THE artist Elizabeth Blackadder was appointed "painter laureate" yesterday by the Queen. Blackadder is the first woman to hold the 300-year-old position of Her Majesty's Painter and Limner in Scotland.
There is no English equivalent. The Edinburgh-based artist was nominated for the unpaid historic post by Donald Dewar, Scotland's late First Minister. Previous incumbents include Sir Henry Raeburn and Sir David Wilkie. Blackadder, 68, is best known for her pictures of flowers and cats.
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Prince to visit people made homeless by floods(Yahoo: Reuters)
People who are still homeless three months after their properties were flooded are to receive a visit from the Prince of Wales.
On Monday, the Prince will meet householders still struggling to clear up the devastation to their homes.
He has asked to go to Stockbridge, on the outskirts of Keighley, West Yorkshire, where families from more than 100 houses are still living in temporary accommodation.
Charles will see the damage done by flooding at the end of October last year and thank members of the emergency services who helped evacuate people from their homes.
He will visit Stockbridge's worst affected streets where waters engulfed homes when the River Aire burst its banks.
Earlier this month, a councillor in Stockbridge called on the Prince to come and see for himself how locals "still have a disaster on their hands".
The Prince went on a similar visit to North Yorkshire last November to witness the clear-up operation after the worst flooding anyone could remember swamped historic York and surrounding areas.
During Monday's Yorkshire trip, Charles will also visit Keighley's award winning brewery Timothy Taylor as well as the Samaritans in Bradford and the city's Little Germany area.