Earl and Countess of Wessex visit Gibraltar to celebrate Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
The Earl and Countess of Wessex – Prince Edward and Sophie - are visiting Gibraltar from Monday to Wednesday of next week as part of Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
In a statement setting out the plans Gibraltar said that during their stay they will visit many parts of Gibraltar and meet a cross-section of people from across the local community. There will also be several opportunities for the public to give their own welcome to the Royal visitors.
Arriving at lunchtime on Monday, the couple is being met by the Governor Sir Adrian Johns and the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo. The Royal couple will then drive across the runway to RAF Gibraltar to inspect a Tri-Service Guard of Honour.
At a public ceremony at 7pm on Monday, the Royal visitors are laying the foundation stone for Gibraltar’s Diamond Jubilee Monument on Line Wall Road where it overlooks the site of the new Jubilee Commonwealth Park. They then move on to a reception and dinner, both hosted by the Government, at which they will be guests of honour.
On Tuesday evening, the couple attends the Queen’s Birthday Parade in Casemates Square followed by the Queen’s Birthday Party at the Convent.
Their program also includes the opening of a children’s playground at the Moorish Castle Estate and a visit to the Laguna Estate. These have been included at the express wish of the Chief Minister to enable the Royal visitors to meet a real cross-section of Gibraltarians from all walks of life.
In addition the program provides opportunities for Earl and Countess to meet local people at their other engagements, which include a meeting with local religious leaders and visits to Headquarters British Forces, the Mission for Seafarers, the Port Authority, the Museum and the new law courts. They will also meet those people involved with the Queen’s 1954 visit during a visit to the Upper Rock and unveil a plaque on the Moroccan Fountain in Alameda Gardens to honour Moroccan Workers in Gibraltar.
The Earl is also scheduled to present Duke of Edinburgh Awards, visit Gib Dock and name a new boat and present regatta awards at the two rowing clubs. Meanwhile, the Countess’s busy program includes visits to the Girl Guides’ headquarters and to St Martin’s School.
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The only problem is that Spain regrets signing the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, giving up sovereignty of Gibraltar. Modern Gibraltar is a prosperous self-governing nation, and its about time Spain recognised this reality. Turning the clock back 300 years is no solution to Spain's problems in the 21st century.
The are attending in the Diamond Jubilee year on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen.
Since Gibraltar is a BOT why shouldn't it be visited. The people of Gibraltar have as much right to see the Royal Family as any one else.
The Spanish are doing the usual thing of trying to bully the Gibraltarians (sounds familiar doesn't it?) into submission.
But treaties are legally binding, so whether it was the Treaty of Utrecht from 1713 or the Treaty of the Convention of Settlement from 1850, Spain and Argentina should grow up and stop using these illegal methods to distract their own voting public from the dire financial mess that they are in.
The Gibraltarians want to remain British. The Falkland Islanders want to remain British. End if story.
or create hostilities between Gibraltar and La linea residents which would be unproductive to either party.
4 Spain is bullying nobody just fighting for what they think is their territory and they have that right.
And Spain is whingeing and whining just like argieland does. Or are you claiming that the Spanish are so STUPID that they want to try to reclaim territory that they ceded IN PERPETUITY? (That means FOREVER) And are equally STUPID for trying to claim that Gibraltar has no territorial waters. When they know full well that NO-ONE had “territorial” waters when the Treaty of Utrecht was signed and ratified. The Spanish have NO rights in respect of Gibraltar. “Spain is bullying nobody” you say. So Spain, a country of 43 million, isn't bullying Gibraltar (30,000) when it sends its naval vessels into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters? Or when it sends its paramilitaries into BGTW? Or when it tells its fishermen they can fish in BGTW? Or when it tells its citizens Gibraltar has no territorial waters? Or when it attempts to interfere with commercial vessels in BGTW? You have some very strange ideas about “bullying”. When is Spain going to give Ceuta and Melilla back to Morocco?
This visit has been arranged for nearly 2 years, so why should it be stopped because the Spanish throw a tantrum? The Spanish are always throwing their teddy out of their pram about something. This is why the rest of Europe just ignore them.
The Spanish need the British far more than we need them. In fact British tourists are the main income in some areas.
Gibraltar isn't Spanish. They gave it to the British nearly 300 years ago. So it has been under British rule for 300 years, and the people who live their want to remain British.
Just because it's physically close to Spain means nothing. In fact Spain has, as Conquerer rightly says, soveignty of islands just off Morocco.
So Spain can't use the proximity argument for fear of getting hoist with their own petard.
Spain was glad to sign sovereignty over to the UK in 1713, instead of having to pay a huge sum of monies in tribute instead. That's what used to happen back then when one side lost a war, it cost you territory or money and sometimes both. In this case, the Spanish were relieved that they got off quite lightly.
The only reason Spain is bringing this up again is to distract the population away from the dire state of their economy. Their economy would be completely fecked indeed if the British decided to stop going there on holiday, wouldn't it?
... that much is quite apparent.
As for royalty visiting any island in the commonwealth or directly connected to the UK, well they can and they should do so.
If this offends someone then tough luck, these are UK territories and ABSOLUTELY nobody can suggest/demand or request they aren't visited by the royal family or anyone else!! It has zero to do with them.
It's about time the UK takes a very strong and robust stance on these jumped up nations trying to interfere with UK/Commonwealth business.
Spanish companies in the UK.
1) IBERDROLA investing 3 billion euros in Scotland.
2) BANCO SANTANDER has bought out Abbey and Alliance/Leicester.
3) TELEFONICA has bought out O2 Mobile phones.
4) FERROVIAL bought out BBA and runs Heathrow airport.
5) WORLDWIDE RETAIL STORE establishes National Geographic stores
opened by Prince Charles in Regent Street.
6) Spanish paper industry ARAGONES SAICA opens reclycle paper mill
in Manchester.
7) AGUAS DE BARCELONA administers The Water Works for the
city of Bristal (Bristal Works).
8) ZARA has over 65 outlets in The UK. employing thousands of staff
9) Mano has over 45 outlets and again
employing thousands.
10) GAMERA WINDPOWER established its headquarters in London
investing over 150 million euros.
and there are more than 300 Spanish companies in the UK
not bad for a “ Utterly furked hispanic economy”.
read the current news, Spain is to get up to 100bn euros ($125bn; £80bn) in loans from eurozone funds to try to help shore up its struggling banks.
Spain has received financial aid for its banks with NO CONDITIONS.
whereas Greece, Ireland and Portugal received financial aid WITH
WITH CONDITIONS. The conditions being that they had to control
their deficit and therefore cut into the budget.eg. cuts in education
or health etc..
Spain on the the other side is not under this obligation it is credit
money to be spend on loans for business or mortages,
This is a good sign that the Euro will be around for many years to
come....read the news CORRECTLY.
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