Women May Get Equal Rights to UK Throne

Tory-Liberal Dem coalition talks continue

(NEWSER) - Gordon Brown stepped down as prime minister and resigned as head of the Labour Party today, as it became clear that the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are on the verge of forming a coalition government. David Cameron, the head of the Tories, is expected to visit Buckingham Palace today to accept the queen's formal invitation to form a government, the BBC reports . More»

Who is the nicest, who's the fussiest, and who never picks up his clothes

(NEWSER) - Who is the fussiest member of the British royal family? Where is the secret closet in Buckingham Palace for private drinks? Who can swim in the royal pool? These secrets and more are revealed in the Daily Mail's excerpts of the new book Not in Front of the Corgis (it's been released in Britain, but you'll have to wait for it to hit shelves in the United States). Among the revelations:

• The Prince of Wales gets his shoelaces ironed by his valet every time his shoes come off.

Skeleton found on island 100 yards from Buckingham Palace

(NEWSER) - The body of an American man obsessed with Queen Elizabeth II lay undiscovered for three years on an island in sight of Buckingham Palace, an inquest has determined. Robert Moore, who was in his late 60s, arrived in Britain in 2007 and appears to have lived in the undergrowth on a small island in St James' Park, just 100 yards from the palace, until his death sometime in 2008, the Daily Mail reports. More»

Palace applied for funds earmarked for low-income families

(NEWSER) - An elderly British woman struggling with her heating bills who sought help from a government program to aid low-income families was told that, as queen, she wasn't the kind of individual the program was meant to assist. Ministers apologetically rejected Buckingham Palace's request for funds earmarked to help housing associations and hospitals implement energy-saving programs, according to documents obtained by the Independent. More»

Government gains veto power over how $60M allowance is spent

(NEWSER) - The British government now has the final say over how Queen Elizabeth II spends her annual $60 million allowance from the government. The monarch signed over official control of her spending in 2006, following cash-flow problems that saw her borrow another $3 million from the government, reports the Independent , which discovered the agreement through a Freedom of Information Act request. More»