earls Court in London.
  

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh

     The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will attend a reception at St. James's Palace to mark the launch of the Music Trust at Christ Church, Oxford. The Trust manages an array of musical activities. 

     At Buckingham Palace, the Duke of Edinburgh will hold a lunch as Patron of Wildscreen, a charity that promotes an appreciation of biodiversity and nature through photography. 

     In Edinburgh, Princess Anne will open the ACCSEAS (ACCessibility for Shipping, Efficiency Advantages and Sustainability) Second Annual Conference in her role as Patron of the Nothern Lighthouse Board. The conference is called Dynamic Earth, and will focus on navigation in the North Sea.

HRH The Duke of Gloucester

     Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester is going to attend the Universities UK Chancellors' Reception at London’s Mansion House as Chancellor of the University of Worcester.

     Meanwhile, the Duchess of Gloucester will also be in London to attend a concert at the Wigmore Hall as Patron of the Bobath Centre for Children with Cerebral Palsy. 

     Prince Edward, Duke of Kent will be at 1 Kensington Gore in London to visit the exhibition entitled 'Visions of Oman: From Ptolemy to the Present' as Honorary President of the Royal Geographical Society.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014 

     Prince Philip will be presenting Gold Awards from the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at St. James’s Palace. At Buckingham Palace, he will hold a lunch for Plan UK, a charity of which he is Patron that provides assistance to children living in the world’s most impoverished countries.

     In the evening, the Prince will attend a Livery Dinner at Fishmongers' Hall in the City of London. The event is being held by the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers', which is a guild of the sellers of seafood in the City, and is one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies, with its origins stretching back to 1272. The Duke is himself a Freeman and Liveryman of the guild. 

HRH The Princess Royal

     The Princess Royal will be at the Barbican Centre in London to preside over the 2014 graduation ceremony of the University of London International Programs as Chancellor of the University; as Patron of NIACE (National Institute of Adult Continuing Education), she will hold a Reception at Buckingham Palace. 

     She will also attend a reception at the Cavalry and Guards Club as Patron of the War Horse Ride, which will commemorate the men and the horses of the British Cavalry Division and the role they played in the early months of World War I. 

     In Chesham, Buckinghamshire, the Duke of Gloucester will attend the International Board of Directors Conference for Habitat for Humanity Great Britain at Latimer Place. The Duke is Patron of the organization. 

HRH The Duchess of Gloucester

     In Leatherhead, Surrey, the Duchess of Gloucester will open Gloucester House (of which she is Patron) at St. John's School.

Thursday, March 6, 2014 

     The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will travel to Cobham, Surrey to visit Reed's School, of which the Queen is Patron, to commemorate its bicentennial.

     In London, Princess Anne will attend the National Equine Forum as President of the Forum at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers; she will unveil a commemorative stone in honor of Dame Anna Neagle and Herbert Wilcox at the City of London Cemetery. Neagle was a noted stage and screen actress, who played Queen Victoria in two films during the 1930’s, whilst Wilcox – her husband – was a film director and producer.

     The Princess will also be in Dorset to attend a Corps Dinner Night as Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Corps of Signals at the Regimental Headquarters located in Blandford Camp.

     The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will visit the British Museum – of which the Duke is Patron – to attend an exhibition entitled ‘Vikings - Life and Legend’ and to attend a dinner afterward. 

HRH The Duke of Kent

     The Duke of Kent will carry out his engagements in Gloucestershire. In Cirencester, he will visit Neon Play – a mobile app developer – at the Old Museum; at Brockworth, the Duke will visit Tomcat Special Needs Innovations Limited; and as Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, he will be at Gloucester Cathedral to attend a service that celebrates the work of the local Freemasons. 

     Back in London, Princess Alexandra will attend the Dalemain Marmalade Awards Breakfast at Fortnum and Mason. 

Friday, March 7, 2014 

     Prince Harry will be at London's Wembly Arena to attend We Day UK, which is part of a global initiative that encourages young people to engage in positive social change.

     The Princess Royal will attend the Grand Military Race Meeting at the Sandown Racecourse in Esher, Surrey. This annual event consists of two races for amateur jockeys who are either current or former service personnel, and one race - the Grand Military Gold Cup - for serving amateur jockeys

At left, HRH Princess Alexandra

     Also in Surrey, Princess Alexandra will attend a reception to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Holly Lodge Center – of which she is Royal Patron – at Richmond Park. 

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Flag of Scotland

     The Princess Royal will be in Edinburgh to attend the Scotland vs. France International Rugby match at Murrayfield Stadium as Patron of the Scottish Rugby Union. Princess Anne is known for singing along to Scotland's anthem, Flower of Scotland, in support of its rugby team.

Photo Credit: University of Salford Press Office via Flickr cc, Titanic Belfast via Flickr cc, Charlie Dave via Flickr cc, Northern Ireland Office via Flickr cc, Richard Gough via Flickr cc, Surrey County Council News via Flickr cc

Royal History Today - March 2

1316 - Marjorie Bruce dies at Paisley Abbey

Paisley Abbey, the final resting place of Marjorie Bruce

     Born as the eldest daughter of Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick, Marjorie Bruce came into the world just as the Scottish Wars of Independence were commencing. Eventually, she became a Princess of Scotland at the age of nine when her father was crowned King of Scots in 1306.

     Soon after her father's coronation, Marjorie was held captive by the English at a convent in Watton, East Riding of Yorkshire, where she remained for nearly eight years until her freedom was granted by Edward II of England, probably as part of an exchange for English prisoners held by the Scots following the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

     Upon her return to Scotland, she married Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, who had distinguished himself in battle alongside her father. Two years later, Marjorie was riding a horse whilst pregnant when the horse became startled. She was thrown to the ground, went into premature labor, and gave birth to her only child, Robert Stewart, at Paisley Abbey. Within hours, she died and was buried there.

     Her son would eventually succeed to the Scottish throne as Robert II, becoming the first monarch of the House of Stewart. Marjorie's descendants include the successors to the thrones of Scotland, England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II is her 18th great-granddaughter.
 

1484 - Richard III of England establishes the College of Arms

Arms of the College of Arms

     The King had an interest in heraldry during the period when he was serving under his brother, Edward IV, and upon his accession, moved to reform the organization of heraldry by creating the College of Arms.

     The College of Arms is the royal corporation responsible for acting on behalf of the monarch on issues of heraldry, granting arms, genealogical research, and recording of pedigree's in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Commonwealth realms such as Australia and New Zealand (with Scotland having its own its own heraldic authority, the Court of the Lord Lyon). It is part of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom and is also responsible for maintaining official registers of flags and national symbols, as well as providing guidance on how flags ought to be used on land. The College also helps to plan and organize ceremonial events such as state funerals, coronations, and the annual State Opening of Parliament, at which the Heralds of the College often accompany the monarch. 

     When Richard III established the College, he appointed Sir John Howard as Duke of Norfolk and Earl Marshal, and placed him in charge of the organization. Through the centuries, his male descendants have succeeded to those titles, with the present holder being Edward Fitzalan-Howard.

1619 - Death of Anne of Denmark, Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland

Anne, the first Queen consort of all Britain

     Anne was born in 1574 as the second daughter of Frederick II of Denmark, and married James VI of Scotland in 1589 at the age of fourteen - becoming Queen consort of Scots. With King James, she had seven children, three of whom survived beyond infancy: Henry Frederick Stuart, Elizabeth Stuart, and Charles Stuart.

     In 1603, Anne become Queen consort of England and Ireland upon the death of Elizabeth I and her husband's accession to those thrones. As Queen, Anne was noted as patron of the arts during Britain's Jacobean period, and led an outgoing and cosmopolitan lifestyle - in contrast to the more reclusive James, who preferred the close company of intimates and spending time at is hunting lodges. Indeed, the couple drifted apart in their later years in part because of their differing lifestyles.

     Nevertheless, the King was emotionally affected by her death in 1619 at the age of only 44, and paid tribute to her with these verses: 

So did my Queen from hence her court remove

And left off earth to be enthroned above.

She's changed, not dead, for sure no good prince dies,

But, as the sun, sets, only for to rise.

     Queen Anne was buried at Westminster Abbey, where she was joined by her husband in about six years. Their eldest child, Henry Frederick Stuart, had died in 1612, so their youngest child would succeed to the English, Scottish, and Irish thrones as King Charles I. Elizabeth, their eldest daughter, became Queen of Bohemia via her marriage to Frederick I, and grandmother to George I of Great Britain and Ireland.

     Anne is a ninth great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II.

1882 - Assassination attempt on Queen Victoria

Victoria survived eight assassination attempts over the course of her 63 year reign

     In Windsor, Roderick McLean attempted to assassinate Queen Victoria with a pistol in what was the last attempt on the Queen's life. His motive was supposedly the curt reply to some poetry he had sent to the Queen.

     At his trial, he was declare "not guilty, but insane", and spent the remainder of his life at Broadmoor Asylum, where he died in 1921. The Queen is supposed to have asked for a change in law, so that future suspects in similar cases may be found "guilty and insane."


Photo Credit:  Sodacan via Wikimedia Commons cc

Happy St. David's Day!

Flag of Saint David

     Today is St. David's Day, and it is a national day of celebration in Wales.

     Saint David is the patron saint of Wales - one of the four patron saints of the British – or Anglo-Celtic – Isles (with the other ones being St. Andrew for Scotland, St. Patrick for Ireland, and St. George for England).

Stained-glass window featuring St. David at the Jesus College Chapel at Oxford

     He was born in Wales, and began his ecclesiastical career as a teacher and preacher, and he became widely known throughout the Celtic world. David would go on to found monastic settlements in Brittany, Cornwall, and his native country. There, he established a Celtic monastic community at Glyn Rhosyn in Pembrokeshire, where St. David's Cathedral stands today. Among his well-known miracles was that of causing the ground to rise into a small hill at the spot where he had preached before a large crowd in the town of Llanddewi Brefi, and he eventually became a bishop. St. David lived by example, and had a simple lifestyle which included refraining from meat and alcohol, engaging in prayer, and disavowing personal possessions. 

     At the time of his death on March 1, 589, he was said to be 90-100 years of age, and was buried at the cathedral that bore his name, where a shrine was erected. The shrine was vandalized by Viking invaders, but was rebuilt in 1275, though its decorative elements were stripped during the Protestant reformation.

St. David's Day celebrations at Cardiff Bay

     Commemorations for St. David's Day go back several centuries, but it was not until 2000 that the devolved National Assembly for Wales unanimously voted to make it a public holiday, though it is not a bank holiday where most people officially have the day off. 

     Parades are held throughout Wales in commemoration of St. David's Day, and the largest of these take place in the Welsh capital city of Cardiff, which is usually attended by the monarch of the United Kingdom or the Prince of Wales.

Charles, Prince of Wales on a visit to Wales

     On Friday of this year, Prince Charles visited the Queen's Dragoon Guard's (of which he is Colonel-in-Chief) and watched them conduct training exercises prior to deployment to Afghanistan. He also visited Old Town Hall in Merthyr Tydfil, which is being opened today as an arts and crafts center after an extensive renovation. The visits were made on Friday since St. David's Day falls on a Saturday this year, and the Prince is now spending a private weekend in Wales. 

     In addition, people take part in eisteddfodau - a Welsh festival of literature, music and performance - and some of the Welsh regiments in the British Army conduct a military tattoo. 

     Celebrations of the day often include the use of Welsh emblems, such as the leek and daffodil, as well as the flag bearing the cross of St. David - a gold cross against a black field. In 2012, the shrine of St. David was restored again, and rededicated on the patron saint's day that year.


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