NB! · London · Monarchies · Observations · Humour
An Airport Is Proposed to Be Named After Queen Camilla
It is proposed to name an airport after Queen Camilla. I suggest we confine ourselves to the baggage reclaim hall
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Art · Cinema · London · Science · Society
Channel 4 ADHD documentary prompts open letter of protest from British ADHD organisation
The British television channel Channel 4 has released a documentary, The Great ADHD Myth? In it, the NHS psychiatrist Max Pemberton tries to establish whether ADHD is a genuine developmental disorder or a social construct, and whether children should be given psychiatric medication at all. Perhaps the best illustration of
Archive · London · Pop Culture
The Beatles’ spontaneous photo shoot of 28 July 1968, remembered as Mad Day Out
On 28 July 1968 the Beatles, instead of working in the studio, staged a spontaneous shoot at various places around the city, with no script, no route and hardly any preparation. The aim was to recover from the gruelling recording of their ninth album and at last to document new
London · Monarchies · Observations · Humour
Alexandra of Denmark's 1863 earrings worn by Elizabeth II, Diana and Camilla
Expectation versus reality: a collage. Cam and Di in the very same earrings. Though, judging by the fact that Camilla's ears are not pierced, there are two possibilities: either they were glued on for her, or remade as clip-ons. The original pair was presented to Alexandra of
Art · London · Museums
Robert Rauschenberg Foundation donates three Gluts sculptures to the Artist Rooms collection
Souvenirs Without Nostalgia. The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation has given three works by the artist to the Artist Rooms collection, which is jointly managed by the London-based Tate group and National Galleries Scotland. Rauschenberg is known above all for his «Combines» of the post-war years, but all three donated
Aristocracy · Books · London · Museums · Observations · Society
Derbyshire libraries lend out free weekly cards for entry to a museum site
Chatsworth, one of Britain's best-known country houses and seat of the Dukes of Devonshire, the Cavendish family, since 1549, launches a scheme of free admission through libraries. The mechanics of the project are as follows: a library reader in Derbyshire borrows a "community card" just
Faith · London · Monarchies · Observations · Society
At the end of June Buckingham Palace published an annual financial report of little interest to the general public
At the end of June Buckingham Palace published an annual financial report of little interest to the general public. But here is what is interesting: in the description of the monarch's duties a new line has appeared, to the effect that the King "protects the space for
Art · London · Monarchies · Museums · Humour
Study for Jonathan Yeo's portrait of Charles III donated to the Royal Collection
The sinister portrait of Charles III by Jonathan Yeo, unveiled in 2024, in which the king's figure drowned in the crimson haze of the underworld, has made it into Buckingham Palace after all. The Royal Collection has accepted as a gift a large preparatory study for that portrait,
Art · London · Society
Since April 2022, Britain has banned the export of luxury goods worth more than £250 to Russia, art included
Since April 2022, Britain has banned the export of luxury goods worth more than £250 to Russia, art included. Breaking the ban is a criminal offence and may cost up to six months in prison. And so, last November, the Crown Prosecution Service brought a charge against the Hauser &
Architecture · Art · London · Monarchies
Model of the Elizabeth II memorial in St James's Park at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
A model of the memorial to Elizabeth II in St James's Park. The three-metre bronze figure will be based on a portrait of the Queen in her youth. In the background one can see a small sculpture of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip. The memorial complex
Coming Up · London · Museums · Society · Ethnography
British Museum opens exhibition on Indigenous peoples and American independence
The British Museum has opened a most interesting exhibition on the USA. It is not, however, a parade of panegyrics for the 250th anniversary of the United States, but a reminder that many indigenous peoples were not at all delighted by American independence. Although the exhibition, Declaring Independence: USA 250,
Coming Up · Art · London · Monarchies
On 1 July Sotheby's in London will offer an amber heart-shaped pendant with a carved portrait of Elizabeth I
The appraisers expect £100,000 to £150,000. Yet last November an anonymous collector bought this pendant at auction in Edinburgh for £5,588, as a mere old article of amber. After careful attribution, the inconspicuous trinket was recognised as a Renaissance jewel bearing a portrait of Elizabeth, which added