The Court Circular for HM Queen Elizabeth II

The Court Circular is the official record that lists the engagements carried out by the Monarch of the United Kingdom and of the other Commonwealth Realms; the Royal Family; and appointments to their staff and to the court. It is issued by Buckingham Palace and printed a day in arrears .he Court Circular was first established by King George III. The King had become irritated by the press at that time, who frequently reported false movements of the Royal Family. Therefore the King created an official circular to all the press that listed the engagements carried out by his family.The Court Circular follows royal protocols very strictly. Announcements in the circular are listed by the official residences of the Royals, in precedence. Only engagements which are carried out by the Queen (or in the UK on the Queen's behalf) are listed. Certain engagements carried out in the UK by non-Royals on the Queen's behalf are also listed.


The Queen has many different duties to perform every day.

Some are public duties, such as ceremonies, receptions and visits within the United Kingdom or abroad.

Other duties are carried out away from the cameras, but they are no less important. These include reading letters from the public, official papers and briefing notes; audiences with political ministers or ambassadors; and meetings with her Private Secretaries to discuss daily business and her future diary plans.

Even when she is away from London, in residence at Balmoral or Sandringham, she receives official papers nearly every day of every year and remains fully briefed on matters affecting her realms.

In front of the camera or away from it, The Queen's duties go on, and no two days in her life are ever the same.

Morning
The Queen's working day begins like many people's - at her desk.

After scanning the daily British newspapers, The Queen reviews her correspondence.

Every day, 200-300 (and sometimes many more) letters from the public arrive. The Queen chooses a selection to read herself and tells members of her staff how she would like them to be answered.

This enables Her Majesty personally to see a typical cross-section of her daily correspondence. Virtually every letter is answered by staff in her Private Secretary's office or by a lady-in-waiting.

The Queen will then see, separately, two of her Private Secretaries with the daily quota of official papers and documents. This process takes upwards of an hour.

Every day of every year, wherever she is, The Queen receives from government ministers, and from her representatives in the Commonwealth and foreign countries, information in the form of policy papers, Cabinet documents, telegrams, letters and other State papers.

These are sent up to her by the Private Secretaries in the famous 'red boxes'. All of these papers have to be read and, where necessary, approved and signed.

A series of official meetings or 'audiences' will often follow. The Queen will see a number of important people.

These include overseas ambassadors and high commissioners, newly appointed British ambassadors, senior members of the British and Commonwealth Armed Forces on their appointment and retirement, and English bishops and judges on their appointment.

Each meeting usually lasts 10 to 20 minutes, and usually The Queen and her visitor meet alone.

The Queen may also meet a number of people who have won prizes or awards in a variety of fields such as literature or science, to present them individually with their prize.

If there is an Investiture - a ceremony for the presentation of honours and decorations - it begins at 11.00am and lasts just over an hour. The Queen usually meets around 100 people at each Investiture to present Orders, decorations and medals.

The Queen will often lunch privately. Every few months, she and The Duke of Edinburgh will invite a dozen guests from a wide variety of backgrounds to an informal lunch. Occasionally, the guest list may consist of far fewer people, such as a newly appointed or retiring Governor-General and their guest.

If The Queen is spending the morning on engagements away from her desk and other commitments, she will visit up to three venues before lunch, either alone or jointly with The Duke of Edinburgh.

On a regional visit, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh lunch with a wide variety of people in places ranging from town halls to hospitals.

Afternoon
In the afternoons, The Queen often goes out on public engagements.

Such visits require meticulous planning beforehand to meet the hosts' requirements.

And The Queen prepares for each visit by briefing herself on whom she will be meeting and what she will be seeing and doing.

Royal engagements are carefully selected by The Queen from a large number of invitations sent to her each year, often by the Lord-Lieutenants (The Queen's representatives in counties throughout the United Kingdom).

This helps to ensure the widest possible spread and to make effective use of The Queen's time.

If the engagement is outside London, her journeys are often by air using a helicopter or an RAF aircraft.

The Queen carries out around 430 engagements (including audiences) a year, to meet people, open events and buildings, unveil plaques and make speeches.

Such engagements can include visits to schools, hospitals, factories, military units, art galleries, sheltered accommodation for elderly people, hostels for the homeless, local community schemes in inner city areas, and other British and Commonwealth organisations.

The Queen regularly goes out for the whole day to a particular region or city. If the visit is a busy one, or if it lasts more than a day, then The Queen will travel overnight on the Royal Train.

The Duke of Edinburgh will often accompany The Queen on such visits; when this happens, they will carry out some engagements jointly and others separately to ensure that the maximum number of people and organisations can be visited.

The Queen may end the afternoon seeing a number of Government ministers in a meeting of the Privy Council.

Evening
The Queen's working day does not stop at the end of the afternoon.

Early evening may see a meeting with the Prime Minister. The Queen has a weekly meeting alone with the Prime Minister, when they are both in London (in addition to other meetings throughout the year).

This usually takes place on Wednesdays at 6.30 pm. No written record is made of such meetings; neither The Queen nor the Prime Minister talk about what is discussed between them, as communications between The Queen and the Prime Minister always remains confidential.

At about 7.30 pm a report of the day's parliamentary proceedings, written by one of the Government's Whips, arrives. The Queen always reads this the same evening.

On some evenings, The Queen may attend a film première, a variety of concert performances in aid of a charitable cause, or a reception linked to organisations of which she is Patron.

The Queen also regularly hosts official receptions at Buckingham Palace (usually with other members of the Royal Family), such as those for the Diplomatic Corps and The Queen's Award for Industry.

Her Majesty may also hold receptions ahead of overseas visits. In 2007, prior to attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Uganda, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh gave a reception at Buckingham Palace for Commonwealth Africans living and working in the United Kingdom.

Other receptions mark the work of particular groups in the community, such as those recently given for members of the British design and music worlds.

The Queen has numerous private interests, which can coincide with her public work, to complete her working day.

Her Majesty also attends the Derby and the Summer Race Meeting at Ascot, a Royal occasion. As a keen owner and breeder of racehorses, she often sees her horses run at other meetings.

As owner of private estates at Balmoral and Sandringham, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh oversee the management of the estates which are run on a commercial basis. She takes a close interest in all aspects of estate life, particularly in the tenant farmers and employees who live and work on the estates.

Through her public and private work, The Queen is well-briefed and well-known. She has met many more people from all walks of life both in this country and overseas than her predecessors.

This takes time and effort. Often, one of the last lights on in the Palace at night is The Queen finishing her 'red box' of official papers.

February 23,2012
BUCKINGHAM PALACE:
Her Excellency Ms. Ana Irene Delgado was received in audience by The Queen today and presented the Letters of Recall of her predecessor and her own Letters of Credence as Ambassador from Panama to the Court of St. James's.
His Excellency Mr. Iulian Fruntasu was received in audience by Her Majesty and presented the Letters of Recall of his predecessor and his own Letters of Credence as Ambassador from Moldova to the Court of St. James's.
Ms Marianne Mahaffey was also received by The Queen.
Mr. Simon Fraser (Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs) was present.
The President of the Republic of Seychelles visited Her Majesty.
The Duke of Edinburgh, Honorary Fellow, Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, this morning presented The Prince Philip Award at Buckingham Palace and afterwards attended a Luncheon at 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1.
His Royal Highness, Honorary Member, this evening presented the Royal Charter to the Institution of Engineering Designers, at St. James's Palace.

she is one busy queen

That is the point of my making this thread. I get sick and tired of these morons that say she does not do anything.

She doesn't do anything!feeling sick and tired, yet?

Everybody knows that royals do a lot of work. I thought the stuff in the juicy-thread was just a little bit of light banter. I'm sorry if i really hurt your feelings

Nope there are some that say they do nothing all the time. Same people that never do anything for their own communities or country. You did not hurt my feelings.

if the Queen never did anything for the rest of her life though, Britain's royal legacy would pay for the next fifty years itself; 'The Tudors', 'the other Boleyn Girl', anyone? the world world gorges itself on our royalty!!

Downton Abby has made Highclere Castle tourism jump to twenty thousand more visitors than it has ever had.

Quote :

You did not hurt my feelings.

Cool.I honestly thought that the banter motivated the creaton of this thread. Anyhoo; I hope this thread will enlight those people on what a busy Lizzy, the British Queen is.

I do wonder about the monarchy when she goes though; she is it's rock, truly

Well. everybody loves William and Kate. i'm sure she'll stick around long enough for them to settle into their roles. i think it will change alot, though. A lot less formal and a more 'continental' style of governing.Less uptight.

and poor Charles, I wonder if he'll ever be king....

Actually, I think Charles will be king. William is awfully young and being a monarch isn't what it used to be. As a parent you would like your child to enjoy their "normal" lives for as long as possible.

but...'Queen Camilla'?!

pfft. she'll never be queen consort. She prolly gets to keep her title and charles will sit on the throne as King untill Kate and Will have had some kids.

But here's what's really going down.: HARRY will become king! Will and Kate will keep their sham of a marriage untill Lizzy dies. Then William can come out of the closet and announce his marriage to the Queen of Rotterdam. Obviously; they won't be able to provide an heir. So; Harry gets to be king and Kate will be the Royal hag!

Dan I thought you didn't like pussy! Stop licking this reptile bitches cunny! Where are the child sacrifices in that schedule? The blood baths and orgies!

Jesse darlin' you have just got to come up with some new material. Those jokes are very very very old and tired.

I recently saw an interview done back in the late 70's maybe early80s of one of Queen Victoria's granddaughters. Rather interesting. I giggled when she said that she had always regretted never learning to cook. Other than Sticky toffee. But none in her family cooked ever. She said that her granny loved to go on picnics and did so often but never got out of her carriage. Had her servants cook on little portable stoves and serve her as she sat in the carriage. I LOVE THAT!!! Make everyone come along with you the stay seated where you are.

Said video.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS4hAbHLszw

LOL. what kind of picnic is that? INSIDE of the carriage? I guess it would be an open-top carriage. Sticky Toffee Pudding...oh....oh my god I miss the UK!*drools*

Thank you Dan for starting this thread. I am a proud Monarchist as I think I have said before. I completely agree with you Dan, Her Majesty does plenty and works hard. I appreciate she may not have the same worries about money etc and does have a privileged lifestyle but she doesn't sit around and do nothing with it. She is quite frugal as well having been brought up in the war years like most of her generation and doesn't like waste.

I think they are great value for money as everyone has suggested they bring so much to this country and long may it continue. I do worry for the future when The Queen passes but I think if people give him a chance Charles would do well.

As for the cost, these are published with the figure of 65p per year per tax payer. I had someone in my work who was moaning about the Royals all the time that I got fed up with hearing it, so I slammed 2 quid on his desk and said I will pay his share for a couple of years if he shuts up about it!

The official line on the costs are:

"Until 1760 the monarch met all official expenses from hereditary revenues, which included the profits of the Crown Estate (the royal property portfolio). King George III agreed to surrender the hereditary revenues of the Crown to the Government in return for the Civil List, and this arrangement persists. The Crown Estate is one of the largest property owners in the United Kingdom, with holdings of £7.3 billion in 2011. It is held in trust, and cannot be sold or owned by the Sovereign in a private capacity. In modern times, the profits surrendered from the Crown Estate have exceeded the Civil List and Grants-in-Aid. For example, the Crown Estate produced £200 million for the Treasury in the financial year 2007–8, whereas reported parliamentary funding for the monarch was £40 million during the same period."

I see nothing of substance in that schedule of hers

The monarchies need to DIE!

Monarchies are fun! I like having a queen. It's symbolism and you grow up with it. And stevie has a point at the cost of monarchies. They hardly cost us anything. It's less than 50 eurocents a year in the Netherlands. I do, however feel that ALL members of royal families should pay taxes over their salaries.

Jesse honey. If you don't like this then stay the fuck out of the thread. We know how you feel. Let it go and don't fuck this for others. Its just rude.