5 incredible facts you should know about Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral

Sep 16 2022

On Thursday 8th September 2022, Buckingham Palace announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II, one of the most iconic monarch’s in the UK’s history at age 96. Her funeral will be held on Monday September 19th at Westminster Abbey and here are 5 incredible facts you should know about the iconic royal figure’s funeral.

A two-minute silence will be held across the UK after the funeral

At 11.55am on Monday, following the conclusion of Elizabeth II’s state funeral, two minutes of silence will be held across the entirety of the United Kingdom. The brief period of silence will be held before the coffin is carried to the resting place at Windsor Castle, with the national anthem and the lament from the Queen’s piper soon after.

It will be the first funeral to be held at Westminster Abbey since 1760

The last royal funeral (of a monarch or consort) to be held at Westminster Abbey was that of King George II in 1760. The church was built by King Edward the Confessor in the 11th century and from that point on, its name became woven in the UK’s history. The Abbey is the very same place Princess Elizabeth was crowned Queen on June 2nd 1953.

Only 2,000 specifically-invited guests can attend the Queen’s funeral

Only 2,000 guests can attend the official funeral at Westminster Abbey, with anyone wishing to watch the ceremony can do so at London’s The Mall, a road in Westminster. Elizabeth II’s funeral will be one of the largest gatherings of politicians and royalty in a long while, with everyone from Spain’s King Felipe & Queen Letizia to the United States’ President Joe Biden & Jill Biden.

President of Malta George Vella will be in attendance

Maltese President George Vella recently announced that he will be also be attending Elizabeth II’s funeral. In a recent radio interview, Vella recalled the last time he met Queen Elizabeth in 2020, where he and his wife Miriam Vella were the last two people to have an official meeting with her before the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schools, offices and most banks, shops and establishments will be closed

As approved by King Charles III, the day of the funeral will be a bank holiday for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, with schools offices and most banks, shops and post offices closed on the day. It is reportedly unlikely that the bank holiday will remain an annual tradition but a 100,000 person-strong petition has called for the holiday to remain permanent.

Will you be tuning in to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral?

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13th edition of historic Mdina Grand Prix gets cancelled

Sep 16 2022

This year’s edition of the historic Mdina Grand Prix has been cancelled due to logistical issues, the Valletta Grand Prix Foundation have announced.

The Mdina Grand Prix is one of the most iconic motorsport events Malta has to offer. As said in the statement made by Classic Malta “The Malta Classic is not just a motorsport event for classic car enthusiasts. It is an experience for even those who do not have classic car racing at heart. It encompasses the beauty of Malta, the experience of being present in a racing paddock, the possibility of admiring unique classic cars, and of course the actual Grand Prix itself.”

In a statement they go on to say that this decision was after discussions with all authorities involved including the local councils, the Police Force, Transport Malta and others.

The foundation also states that “While the committee welcomes the discussions which have taken place, it has become evident that performing all the necessary works and requested arrangements in time, particularly the logistical arrangements required for foreign participants is not going to be possible.”

However they later on go on to confirm that “The Malta Classic committee is now looking forward to commence preparations to ensure that the 2023 edition is organised with the full collaboration of the local councils involved, Transport Malta and the Malta Police Force.”

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Government will not increase financial strain after Budget, minister promises

Sep 16 2022

Recently, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana revealed following this year’s budget, the government will spend around €608 million in subsidising energy and food prices next year. This figure will be around €135 million more than what the government spent this year.

Clyde Caruana also said that the government will continue subsidising food and energy prices until the crisis comes to an end. They will also aim to reduce a national deficit at the same time by the end of next year.

He had this to say “Last year I pledged the national deficit will be between 5.5% and 7% this year,”

“Despite all the government’s fiscal initiatives, wage supplement and energy subsidies, we will end this year with 5.8% deficit and despite a higher government expenditure next year, we will still manage to reduce the deficit even more.”

The minister also addressed concerns over the nature of the current government spending spree.

“I’m hearing many people say that all of these subsidies will probably vanish after the budget or after Christmas, and then the government will be forced to start curbing on its expenditure,” he said

He continued on by saying that it makes no sense to be spending this amount of money to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, only to stop now.

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40 migrants living illegally in Malta arrested by the Police, minister reports

Sep 16 2022

Minister for Home Affairs, National Security and Law Enforcement Byron Camilleri has reported that the police arrested 40 immigrants who were living illegally in Malta.

The individuals were arrested following a number of raids in Marsa, Hamrun and Attard, with their properties sealed off after the arrested and water & electricity suspended.

The Minister reported that these raids are part of the authorities’ plans to address irregular immigration and individuals living in Malta illegally. Camilleri stated that such actions show that “our country is not open to those who do not observe the law.”

“In the coming weeks, this work will go on and continue being strengthening, with a number of similar operations across the country. This is for the authorities to continue addressing the issue of irregular immigration as part of a strategy built on prevention, return and relocation.”

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