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Tag: Prince Charles

  • Boxing star Joshua gets OBE

    British heavyweight boxing star Anthony Joshua has been awarded the Order of the British Empire OBE by Prince Charles in an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.

    The 29-year-old currently holds the WBA, IBF and WBO titles after winning his March unification clash with Joseph Parker and was honoured for his services to sport back in June. Thursday’s ceremony marks the latest accolade Joshua has collected after he was also given an MBE in 2013 after claiming Olympic gold at London 2012.

    Prince Charles also awarded Joshua his MBE back in 2013. When the imposing fighter, who is 6ft 6in, shook hands with the Prince after the presentation five years ago, he said Charles joked with him, saying: ‘Shouldn’t you be playing basketball?’

    Dressed in a black suit jacket and grey trousers, Joshua once again beamed with delight on his visit to the Palace as he accepted the honour from the Prince of Wales. The pair were photographed shaking hands and then in a discussion in front of the packed audience.

    Joshua continues to enjoy some time away from boxing as he waits to see who will be the next to challenge him at Wembley.

    Promoter Eddie Hearn wants his client’s next fight to be signed and sealed by early January as the clock ticks down on the heavyweight’s proposed return to the ring.

    Joshua is due to fight at Wembley on April 13 but the controversial draw between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury in Los Angeles earlier this month has thrown his plans into disarray.

    Hearn insists a clash with WBC champion Wilder for the undisputed crown remains their No 1 priority. But with the American expected to face Fury in a rematch, the winner of Saturday’s rematch between Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora in London is the current frontrunner.

    There have been reports in recent days that AJ is ready to ditch his return to Wembley in exchange for a US debut.

    Hearn has also admitted American heavyweight Jarrell Miller is now a ‘viable option’ for the unified champion’s next fight, with New York’s Madison Square Garden and Brooklyn’s Barclays Center considered potential venues.

  • Prince Charles meets with traditional rulers in Abuja

    Prince Charles met with notable Nigerian traditional rulers yesterday in Abuja on the first of his three-day visit to the country.

    Some of the monarchs at the meeting held at the the residence of the British High Commissioner in Abuja are: Ooni of Ife Oba Enitan Ogunwusi,  Sultan of Sokoto Saad Abubakar, Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi 11, Obi of Onitsha Igwe Achebe, the Etsu Nupe Alhaji Yayaya Abubakar, Oba of Benin Ewuare 11 and Shehu of Borno Abubakar ibn El Kanemi.

    Prince Charles, who is accompanied by his wife Duchess of Cornwall, will also hold talks with some youths, the business community, the Armed Forces, and people from the arts and fashion sectors.

    President Muhammadu Buhari received the couple at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Prince Charles and members of his entourage arrived the State House at about 2.20p.m.

    Buhari, who welcomed the Prince at the Fore Court of the presidential villa, introduced some members of his cabinet and presidential aides to the prince.

    The President later went into closed door with Prince Charles.

    Prince Charles, 69, will also engage in peace-building activities, including addressing the persistent attacks of herdsmen on farming communities in Nigeria.

    He is also expected to discuss practical solutions to alleviating the tensions, arising from the activities of herdsmen.

    Prince Charles has made three previous official visits to Nigeria in 1990, 1999 and 2006. This is the first visit of the Duchess to the country.

     

     

  • Buhari to receive Prince Charles Tuesday

    President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to receive Prince Charles and his entourage at the State House, Abuja by 2p.m Tuesday.

    The Prince last visited Nigeria in 2006 during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure.

    He is expected at the Villa with, Princess Camilla, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright and others.

    The Prince during his visit in the country is also expected to engage in peace-building activities including addressing the farmers – herders clashes.

    Read Also: Buhari, COCIN Executives meet in Aso Rock  

    The visit was aimed at strengthening the ties between Nigeria and Britain as members of the Commonwealth.

    Prince Charles took over as the head of the Commonwealth of Nations last April, succeeding his mother Queen Elizabeth II.

  • Prince Charles to address herdsmen attacks during Nigeria visit, says envoy

    The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Paul Arkwright, announced in Abuja on Sunday that Prince Charles would engage in peace-building activities, including addressing the persistent attacks of herdsmen on farming communities in Nigeria.

    The Prince of Wales and his wife, Princess Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall are expected in Nigeria from Nov. 6 to Nov. 8 in a high profile visit during which the royals would also have audience with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa.

    Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) ahead of the visit, Arkwright said that one of the events on the agenda was for Prince Charles to discuss practical solutions to alleviating the tensions, arising from the activities of herdsmen.

    Herdsmen have launched a deadly onslaught on farming communities in Nigeria in recent years, raising concerns over the future of agriculture in a nation, having majority of its populace engaged in subsistence agriculture.

    “People do want to come together and if we can provide that kind of environment then hopefully, we can come up with some ideas and solutions to resolving some of these conflicts.

    “Some of the issues like the farmers/herders crisis are deep-rooted and are about the economy, land resource, climate change and cultural issues.

    “The Prince of Wales will be looking at the causes, talking to people who are working in this area and together, seeing if we can find solutions and move on.”

    Arkwright said that addressing the root causes of conflicts would lead to a peaceful and more prosperous Nigeria and also become beneficial to the relations between Nigeria and Britain.

    He noted that the visit was also aimed at strengthening the existing ties between Nigeria and Britain as members of the Commonwealth.

    Prince Charles, who took over as the Head of the 53-member Commonwealth of Nations last April, succeeding his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, has already visited 44 African nations.

    “Prince Charles has not been here since the past 12 years. 2006 was the last time he was here and the Duchess of Cornwall, has never been to Nigeria. So it is about strengthening ties, particularly people-to-people ties.

    “We want to ensure that through the Commonwealth, which is another theme of the prince’s visit, we develop links to develop relationships whether in trade, environment or in education, all of which are important to the future of the Commonwealth and to the future of Nigeria.”

    The top diplomat said that other events lined up on the agenda of the visit would focus on culture, music, fashion, among others.

    “Prince Charles will be talking about rural livelihoods, agriculture, the environment, some of the passions that he has which is so relevant to Nigeria today and to young people and the impor

  • Prince Harry appointed Commonwealth youth ambassador

    Prince Harry has been appointed a Commonwealth youth ambassador, his highest-profile public role to date and a job that will see him working with his future wife encouraging young people to use the network of mostly former British colonies.

    Queen Elizabeth awarded the position to her 33-year-old grandson who is fifth-in-line to the throne and has led a rebranding of the monarchy in a bid to make it more modern and relevant.

    “I know that serving as ambassador to young people I’m going have to try to keep up with you all … my job will be to listen to you, my duty will be to ensure that your ideas, concerns, thoughts and hopes are heard,” Harry told the opening of a Commonwealth forum discussing youth issues.

    The announcement coincides with the start of a summit of the Commonwealth Heads of Government in London this week, which will seek to boost the network at a time when Britain is negotiating its departure from the European Union.

    “I’m also incredibly grateful that the woman that I am about to marry, Meghan, will be joining me in this work, in which she too is hugely excited to take part in,” the prince added, drawing applause and cheers from the audience.

    Harry will marry American actress Meghan Markle on May 19.

    In a statement, Buckingham Palace said more than 60 percent of the Commonwealth’s 2.4 billion people were under the age of 30.

    The Queen is the head of the Commonwealth, but questions have been raised over whether her son and heir, Prince Charles, should succeed her.

    “The Queen clearly is personally very committed to the Commonwealth but after her, maybe it’s a time to say ‘well actually the Commonwealth should decide who its own president is on a rotational basis’,” Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party, told the BBC.

    Foreign minister Boris Johnson said it was “a matter for the 53 to decide”.

    In his opening speech, Harry praised the queen’s role in the development of the Commonwealth, calling her “the ultimate source of guidance in all things Commonwealth,” citing a speech she made in 1947.

    “She said that whether her life be long or short, it would be dedicated to the service of the people of the Commonwealth. All of us here today can be grateful that it is a long life the Queen is still enjoying,” he said.

    Reuters/NAN

  • Prince Charles, Camilla in Canada for royal tour

    Prince Charles, Camilla in Canada for royal tour

    The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have arrived in Canada for the start of a four-day royal tour.

    Prince Charles and Camilla were greeted by dignitaries and the waiting media ahead of dozens of engagements across three provinces.

    They flew into Halifax, Nova Scotia, on board a Canadian Forces Airbus.

    The royals will attend events including one marking the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown conference which led to the Canadian Confederation.

    After stepping off the plane, the duchess was presented with flowers by Grace Elizabeth Lenihan, aged three, and her nine-year-old sister Molly Jane.

    The royals were presented to a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, Chief Superintendent Brian Brennan, before leaving for a reception with the Governor General of Canada, David Johnston.

    They chatted informally with the governor general at a photocall at Halifax’s Government House.

    To mark the royal tour, Prince Charles has been appointed to the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada some 57 years after his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, was given the same honour.

    There had been fears in recent weeks that the long-scheduled tour might not go ahead following last month’s death of Camilla’s brother Mark Shand.

    The Duchess was left “devastated” by the death of Mr Shand, 62, from a head injury after a fall in New York.

    During their visit to Halifax, the royal couple will watch military personnel take part in the Grand Parade on Victoria Day, the Canadian national holiday to mark Queen Victoria’s birthday.

    The prince will deliver a speech at the parade and lay a wreath at a cenotaph to commemorate those killed in World War One.

    The royal couple will visit a military family resource centre in Halifax which provides support to some 20,000 local servicemen and women and their families.

    Charles and Camilla will have tea with World War Two veterans and war brides at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, which was where half a million military personnel left for the conflict.

    Prince Charles will meet traders at a local farmers’ market in Halifax, while the duchess will witness the work of a project that helps victims of domestic violence.

    The couple will visit Pictou County for an event to celebrate Celtic heritage in Nova Scotia.

    They will travel to Charlottetown, Bonshaw and Cornwall in Prince Edward Island and Winnipeg in Manitoba during the tour.

    It is the third time they have travelled to Canada together and is Charles’s 17th official visit to the country.