Prince Peter passes away aged 82

The death of His Highness Prince Peter, brother-in-law to the former Emperor Terry I, was announced yesterday evening. Prince Peter was married to Princess Julie, paternal aunt of Emperor Jonathan I and fourth in line to the Throne. Although Prince Peter was a much loved member of the extended Imperial Family, he had no real involvement with Austenasia, and the Emperor has asked for the privacy of the family to be respected at this time. Five days of national mourning have been declared, to last from Monday 15th until Friday 19th January.

New Year sees Line of Succession shortened

New Year’s Day has seen the Senate of Austenasia pass a resolution shortening the Line of Succession, in addition to Lord Wilson appointing his last annual consuls as Prime Minister. The Senate is a body of experienced “elder statesmen” responsible for keeping the Monarch to account, and was given the power by Parliament in 2020 to approve changes to the Line of Succession. The senatorial resolution, passed earlier today, has significantly shortened the number of people in the Line of Succession from twenty down to twelve. It was considered that those removed – mostly paternal cousins of Emperor Jonathan I – were not only extremely unlikely to accept the Throne should they be offered it, but also would be difficult to contact at short notice. In a situation whereby the Throne falls vacant and the Heir (for whatever reason) refuses it, each member of the Line of Succession is to be given the chance to accept the Throne in turn. This resolution thereby removes the legal obligation for a future government to waste time tracking down relatives of the Imperial Family who would almost certainly refuse the Throne anyway, at a time when a swift and orderly transfer of power would be of paramount importance. The resolution has also issued clarification on some confusing language in the Constitution, with the effect that the maternal relatives of the Emperor have now been placed before the Empress and her family in the Line of Succession. However, due to the Line having been so shortened, all remaining in it now hold higher positions than they did previously. In other news, the outgoing Prime Minister, Lord William Wilson – who has confirmed he will not be running in next month’s general election, and also reigns as King in Gradonia – has appointed himself as one of this year’s two consuls, and kept in place one of 2023’s, Shiro Mephistopheles, as the second. 2024 will therefore be known as the year of the consulship of Villelmus Rex and Shiro Mephistopheles. A Prime Minister appointing themselves as a consul is not unusual or irregular. Of the four previous Prime Ministers to have appointed consuls, three appointed themselves as one of the consuls for a year.

Imperial Family celebrates Christmas

The past few days have seen Christmas celebrated by the Imperial Family, with the Emperor’s annual broadcast including some important news for next year. Christmas Day, Monday 25th, saw Emperor Jonathan I join his parents and his sister the Crown Princess as they attended the morning service at Carshalton Methodist Church, where both Crown Princess Caroline and Emperor Mother Margaret gave readings from the Bible. Afterwards joined by Empress Hannah, the Imperial Family travelled to the Boxall residence, home of the Emperor’s maternal relatives, where they were hosted for Christmas dinner by Lord Michael, Duke of Merton and his wife Lady Boxall. On Boxing Day, Tuesday 26th, the Boxalls were hosted at the Imperial Residence while Jonathan I and the Empress visited Empress Hannah’s parents. Christmas Day saw the publication on YouTube of the Emperor’s annual Christmas broadcast. In the broadcast, His Imperial Majesty reflected on the need to bring peace through love to others, and looked back on a year which has seen Austenasia’s fifteenth anniversary, his Decennalia, and the expansion of parliamentary representation to non-residentials. The Emperor also used the broadcast to give formal notice of a general election to take place on February 12th next year. The incumbent Prime Minister, Lord William Wilson, has already stated he will not be running, whereas his predecessor Lord John Gordon has stated that he will. His Imperial Majesty furthermore announced that the general election will take place alongside a referendum to amend the constitution, both to entrench parliamentary representation for non-residentials but also to make various other changes, the details of which will be announced in due course. Candidates for the 2024 general election will be confirmed by January 15th. Christmas decorations in the Imperial Residence will remain up until January 5th, Twelfth Night, the traditional date on which they are to be taken down.

Emperor and Empress return from honeymoon

Emperor Jonathan I and Empress Hannah yesterday returned from a belated honeymoon on the Isle of Wight. The imperial couple, who were wed in November last year, travelled to the Isle of Wight on the evening of Tuesday 22nd and arrived back in the afternoon of Saturday 26th. The Emperor and Empress visited several sites of historical and cultural importance to the island, including Osborne House and Farringford House – the former residences respectively of Queen Victoria and her poet laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson – as well as the Needles, a famous landmark comprised of three stacks of chalk. Many of the couple’s excursions were done on behalf of the Imperial Geographical Society at the request of Empress Hannah, making a three-day-long IGS expedition (only the second to have lasted more than a day) part of their time away.

New Mascot of the Order of the Bullmastiff appointed

After a vacancy lasting the better part of five years, a new Mascot has been named for the Order of the Bullmastiff. Penny, a bullmastiff born in April 2020 who is owned by a family friend of the Imperial Family, was named to the position by Emperor Jonathan I earlier today. The Order of the Bullmastiff is an Austenasian order of chivalry, and the only one to have a Mascot. The bullmastiff is the national animal of Austenasia, and as such the Mascot serves almost as the ceremonial embodiment of such. When the Order was founded by Emperor Terry I in January 2009, the Imperial Family had a pet bullmastiff, Rose, who was named Mascot of the Order. After Rose’s death in 2014, she was succeeded as Mascot by the Imperial Family’s other pet bullmastiff, Edd, and after his death in 2017, the position was taken by Rose’s daughter Lily (who did not live with the Imperial Family). However, upon Lily’s death the following year, the position fell vacant. Provision had been made for this, with a dog of another breed able to be appointed Honorary Mascot to fill the vacancy. The first Honorary Mascot was Cleo, family pet of the Emperor’s fiancee Princess Hannah. After Cleo’s death last year, a second Honorary Mascot was named as Ralph, family pet of former Prime Minister Lord John Gordon. Now that a new Mascot has been found in Penny, the two shall serve concurrently. Ralph shall continue to hold the position of Honorary Mascot for the rest of his life, but no replacement will be appointed while a Mascot proper remains in office. Although born in Cheshire, Penny was exported over to in Spain, where her owners currently live. She comes from a prestigious showing pedigree, with her father having won Best in Breed at Crufts in 2018. Penny also has familial connections to each of the Imperial Family’s two pet bullmastiffs, being the great-x3 niece both of Rose and of Edd.

Imperial Geographical Society returns to Woldingham

The Imperial Geographical Society (IGS) has conducted an expedition through woods and farmland south-west of the British town of Woldingham. The expedition re-traced the route of a previous expedition, held in 2014. The expedition was planned and led by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, who was joined by twelve other people, including the Imperial Family, Princess Hannah, Lady Boxall (the former Dame Rosalind), and the former residents of Zephyria. Although Princess Hannah has been on two IGS expeditions in the past, this was the first time that she had joined one of the larger May excursions. It was also the first time that the former Lord Marshal William had joined an IGS expedition since the very first, in 2009. Re-tracing the steps of the 2014 expedition, the participants were able to compare aspects of the route to their encounter eight years ago; for example, a well-known viewpoint was partially obscured by new tree growth, and various landmarks noted along the way in 2014 were no longer there this time round. The IGS, since 2009, has customarily launched an annual expedition at the start of May exploring an area of countryside in Surrey. Due to restrictions on gatherings in the United Kingdom implemented as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the annual May expedition could not go ahead as usual in 2020 and 2021 (although May 2020 did see an IGS expedition in North America). However, with all legal restrictions in the UK now lifted, the annual expedition was able to be resumed. With thirteen participants in this expedition, it was larger than the original 2014 one, which had ten. After the expedition, Emperor Jonathan I and his parents joined Princess Hannah and John of Zephyria for refreshments in a garden centre café on the way back to Carshalton. A video of today’s expedition will be uploaded shortly.

Crown Princess Caroline meets the Prince of Wales

A meeting of two heirs to the throne took place on Wednesday 9th March as HIH Crown Princess Caroline met HRH The Prince of Wales in London. Prince Charles visited St Luke’s Church in London, part of Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), to hear about the Refugee Response programme. Refugee Response, run by HTB is working to support refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan. Her Imperial Highness, who works at HTB and has helped with the programme, met Prince Charles during his visit to the church.

Emperor’s great-uncle Lord Geoffrey passes away aged 94

Lord Geoffrey Trory, Duke of Belfast yesterday passed away aged 94. A great uncle of Jonathan I on his mother’s side, Lord Geoffrey was first made properly aware of Austenasia during a visit to Wrythe in September 2009. He expressed great interest in and enthusiasm for the then relatively new country, and was named Duke of Belfast by the Emperor in September 2014, a title for which he expressed great thanks. Geoffrey was born in Essex in 1926, and moved to London in 1940. An accomplished church organist, he was a Graduate of the Royal College of Music and held a professional diploma from the Royal College of Organists. He moved to Belfast in 1953, where he spent the rest of his life. Lord Geoffrey is survived by his wife Lady Mabel, whom he married in 1963, their three sons (the eldest of whom, Lord Graham, has inherited his peerage) six grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter. Emperor Jonathan I has called for a state of mourning to be observed through the Empire until his late great-uncle’s funeral. UPDATE 13 APRIL 17:10 – Lord Geoffrey’s funeral will take place on the morning of Thursday 15th.

Imperial Family celebrates Christmas under coronavirus restrictions

A toned-down Christmas Day was yesterday celebrated by the Imperial Family due to restrictions currently in force in neighbouring areas of the United Kingdom to protect people from the spread of coronavirus. Christmas would usually see the immediate Imperial Family hosting or being hosted by the relatives of Emperor Mother Margaret for Christmas dinner, but in order to help prevent Covid-19 spreading between households, new restrictions brought in earlier this month by the British government have forbidden different families from meeting. Plans to allow up to three households to meet together over Christmas were cancelled after a new strain of the virus was discovered in England. The Imperial Family was, however, able to attend the customary morning service at Carshalton Methodist Church, albeit wearing masks, socially distanced from other families, and with no congregational singing, as per the rules imposed regarding corporate worship. Emperor Jonathan I did not give his usual Christmas broadcast, instead delegating that honour to the Prime Minister, Lord John Gordon. The broadcast will be published at some point over the wider Christmas season, prior to the New Year. The Emperor was, however, able to wish the people and supporters of Austenasia a merry Christmas in a post on the Empire’s official Facebook group, in which he shared photographs taken of the Imperial Family’s visit to church that morning. The customary Christmas cards to Austenasian and foreign dignitaries were also successfully sent off. With the success of ongoing vaccination efforts, next year’s Christmas should hopefully see a return to relative normality.

Emperor announces changes for 2020 in Christmas broadcast

His Imperial Majesty the Emperor used his annual Christmas broadcast to announce that February 2020 will see a general election and the secession of New Richmond and Terentia from Austenasia. He has also revealed exclusively to the Austenasian Times that the Town of Augusta will be joining them, and was not mentioned in his broadcast due to a mistake. The three towns will create a new Commonwealth of New Virginia, to be recognised as an independent state. New Richmond is the most populated single town of the Empire, with 15 inhabitants, and is home to the current Prime Minister, Lord Admiral Kennedy. Augusta – which was part of New Richmond before becoming its own town in June this year – has three inhabitants, and Terentia has six. New Richmond and Terentia both originally joined Austenasia in 2013. It is understood that their desire to leave Austenasia and create their own country is primarily due to the growth of their own local identity and culture during this time. With the impending departure of the incumbent Prime Minister’s hometown, a general election has been called for 12 February 2020. At the time of writing, the Whig Party is expected to put forward Lord John Gordon and the Fatherland Party Lord Dionisiy Tezdzhan-Smahin as candidates. Applications for candidacy will be confirmed by the Emperor by 15 January. The Christmas broadcast was published this morning on YouTube, and can be heard here. Jonathan I has broadcast a Christmas message every year since his ascension to the Throne in 2013. Other than the publication of the Emperor’s Christmas broadcast, the Imperial Family celebrated Christmas Day by attending a morning church service at Carshalton Methodist Church and later opening presents and enjoying a Christmas meal at the Imperial Residence. The Imperial Family was joined at the church service by members of the extended Imperial Family as well as the former residents of Zephyria. Although most of the Imperial Family is Methodist, Emperor Jonathan I joined the Orthodox Church in 2011. He attended a service at his own church yesterday for Christmas Eve, but often attends the morning Christmas Day service at the Methodist church with his priest’s blessing in order to spend time with his family at Christmas. During this year’s service, Jonathan I and Crown Princess Caroline were invited to light all five of the Advent candles to mark the beginning of the service. Christmas wishes have been sent to and received from numerous foreign national leaders by cards and e-mails.