UK royals set for last big get together before Harry and Meghan's exit - Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s senior royals will come together on Monday for what is expected to be the last family gathering before Prince Harry and his wife Meghan set off on a new career path.

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, along with other members of the British royal family, watch as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team Red Arrows performs a flypast during Trooping the Colour parade in London, Britain June 8, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo

The Commonwealth Service at London’s Westminster Abbey is an annual event that this year brings together Harry and Meghan with Queen Elizabeth, his elder brother William and wife Kate, and father Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, for the first time in public since the couple thrashed out an exit deal from their royal roles in January.

“It will be fascinating to see how it plays out,” said royal biographer Penny Junor. “I imagine everybody will be on absolutely best behavior. But goodness knows what they will all be thinking privately.”

The January agreement, which comes into action at the end of the month, will see the couple - the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - seek to carve out “a progressive new role”, mainly based in North America, that they aim to finance themselves.

Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, will stop using their HRH titles - His or Her Royal Highness, will not use “royal” in their branding and Harry, who will remain a prince, will relinquish his military titles.

Their announcement two months ago that they wished to step back from some of their royal duties sent shockwaves through the monarchy. It led to a crisis meeting involving the 93-year-old queen, her heir Charles, William and Harry that concluded he and Meghan would have to give up all their royal duties.

The couple have spent most of their time since in Canada, but returned at the start of the month for a farewell round of engagements. Harry and Meghan’s baby son Archie has remained behind in Canada.

Monday’s event to mark Commonwealth Day is expected to be their last official appearance, with no certainty about when the royal family will next be seen together.

“Our hope was to continue serving the queen, the Commonwealth and my military associations without public funding. Sadly that wasn’t possible,” the prince, the sixth-in-line to the throne, said in a speech in January.

‘GIVING UP EVERYTHING’

Polls show Harry, whose mother was the late Princess Diana, is one of the most popular royals. Junor said his leaving would be a huge loss for the family and the institution itself.

“I thought that he had absolutely embraced his destiny as a member of the royal family,” she told Reuters. “He recognized what he could do with his position, the power he had to change things for good. I think he will miss that ability to make people’s lives better.”

However, Harry, who served in the military for 10 years, has never hidden his discomfort with his royal role and the intense media attention it attracts. He has spoken candidly about his mental health struggles following his mother’s death.

He has also been angered by the treatment his American wife, a former actress, has received from some British tabloids, which he has described as bullying. She has also said how difficult she found it.

Junor said Harry might find life in the United States and Canada difficult away from his family, friends and former life.

“He is giving up everything he’s known, a huge family that he’s very close to and his work to go and live in Canada where he actually knows nobody and he has no job,” she said.

Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, arrive to attend the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Britain March 7, 2020. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/Pool

Last weekend, Harry and the queen had a meeting at her Windsor Castle home to discuss his future. A royal source confirmed a report in the Sun newspaper that the queen told Harry he would always be welcome to rejoin the royal fold.

“I could imagine Harry coming back,” Junor said.

“I hope that they will not wake up one day and think ‘what on earth have we done and what does life hold for us? We’re sitting in paradise ... but what else do we have in life?’ I hope that doesn’t happen to them.”

Writing by Michael Holden; Editing by Frances Kerry

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2020-03-09 08:11:43Z
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UK royals set for last big get together before Harry and Meghan's exit - Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s senior royals will come together on Monday for what is expected to be the last family gathering before Prince Harry and his wife Meghan set off on a new career path.

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, along with other members of the British royal family, watch as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team Red Arrows performs a flypast during Trooping the Colour parade in London, Britain June 8, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo

The Commonwealth Service at London’s Westminster Abbey is an annual event that this year brings together Harry and Meghan with Queen Elizabeth, his elder brother William and wife Kate, and father Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, for the first time in public since the couple thrashed out an exit deal from their royal roles in January.

“It will be fascinating to see how it plays out,” said royal biographer Penny Junor. “I imagine everybody will be on absolutely best behavior. But goodness knows what they will all be thinking privately.”

The January agreement, which comes into action at the end of the month, will see the couple - the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - seek to carve out “a progressive new role”, mainly based in North America, that they aim to finance themselves.

Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, will stop using their HRH titles - His or Her Royal Highness, will not use “royal” in their branding and Harry, who will remain a prince, will relinquish his military titles.

Their announcement two months ago that they wished to step back from some of their royal duties sent shockwaves through the monarchy. It led to a crisis meeting involving the 93-year-old queen, her heir Charles, William and Harry that concluded he and Meghan would have to give up all their royal duties.

The couple have spent most of their time since in Canada, but returned at the start of the month for a farewell round of engagements. Harry and Meghan’s baby son Archie has remained behind in Canada.

Monday’s event to mark Commonwealth Day is expected to be their last official appearance, with no certainty about when the royal family will next be seen together.

“Our hope was to continue serving the queen, the Commonwealth and my military associations without public funding. Sadly that wasn’t possible,” the prince, the sixth-in-line to the throne, said in a speech in January.

‘GIVING UP EVERYTHING’

Polls show Harry, whose mother was the late Princess Diana, is one of the most popular royals. Junor said his leaving would be a huge loss for the family and the institution itself.

“I thought that he had absolutely embraced his destiny as a member of the royal family,” she told Reuters. “He recognized what he could do with his position, the power he had to change things for good. I think he will miss that ability to make people’s lives better.”

However, Harry, who served in the military for 10 years, has never hidden his discomfort with his royal role and the intense media attention it attracts. He has spoken candidly about his mental health struggles following his mother’s death.

He has also been angered by the treatment his American wife, a former actress, has received from some British tabloids, which he has described as bullying. She has also said how difficult she found it.

Junor said Harry might find life in the United States and Canada difficult away from his family, friends and former life.

“He is giving up everything he’s known, a huge family that he’s very close to and his work to go and live in Canada where he actually knows nobody and he has no job,” she said.

Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, arrive to attend the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Britain March 7, 2020. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/Pool

Last weekend, Harry and the queen had a meeting at her Windsor Castle home to discuss his future. A royal source confirmed a report in the Sun newspaper that the queen told Harry he would always be welcome to rejoin the royal fold.

“I could imagine Harry coming back,” Junor said.

“I hope that they will not wake up one day and think ‘what on earth have we done and what does life hold for us? We’re sitting in paradise ... but what else do we have in life?’ I hope that doesn’t happen to them.”

Writing by Michael Holden; Editing by Frances Kerry

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2020-03-09 06:46:23Z
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UK will leave EU aviation safety regulator at end of 2020 - BBC News

The UK will leave the European aviation safety regulator after the Brexit transition period, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed.

He said UK membership of the European Aviation Safety Agency - responsible for certifying the airworthiness of planes - would end on 31 December.

He said the UK's Civil Aviation Authority would "bring expertise home".

But the owner of British Airways said the CAA lacked world-class knowledge and could not be ready in time.

Mr Shapps told Aviation Week much of the Cologne-based European Aviation Safety Agency's (EASA) expertise came from the UK and that a lot of its leaders were British.

He said the agency's powers would revert to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) "and the expertise will need to come home to do that, but we'll do it in a gradual way".

'Best option'

The trade body ADS - which represents more than 1,100 UK businesses in the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors - told the BBC the decision could potentially mean products and designs would need to be certified more than once.

For example, EASA is responsible for certifying commercial aircraft for service across the EU and some non-EU European countries.

When the UK ends its membership of EASA, it may need to certify aircraft separately itself.

ADS has estimated that it would take 10 years and cost up to £40m annually to create a UK safety authority with all the expertise of EASA, against a current contribution to the European agency of £1m to £4m a year.

It claimed a new regulatory regime could put jobs in the sector at risk.

"We have been clear that continued participation in EASA is the best option to maintain the competitiveness of our £36bn aerospace industry and our access to global export markets," the trade body said.

It added that the UK's influence within EASA "contributes to raising standards in global aviation" and helped make the industry "attractive to the investment it needs".

British Airways owner IAG said it was "disappointed" with the decision and said the Civil Aviation Authority "does not have the expertise required to operate as a world class safety and technical regulator".

IAG said: "The CAA will require fundamental restructuring from top to bottom which will take time. There is no way that it can be done by 31 December."

Airlines UK, which represents carriers including EasyJet and Ryanair, said its members supported continued membership of EASA - but not at the risk of the UK becoming a "dumb follower of EU rules".

It urged the government to begin negotiations on an air safety agreement with the EU so it could be ready by the end of the year.

The Department for Transport said: "Being a member of the European Aviation Safety Agency is not compatible with the UK having genuine economic and political independence.

"We will maintain world-leading safety standards for industry, with the Civil Aviation Authority taking over these responsibilities, and will continue to work with colleagues in the EU to establish a new regulatory relationship."

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2020-03-08 05:20:02Z
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UK will leave EU aviation safety regulator at end of 2020 - BBC News

The UK will leave the European aviation safety regulator after the Brexit transition period, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed.

He said UK membership of the European Aviation Safety Agency - responsible for certifying the airworthiness of planes - would end on 31 December.

He said the UK's Civil Aviation Authority would "bring expertise home".

But the owner of British Airways said the CAA lacked world-class knowledge and could not be ready in time.

Mr Shapps told Aviation Week much of the Cologne-based European Aviation Safety Agency's (EASA) expertise came from the UK and that a lot of its leaders were British.

He said the agency's powers would revert to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) "and the expertise will need to come home to do that, but we'll do it in a gradual way".

'Best option'

The trade body ADS - which represents more than 1,100 UK businesses in the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors - told the BBC the decision could potentially mean products and designs would need to be certified more than once.

For example, EASA is responsible for certifying commercial aircraft for service across the EU and some non-EU European countries.

When the UK ends its membership of EASA, it may need to certify aircraft separately itself.

ADS has estimated that it would take 10 years and cost up to £40m annually to create a UK safety authority with all the expertise of EASA, against a current contribution to the European agency of £1m to £4m a year.

It claimed a new regulatory regime could put jobs in the sector at risk.

"We have been clear that continued participation in EASA is the best option to maintain the competitiveness of our £36bn aerospace industry and our access to global export markets," the trade body said.

It added that the UK's influence within EASA "contributes to raising standards in global aviation" and helped make the industry "attractive to the investment it needs".

British Airways owner IAG said it was "disappointed" with the decision and said the Civil Aviation Authority "does not have the expertise required to operate as a world class safety and technical regulator".

IAG said: "The CAA will require fundamental restructuring from top to bottom which will take time. There is no way that it can be done by 31 December."

Airlines UK, which represents carriers including EasyJet and Ryanair, said its members supported continued membership of EASA - but not at the risk of the UK becoming a "dumb follower of EU rules".

It urged the government to begin negotiations on an air safety agreement with the EU so it could be ready by the end of the year.

The Department for Transport said: "Being a member of the European Aviation Safety Agency is not compatible with the UK having genuine economic and political independence.

"We will maintain world-leading safety standards for industry, with the Civil Aviation Authority taking over these responsibilities, and will continue to work with colleagues in the EU to establish a new regulatory relationship."

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2020-03-08 05:03:34Z
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UK will leave EU aviation safety regulator at end of 2020 - BBC News

The UK will leave the European aviation safety regulator after the Brexit transition period, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed.

He said UK membership of the European Aviation Safety Agency - responsible for certifying the airworthiness of planes - would end on 31 December.

He said the UK's Civil Aviation Authority would "bring expertise home".

But the owner of British Airways said the CAA lacked world-class knowledge and could not be ready in time.

Mr Shapps told Aviation Week much of the Cologne-based European Aviation Safety Agency's (EASA) expertise came from the UK and that a lot of its leaders were British.

He said the agency's powers would revert to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) "and the expertise will need to come home to do that, but we'll do it in a gradual way".

'Best option'

The trade body ADS - which represents more than 1,100 UK businesses in the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors - told the BBC the decision could potentially mean products and designs would need to be certified more than once.

For example, EASA is responsible for certifying commercial aircraft for service across the EU and some non-EU European countries.

When the UK ends its membership of EASA, it may need to certify aircraft separately itself.

ADS has estimated that it would take 10 years and cost up to £40m annually to create a UK safety authority with all the expertise of EASA, against a current contribution to the European agency of £1m to £4m a year.

It claimed a new regulatory regime could put jobs in the sector at risk.

"We have been clear that continued participation in EASA is the best option to maintain the competitiveness of our £36bn aerospace industry and our access to global export markets," the trade body said.

It added that the UK's influence within EASA "contributes to raising standards in global aviation" and helped make the industry "attractive to the investment it needs".

British Airways owner IAG said it was "disappointed" with the decision and said the Civil Aviation Authority "does not have the expertise required to operate as a world class safety and technical regulator".

IAG said: "The CAA will require fundamental restructuring from top to bottom which will take time. There is no way that it can be done by 31 December."

Airlines UK, which represents carriers including EasyJet and Ryanair, said its members supported continued membership of EASA - but not at the risk of the UK becoming a "dumb follower of EU rules".

It urged the government to begin negotiations on an air safety agreement with the EU so it could be ready by the end of the year.

The Department for Transport said: "Being a member of the European Aviation Safety Agency is not compatible with the UK having genuine economic and political independence.

"We will maintain world-leading safety standards for industry, with the Civil Aviation Authority taking over these responsibilities, and will continue to work with colleagues in the EU to establish a new regulatory relationship."

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2020-03-08 04:08:28Z
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UK will leave EU aviation safety regulator at end of 2020 - BBC News

The UK will leave the European aviation safety regulator after the Brexit transition period, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed.

He said UK membership of the European Aviation Safety Agency - responsible for certifying the airworthiness of planes - would end on 31 December.

He said the UK's Civil Aviation Authority would "bring expertise home".

But the owner of British Airways said the CAA lacked world-class knowledge and could not be ready in time.

Mr Shapps told Aviation Week much of the Cologne-based European Aviation Safety Agency's (EASA) expertise came from the UK and that a lot of its leaders were British.

He said the agency's powers would revert to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) "and the expertise will need to come home to do that, but we'll do it in a gradual way".

'Best option'

The trade body ADS - which represents more than 1,100 UK businesses in the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors - told the BBC the decision could potentially mean products and designs would need to be certified more than once.

For example, EASA is responsible for certifying commercial aircraft for service across the EU and some non-EU European countries.

When the UK ends its membership of EASA, it may need to certify aircraft separately itself.

ADS has estimated that it would take 10 years and cost up to £40m annually to create a UK safety authority with all the expertise of EASA, against a current contribution to the European agency of £1m to £4m a year.

It claimed a new regulatory regime could put jobs in the sector at risk.

"We have been clear that continued participation in EASA is the best option to maintain the competitiveness of our £36bn aerospace industry and our access to global export markets," the trade body said.

It added that the UK's influence within EASA "contributes to raising standards in global aviation" and helped make the industry "attractive to the investment it needs".

British Airways owner IAG said it was "disappointed" with the decision and said the Civil Aviation Authority "does not have the expertise required to operate as a world class safety and technical regulator".

IAG said: "The CAA will require fundamental restructuring from top to bottom which will take time. There is no way that it can be done by 31 December."

Airlines UK, which represents carriers including EasyJet and Ryanair, said its members supported continued membership of EASA - but not at the risk of the UK becoming a "dumb follower of EU rules".

It urged the government to begin negotiations on an air safety agreement with the EU so it could be ready by the end of the year.

The Department for Transport said: "Being a member of the European Aviation Safety Agency is not compatible with the UK having genuine economic and political independence.

"We will maintain world-leading safety standards for industry, with the Civil Aviation Authority taking over these responsibilities, and will continue to work with colleagues in the EU to establish a new regulatory relationship."

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2020-03-08 03:00:37Z
52780651487811

UK will leave EU aviation safety regulator at end of 2020 - BBC News

The UK will leave the European aviation safety regulator after the Brexit transition period, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed.

He said UK membership of the European Aviation Safety Agency - responsible for certifying the airworthiness of planes - would end on 31 December.

He said the UK's Civil Aviation Authority would "bring expertise home".

But the owner of British Airways said the CAA lacked world-class knowledge and could not be ready in time.

Mr Shapps told Aviation Week much of the Cologne-based European Aviation Safety Agency's (EASA) expertise came from the UK and that a lot of its leaders were British.

He said the agency's powers would revert to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) "and the expertise will need to come home to do that, but we'll do it in a gradual way".

'Best option'

The trade body ADS - which represents more than 1,100 UK businesses in the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors - told the BBC the decision could potentially mean products and designs would need to be certified more than once.

For example, EASA is responsible for certifying commercial aircraft for service across the EU and some non-EU European countries.

When the UK ends its membership of EASA, it may need to certify aircraft separately itself.

ADS has estimated that it would take 10 years and cost up to £40m annually to create a UK safety authority with all the expertise of EASA, against a current contribution to the European agency of £1m to £4m a year.

It claimed a new regulatory regime could put jobs in the sector at risk.

"We have been clear that continued participation in EASA is the best option to maintain the competitiveness of our £36bn aerospace industry and our access to global export markets," the trade body said.

It added that the UK's influence within EASA "contributes to raising standards in global aviation" and helped make the industry "attractive to the investment it needs".

British Airways owner IAG said it was "disappointed" with the decision and said the Civil Aviation Authority "does not have the expertise required to operate as a world class safety and technical regulator".

IAG said: "The CAA will require fundamental restructuring from top to bottom which will take time. There is no way that it can be done by 31 December."

Airlines UK, which represents carriers including EasyJet and Ryanair, said its members supported continued membership of EASA - but not at the risk of the UK becoming a "dumb follower of EU rules".

It urged the government to begin negotiations on an air safety agreement with the EU so it could be ready by the end of the year.

The Department for Transport said: "Being a member of the European Aviation Safety Agency is not compatible with the UK having genuine economic and political independence.

"We will maintain world-leading safety standards for industry, with the Civil Aviation Authority taking over these responsibilities, and will continue to work with colleagues in the EU to establish a new regulatory relationship."

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2020-03-08 01:59:38Z
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