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  1. Blackleaf

    The Queen in Ireland - hitting the men of violence with her handbag

    Queen Elizabeth II has completed her historic four day state visit to her country's next door neighbour, the Irish Republic. She became the first British monarch to visit Ireland since her grandfather George V in 1911, when the whole of the island of Ireland was part of the UK, and the first...
  2. Blackleaf

    British royalty dined on human flesh (but don't worry it was 300 years ago)

    Royals have been famed for a long time for their love of lavish banquets. But what is less well know is that, not so long ago, the British royals also had a taste for human flesh! A new book on medicinal cannibalism reveals that as recently as the late eighteenth century - relatively recently...
  3. Blackleaf

    Hoard of 1,200 Roman coins is found on Colchester building site

    A hoard of more than 1,200 Roman coins has been unearthed on a building site in Colchester, Essex. The coins, contained in a small grey pot, were discovered on former Army land. The find, hailed as a "hugely significant national discovery", will be sent to the British Museum in London for...
  4. Blackleaf

    Walkiiiiiieeeessss! Hapless hound and owner survive cliff fall

    A dog and his owner had to be rescued by the RAF after miraculously surviving a 200ft fall from a cliff. The man, from Rochdale, Lancashire, was walking along the coast with his wife and his golden labrador Oscar at Cloughton, near Scarborough, North Yorkshire, on England's east coast, when...
  5. Blackleaf

    Vicar claims world record for fastest motorcycle hearse

    A vicar is celebrating after becoming the fastest ever person on a motorcycle hearse. However, it wasn't very difficult for him to get the world record as it was the very first attempt at the record by anybody. Rev Ray Biddiss, 57, from Halifax, West Yorkshire, had to reach a speed of more...
  6. Blackleaf

    Queen makes historic visit to Croke Park during State Visit to Ireland

    The Queen today made an historic visit to Croke Park during the second day of her equally historic four-day State Visit to the Republic of Ireland. She is the first British monarch to visit Ireland since her grandfather George V 100 years ago in 1911. She is also the first British monarch...
  7. Blackleaf

    My sadness at lost Navy career and loss of Royal yacht: Prince Philip interview

    Prince Philip has spoken of his sadness at having to give up on his naval career when his wife, the Queen, took to the Throne. In a new TV programme, Prince Philip at 90, which marks the Prince's 90th birthday next month, he said he knew that his ‘first duty’ was to his wife, who he married in...
  8. Blackleaf

    Lady Louise Windsor swaps Westminster Abbey for the country fair

    Lady Louise Windsor has swapped her bridesmaid's dress for her casuals as she has a fun time at a country fair. The Queen's granddaughter, 7, who is ninth in line to the Throne and was one of the bridesmaids at her cousin Prince William's wedding to Catherine Middleton, wore a floral shirt and...
  9. Blackleaf

    Police make bizarre legal battle to keep Jack the Ripper files secret

    London's Metropolitan Police is fighting a legal battle to keep files detailing the investigation into Britain's most famous set of murders a secret - to maintain confidentiality for Victorian 'supergrasses'. The documents are said to include four new suspects for the murders - probably the...
  10. Blackleaf

    Fight to save the Battle of Britain pub where pilots drowned their sorrows

    A 97 year old woman today begged her local council not to close down a rural pub where some of The Few drowned their sorrows during the Battle of Britain. Teddy Handscombe is urging South Cambridgeshire District Council not to give permission to developers to turn The Plough, in Shepreth...
  11. Blackleaf

    Snapshot shows Queen riding through bluebells with her youngest grandchildren

    Since coming to the Throne in 1952, most photographs that we see of Queen Elizabeth II are of her performing her duties, dressed in a colourful garment and hat. But the photo below, taken over Easter, shows the 85-year-old monarch of 16 countries, including the UK, Canada, Belize and Jamaica...
  12. Blackleaf

    Isaac Newton's apple tree has protective barrier fitted round it

    The apple tree which English scientist Sir Isaac Newton was sitting under in 1666 when an apple fell off and supposedly hit him on the head, which inspired him to develop his theory of gravity, has had a protective barrier placed around it. The 400-year-old Flower of Kent in the grounds of...
  13. Blackleaf

    World's heaviest flying bird thrives once more on UK's shores after 170 year absence

    The Great Bustard, the world's heaviest flying bird, is thriving once more in the wild in Britain after being successfully reintroduced. Due to hunting, the bird became extinct in Britain in 1832 but, over the last few years, it has been reintroduced using chicks from Russia. And, during...
  14. Blackleaf

    Meet Roxanne the dove who has built her nest in a red traffic light

    A dove has decided to build her nest in a traffic light. The bird - named after the famous song about a prostitute by British rockers The Police - built her nest in the top, red light of a set of traffic lights at a busy junction near Basildon, Essex. And it seems that not only is Roxanne...
  15. Blackleaf

    Fears grow over "frail" Margaret Thatcher

    Fears are growing over the concern of Margaret Thatcher's health after she has made no public appearances for nearly two months. Baroness Thatcher, 85, who was Prime Minister between 1979 and 1990, as well as being Britain's first woman PM, was invited to the Royal Wedding but had to turn down...
  16. Blackleaf

    How the most important wreck since the Mary Rose could disappear within five years

    Conservationists are concerned that one of the most important shipwrecks since Henry VIII's Mary Rose could disappear within 5 years. The Swash Channel Wreck lies at the entrance to Dorset's Poole harbour on the English Channel coast. It sank sometime between 1600 and 1620. Its ornate...
  17. Blackleaf

    Meet the loudest cat in the world

    Meet Smokey the cat, who has just entered the Guiness Book of Records as the loudest moggy in the world. Smokey, who lives with her owner Ruth Adams in Northampton, Northamptonshire, has a purr of 67.7 decibels, which is as loud as a lawnmower or hairdryer. Domestic cats usually purr at...
  18. Blackleaf

    Wills and Kate to visit California after Canada

    Newlyweds Prince William and Catherine are to visit California in the summer after they have visited Canada. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit the land over which they will one day probably reign over as King and Queen from Thursday 30th June to Friday 8th July and will be in Ottawa...
  19. Blackleaf

    Prince Charles tells Americans: Cut down on steak

    Prince Charles has told Americans: Cut down on steaks. The heir to the Throne of 16 countries, including the UK, Canada and Papua New Guinea, is a keen environmentalist and has made many speeches on green issues to various organisations, including the UN, over the years. Speaking at the the...
  20. Blackleaf

    Royal Wedding: Why the monarchy wins hands down

    The world's reaction to the wedding of the future King and Queen of the UK, Canada and 14 other nations has shown why monarchy wins hands down. From every corner of the globe came back happy congratulatory emails and texts to Sky News, the BBC, The Sun and our other news media. Two billion...