Lord Soulbury, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Peradeniya University-by Michael Roberts Source:Thuppahis This striking and rare photograph from 20th April 1954 shows Lord Soulbury leading the young Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on their way to inaugurate the formal opening of the University of Peradeniya at its “Senate Building” — whereupon Prince Philip displayed acumen in deploying the original words –“more open than usual” when verbally administering the opening. What apt words!       This Pix has been sent to me by Gerald Peiris. While the royal duo are clearly the stars of this outstanding moment in the island’s history, I prefer, here, to highlight the importance of two British gentlemen in Sri Lanka’s coming of age: namely, Lord Soulbury and Sir Ivor Jennings.  I conjecture that Jennings is hidden from view in this picture. It would have been the clout he wielded with Soulbury and the DS Senanayake ...

Read More →

Sri Lanka’s Former Presidents and the Current President- by Rajan Philips Source:Island.lk There is no transfer of state powers in Britain following the death of Queen Elizabeth and her succession by old Prince Charles as new King Charles III. The powers of the British State reside not at Buckingham Palace but in the British Parliament, and are exercised by a cabinet government with a Prime Minister as its head, who by convention is only the first among otherwise equal ministers and MPs. There is no risk of the vast powers of the state being passed from proper hands to wrong hands, or from bad hands to worse hands. British Monarchy doesn’t even need any checks and balances to ensure good behaviour. All that the modern royals have to do beyond their routine roles, is to pay their share of taxes (may be times two) for the properties they have amassed ...

Read More →

ceylon filmfest – friends dance – real jaffna – thaminie’s piano – bilal and dimanthi – By Jayam Rutnam Good News From Jayam July 1, 2022 Pls Scroll Down 35 items Lankan Tri Forces Receive Rapturous Welcome by British Public at Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant Lankan High Commissioner Saroja Sirisena and her Minister Counsellor (Defence) to the Sri Lankan High Commission in the UK, Brigadier L H Mahinda Rajapaksha with the Lankan military contingent participated at the Pageant. At the invitation of British Government, a contingent of Sri Lankan Tri Forces participated at the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant and official birthday held last week. Distinguished military personnel from Sri Lanka bearing the national flag fluttering in the air, marched past Buckingham Palace in the presence of the Royal family members. Lobero Theatre Hosts First-Ever Sri Lankan Ceylon International Film Festival in Santa Barbara, Ca. The historic Lobero Theatre in ...

Read More →

Good News from Jayam – congratulations 2022 graduates – Samantha – Sydney – Lianne – Wathni – Shehan – Queen Elizabeth jubilee – Happy Birthday Athena June 15, 2022  Pls Scroll Down  35 items Dr. Kohona Explores Ways to Boost Trade with China Sri Lanka Ambassador in Beijing Dr. Palitha Kohona has requested the China Asia Economic Development Association Urban Cooperation Committee (CAEDAUCC) to establish Sri Lanka national pavilions, both online and offline, as part of the overall efforts to promote Sri Lanka products.Declaring Sri Lanka should make every effort to increase exports to China, Ambassador Kohona said increase of Sri Lankan exports to China could help Sri Lanka overcome the current crisis. Newlyweds Alexa and Trey of Bellevue, WA Cruising Alaska on the ‘Discovery Princess’ Happy 4th Birthday Athena (You can’t beat that smile!) Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth Celebrations in London (Please click on arrow) Congratulations Graduates ! ...

Read More →

“BUCKINGHAM PALACE” – by Des Kelly Thank you, Allan Pinder, for this video of The Most Expensive House, EVER, I think, only  one of the lavish homes of our present Monarch, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the 2nd, a home that I, personally, would have given anything to work in, serving who I would call, the most famous Ruler in our World today. Not only is she the longest-serving Monarch ever, I have no doubt whatsoever, that no Ruler could reach HER age, still sitting proudly on a throne. Anyway, this amazing video in on this magnificent Palace, so let us get to it, right now. Desmond Kelly. (Editor-in-Chief) e’Lanka. ...

Read More →

Prince Philip’s Indelible ‘Marks’ in Sri Lanka Source:Thuppahis Photo courtesy of my old student pal Piyasiri Wickramasekara ….more details below The Old 1935 Standard Nine said to be purchased by Prince Philip when serving in the Royal Navy in Ceylon in 1935 and now placed in the Museum of the Galle Face Hotel –— Pix courtesy of Bruce Rawlings [see below] …. However, Prince Philip was born in 1921 and could not have been driving cars at that moment — so, someone else has concoted a tale that has been swallowed hook, line and majestic sinker. Pix courtesy of Kumar Kirinde PERADENIYA UNIVERSITY and the ROYAL Visit of INAUGURATION It does not demand any deep acumen for one to deduce that the induction of the British Royals was ‘engineered’ by the founding father of Peradeniya University, Sir Ivor Jennings and the Duke’s hand here was a companion act to the tamasha surrounding ...

Read More →

“BRITISH ROYALTY”. By Des Kelly Now that we hopefully have this latest Pandemic ALMOST beaten, our News-Media around the World starts to realize that, in the not too distant future, they may not have too many more “Pandemic- Posts” to perplex people with, anymore, so where do we go, from here ??. Oh yes, British Royalty has always been around when needed, so why not introduce some blurb on them to start off the post-pandemic prose, if we can call it that. Talking about exaggerating aspects of World News ?, let us look at it, right now. Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth the 2nd is 95 years old now, the longest reigning Monarch, having even overtaken her worthy ancestor, the former Empress of India, Queen Victoria who ruled the Commonwealth of Nations, on her own, after the death of her Prince Albert, at a very early age. Contrary to what ...

Read More →

Lord Soulbury, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Peradeniya University Source:Thuppahis This striking and rare photograph from 20th April 1954 shows Lord Soulbury leading the young Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on their way to inaugurate the formal opening of the University of Peradeniya at its “Senate Building” — whereupon Prince Philip displayed acumen in deploying the original words –“more open than usual” when verbally administering the opening. What apt words! This Pix has been sent to me by Gerald Peiris. While the royal duo are clearly the stars of this outstanding moment in the island’s history, I prefer, here, to highlight the importance of two British gentlemen in Sri Lanka’s coming of age: namely, Lord Soulbury and Sir Ivor Jennings.  I conjecture that Jennings is hidden from view in ths picture. It would have been the clout he wielded with Soulbury and the DS Senanayake Cabinet from 1948 onwards that ...

Read More →

Prince Philip’s car becomes Sri Lankan Royal artefact Galle Face Hotel chairman Sanjeev Gardiner (right) and his son Seshaan pose with the 1935 Standard Nine vintage car which is claimed to be owned and the first car of Prince Philip (not pictured) now acquired by the Gardiner family in Colombo – AFP Source:FT AFP: An almost 90-year-old car that once belonged to Britain’s late Prince Philip is now the centrepiece of a seaside museum in Sri Lanka. The Duke of Edinburgh, whose funeral will be on Saturday, was a car aficionado who bought the 1935 Standard Nine for 12 pounds when he was based in Colombo with the British Navy in 1940. “When he came back in the early 1950s, he came and saw the car,” said Sanjeev Gardiner, who has kept the vehicle at his Galle Face Hotel in Colombo. “When he saw the car he said, ‘I hope ...

Read More →

How Prince Philip led an extraordinary life to become the world’s most famous husband-by Rear Admiral Dr. Shemal Fernando Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip with seven of their great grandchildren. Source:Dailynews Lord High Admiral Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich, arguably the world’s most famous husband, died on April 9, 2021 at Windsor Castle, aged 99, just two months before his 100th birthday. He was the longest-served Royal Consort of a reigning British Monarch and the longest-lived male of the British Royal family. In private, the Queen described her husband’s death as “having left a huge void in her life.” The Prince was an 18-month deportee when he had his first encounter with the British Royal Navy. In 1922, he was taken on board a British warship, HMS Calypso that evacuated Prince Andrew’s family, with Philip carried to safety in a makeshift cot fashioned from ...

Read More →