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On Sunday 29 October, 2023, I presented on the benefits and formalities of Wills.

The online Meet Up was organised by Cabbage Hill Development Association for its members.

Ms. Edith Bain, President of the Cabbage Hill Development Association had the following to say about attending the event:

“I was so glad to be a part of that meeting on Sunday evening with Kean Smith. My goodness! The information that was disseminated was just amazing. Mr. Smith didn’t leave one stone unturned when it came to Wills. He was very informative and made the language clear so everyone could understand him. Intense and inquisitive minds were on high alert all evening. Thanks very much Kean for an excellent job …”.

It was truly a pleasure presenting to the members of this organisation and look forward to presenting at additional Meet Ups.

The following photos were taken along Whitehall, Parliament Square and Westminster Abbey.

Whitehall is known as the centre of government in the United Kingdom. Hopefully these photos give you a glimpse of the events around Whitehall and Parliament Square before the Coronation weekend.

The photos below were taken in St. James’ Park on the way to Admiralty Arch and the Horse Guards Parade Ground. You should be able to see that security and preparations for the Coronation event was well on the way.

For those who missed it, the procession will leave Buckingham Palace, travel along the Mall through Admiralty Arch, along Whitehall, pass Parliament Square and then onto Westminster Abbey.

So here are about 12 photos.

The map below gave the layout of the area and was very useful. The Mall and Horse Guard Parade is clearly marked.

The Mall runs east to west from Buckingham Palace to Admiralty Arch. Security allowed the general public to cross at this point along the Mall but this will not happen on the day of the Coronation.

The Horse Guards Parade – there is a museum of the Horse Guards on the other side of this parade. The entrance is on Whitehall. Whitehall connects Admiralty Arch to Parliament Square. By the way, the main entrance to 10 Downing Street is on Whitehall.

The next post will comprise photos of Parliament Square and Westminster Abbey.

On the weekend I decided to go to Central London for a quiet walk and take some photos of Buckingham Palace and the route that King Charles III will take on Saturday 6 May.

Below are some photos of the Buckingham Palace area. You will also see that my idea was not a novel one.

Tomorrow I will post photos of St. James Park, The Mall and Admiralty Arch.

On Sunday 18 April, my travels took me to Stratford in East London. It had a dramatic facelift since it hosted the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and is now a bustling hub for shoppers and tourists.

As. part of my visit to Stratford, I visited the Westfields Mall to buy an item. To my surprise, I saw this display of biscuits tins (see below).

While I did not buy the biscuits (not yet), I decided to buy the item below. I believe it will go well with a lunch sandwich.

It is now official that Prince Harry will be attending the Coronation and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

As Prince Harry is no longer a working member of the Royal Family, it is unclear what role if any he will play during the Coronation.

You may also be aware that the date of the Coronation is also the fourth birthday of Prince Harry and Meghan’s son, Prince Archie.

The Coronation Concert

It was announced today that Lionel Ritchie, American singer, songwriter, global superstar and Chair for the Global Ambassador Group for the Prince’s Trust will be performing at the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle.

Children’s activity

Below are templates published by the Royal Household at Buckingham Palace specifically for children.

Coronation Wordsearch and Maze

Coronation Colour-in Crown

The King’s Procession to Westminster Abbey.

The King’s Procession, accompanied by The Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, will depart Buckingham Palace through the Centre Gate, and proceed down The Mall, passing through Admiralty Arch and south of King Charles I Island, down Whitehall toward Westminster and along Parliament Street.

The King’s Procession will continue travel around the east and south sides of Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary to arrive at the Sanctuary of Westminster Abbey, where the Coronation Service will begin at 11 o’clock British Standard Time.

The total distance of travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey is 1.3 miles.

King Charles III coronation is scheduled to take place at Westminster Abbey, London on Saturday 6 May, 2023. Over the next 30 days, I will share my experiences throughout London as King Charles III coronation approaches.

The first documented coronation at Westminster Abbey was on Christmas day in the year 1066. On that day, William was crowned King. King William was also later known as William the Conqueror.

The official coronation emblem is below along with information explaining the significance of the emblem’s design.

“The emblem pays tribute to The King’s love of the natural world, unifying the flora of the four nations of the United Kingdom; the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, the daffodil of Wales and the shamrock of Northern Ireland. Together, the flowers create the shape of St Edward’s Crown, with which His Majesty The King will be crowned during the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey […]. The emblem has been designed using the red, white and blue of the union flag. “

If you have any questions or requests then please let me know.

And so the safari home continues.

Since last week, I continued my desk research.

I drew on information shared with me by my mother and grand uncles, now deceased, and my siblings and cousins. In addition, I found a few gems through targeted internet searches – yes the internet.

My initial research has lead me to the following conclusions:

• my maternal great great grand mother’s name was Dianna; and
• my safari will take me through Crooked Island, The Bahamas and Liverpool, England.

I located a story that involved Crooked Island, the then Governor of The Bahama Islands and 10 Downing Street, London. Fascinating right? It appears that the story in question took place when Dianna’s daughter was alive. While this may not be connected with Dianna, I am relying on my instincts which are “telling me” to research the Governor/10 Downing Street path. As far as instincts go, I am inspired by the Monarch Butterfly.

These butterflies 4,000+ miles migration span three countries (Mexico, The United States and Canada) and unfolds as follows:

• In the spring, monarchs fly north from Mexico, and breed in the southern United States;
• the next generation flies father north up through southern Canada and breeds again; and
• Then in the fall the next generation flies all the way back to Mexico for the winter.

So I will follow my instincts. I intend to conduct additional desk research at the National Archives at Kew, Richmond, England. I am very hopeful that this will take me closer to my maternal home.

As always, I will keep you posted about my journey. If you have done this already then please feel free to share your story or any recommendations in the comment space below.

Many thanks.

And so it begins.

Today I am starting my maternal ancestral safari.

I have been inspired by many people over the years but most recently I was reminded about this intended safari after viewing a video clip from a movie I saw some years ago.

I wrote a blog about the video clip on 2 August, 2022 titled “When Professionals deliver … reflection comes easily”.

The blog was focused on words that were spoken by Actor Djimon Hounsou, while playing the character Cinque, in the 1997 movie, Amistad. Those words and the context in which they were spoken resonated with me once again.

So now I am up and moving, seeking the answer to the following question:

“Where is home of my maternal ancestors?”

I will keep you posted about my journey. If you have done this already then please feel free to share your story in the comment space below.

Many thanks.