Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Spotlight
Forty years ago today, England's heir apparent, Charles, was officially invested as Prince of Wales. Though it may not have included the pageantry and spectacle of a king's coronation, the investiture was an impressive ceremony in its own right. The ceremony took place at Caernarfon Castle in Wales. The multi-tasking Charles had already been named Duke of Cornwall in 1952, when his mother, Queen Elizabeth, ascended to the throne. At that time, he also became in the Scottish Peerage, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew and Lord of the Isles, as well as Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. The Queen named him Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester in 1958, but his official crowning took place 11 years later. When the previous Prince of Wales, Edward, abdicated the throne, he took with him the coronet he wore at his own investiture in 1911. A new coronet needed to be made for Charles.

Quote
"Royalty consists not in vain pomp, but in great virtues." — Agesilaus

Question of the Day
Once becoming King will Prince Charles' wife Camilla become Queen?
As wife of the Prince of Wales, Camilla Parker-Bowles now officially holds the title "Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales", however she chooses to be known in association with her husband's lesser titles as The Duchess of Cornwall (The Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland) because the title Princess of Wales is so closely associated with Diana, Princess of Wales. Upon the succession of her husband to the throne, she will legally become Queen by way of being married to the King. However, it has been announced that she will be known as "Her Royal Highness The Princess Consort" rather than Queen. This preference in style, however, does not change the fact that she will still legally be Queen, unless there is an intervening Act of Parliament specifically excluding her from that title.

It is important to note that in the UK, the wife of the King automatically receives the title of Queen, but the converse is not true (thus you have Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and not King Philip). However the current Queen's Father was King George VI and his wife was then Queen Elizabeth (and later The Queen Mother).

Word of the day
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

IN BRIEF: A lung disease caused by breathing in particles of siliceous volcanic dust.

Tutor's tip: Supposedly the President of The National Puzzlers' League, E. Smith, in 1935 created this new "longest word" (45 letters). While he wasn't able to convince people to use it, it was included in various dictionaries!
(© eSpindle Learning)

Holiday
Canada Day (marks the formation of Canada as a Dominion with the enactment of the British North America Act of 1867)

Today's History

Walkman

• Battle of San Juan Hill: future president Theodore Roosevelt led the Rough Riders in a charge up Kettle Hill during the Spanish-American War (1898)
• Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty: was signed by the US, UK, USSR and others to halt spread of nuclear arms (1968)
• Walkman: portable audio player was introduced by Sony (1979)
• "O Canada": became Canada's national anthem (1980)
• Hong Kong: reverted to Chinese rule after 156 years of British rule (1997)

Today's Birthdays

Dan Aykroyd

• George Sand (1804-1876): feminist novelist
• Sydney Pollack (1934-2008): director/actor, Out of Africa, Michael Clayton; plus, directors William Wyler (1902-1981) and Claude Berri (1934-2009)
• Twyla Tharp (68): dancer and choreographer
• Deborah Harry (64): singer, Blondie
• Dan Aykroyd (57): actor, comedian, winemaker, ufologist; also, actors Charles Laughton (1899-1962), Olivia De Havilland (93), Leslie Caron (78), Jamie Farr and Jean Marsh (both 74), David Prowse (74), Geneviève Bujold (67), Alan Ruck (53), Andre Braugher (47), Pamela Anderson (42), Henry Simmons (39), Hilarie Burton (27) and Liv Tyler (32)
• Princess Diana (1961-1997): humanitarian princess, Prince Charles' first wife
• Carl Lewis (48): Olympic gold medal winner in track