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    She Found a Home in Music. Now She’s the Composer for the King.

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    Errollyn Wallen, a Belize-born artist who has been named master of music by King Charles, discusses music as an escape, confronting racism and living by the sea.The call from Buckingham Palace came on a summer morning, when Errollyn Wallen, wearing a pink onesie with pom-pom trim, had just finished a breakfast of toast and marmalade at her seaside home in Scotland.A private secretary for the British royal family had phoned with momentous news: King Charles III wanted Wallen to serve as Master of the King’s Music, an honorary position roughly equivalent to that of poet laureate.Wallen, a composer and a pianist who was born in Belize, a former British colony, has spent her career challenging conventions in classical music.“I was astonished,” Wallen, 66, said in a recent Zoom interview. “I paused for a few moments, then cheerfully accepted.”Wallen, whose appointment was announced in August, is the first Black woman to serve in the role, which was created during the reign of King Charles I in the 17th century. While there are no fixed duties, Wallen is part of the royal household and will likely be called upon to compose pieces for special occasions, including weddings, jubilees and coronations. She is expected to hold the post for 10 years.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Virginia Ogilvy, Confidante to Queen Elizabeth II, Dies at 91

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      Born into New York wealth and married to a Scottish earl, she was the only American-born lady-in-waiting to the queen, serving for nearly 50 years.Virginia Ogilvy, the Countess of Airlie, who served Queen Elizabeth II for nearly 50 years as the only American-born member of the monarch’s inner circle of advisers, assistants and close friends known as the ladies-in-waiting, died on Aug. 16 at her estate in Cortachy, a village in Scotland. She was 91.Her daughter Lady Elizabeth Baring confirmed the death.Ladies-in-waiting, a position dating to the Middle Ages, carried out different tasks under different queens, including planning, correspondence and household administration.But in all cases the most important task was to serve as a sort of official best friend, requiring discretion, an ear for gossip and a careful eye on the queen’s needs and wants. By tradition and necessity, the role is usually held by a peer, in part because it comes without salary or benefits.Lady Ogilvy’s husband, David, the Earl of Airlie, had been friends with Queen Elizabeth since they were children, and the couple were long a part of her social circle. Both would join her household: Lady Ogilvy in 1973 and her husband in 1984, taking the role of Lord Chamberlain of the Household, overseeing the queen’s domestic affairs after a long career in banking.Lady Ogilvy was something of a first among equals in the ranks of the ladies-in-waiting, with the official title of Lady of the Bedchamber. She and the queen were by all accounts quite close; the queen even joined Lady Ogilvy at her 70th birthday party, at Annabel’s, a members-only nightclub in London, an event celebrated in the British news media as the only time the queen went clubbing.Lady Ogilvy with her husband, David Ogilvy, at a state banquet in 1992. In public she wore the pearl-and-diamond encrusted Airlie Tiara, a jewelry piece created for her husband’s grandmother.Terry Fincher/The Fincher Files/Popperfoto, via Getty ImagesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Norway’s Princess Martha Louise Weds Self-Proclaimed Shaman Durek Verrett

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      The nuptials of Princess Martha Louise and Durek Verrett attracted huge public interest and a streaming deal for a couple trying to reclaim their narrative after years of bad press.There was no castle, nor were there throngs of exuberant crowds to celebrate this royal wedding. Nonetheless, the nuptials on Saturday of a Norwegian princess and an American self-described shaman attracted public fascination at home and a Netflix deal abroad.The royal involved — Princess Martha Louise, daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway — wed the American, Durek Verrett, after years of often mocking public scrutiny, largely because of Mr. Verrett’s alternative views on health and wellness. The ceremony, a private affair in the remote, picturesque Norwegian village of Geiranger, attracted a gaggle of reporters and a modest crowd of curious residents.The couple sailed into Geiranger, nestled in the majestic Geirangerfjord, a world heritage site, on the royal yacht on Friday, along with members of the royal family, including King Harald and Queen Sonja, according to an official statement.The celebrations on Saturday began with brunch, with the option of a spa treatment available for all guests, according to a copy of the program seen by The New York Times. The day’s schedule also included an afternoon tea, early evening cocktails and a gala dinner. At 10:50 p.m., “the party begins,” the program said, promising late night snacks at 1 a.m.The ceremony itself was held in a marquee on a farm whose meadows overlook the fjords. The couple, stung by the years of critical news coverage, had tried — and failed — to keep the location a secret. The three-day event was privately financed, the royal family said, but that did not stop reporters from speculating about the cost of security arrangements for those attending.The ceremony itself was held on Saturday in a marquee on a farm whose meadows overlook the fjords.Heiko Junge/NTB, via ReutersWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      U.K. Royal Family Gets Financial Boost From Offshore Wind and Palaces

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      Profits at the Crown Estate doubled thanks to offshore wind deals, while visitors to royal palaces are almost back to prepandemic levels.New reports on the finances of Britain’s royal family and its ancient property portfolio have revealed a double dose of good news for the household, which has been destabilized by illness and injury in recent months.Profits from the Crown Estate, which oversees the royal family’s massive land and property holdings, jumped to £1.1 billion (about $1.4 billion) from £442.6 million in the previous year, according to the estate’s annual report, mainly thanks to deals involving the leasing of seabed sites to offshore wind producers.As a result, the money the royal family receives from the government — known as the sovereign grant — will rise to £132 million in 2025-2026, up from £86.3 million in recent years.For centuries, net profits from the Crown Estate have been passed to the government, in return for a fixed yearly payment to fund the royal family and its duties. Since 2012, this payment has taken the form of the sovereign grant, which is calculated as a percentage of the estate’s profits.King Charles previously requested that the anticipated surge in profits from the wind power deals be used for the “wider public good.” As a result, the previous government agreed to reduce the sovereign grant to 12 percent of net profits from this year onward, down from 25 percent. If the grant had remained at 25 percent, the king would have received £275 million instead of £132 million, a huge rise that could have jeopardized the royal family’s popularity at a time when much of Britain is still mired in a cost-of-living crisis.The chief executive of the Crown Estate, Dan Labbad, wrote in the annual report that the profit boost was “short term in nature,” adding that over the coming years “revenue and valuation will normalize.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Kate, Princess of Wales, Plans to Attend Wimbledon Final

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      The princess has stepped back from the public eye since her cancer diagnosis earlier this year.Catherine, Princess of Wales, appeared on Sunday afternoon at the Wimbledon tennis championship in London, a further step in her cautious return to public appearances after her cancer diagnosis.She took her seat in the front row of the royal box, to prolonged applause, about five minutes before the men’s singles final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic was scheduled to start at 2 p.m. She wore a bright purple dress and gold earrings, and was joined by her daughter, Princess Charlotte.A wonderful Centre Court welcome for our Patron HRH The Princess of Wales 💜#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/HGcphka27P— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 14, 2024

      The Princess of Wales has long been one of the most visible and most popular members of the royal family. But she stepped back from royal duties after having abdominal surgery in January, and her announcement in March that she had begun chemotherapy prompted a flood of concern about her health.She largely stayed out of public view — save for a statement to the public last month saying that she was “not out of the woods yet” and thanking supporters for their well wishes — until June, when she joined her family at Buckingham Palace for a military parade, called Trooping the Color, to mark the king’s birthday.Wimbledon is a familiar setting, with the promise of a friendly and enthusiastic crowd.Catherine — a high school athlete who has repeatedly played sports as a working royal — has been a fixture at the tournament. She is the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (commonly known as Wimbledon), a role she has held since 2016. She did not attend the women’s final on Saturday, although she has previously awarded trophies to both winners.Catherine’s husband, Prince William, will also attend a major sporting event on Sunday, Kensington Palace said: The final of Euro 2024 in Berlin, where the English men’s soccer team will face Spain. The match begins at 9 p.m. in Germany.That match is the subject of more intense excitement in England, which has been treating the occasion as something of a national holiday — the men’s team has not won a major international tournament since the 1966 World Cup.A formal national holiday may yet follow. When asked about the idea at the NATO summit in Washington this past week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters that England “should certainly mark the occasion” if the team won, adding, “I don’t want to jinx anything.”But William’s and Catherine’s public appearances come at a tough time for the family, whose public-facing ranks have been thinned by scandal and sickness.King Charles III announced in February that he had cancer, and took a step back before returning to public duties in April. Princess Anne, his younger sister, was hospitalized for five days in June after suffering a concussion. More

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      Princess Anne Hospitalized With Minor Injuries

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      The younger sister of King Charles III sustained a concussion after an incident on Sunday, Buckingham Palace said.Princess Anne, the younger sister of King Charles III, was hospitalized on Sunday evening after suffering a concussion and other minor injuries in an unspecified accident, Buckingham Palace said on Monday.The palace said Anne, 73, remained in Southmead Hospital in Bristol, but was expected to “make a full and swift recovery.” A spokesman said the princess “is recovering well, is in a comfortable condition and is being kept in hospital as a precautionary measure for further observation.”The palace offered no details on the nature of the accident, which occurred while Anne was walking on the grounds of Gatcombe Park, a sprawling estate in Gloucestershire that serves as her country residence.A person familiar with the royal family said there were horses in the area where Anne was injured, and that her head wounds were consistent with having had contact with the legs or head of a horse. Anne is an accomplished equestrian who competed for Britain in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.The palace said Anne’s injuries would force her to postpone a trip to Canada later in the week. She will also miss a state banquet for Emperor Naruhito of Japan, and his wife, Empress Masako, a palace official said, that is being hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla on Tuesday evening.Charles has been kept closely informed, the palace added, saying that he joined the whole royal family in “sending his fondest love and well wishes to the princess for a speedy recovery.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      The Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, Marries Olivia Henson in Royal Wedding

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      Hugh Grosvenor, the seventh Duke of Westminster, married Olivia Henson today at the Chester Cathedral in Chester, England, with Prince William serving as usher.The society wedding of the year — as it was called by British tabloids — went off without a hitch on Friday at noon. Hugh Grosvenor, the seventh Duke of Westminster and one of the richest people in the United Kingdom, married Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral, a centuries-old Gothic church in England.Despite the rapid winds, hundreds of observers and even a few protesters gathered outside to catch a glimpse of the duke, 33, the new duchess, 31, and William, Prince of Wales, a close friend of the groom and an usher at the wedding. (He attended without Catherine, Princess of Wales, who is currently undergoing treatment for cancer.)The Very Rev. Dr. Tim Stratford, the Dean of Chester, led and officiated the Anglican service. Ms. Henson arrived in a vintage 1930 Bentley with her father, Rupert Henson, wearing a floor-length silk crepe satin dress with a six-and-a-half-foot detachable train and an embroidered veil inspired by one that Ms. Henson’s great-great-grandmother wore in the 1880s. The look was designed by Emma Victoria Payne, who is based in London. A hefty dose of sparkle was added with the Faberge Myrtle Leaf Tiara, which various Grosvenor women have worn since its creation in 1906.Birch trees lined the inside of the cathedral, and flower decorations included roses and campanula. Many of the flowers will be repurposed as bouquets for local charities and other organizations.Natalia Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster and mother of the groom, waving alongside Rupert Henson, the bride’s father, after the ceremony.Oli Scarff/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesPrince William, center, engages in conversation with other guests outside the Chester Cathedral following the wedding ceremony.Peter Byrne/Press Association, via Associated PressAfter the ceremony, the newlyweds shared their first public kiss as a married couple before around 400 guests celebrated their union at the nearby Eaton Hall, which has been the home of the duke’s family since the 1400s. Eaton Hall sits on an 11,000-acre estate in Cheshire County, a four-hour drive northwest of London.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Collectors Line Up in London as King Charles Bank Notes Are Released

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      A steady stream of people lined up at the Bank of England on Wednesday to get what they hoped would be collector’s items: the first bank notes featuring the portrait of King Charles III.Bank notes can still be exciting in our increasingly cashless society.On Wednesday morning, in front of the Bank of England headquarters, a queue — that’s a British line, which is the same as an American line but more orderly — formed, as people walked out with collector’s items: the first bills with King Charles III’s portrait on them.In the queue were avid coin collectors, people with nostalgic feelings toward the new bank note (the first in their lifetime showing a new monarch) and the odd tourist who happened to need old money changed.The bank has issued 5, 10, 20 and 50 pound bills with the new designs, which are similar in color scheme to the bills in circulation with Queen Elizabeth II on them. Bills with the Queen’s portrait on them will remain in circulation across the country, alongside the ones with King Charles.Although Brits are accustomed to seeing the monarch on their money, it wasn’t always the case. The Bank of England began printing bank notes in 1725, but it was not until 1960 that bills featured the monarch. Until that time, Britannia — the personification of Britain — had been the only character on the bills.The modest but steady line moved along swiftly on Wednesday, with people spending no more than 20 minutes to exchange their money.An orderly line outside the Bank of England headquarters in central London, on Wednesday.Claire Moses/The New York TimesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Prince Harry Now Officially Resident in U.S., Documents Show

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      For years, Harry and his wife, Meghan, have considered California home. This week, he updated his residency in a corporate filing.The document filed on Wednesday at Britain’s corporate registrar, Companies House, was just a few lines long. But its purpose was to formally update the country of residency for one “Prince Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex” — otherwise known as Prince Harry.For years, Harry and his American wife, Meghan, have considered California home. The document updated the residency of the British royal to the United States for official paperwork for his business Travalyst Limited, a nonprofit sustainable travel initiative.The paperwork was just a bureaucratic formality. But it underscores just how far Harry, 39, has come from his days as a central member of the royal family in the country of his birth, to a very different life with his wife and children in California. It also comes at a time of turmoil for the House of Windsor.Harry and Meghan moved to Montecito, Calif., after stepping back from royal duties in 2020, amid a rift with the royal family.Prince Harry said in February that he had considered becoming a U.S. citizen, telling ABC’s “Good Morning America,” “It’s a thought that has crossed my mind but it’s not a high priority for me right now.”But there had been little in the way of official confirmation of Harry’s residency status until this week. The filing indicates the change of residency dates to June 29, 2023, the day that Buckingham Palace confirmed the couple had vacated Frogmore Cottage, their British home. Queen Elizabeth II had offered the home to the couple when they were married in 2018.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More