royal family

Prince Charles to attend installation of Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis
(RNS) Prince Charles will be the first royal to attend the installation of the chief rabbi.

5 reasons people think Prince George is Jewish (even though he’s not)
(RNS) Because Kate Middleton’s mother’s maiden name is Goldsmith, some wrongly conclude that wee Prince George’s matrilineal line is Jewish, and so he must be too.

Queen approves same-sex marriage bill in England, Wales
(RNS) Under the new law, gay men and women will be able to join together in civil ceremonies or in church services — although no religious denomination will be forced to carry out such services. Neither the Roman Catholic Church nor the Church of England will perform such marriages.

Is the British monarch the ‘Defender of the Faith’ or ‘Faiths’?
LONDON (RNS) As Britain waits for Queen Elizabeth II to appoint a new archbishop of Canterbury, there's renewed attention on her title of “Defender of the Faith.” By Trevor Grundy.

Poll: Queen should remain head of the Church of England
LONDON (RNS) Nearly three-quarters of people in England believe Queen Elizabeth II should retain her position as titular head of the Church of England, according to a new poll. By Al Webb.
Church-state ties on full display at royal wedding
CANTERBURY, England (RNS) When Prince William and Kate Middleton walk down the aisle at Westminster Abbey on Friday (April 29), Britain’s unique and historic ties between church and state will be on full display. Some here think — even hope — it could also be the last powerful stroll for church and state in this […]
Prince Charles praises Islamic principles on environment
LONDON (RNS) Prince Charles, heir to the British throne and next in line as titular head of the Church of England, says Western society should learn from Islamic principles to save the environment. Charles told an audience at the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies on Wednesday (June 9) that “the Islamic world is the custodian […]
Pope to discuss divorce with Charles and Camilla
When Prince Charles presents the Duchess of Cornwall to Benedict XVI as his wife for the first time, he will receive a gift that may strike an unwelcome chord: a “luxury facsimile” of the 1530 appeal by English peers to Pope Clement VII asking for the annulment of Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. […]
Queen asked to pardon 17th-century witches
LONDON -A campaign has been launched in Britain to try to persuade Queen Elizabeth II to grant a royal warrant pardoning more than 400 men and women who were executed as witches in England four centuries ago. Add to Favorite Articles
COMMENTARY: Prince Harry’s Nazi Costume Insults Those Who Died in Holocaust
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) On Jan. 27, 1945, the Soviet Army liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, the infamous German Nazi death camp in Poland. The two sites, located three kilometers apart, have entered into the world’s lexicon as icons of radical evil and the Holocaust. More than 1.5 million Jews were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau, many in […]
NEWS STORY: Queen, Pope Meet and Urge War on Poverty, Greater Efforts for Unity
c. 2000 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ A friendly and smiling Queen Elizabeth II, head of the Anglican Church of England, and a bent but cordial Pope John Paul II, head of the world’s 1 billion Roman Catholics, made the war on world poverty their common ground Tuesday (Oct. 17) during a meeting at […]