When Lord Hill of Oareford takes up his new role as Leader of the House of Lords, he will also take up the historic office of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. But what is the Duchy of Lancaster, and why is its chancellor a member of the Cabinet?

The Duchy of Lancaster is essentially a source of private income for the British monarch. Its origins date from the 14th century when King Edward III conferred the title ‘Duke of Lancaster’ on Henry of Grosmont as a reward for his service in the Hundred Years’ War. At the same time, Lancaster became a county palatine, which meant that its duke would enjoy considerable autonomy within the kingdom. When Henry died without a male heir, the title was conferred on his son-in-law, John of Gaunt, who happened to be the younger son of Edward III.

John’s son, Henry of Bolingbroke, inherited the title upon his father’s death. When he eventually took the throne of England, the Duchy of Lancaster merged with the Crown. The new king decreed that the duchy would always remain separate from the rest of the Crown’s holdings. In 1760, George III agreed to let Parliament have the revenues from Crown lands in exchange for a fixed payment called the Civil List. But the Duchy of Lancaster was not part of the deal, and it remained the monarch’s private property.

The chancellor is the duchy’s chief administrative officer, though much of the day-to-day business of running the duchy is delegated to the Duchy Council. The chancellor does, however, advise the Queen on a number of appointments within the duchy, including High Sheriffs and certain ecclesiastical positions. Although the Queen appoints the chancellor on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, the chancellor is accountable to her, and not Parliament, regarding the duchy’s affairs. The uniquely personal nature of the relationship is reflected in the fact that, unlike the rest of the Cabinet, the chancellor receives the seals of office during a private audience with the Sovereign.

Since the chancellorship itself has few duties, its occupant is free to act as a sort of Minister without Portfolio. The three most recent chancellors, however, have combined the job with the leadership of the House of Lords. Because the position of Leader of the House of Lords has no statutory basis, its occupant is not actually entitled to a salary. Therefore, in order to pay the leader, they must be given another office that actually draws a salary. Fortunately, the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975 provides salaries for a number of sinecure offices (including that of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster) for that very purpose.

Of course the Leader of the House of Lords is not the only one in this predicament. The Government Chief Whip in the Lords also holds the office of ‘Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms,’ while junior Government Whips in the Commons are appointed to an assortment of positions in the Royal Household. Even the Prime Minister ultimately derives his authority (and his salary!) from the sinecure office of ‘First Lord of the Treasury!’

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London, UK – A British Muslim community has set out plans to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with street parties, lighting up of mosques throughout the UK, feeding the homeless and a launch of 200 special Diamond Jubilee buses across London – a unique contribution to this historic event.

Ahmadiyya Muslims will play the national anthem in street parties across 30 towns and cities from London to Glasgow. In Birmingham for example the celebrations will feature the Royal Navy band playing the national anthem at the mosque and congratulatory messages being read out in 60 languages by local community representatives.

There will also be special prayers for The Queen at 100 mosques and prayer halls belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community – one of the oldest Islamic groups in Britain.

The community has also launched a special edition of the book ‘A Gift for the Queen’ written by their founder, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, on the occasion of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897.

The National President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK, Mr Rafiq Hayat said:

“In the history of the British monarch there have only been two diamond Jubilees, and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community have been involved with both.

“We share in our country’s pride and joy at Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. It is our heartfelt prayer that may God continue to protect the Queen and we look forward to the festivities of the Jubilee weekend and to make them as inclusive as possible.

“As Muslims, we are duty bound to serve Queen and country and we regard this as an important part of our religion as we were taught by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that loyalty to one’s country is a part of faith.”

In addition, Ahmadi Muslims will:

- Take part in the Big Lunch on 3rd June

- Light up all its mosques across the UK

- Say special prayers for the Queen on 1st June

- Feed the Homeless – 10,000 will benefit from this endeavour

- Hold charity walks to raise GBP400,000 for the Queen’s charities

- Fundraise through the community’s women’s network

- Organise blood donation sessions

- Hold interfaith symposia throughout the UK

A charity walk by thousands of community members around the Tower of London has already raised tens of thousands of pounds for the Queen’s Jubilee charities.

London buses with the special Diamond Jubilee poster also feature the peace campaign website for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Image Courtsey of  Pacificnw.co.uk

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Less than a year ago Kate Middleton, known as Catherine to the royal family, became a part of a royal fairy tale when she married her prince charming, heir to the throne of England, Prince William. Prince William and Prince Edward have been extremely protective over Kate as she adapts to life in the public eye. But it’s now apparent that Kate can hold her own, and has proven herself by living up to the royal family’s expectations.

William, who arrived home last week after spending seven weeks in the Falkland Islands serving his duties in the Air Force, was greeted by Kate at the airbase where she welcomed her husband home. It was the longest time the royal couple has been apart since their nuptials on April 29, 2011. With much concern of how Kate would fare on her own, it has been shown that Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, was meant for royalty.

While William was gone, Kate proved herself time and time again that she was born for the role she is playing. She engaged in several royal engagements, as well as charity events. And during those seven weeks, Kate even made her first solo royal speech. With grace and poise she gave a public speech at the opening of the East Anglia Children’s Hospice, located just outside of London. Before giving her speech, Kate was greeted by 600 fans.

Kate, who even wrote the speech herself, admitted she had a “pre-conceived idea as to what to expect,” and by adding that “it was far from being a clinical depressing place for sick children, it was a home. Most importantly, it was a family home, a happy place of stability, support and care. It was a place of fun.”

During her speech Kate also recognized her husband by stating, “I’m only sorry that my husband couldn’t be here today. He would love it here.” And with William gone for almost two months, it gave Kate a chance to get close to the one she is bound to impress the most, the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth.

The queen has invited Kate to several official public engagements recently, something that she never invited Princess Diana to do in her first year of marriage to Prince Edward. Of the appearances, Kate joined the Queen and Prince Philip as they kicked off the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Tour. Kate has also recently been by the queen’s side for royal appearances in London at both Fortnum and Mason.

Prince Edward gave a statement to the press regarding his high opinion of Kate and her accomplishments. He stated, “Catherine is doing very well. She has taken to royal life like a duck to water. She’s very gracious and the family is very proud of her.”

Currently Kate and William are spending a lot of quality time together catching up and spending time with the newest addition to their family, a four-month-old cocker spaniel named Lupo.

William is only on short leave from duty right now, and he will soon resume his search and rescue duties at the Royal Air Force Valley. Looks like this time around, William will be less worried about Kate, as she gets another opportunity to charm the world with her compassion and care, by showing the public her dreams and plans for the betterment of society, and for the future England.

Image Courtesy of   Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

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