ENGLISH LITTLE CORNER

 

ENGLISH LITTLE CORNER

By. Gloria Garcia

The Prince-Philippe Duke of Edinburgh the most enduring royal consort

 

Prince Philip (Duke of Edinburgh) 1921-2021 was the royal consort who lived the longest as the husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

Top image: Wedding of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip (@theroyalfamil) and Photos of Prince Philip's funeral from Dailymail.  Photo dailymail.

 

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the commonwealth has died peacefully in Windsor Castle on the 9^th April 2021 just two months short of his 100^th Birthday.  His Funeral took place on 17^th April in a closed ceremony at in St Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle.

The Duke's coffin arriving at the chapel.

 

He was the longest serving royal consort in British history.   His wish was for a small funeral and he declined the offer of a state funeral.  He was given a royal ceremonial funeral.  Flags on Government buildings were lowered to half-mast but the flag above Windsor Castle fly’s high to represent the living monarch.

The queen of sorrow, sitting in the church as she says goodbye to her husband at his funeral.  she maintaining all protocol due to the circumstances of the pandemic.

Prince Harry flew back from California for the funeral but Meghan did not get medical clearance to travel as she is pregnant with the couples 2^nd child.

 

His funeral was attended by close family only.

 

He was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark in 1921 in Greece but his family were exiled from there when he was just 18 months old.  He was educated all over Europe before joining the British Navy in in 1939.

The coffin of the Duke of Edinburgh, covered with the personal banner of His Royal Highness.

Philip was given permission to marry Elizabeth by her father George VI in 1947 but only after he became a naturalised British Citizen forgoing his ties to the House of Glucksburg and adopting the surname of Mountbatten which was his maternal Grandparents Surname.  They were married later that year.   Philips 4 sisters all married German Princes, some of which had ties to the Nazi Party.   They were not invited to the wedding.

Kepis and insignia of Admiral Prince Philip

The Queen and her family march together

 

To begin with the British public were not very keen on having the Elizabeth marrying a someone from a German household as WWII was still fresh in their memories but they slowly became more used to it.  When Elizabeth became Queen in 1952 Phillip retired from the Navy.

He went on to represent Britain at over 20,000 royal engagements giving more than 5,000 speeches.  He was a believer in youth self-development and charity and set up the Duke of Edinburgh Award for young people aged between 14 and 24 and he was the patron of more than 800 Organisations.

The Prime Minister of England paying tribute to Prince Philip during the minute of silence.

His funeral was attended by close family only.  Members of the Household Cavalry lined the west steps of the Chapel and 8 pall bearers from the Royal Marines carried the coffin.   The Queen sat alone during the ceremony and other mourners were asked to sit 2 metres apart.  

Around 730 members of the Armed Forces were present at Windsor Castle including 4 marching bands. 

Following the Funeral the Queen invited 15 family members back to Windsor Castle for a reception.  This move is in line with the government guidelines on Corona virus.

 

Gloria García  hails from Guadalajara de Buga-Colombia. She is graduated  from the University  of East London with a BA (Hons) in Graphic Design  and Artistic Photography.

She has exhibited her work in the Parallax  Art Fair and currenty she also participates and assists with the curating at the Conference Centre St Pancras  Gallery based at St Pancras Hospital en London. Particularly she  is involved  with  the Loudest Whispers LGBT exhibitions that take place  through the year.She feels great to be involved and collaborate  with other artists at all levels of experience.

Now she has the opportunity to collaborate with the magazine imagen de los vallecaucanos based in Colombia. It gives her the chance to make her contribution  to thr news with her colum “English Little Corner”.

 

Colombia has always been important to her identity and as the world grows smaller she wishes to share her London perspective with the people back home and also bring a bit of spice to London.

 

Get well soon!

By Gloria Garcia.

 

Who would have imagined that after almost a whole year of restrictions and multiple lockdowns that Covid 19 would still be having such a wide impact on our lives.

 

Top image of Horseguard's Parade, the headquarters of the Queen's soldiers, the site of the parade and ceremony to celebrate World War II Victory Day, photo by Gloria Garcia.

We visited Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Regent Street and Horseguard’s Parade. 

I have never seen London so quiet in all my years of living here.

Regent Street Photo by Gloria García. 

Piccadilly exit.Photo by Gloria García. 

With the warmth of Spring now upon us we wanted to see if the feeling of hope was coming back to the City.

I decided to meet up with my friend Stephen who was working for one of the UK’s leading clothing brands called Top Shop until they were forced to close last month and he lost his job.

With my friend Stephen, at the Piccadilly Circus Memorial Fountain, we toast to the health of the earth. 

When some one is sick a balloon with flowers or chocolates  is given  to say get well soon! this is what we mean  to say to mother earth  with this balloon

Photo by Gloria García. 

We wanted to spread the message to the world to “Get Well Soon” and we visited some of London’s famous landmarks to see how the City is doing during.

Trafalgar Square.National Gallery.Photo by Gloria García.                                          

Monument to the legendary Admiral Nelson in Trafalgar Square.  

Photo by Garcia Gloria.

Horseguard's Parade.Photo by Gloria Garcia. 

 The Queen's Soldier at Horseguard's Parade. Queen of England's Soldiers Headquarters. Photo by Gloria Garcia.  

We met Theatre Producer Christopher D Clegg who is opening a new Agatha Christie based show at the Garrick Theatre.  He was confidently optimistic about opening his show to live audiences soon.

Like every city, London is on it’s knees but the UK has now seen a steady reduction in the infection rate of Covid 19 and the Prime Minister Boris Johnston and his advisers have decided to begin relaxing restrictions as of next month. 

Lets hope the London and rest of the world can “Get Well Soon”  

A little bit of history about Trafalgar Square 

 Trafalgar Square is a famous place in London to visit.

 Several people confuse the statue, which is at the highest point of the column, with that of Napoleon Bonaparte, due to the pose that characterized it.

 However, quite the opposite, corresponds to one of the men who fought it with all his strength, as was the legendary Admiral Nelson.

 

Biographical data 

 Admiral Horatio Nelson was born in Burham Thorpe, Norfolk, England on September 29, 1758. His father was Edmund Nelson, his mother Catherine Suckling, who died when Nelson was 9 years old and was placed in the care of Marine Captain Maurice Suckling,  his maternal uncle.  This had a great influence on Nelson who followed in his footsteps.  At just 12 years old, he began his sailing on the ship Reasonable, captained by his uncle.

 He is appointed a Marine Lieutenant in 1777 and during that time he fought in the American War of Independence in the British Army.

 Battles of Admiral Nelson

 There were many battles in which Admiral Nelson participated.  Throughout his naval career he had triumphs that guaranteed him a place in history, but he also suffered some defeats.  Among the battles where Admiral Nelson participated are:

 • American War of Independence.

 • Expedition to San Juan.

 • French revolutionary wars.

 • Napoleonic Wars.

 • Siege of Calvi (Loses an eye).

 • Battle of Cabo de San Vicente.

 • Attack against Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Loses an arm).

 • Blockade of Cádiz.

 • First Battle of Copenhagen.

 • Battle of the Nile.

 • Battle of Trafalgar.

 However, within the most significant battles of his life, 3 stood out, which were the following:

 Battle of the Nile

 This battle was the turning point of the naval campaign spread throughout the Mediterranean Sea.  This campaign took place for three months when a convoy from France left Toulon for Alexandria.

 In the convoy was a military force commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte.  In this battle the British forces commanded by Nelson defeated the French.

 First battle of Copenhagen

 It took place on April 2, 1801 between the British fleet commanded by Admiral Hyde Parker against the Norwegian and Danish fleets.  In this confrontation, the attack carried out by Admiral Nelson became famous.

 Despite being ordered to retreat by Admiral Parker, Nelson is insubordinate and destroys most of the enemy ships.  This victory ended hostilities, causing Denmark to sign separation from the league.

 Battle of Trafalgar

 Admiral Nelson executes a daring maneuver to destroy the enemy formation, on October 21, 1805. This is accomplished through a simultaneous attack by two divisions, commanded one by him and the other by Collingwood.

 The unmotivated crews and indecisions of Admiral Villenueve in command of the French-Spanish fleet led Admiral Nelson to glorious victory.  Although Nelson paid for that victory with his life, as he lost his life in that battle aboard his flagship, the Victory.

The legacy of Admiral Nelson

  Admiral Nelson marked an era in world naval history, leaving very significant lessons in naval warfare, where the English navy was the most powerful during the 18th and 19th centuries, due to the admiral's intelligence, strategy and vision of combat.  Nelson.

 His victories won from him for the United Kingdom in the three most significant battles of his career, prevented Napoleonic France from invading England, taking control of the sea, and dominating all of Europe.

 Admiral Nelson made a difference in the way he fought at sea.  He showed that being convinced of obtaining victory with the constant and arduous preparation of the men and the surprise factor are decisive in achieving victory.  Many monuments were erected in his honor, Trafalgar Square being the most important.

  The death of Admiral Nelson

 On October 21, 1805, Admiral Nelson lost his life in combat.  When the victorious battle of Trafalgar was close to completion, he was shot in the shoulder through the lung and pierced through the spine.  He fell into the arms of his Captain Thomas Hardy and before dying he saw victory assured.

 

OOPS WE DID IT AGAIN! 

This is my little English corner that comes to tell you how the famous Oxford Street in London looks like and feels without people. The headline is inspiredby the famous American singer Britney Spears' song, OOPS, We do it again!

As the big winter festivities of 2020 approach we look forward to celebrating the end of an odd year. Before our optimism for 2021 can start to build up too much we in the UK enter a second Covid 19 lockdown beginning on 5th of November and running for the next 4 weeks.

In years gone by you would have pictured the busy build up to the biggest festival of the year. No, not “Black Friday” I am of course talking about Christmas in London. Stroll to the big shops, getting the gifts early and all the excitement that this season can bring. For many Londoners and visitors to the city this would usually involve a trip to Oxford Street.

Oxford Street is the world's biggest high street. It offers 1.5 miles of unrivalled shopping, with more than 90 flagship stores, from fashion and beauty, to tech and homeware. Oxford Street is the ultimate shopping paradise.

Selfridges was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge in 1908.

The flagship store on London's Oxford Street is the second largest shop in the UK (after Harrods).

The shop's early history was dramatised in ITV's 2013 series, “Mr Selfridge”.

Tourists queue to look upon the lavish window displays at Christmas time.Lying next to it are a collection of the UK’s finest stores including John Lewis, House of Fraser, Debenham’s, HMV and many other household high street names.

My tour for this article started out from Tottenham Court Road Station, where Oxford Street begins and making my journey through what would normally be the heartbeat of Europe’s most exciting consumer experience and onwards past the Stations of Oxford Circus, Bond Street and finishing up at Marble Arch Station where Oxford Street come to an end.

Walking along in front of the empty stores brought back to me memories of decadent window displays and elegant Christmas lights of yesteryear. Mannequins wearing the latest fashions, so inviting and toys stacked high to bring joy to children and making Father Christmas busy with overnight deliveries to plan.

This once magical wonderland has suffered a lot under the cloud of Covid 19. According to figures released by the NWEG (New West End Group) the amount of visitors to the area has fallen by 63% in relation to 2019, down 50%. Shops on Oxford Street and the surrounding area are projected to lose out on something in the region of £5 Billion and 50,000 jobs are at risk with many stores being forced to close down.

It is not just the lack of tourists that have affected sales. The local office workers account for approximately half the areas economy and they are staying away as Infection rates in the UK are once again on an upward trajectory.

That’s mi little English corner comes about to tell you how the famous of Oxford Streets feels without people.

Every year in the beginning of November Oxford Street is illuminated with the tradition of lights on in an opening ceremony. They stay on until the 6th of January. The lights are a tourist attraction in themselves and famous around the world.

Originally the shops were smaller but at the end of the 19th Century the Department Stores began to appear. Oxford Street suffered considerable bombing during the Second World War and many buildings were damaged and required rebuilding.

Following the end of WWII, Oxford Street grew more affluent and soon established itself as the heart of the West End of London shopping experience and the premier retail street in the whole of Europe

The William Shakespeare statue. Photography Gloria García.

Shakespeare shares his loneliness with movie legends

Shakespeare shares his loneliness with the movie legends, it could be the most successful headline at Leicester Square, at the centre of London's Theatreland.

The usual crowds of people and tourists who come to Leicester Square Gardens to be seen, are no longer seen in large numbers. The benches are almost deserted where you normally find throngs of people. At its centre stands the emblematic statue of the genius of literature and dramaturgy, whose figure is surrounded by several of the bronze sculptures of iconic characters from the cinema.

Some knowledge about the characters

The fat and skinny sculpture. Photography Gloria García

The fat and skinny sculpture was the name given to the Spanish comic duo Laurel and Hardy (English), although occasionally they are also called "Laurel and Hardy" in Spanish, the literal translation. It was formed by the actors Oliver Hardy (elGordo) and Stan Laurel (el Flaco), American and British, respectively.

Their career as a couple began in the silent film in the 1920s and lasted until the second half of the 20th century. Considered one of the best comedy couples in the cinema, they managed to combine their different comedy styles in an almost perfect synchrony.

The sculpture of the actor Gene Kelly in the movie "Singing in the Rain". Photography Gloria García.

 

Singing in the Rain: (original title: Singin 'in the Rain) is a 1952 musical film

Directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. It stars Gene Kelly, one of the greatest dancers and choreographers that cinema has seen in its entire history, Donald O'Connor,Debbie Reynolds. Made according to the classic schemes of the MGM, it has its inspiration in the entire series of Broadway Melodies that were performed in Hollywood  in the 30s and 40s, coinciding with the appearance of sound cinema.

The film was a great success thanks to its dance scenes, especially Gene Kelly in the rain, when he sings the song that gives the film its title. It was released in April and was the highest grossing film during that month and the tenth in 1952. It is considered the best musical in American cinema by the American Film Institute.

The Charles Chaplin sculpture. Photography Gloria García.

"Charlie" Chaplin

Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin (London, England, UK; April 16, 1889-Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland; December 25, 1977). Actor, humorist, songwriter,producer, screenwriter, director, writer and editor English. He gained great popularity in the silent movies thanks to the multiple films he made with his character Charlotte. It is considered a symbol of humor and silent cinema.

Towards the end of the First World War, he was one of the most recognized men in world cinematography.

He received multiple recognitions and nominations such as the Oscar Honorary

Prize in 1928 and 1972, he was a candidate for the Nobel Prize for Pazen 1948,he was appointed Knight of the Order of the British Empire in 1975 and a starwas placed with his name in the Hollywooden Fame 1970

.

William Shakespeare.

The William Shakespeare statue. Photography Gloria García.

William Shakespeare (Stratford on Avon, UK, 1564 - id., 1616) (52 years old). Playwright, poet and actor. Considered the most important writer in the English language and one of the most famous in world literature.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the greatest writer of all time, a unique figure in the history of literature. The fame of other poets, such as Homer and Dante Alighieri, or novelists such as Leo Tolstoy, Charles Dickens, has transcended national barriers, but none of them has risen to the reputation of Shakespeare, whose works are read and performed today. more frequently and in more countries than ever. The prophecy of one of his great contemporaries, Ben Jonson (English Renaissance playwright, poet, and actor) has therefore been fulfilled: "Shakespeare does not belong to a single epoch but to eternity."

Gloria García and Mr. Bean.

Here Mr. Bean asking for a mask, since his was "Gone with the wind"

About the Statues

To destroy the statues is to destroy the memories of our history 

While the reactions of people in countries such as the United States where statues are destroyed in protest against racism are known, it is worth reflecting how those same sculptures and monuments that are destroyed are part of the memory of each nation that when erasing the memory will end up suffering from a fatal Alzheimer's and what can be of a humanity without memories and memory?

Gloria García  hails from Guadalajara de Buga-Colombia. She is graduated  from the University  of East London with a BA (Hons) in Graphic Design  and Artistic Photography.

She has exhibited her work in the Parallax  Art Fair and currenty she also participates and assists with the curating at the Conference Centre St Pancras  Gallery based at St Pancras Hospital en London. Particularly she  is involved  with  the Loudest Whispers LGBT exhibitions that take place  through the year.She feels great to be involved and collaborate  with other artists at all levels of experience.

Now she has the opportunity to collaborate with the magazine imagen de los vallecaucanos based in Colombia. It gives her the chance to make her contribution  to thr news with her colum “English Little Corner”.

Colombia has always been important to her identity and as the world grows smaller she wishes to share her London perspective with the people back home and also bring a bit of spice to London.

Easing of the Lockdown in the UK

My neighbor gives me her victory sign.(Photo Credit: Gloria Garcia)

After 10 weeks of government advice to “Stay at Home” the nations of the UK are beginning to relax their restrictions from Monday 1st June. The government

faces increasing pressure as we move into the summer months and the economybegins to show signs of fragility.

The UK is made up of 4 nations including England, Northern Ireland, Scotland

and Wales. Each country is locally governed and each country is offering slightly

different advice.

Londoners enjoying the weather in a London Park.(Photo Credit – TheGuardian.com  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/29/uk-lockdown-rules-what-are-the-key-changes)

In England you can now meet up to 6 people can meet outdoors whereas in

Northern Ireland the restrictions have already been relaxed to include meeting 6

people outdoors. In Scotland the general public have been advised that they can

meet with one other family in groups of no more than 8 people. As of Monday

Wales will follow suit and allow a similar relaxation of the rules.

Back to work for some

Construction workers are permitted to return to work as well as those who are
no longer able to stay at home and work from home. Those who can work from
home are advised to continue doing so.

Construction Workers wait for a bus outside a London Station.(Photo Credit : Gloria Garcia)

Social Distancing

The public now regards social distancing as a part of daily life. Many people
continue to wear their facemasks and gloves when they are outside. Shops
continue to allow only a limited numbers of customers in at a time
Whilst out shopping I met one of my neighbour’s. She had been waiting a long
time in the queue and was glad to have made it to the front. First Photo.

(Photo Credit: Gloria Garcia)
We must now start to accept that social distancing will be part of our lives for the near future until the Corona Virus is firmly put under control around the world.

Schools

Schools have remained open for the children of Key Workers but the government has now advised that Primary Schools can reopen from Monday 1stJune for roughly half the pupils with social distancing advice keeping the children at least 2 meters apart.

Government Advisor Breaks the Rules

Prime Minister Boris Johnson also came under fire this week when it became
apparent that his Chief Advisor Dominic Cumming’s travelled 260 miles with his
wife and child to his family home and went on a 30 mile day trip to a local castle.
A live press conference was held and Mr Johnson came under scrutiny for not
sacking Mr Cummings for his non-adherence to the Lockdown restrictions.

Patrick Roach – General Secretary of the NASUWT says the advice from the Government is “dodgy and unhelpful” (Photo Credit: ITV News     https://www.itv.com/news/2020-04-12/government-advice-on-teachers-not-needing-ppe-is-unhelpful-union-leader-warns/

School Workers Unions like the NASUWT (National Teachers Union) are
unhappy as no PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is being provided to
teachers or school staff. Fears of a second wave outbreak of the Covid 19 virus
are widespread. With just 6 weeks left of School before the summer holidays
many parents are feeling cautious about returning their children to a potentially
unsafe environment.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s advisor Dominic Cummings answers questions regarding his controversial movements during lockdown.(Photo Credit:TheTelegraph.co.uk –https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/05/29/dominic-cummings-coronavirus-wife-castle-petition/)


The British public was particularly upset as many of them had missed funerals of
family members or had been able to visit sick or elderly relatives in light of the
government advice whilst Dominic Cummings who was heavily involved in
setting the rules went on to ignore them. He declared that he thought that his
actions were legal and within the limits of the lockdown rules.

UK celebrated 75 years of victory in Europe

Photo: Gloria Garcia The United Kingdom celebrated 75 years of victory in Europe during World War II, commemorating what was the un conditional surrender of German forces.

 by: Gloria García

Image from Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel signing a second unconditional surrender document from Germany on May 8. The first, ratified the previous day, had not been to Stalin's liking for not taking place in Berlin. Photo: US National Archives.

Some history to remember

The surrender act was initially signed by the German general Alfred Jodl, number two of the Wehrmacht, on May 7, 1945 at the Allied headquarters in Reims, France and ratified on May 8, a date that is celebrated with several demonstrations. The ratification was due to the failure of Joseph Stalin, the Russian leader, to agree to the terms of the surrender, demanding that it be endorsed at Soviet headquarters in Karlshorst, Berlin (also turned into a museum), the ceremony being repeated on 8 May 1945, before the representatives of the three allied powers of Great Britain, the United States and Russia, plus France, who were allowed to be present at the event, the capitulation act being signed by Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, head of the German armed forces, who along with General Jodl were tried in Nuremberg for war crimes and sentenced to hang

England, with all the countries of the United Kingdom, had a fundamental role in the arrest of the Nazi war machine and extermination, being the nation that made the determination to declare war on Hitler in 1939, when he was lining up to invade Poland and initiate its plan of total war for the supremacy of the European territory, imposing its regime of terror and destruction in which more than six million Jews, gypsies, disabled people died (those considered as useless that degenerated the pure German race) and Europeans seen as enemies of the so-called German Third Reich.

It should be noted that Great Britain, with its Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, had a firm and determined stance during the course of the war, in which it always affirmed that it would never surrender and fight to the end for the defeat of the enemy, being the only country who fought alone against Germany and its axis allies (Italy and Japan), from September 1, 1939 to September 2, 1945. This is how the UK celebrated the occasion during "quarantine".

The Royal Air Force (RAF) organized a flight passing from Buckingham Palace with the national colors for said celebration.

People in the UK were encouraged to celebrate at a distance. It was a national holiday in the United Kingdom, which is normally celebrated on a Monday, but this year it was moved to Friday in honor of the occasion. The celebration was through virtual media from National Television, with many families who followed her from their homes. Photo: Courtesy of Kathleen Patricia & keefe

11 am. There was a minute of silence for the heroes and for those who gave their lives in the war, which was followed from the front of the houses and gardens.

Photo. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, repeating his symbolic sign of victory, celebrates the Allied victory in Europe with the unconditional surrender of German forces.

3pm. A speech by then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill was televised.

6pm. At dinner time, the glasses were raised to toast all the neighbors. Photo: Courtesy of Kathleen Patricia & keefe.

The British public celebrated from their homes and gardens, keeping the security protocol, drinking a good tea, which can not be missing in the tradition of anauthentic English.

Images from the concert at Buckingham Palace.