QUEEN ELIZABETH the Queen Mother, who celebrates her 100th birthday
in August, accompanied other members of the Royal Family to the Easter
service at St George's chapel at Windsor Castle yesterday.
Dressed in blue and walking steadily with the aid of a stick, as she entered the
chapel she was cheered by a crowd that had gathered on a grass bank
outside. The Queen, in a green dress and matching hat, and Prince Philip
accompanied her. Also among the party were Princess Margaret, Princess
Michael of Kent and the Earl and Countess of Wessex. The Princess Royal
was accompanied by her children, Zara and Peter Phillips.
The Prince of Wales drove Princes William and Harry to the Easter service at
Crathie Kirk, across the Dee from Balmoral, the Queen's Highland estate.
They joined dozens of other churchgoers for the hour-long service led by the
Rev Robert Sloan. The visit was regarded as private, but the Prince smiled
broadly and slowed his car as he waved back to the crowd of 200 locals and
holidaymakers, gathered on the banks of the Dee.
The Prince arrived at Birkhall, the Queen Mother's holiday home on Deeside,
with his sons 10 days ago for a family holiday after their return from a skiing
break at Klosters. He was joined last weekend by Camilla Parker Bowles. It
was the first time the four had stayed on Deeside together.
~*~
New king of Jordan sails to Israel in
peace quest(Electronic Telegraph)
By Ohad Gozani in Tel Aviv
KING ABDULLAH of Jordan yesterday paid his first visit to Israel since
ascending the Hashemite throne and said he hoped that peace with the
Palestinians would be achieved this year.
Following in the footsteps of his late father
- a key Middle East peacemaker - he held
talks with Ehud Barak, the Israeli Prime
Minister, in the Red Sea port of Eilat. The
King sailed his yacht across the Gulf of
Aqaba for the four-hour visit. He was
accompanied by Queen Rania, pregnant
with the couple's third child.
Jordanian and Israeli officials said the
meeting covered negotiations over the
future of the Palestinian self-rule areas and the stalled peace talks with Syria
and Lebanon. The King said on arrival that difficulties on both tracks must be
resolved through the "land for peace" principle.
He added: "I am very hopeful that this year will witness a breakthrough that
will give hope to the Palestinians and the justice they seek, and to the Israeli
people the security that they desire." Mr Barak said he viewed Jordan as a
"full partner in peace" and was counting on its future "contribution to the peace
process".
The royal visit took a low-profile format agreed by the two sides after being
postponed several times, most recently because of Israel's bombing of civilian
installations in Lebanon in a continuing battle with Iranian-backed Hizbollah
guerrillas.It was in keeping with the King's departure from the high-profile
relationship maintained by his father King Hussein, who signed a peace treaty
with Israel in 1994. He died of cancer last year.
The two countries are now said to enjoy close military ties, and plan to set up
joint business ventures, including an international airport on the Gulf of Aqaba.
King Abdullah was reported to be involved in private contacts that enabled
the Syrian-Israeli peace talks to resume in January, only to falter again over
Syrian demands to regain all of the Golan Heights.
Relations between Amman and Damascus have cooled recently. Israel has
given up hope of reaching a peace deal with Syria by July, a key component
in its plan to end its military presence in southern Lebanon. Instead, Mr Barak
seems likely to give the go-ahead for a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the
border zone it occupies.
Mr Barak said Israel and the Palestinians were ready for "highly intensive"
talks on a peace deal both sides seek to clinch by September. Following a
Palestinian request for greater American involvement, Washington's special
envoy, Dennis Ross, will take part in two weeks of talks starting in Eilat next
Sunday.
~*~
King sees shared Jerusalem(BBC News)
King Abdullah of Jordan has suggested that
Jerusalem could be the joint capital of Israel
and a future Palestinian state.
In an interview with Israeli television, the king
said: "When we look at Jerusalem on the
political level, I believe Jerusalem has enough
room for a Palestinian and Israeli capital."
The king - speaking after his return from his
first visit to Israel since being crowned
monarch a year ago - said Jerusalem should
also be a religious centre for all.
During his four-hour
trip, King Abdullah held
meetings with Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud
Barak and other
members of the
government.
Optimism for peace
Both he and Mr Barak
expressed optimism
about the Middle East peace process.
King Abdullah and Mr Barak are believed to
have discussed the Palestinian and Syrian
tracks in the Middle East peace process. On
bilateral issues, little or no progress seems to
have been made.
After the meeting, Mr Barak said their talks had
been positive and productive, and he was
optimistic about the next round with the
Palestinians next Sunday.
"There is a golden
opportunity, with Arafat
in power, with President
Clinton still in power,
with this government in
Israel that wants to
make peace," Mr Barak
said.
King Abdullah said: "We are on the threshold of
a new beginning here in the Middle East, not
only the Palestinian track, but the Syrian
track."
However, he warned that wrangling over small
details was undermining the wider process.
Warm welcome
In a speech of welcome at the Israeli resort of
Eilat, Mr Barak said the peace process would
become stronger as more and more people
benefited from it and called for the
strengthening of the ties between Israel and
Jordan.
The visit is expected to
improve relations
between Israel and
Jordan.
The monarch has not
yet had the warm
relationship with Israeli
leaders that
distinguished his
father, the late King
Hussein.
A scheduled trip in
February was postponed because of tension
over Israel's air attacks on Lebanon.
Jordan plays down visit
King Abdullah's first trip to Israel was
mentioned, but not highlighted, in the
Jordanian press.
The low-key visit was a contrast to the warm
and sometimes effusive approach that King
Hussein adopted with Israeli leaders.
BBC Amman correspondent Barbara Plett says
King Abdullah is committed to the treaty signed
by his father, but he is also sensitive to
widespread discontent with relations with
Israel at home.
~*~
Royal bonnets in the Easter parade (UK Times)
ZARA PHILLIPS and the Countess of Wessex brought a
touch of glamour to the annual royal Easter parade to
church yesterday.
The Countess sported the Bond Street chic and couture
millinery that has come to be expected of the high-flying
career woman. Ms Phillips opted for a less plunging
neckline but higher hemline, revealing a grazed knee, for
the traditional Easter outing for the royals who attended a
special church service in the ground of Windsor Castle.
The Princess Royal's 18-year-old daughter, more at home
in Gloucester than Knightsbridge and known for her love
of outdoor pursuits, seems never happier than when
wearing jeans and a T-shirt but looked every inch her
confident self as she donned her Sunday best and headed
for chapel. The pair joined the Queen and Queen
Elizabeth the Queen Mother for the service.
The Prince of Wales and his sons attended another
service close to Balmoral.
~*~
Easter apart for Royal Family(UK Times)
BY ALAN HAMILTON
MEMBERS of the Royal Family attended Easter church
services 600 miles apart yesterday. Queen Elizabeth the
Queen Mother, dressed in blue and walking steadily with
the aid of a stick, appeared cheerful and relaxed as she
arrived at St George's Chapel within the precincts of
Windsor Castle.
Smiling and waving at a crowd of several hundred who
had gathered to watch and cheer, the Queen Mother
seemed set fair to achieve her 100th birthday in August.
She was accompanied by the Queen in a green dress and
hat, who spent the weekend at Windsor celebrating her
74th birthday, and by the Duke of Edinburgh. They were
joined for the hour-long service by Princess Margaret, the
Earl and Countess of Wessex, and the Princess Royal
with her children, Peter, 22, and Zara, 18.
In Scotland the Prince of Wales drove Prince William and
Prince Harry to Crathie Kirk by the gates of Balmoral
estate for the regular Sunday service. The three princes
joined the regular congregation for the service conducted
by the Rev Robert Sloan.
As in previous years, the Prince and his sons are spending
Easter at Birkhall, the Queen Mother's house on the
Balmoral estate near Ballater, after skiing at Klosters.
Prince William, 18 in June, will shortly begin his last term
at Eton. When he leaves he is expected to spend a gap
year abroad before taking up a place at university,
provided he achieves the necessary A-level grades. No
announcement has been made, but favourites are said to
be Edinburgh, St Andrews and Bristol.