title: Keira Walsh

text: During a Manchester derby in the League Cup on 20 October 2019, Walsh was given a straight red card for a tackle on Manchester United's Kirsty Hanson. City lost 0–2, with Walsh later reflecting that her conduct came from being a fan of her team and frustrated that their rivals were winning, and that she had since come to practice more control over her support than she displayed in the match. Around this time, Walsh's abilities were said to be maturing. While still "an energetic presence in midfield that at times needs to be dialled down", and sometimes requiring the presence of experienced midfielder Jill Scott in support, she had tightened her defensive capabilities and discipline to complement her excellent positioning and playmaking skill, in which she was also becoming more assured.


title: Keira Walsh

text: She signed a new three-year contract on 7 February 2020; 90min wrote that this was somewhat surprising to onlookers – considering Walsh's long tenure, prior transfer request, and Cushing recently leaving the club – but that City and its fans would welcome her decision. Come the end of the season, her leadership and talent in midfield saw her described as "unmatched".


title: Keira Walsh

text: Walsh started her 2020–21 pre-season with City by scoring a goal in a 6–0 win before they contested, but lost, the Women's FA Community Shield in its first edition since 2008.


title: Keira Walsh

text: In November 2020, Walsh scored the third goal for City in an 8–1 win over Bristol. At the end of 2020, Walsh was ranked 62 on the "Offside Rule"/"The Guardian" list of the 100 best female footballers in the world. In March 2021, Walsh scored the sole goal on captain Steph Houghton's 200th cap, taking City to a ninth consecutive WSL victory; later in March, Houghton picked up an injury that kept her out for over a month, and Walsh took up the armband as City captain. She was also handed the armband when Ellen White was substituted off in the team's home-leg Champions League quarter-final fixture against Barcelona, a 2–1 victory that was Barcelona's only loss on their route to their first Champions League title; Walsh was named player of the match with what was described as "the complete midfield performance". In the reverse fixture a week earlier, City had suffered their worst defeat since 2014, a 0–3 loss that saw Barcelona advance on aggregate.


title: Keira Walsh

text: With Walsh one of several injured players out at the start of the 2021–22 season, Manchester City began poorly. Walsh returned to playing in October 2021 and, in November, scored a powerful strike against Leicester from the edge of the box, which was shortlisted for the WSL goal of the month. In March 2022, Walsh made her 200th appearance for the club, becoming the second player, after Houghton, to reach a double century. She was ranked the sixth-best UEFA Women's Player of the Year in August 2022, and the third-best England Women's Player of the Year in October 2022.


title: Keira Walsh

text: Manchester City under Gareth Taylor (who replaced Cushing as manager in 2020), from the start but particularly in the 2021–22 season, played Walsh differently; her passing metrics, as well as "almost all of her metrics around attacking play", "dropped significantly" as she was encouraged to sit and pass in defense. Podcast "The Offside Rule" said in early July 2022 that this change had left Walsh, a playmaker now limited in opportunities to progress play and superfluous defensively, "with rather little to do."


title: Keira Walsh

text: After playing two Champions League qualification matches for City in August 2022, as part of the 2022–23 pre-season, Walsh left the club in September after eight years; eight major trophies; and 211 appearances, the joint-record number of appearances for the club (with Houghton) at the time. In a post on Instagram, Walsh wrote: "Even though I will no longer play in the shirt, City is in my blood and always will be." She later said that leaving City was a hard decision, but that it was the right time to leave her comfort zone.


title: Keira Walsh

text: With one year left on her City contract, Walsh again showed interest in leaving the club following the 2021–22 season, with interest from "several top European clubs" including Chelsea and Barcelona. Over the summer of 2022, several key members of City's women's squad left either through free transfer or retirement. Though women's football rarely drew transfer fees, both Chelsea and Barcelona made Manchester City large offers for Walsh. Having been inspired by Barcelona as a child, and told by her father that she should endeavour to play for them, Walsh wanted to join this team; Barcelona felt the need to bring in reinforcements after injury to star midfielder Alexia Putellas and other departures, and made several offers. The last of Barcelona's offers, around £400,000 (up to €470,000 including bonuses), a world-record fee, was accepted shortly before the transfer deadline on 7 September 2022. This was considerably higher than the previous women's transfer record, set when Pernille Harder transferred for £250,000 in 2020, and Barcelona's previous record signing of a female player, set when they purchased Mapi León for €50,000 in 2017. Walsh signed to Barcelona for three years, joining England teammate Lucy Bronze, who also moved from City to Barcelona in 2022.


title: Keira Walsh

text: In December 2022, Walsh came third in the IFFHS ranking of the Women's Best Playmaker, between Barcelona teammates Putellas in first and Aitana Bonmatí in fourth.


title: Keira Walsh

text: In November 2009, Walsh, aged twelve, received her first call-up to train for the England under-15 girls, making her the youngest person on the squad. She played for them in 2010 and 2011. Though she would go on to feature in the England squads for all youth age groups, she did not get a chance to thrive in them, only participating in one major competition. She later reflected that the lack of youth experience may have contributed to her being unprepared for the criticism players receive at international tournaments when she joined the senior squad.


title: Keira Walsh

text: Moving into the under-17 women's squad as its vice-captain, Walsh was considered a key player in the 2013 season. During the July 2013 women's Nordic Tournament she scored two goals, including one in the first minute of the play-off match against Iceland. In November 2013, she was named as a forward in the squad for the 2014 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship (held in December 2013), helping England through to the knockout stages and a fourth-place finish in the competition.


title: Keira Walsh

text: Walsh was then selected to the under-19 England squad while still playing at under-17 club level. Called to training with the second team in January 2014, she made a competitive appearance for the first team a week later. In the youth squads, Walsh was considered the class clown to Leah Williamson's serious captain. After under-17, Walsh was not always brought in for training camps and, when she was sixteen and in the under-19 outfit, was told by coach Mo Marley that she needed to work harder to be considered for progression. Walsh has said missing out on selections at this age and Marley's warning, which she felt was tough love and indicative of Marley believing in her, "was a massive career defining moment". Realising she did not want to lose out on football, Walsh began to apply herself.


title: Keira Walsh

text: She served as under-19 captain for some of their appearances at the March 2015 La Manga Tournament in Spain, and wore the armband again after returning from injury for 2016 U19 Euro preparation matches in September and November 2015. She then picked up another ankle injury while on international duty with the under-19 side in La Manga in March 2016. Walsh was named in the squad for an under-20 tournament in September 2016, but had to withdraw. With the under-23 squad, Walsh played in La Manga and won the Nordic Tournament in 2017.


title: Keira Walsh

text: In November 2017, Walsh was called up to the senior England squad for the first time, along with Williamson, by interim coach Marley for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification campaign. She received her first cap that month in England's first match against Kazakhstan, providing an assist in the fifteenth minute. During the campaign she was one of two senior Lionesses (with winner Beth Mead) to be nominated for the 2018 England Women's International Young Player of the Year award. Walsh, aged 21 and the youngest player on the squad, captained England for the first time during the qualifiers, starting with the armband in England's final match against Kazakhstan in September 2018, in her seventh senior appearance; she was substituted off in the second half, handing the armband to replacement Bronze. In her early years with the England squad, Walsh was considered the "heir apparent" to Fara Williams as the midfield anchor.


title: Keira Walsh

text: Walsh has represented England in three SheBelieves Cup tournaments. The team came second on Walsh's debut appearance in 2018, losing to United States by an own goal off the keeper. In 2019, Walsh, one of the three players who featured in every match, was part of the team that won the competition, providing the long-range assist for the final goal. After Walsh helped the team to victory in the 2019 SheBelieves Cup, manager Phil Neville said that she was probably the best midfielder at the time, praising her development within the squad after he had been tough on her to provoke this.


title: Keira Walsh

text: In May 2019, Walsh was selected as part of England's 2019 Women's World Cup squad; her name was announced by DJ Monki as part of England's social-media facing squad announcement. In the opening games of the World Cup, Walsh did not play to her usual standards, but she continued to be picked to start, with Neville having faith in her game and her development; England fans, however, were heavily critical of her continued selection after the early weaker showing. Her performance in the semi-final against United States, which England lost, however, was seen as strong; she provided two long passes that produced Ellen White goals (one was disallowed) and sent a narrowly-saved "thunderbolt" strike at goal from 25yards herself. Walsh felt that the criticism of her performances was deserved, saying she lacked focus, but said this did not stop it from affecting her. She considered quitting football because of it, working with sports psychologists to rebuild her enjoyment of the game.


title: Keira Walsh

text: Following the 2019 World Cup, Walsh became "an automatic starter for England, a name on the teamsheet that is never questioned". England came third in the 2020 SheBelieves Cup, held in the United States in March 2020, before returning to England and a match hiatus due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. By October 2020, Walsh felt that her mentality was starting to thrive again, having still felt struggles in England training months after the 2019 World Cup. At the time, the team were preparing for more international fixtures to return.


title: Keira Walsh

text: In June 2022, Walsh was named to the England squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 in July, which they won. As part of the marketing in the run-up to the tournament, an image of Walsh was projected on the facade of the National Gallery. She started every match and played all but five minutes, showing "classic understated dominance" throughout the tournament and being key to England reaching the final against Germany. In anticipation of the final it was reported that the outcome of the match could come down to whether Walsh or her contrasting counterpart Lena Oberdorf outperformed the other. In the final, Walsh provided the lauded pass for England's first goal scored by Ella Toone in the sixty-second minute; "The New York Times" covered the match by saying it "was Walsh's game". She was named player of the match and was subsequently included in the Team of the Tournament. Rated by various pundits to be instrumental in England winning the tournament, and described in the media as the unsung hero of the tournament and her team, other players and the media reacted with surprise when Walsh did not receive a nomination for the Ballon d'Or Féminin in August 2022.


title: Keira Walsh

text: England's next game after the 2022 Euro saw them qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in a 2–0 win over Austria; Walsh was named player of the match and included in manager Sarina Wiegman's press conference two days later, where she explained that she was performing well because Wiegman had "given [her] the confidence to go and play [her] game." With her appearance in the final qualification group game, another 10–0 win over Luxembourg, Walsh won her 50th England cap.


title: Keira Walsh

text: Various sports media and personalities have said that Walsh's role in the England squad is one that cannot be matched or replicated by other players. Football journalist Julien Laurens said on "The Gab & Juls Show" in September 2022 that Walsh is "the best player in the world, for [him]".


title: Keira Walsh

text: Walsh was part of the Great Britain women's football team at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo in 2021. Team GB went out in the quarterfinals, losing to the Matildas; Walsh took the first shot at goal in this match, a powerful strike that slammed against the bottom of the post. As the game went to extra time, Walsh again opened striking, with this attempt tipped over the top of the net by a fingertip save.


title: Keira Walsh

text: Walsh plays for possession-based teams. Manchester City played Walsh as a 'number 6' holding midfielder and, in her last season with them, a utility and box-to-box midfielder. England and Barcelona play Walsh as a 'number 6', though she is "not a traditional holding English midfielder", with her game instead being consistently compared to that of Barcelona and Spain's Sergio Busquets. As has been said of Busquets, "The Athletic" has written that "Walsh is one of those players you might not see if you watch the game—but by watching her you see the game." Teammate Bronze has said that Walsh "is the English footballer with the most Barcelona style". As a "regista" (deep-lying playmaker), Walsh typically sets the tempo of matches she plays. Besides technical ability, she is also praised for her stamina and leadership.


title: Keira Walsh

text: Walsh is statistically one of the most accurate passers in world football, and most often plays by passing. She is able to execute a large variety of passes equally over all distances and when under pressure, and has a high success rate of long passes into the final third. With her awareness of her teammates' abilities, Walsh can play long passes with good weight towards space for players to run onto and meet well. When not passing long, Walsh may set up opportunities for her attacking midfielders; playing alongside Georgia Stanway (for Blackburn, City, and England), she can play to Stanway to attack, as a double pivot, or with their positions swapped. Walsh also often shares the pitch with Lucy Bronze (for City, England, and Barcelona); though Bronze is usually a right-back, she can come into a midfield position for link-up play with Walsh.


title: Keira Walsh

text: Not usually an attacking player, Walsh is able to strike powerfully from distance but is instead typically key in her team's build-up play. Like Spanish midfielders, Walsh can use pausing tactics to her team's advantage, spending time with the ball before picking out a pass to draw the opposition out of position or determine the best play. She can also disguise her direction, feint passes and make complete turns to break past markers and create space for herself. With her frequent scans of the field, Walsh will make herself open to receive the ball in a good position to retain possession or to use her first touch (which she will often take with the outside of her foot) to get away from pressure. She has been known to distribute balls quickly, too, accurately passing due to her positional awareness. As an often player, Walsh can use her movements to "drag opponents around" before passing to openings this has created using her strong vision and range.


title: Keira Walsh

text: When not with the ball, Walsh can be seen dictating direction of play, and moving to support players in possession. She can also provide defensive cover, shadowing opposition players to disrupt their play when they have possession and to allow her teammates space to progress in attack when they are on the ball. Walsh is effective in her midfield defensive actions; more likely to intercept than tackle, her tackling success rate is still high. She is reliable for interceptions and recovering loose ball situations, and supporting the back line. She will move back to support both when they are defending and to act as a stand-in when a defender moves forward in attack. When acquiring the ball during opposition presses, Walsh can break press and switch play to an attacking sequence.


title: Keira Walsh

text: Having been described an artist in the game, footage of some of Walsh's ball skills have gone viral. A long pass she made in the 2019 SheBelieves Cup, taking eight Japan players out of the game, saw her first enter public consciousness. The clip of Walsh in a 2022 England training session in which she scored a solo goal after creatively evading the members of the other five-a-side team was also shared widely, particularly as it coincided with the high-profile Barcelona pursuit of her signing.


title: Keira Walsh

text: She is nicknamed "WonderWalsh", in reference to her skill and the song "Wonderwall", which is commonly played at Manchester City games.


title: Keira Walsh

text: Walsh is an advocate for mental health support. She has a West Highland White Terrier called Narla. She and England captain Leah Williamson came up through their international football careers together, receiving call-ups at the same time from under-15 to the senior squad, becoming best friends. Walsh is also good friends with Abbie McManus, despite supporting opposing Manchester teams.


title: Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

text: The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (stylized as Samsung Galaxy Watch4) is a smartwatch developed by Samsung Electronics. It is the first Samsung watch to run Google's Wear OS since the Samsung Gear Live, and the first watch to run Wear OS 3, co-developed by Samsung and Google. The device largely followed the design language of the preceding Samsung Galaxy Watch Active and Galaxy Watch 3, but including all new software. The watch also included EKG, body compositional analysis, and blood pressure monitoring via the new Samsung BioActive sensor. It was announced on August 11, 2021 at Samsung's Unpacked Event alongside the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Buds 2. The watch was released on August 27 worldwide.


title: Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

text: The smartwatch was the first watch released by Samsung to use Wear OS instead of Samsung's own Tizen OS.


title: Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

text: Unlike past Wear OS devices, Wear OS 3 supports a wider variety of languages that the end user can choose from. An ADB command can be used to temporarily change the watch's language to another one, which will reset when the device is reconnected to the phone.


title: Ramki

text: Ramakrishnan, better known by his stage name Ramki, is an Indian actor best known for his work in Tamil and Telugu films. He made his debut in "Chinna Poove Mella Pesu" (1987). He was a lead actor from 1987 to 2004.


title: Ramki

text: He was known for his performances in successful movies such as "Senthoora Poove" (1988), "Maruthu Pandi" (1990), "Inaindha Kaigal" (1990), "Athma" (1993), "Karuppu Roja" (1996) and "RX 100" (2018).


title: Ramki

text: He made his comeback in cinema after nine years and returned in a supporting role with the supernatural thriller film "Masani" (2013).


title: Ramki

text: He started as an actor in 1987 with the film, "Chinna Poove Mella Pesu". He appeared alongside Prabhu. The film was a commercial success. Ramki appeared in eight films during the year 1988, including "Senthoora Poove" where he co-starred with Vijayakanth and his future wife Nirosha. The film ran for over 200 days in theatres and was one of the highest-grossing Tamil films. "Poovizhi Raja" and "Paravaigal Palavitham" have received positive reviews. In 1989, He worked in movies such as "Oru Thottil Sabadham", "Ellame En Thangachi", "Penn Buthi Mun Buthi", "Yogam Rajayogam" and "En Kanavar".


title: Ramki

text: After the success of "Maruthu Pandi" (1990), in the same year, he acted in the action-adventure, "Inaindha Kaigal" directed by N. K. Viswanathan and featured him in the second leading role alongside Arun Pandian and lead actress Nirosha. The film was released to positive reviews and became a Blockbuster. In 1991, he played in "Vetri Padigal" directed by Manobala while R. Sarathkumar acted in negative role. He starred in the horror films genre that are successful as "Athma" (1993), "Thanga Pappa" (1993), "Mayabazar" (1995) and "Karuppu Roja" (1996). In 1997, Ramki has acted in the movies such "Thaali Pudhusu", "Kalyana Vaibhogam", "Samrat", "Thadayam" and "Pudhalvan". The movie "Putham Puthu Poove" was not released. On the other hand, the songs were successful specially for "Sevvanthi Poovukkum". In 1990's, he was known for his onscreen chemistry with Nirosha, Khushbu and Urvashi. In 1999, he acted in second role in "Nilave Mugam Kaattu" starring with Karthik and Devayani. He appears in a few sequences in the movies such as "Poovellam Kettuppar" (1999) and "Kadhal Rojavae" (2000).


title: Ramki

text: During the 2000s, Ramki acted in second roles in devotional films such as "Palayathu Amman" (2000), "Sri Raja Rajeshwari" (2001) and "Padai Veetu Amman" (2002). His 1991 film, he acted in a movie "Kuttrapathirikai" of R. K. Selvamani's. After 15 long years, this movie finally got released in 2007; deleting some scenes.


title: Ramki

text: In 2013, he made his come back with films such as "Maasani" and "Biriyani". In 2016, he acted in "Vaaimai" and "Atti". In 2017, he acted in Telugu movie, "Aakatayi", where he played a pivotal role, followed by Tamil horror comedy film, "Aangila Padam" in the lead role. He acted in a Telugu film, "RX 100" (2018) with which he wins Best Character Actor. He also appeared in the Sundar C.'s "Action" (2019) starring Vishal.


title: Mao Anqing

text: Mao Anqing (; 23 November 1924 – 23 March 2007) was the last surviving son of Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party. He was the second son of Mao and his wife, Yang Kaihui. He had a mental illness, possibly schizophrenia. He worked as a translator and never became active in politics.


title: Mao Anqing

text: Mao Anqing was born at Central South University Xiangya Hospital in Changsha, in Hunan province. His mother was executed by the local warlord, He Jian, in 1930. Mao Anqing, his elder brother Mao Anying and his younger brother Mao Anlong escaped to Shanghai. Their father was in Jiangxi province at the time, and they were looked after by local communist activists. They spent some time living on the streets, and Mao Anqing was badly beaten by a policeman in 1930. Some blame this beating for his later mental illness. His younger brother Mao Anlong died in Shanghai.


title: Mao Anqing

text: Mao and his surviving elder brother were sent to Paris in 1936, and then moved to Moscow, where they remained until 1947. Mao Anqing and his brother participated in World War II for the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany.


title: Mao Anqing

text: Mao returned to China with his brother in 1947 and joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Communist forces under his father defeated the opposing Kuomintang forces on mainland China in 1949, and proclaimed the People's Republic of China. His brother was killed in 1950 in Korea, and Mao Anqing's mental illness worsened. He spent considerable periods in mental hospitals.


title: Mao Anqing

text: Mao Anqing worked as a researcher at the Academy of Military Sciences and the Publicity Department of the CCP Central Committee, mainly translating books from Russian to Chinese as a Russian linguist. He also wrote various books on his father. He was never actively involved in politics.


title: Mao Anqing

text: He married Shao Hua in September 1960. She later became a major general in the People's Liberation Army, and a member of the committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Together, they had one child, Mao Xinyu, who was born in 1970. They are the only known remaining male line descendants of Mao Zedong. Shao Hua died on 24 June 2008, In People's Liberation Army Hospital in Beijing, in the age of 69.


title: The Railway Children Return

text: The Railway Children Return, known as Railway Children in the US, is a 2022 family drama film directed by Morgan Matthews and written by Danny Brocklehurst. It is a sequel to the 1970 film "The Railway Children", itself based on the E. Nesbit novel of the same name. The film stars Jenny Agutter, Sheridan Smith, Tom Courtenay and John Bradley. It was released in the United Kingdom on 15 July 2022 by StudioCanal.


title: The Railway Children Return

text: It is 1944, and a fresh wave of bombings fall on Britain during the Second World War. Siblings 14 year old Lily, 11 year old Pattie and 7 year old Ted Watts are evacuated from Manchester to the village of Oakworth in the West Riding of Yorkshire, where they are greeted by Bobbie Waterbury, her schoolmistress daughter Annie and her 13 year old son Thomas. All the children are selected to be given homes by the locals but due to a request from officials not to split siblings up, the Watts trio are left. When nobody else takes them, Bobbie welcomes them into their home. The siblings quickly bond with Thomas. The US Army has a base in the area, and there is a disturbance on their first evening. As they explore their new surroundings, the children are set upon by a group of local children not happy with their presence and Thomas welcomes them to his hideout in an old brake van by the railway station.


title: The Railway Children Return

text: One day, Annie receives bad news about her husband who is away fighting in the war, reminding her of the deaths of Bobbie's father and brother in the First World War. The children give her some space and play hide and seek at the station. Whilst there, they find an African-American soldier named Abe McCarthy in their hideout with an injured leg. He claims to be on a secret mission and that he has to remain hidden. That evening a lone enemy aircraft drops a bomb on the town cemetery, causing Lily to fall as she brings a first aid kit and other supplies to Abe. He rescues her and reveals he joined the Army to avenge his brother who was killed in combat, but details about his story leaves her suspicious. The next day, white American Military Police arrive at the school looking for Abe and Lily learns that he is a deserter. When she confronts him about it, Abe reveals that he is actually just 14 years old and that he is trying to return home after seeing how the US Army treat his fellow black soldiers who are often beaten by the Military Police, despite the town's inhabitants refusing the US authorities' request to impose a colour bar in the local pub. She agrees to help him escape.


title: The Railway Children Return

text: When Lily tells the others and plans to hide Abe at the house, Thomas initially insists they tell the truth to the grown-ups. Lily shoots him down at once and calls him out on his ignorance of the realities of the world, revealing that their father was also killed in combat. Thomas agrees to let Abe stay in the large storeroom next door to his bedroom. That evening, the family are visited by Walter, the widowed husband to Bobbie's sister Phyllis. The next day, Lily escorts Abe down to the station to catch a train to Liverpool and Thomas joins them to create a distraction so they can get on the train unnoticed. In doing so he is caught by the local police, who inform the US Military Police, who in turn stop and search the train further up the line. Abe and Lily are handcuffed, taken to the base and then put aboard a US Army supply train, also carrying senior officers.


title: The Railway Children Return

text: When confronted on the matter by Thomas, Annie reveals that his father's plane was shot down but that he is still alive in a prisoner-of-war camp. After he reveals everything to Walter, his uncle informs him about the American supply train, which he has found out about by telephoning his employer, the War Office. Thomas rallies Pattie, Ted and the rest of the local and evacuee children to create banners warning the train to stop, just as Bobbie and her siblings had done forty years earlier. The children successfully stop the train and call out the Americans on their actions. Abe explains the truth to the most senior general, also an African-American, who reveals that he too had enlisted underage and orders Abe to be released. After staying with the family for a few days, Abe leaves for home, promising to write to Lily before he goes. The siblings return to their mother three months later, whilst Thomas's father returns home after VE Day.


title: The Railway Children Return

text: "The Railway Children Return" was announced on 6 May 2021. Like its predecessor film, scenes were shot in and around the countryside of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in West Yorkshire, with filming beginning on 10 May 2021 and taking between six and eight weeks.


title: The Railway Children Return

text: Three steam locomotives are predominantly used throughout the film; 5820 USA Transportation Corp, Class S160 (affectionately known as Big Jim), 43924 LMS Class 4F and 45596 "Bahamas" LMS Jubilee Class. 78022 BR Standard Class 2 2-6-0 also makes a very brief appearance in the film. At the time of filming, "Bahamas" was in British Railways green livery and the overlaid, correct LMS decals (BR was only formed in 1948) can be easily observed on the tender. Its BR number was also changed from 45596 to the correct 5596 which was used when the engine worked for the LMS. 43924 which was also in British Railways identity and wore plain black livery had its BR crest overlaid with LMS decals and its 43924 number changed to 3924. To celebrate the film's release, Hornby Railways has produced a OO scale model of 43924 LMS Class 4F in special packaging.


title: The Railway Children Return

text: On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 59% based on 44 reviews, with an average rating of 5.80/10. The website's critics' consensus reads, "Fueled by nostalgia, "Railway Children" reaches its destination in middling yet amiable fashion." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 54 out of 100 based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


title: A Memory of Light

text: A Memory of Light is the 14th and final book of the fantasy series "The Wheel of Time", written by American authors Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, and published by Tor books. Originally expected to have been published around March 2012, the book was delayed several times, and the hardcover edition was eventually released on January 8, 2013. The book reached No. 1 on several bestsellers lists.


title: A Memory of Light

text: The title "A Memory of Light" was previously intended to apply to a book containing the material in what are now books 12, 13 and 14. The original book was incomplete at the time of Jordan's death on September 16, 2007, from cardiac amyloidosis; his widow Harriet McDougal and publisher Tom Doherty chose to publish the book posthumously. Tor Books announced that Brandon Sanderson had been chosen to finish writing the book.


title: A Memory of Light

text: The unfinished book was split into three volumes because it was believed a single volume would be too large to print. Initially it was planned that all three would be titled "A Memory of Light", with distinct subtitles; eventually this plan was dropped, and the three volumes were titled "The Gathering Storm" (published October 27, 2009), "Towers of Midnight" (published November 2, 2010), and "A Memory of Light" (published January 8, 2013).


title: A Memory of Light

text: In the prologue, the armies of the Westlands assemble in preparation for "Tarmon Gai'don", as do the forces of the Shadow. The Forsaken Demandred stages a raid on the city of Caemlyn, sending Trollocs to capture the cannons, developed jointly by Matrim Cauthon, Queen Elayne Trakand, and the Illuminator Aludra. Talmanes Delovinde and the Band of the Red Hand launch their own counter-attack and successfully exfiltrate the cannons out of the city, but Caemlyn is lost.


title: A Memory of Light

text: The Light is bolstered by people coming from all over the world to fight, sensing the end of all things, while the Shadow welcomes a new Forsaken: Mazrim Taim, now called "M'Hael".


title: A Memory of Light

text: Rand al'Thor prepares a meeting of all the nations on the Field of Merrilor, to persuade them to fight in Tarmon Gai'don. Mat returns to Ebou Dar to locate Tuon, only to find the city crawling with assassins sent by one of her generals. At the Black Tower, Logain Ablar is missing and Mazrim Taim is forcibly "Turning" people to the Shadow. The Asha'man still loyal to Logain, led by Androl Genhald and aided by Aes Sedai ambassador Pevara Tazanovni rescue Logain, defeating Taim and driving his Dreadlords from the Tower. Rand's "price" of allegiance—a treaty called "The Dragon's Peace", in which borders are fixed and war is outlawed—and his plan to shatter the remaining seals of the Dark One's prison, lead to widespread argument; the latter resolved only when Moiraine Damodred quotes from the Prophecies of the Dragon, and convinces Egwene to break the seals herself. The Aiel, persuaded by Aviendha's post-apocalyptic visions during "Towers of Midnight", demand to be subject to the treaty, as arbiters of any dispute. When Elayne Trakand remarks that peace cannot be maintained if the Seanchan are exempt, Rand agrees to persuade their cooperation, and appoints Elayne commander-in-chief of the armies formerly under himself.


title: A Memory of Light

text: Elayne dispatches her forces to four different campaigns, whereof Caemlyn is to be retaken by Andoran and Cairhienin troops; Egwene commands an army of Aes Sedai to reinforce Kandor, while Lan Mandragoran and the resurrected nation of Malkier hold Tarwin's Gap. Rand himself will lead the Aiel to face the Dark One. The four remaining "Great Captains" are attached to each campaign: Gareth Bryne in Kandor, Agelmar Jagad at Tarwin's Gap, Rodel Ituralde to Shayol Ghul, and Davram Bashere to serve Elayne directly. The campaigns turn to disaster when Graendal, now renamed Hessalam, Compels the commanders to err. Rand gains the support of the Seanchan by persuading Tuon in Ebou Dar that his authority, as the reincarnation of Lews Therin, supersedes hers. The Seanchan march to battle with Mat as one of their generals. Taking only Moiraine, Nynaeve al'Meara, and the "sa'angreal" "Callandor", Rand confronts the Dark One's champion, Moridin; interrupted only when Rand makes contact with the Dark One. Meanwhile, Perrin Aybara enters "Tel'aran'rhiod" to protect Rand from Slayer. In this he is assisted by Lanfear; but wounded by Slayer and forced to retreat. Rand and Egwene learn that enemy agents have seized some of the Dark One's seals. Elayne's forces burn Caemlyn to force the Trollocs to pursue; but they are pursued also by a new force from the north, and saved by Logain and his loyal "Asha'man". At Tarwin's Gap, the defenders are forced into rout; while in Kandor, Egwene and the Aes Sedai are unexpectedly outflanked by the nation of Shara, under Demandred. Realizing that Mat's foxhead medallion makes him the only competent general immune to hostile 'Compulsion', Egwene gives him command of their forces, and Mat rallies the survivors at the Field of Merrilor.


title: A Memory of Light

text: To lure Demandred into risking his resources, Mat stages a public quarrel with Tuon, and the Seanchan depart the field. Perrin continues pursuit of Slayer. At Shayol Ghul, Graendal opposes the Aiel. When Demandred challenges the absent Rand, Gawyn Trakand attacks him directly and is mortally wounded. Later, his elder half-brother Galad Damodred is severely wounded in the same effort; but wounds Demandred before retreat. Mat's command post is attacked directly by Sharan forces, and Siuan Sanche is killed in the defense. Gareth Bryne loses reason and dies soon after. Elayne is waylaid by several Darkfriend Guardsmen including Doilin Mellar, who arrange a duplicate of Elayne to be seen dead. Faile's contingent arrive at Merrilor, but are almost immediately betrayed. Faile seizes the Horn of Valere (capable of recruiting deceased heroes), which she gives to Olver.


title: A Memory of Light

text: Androl and Pevara track down M'Hael and steal the remaining seals on the Dark One's prison. Egwene then asks Leilwin Shipless to be her warder and attacks M'Hael. M'Hael uses balefire to destroy a number of Aes Sedai. In the midst of her fight with M'Hael, Egwene creates a new weave, the "Flame of Tar Valon", capable of counteracting balefire, and sacrifices her own life to destroy M'Hael and his followers. Galad passes Mat's foxhead medallion to Lan, and Lan attacks Demandred, killing him in single combat by letting Demandred stab him, then decapitating the Forsaken while his blade is thus engaged. Olver sounds the Horn of Valere, summoning legendary heroes to rescue Elayne. Mat uses the Heroes and reinforcements from the Seanchan to sweep the field.


title: A Memory of Light

text: Outside the Pattern, Shai'tan and Rand duel by constructing their visions of what reality could be after "Tarmon Gai'don", and ultimately achieve stalemate on the premise that the Pattern is incomplete in case of either's defeat. Perrin kills Slayer at the Pit of Doom, and later kills Lanfear before she can kill Moiraine. Mat kills Padan Fain with his own dagger. Olver and the resurrected heroes win the battle, while Aviendha mentally enslaves Graendal. Rand resumes his duel with Moridin, during which Rand, Moiraine, and Nynaeve take control of Moridin and use his power to create a huge weave of "saidar", "saidin", and True Power combined. Seeing this, Logain breaks open the Dark One's prison, and Rand uses the huge weave of three powers, first to capture the Dark One, and later to re-create his prison without flaw.


title: A Memory of Light

text: Bereft of the Dark One's influence, the Blight dissolves. Mat reunites with Tuon, who reveals that she is pregnant by him; whereas Perrin locates Faile buried under Trolloc corpses, but alive, and inherits the throne of Saldaea. King Alsalam of Arad Doman is revealed to be dead, and Ituralde succeeds him. Cadsuane Melaidhrin is elected the new Amyrlin Seat, while Moghedien is captured by a "sul'dam". Thom and Moiraine, Lan and Nynaeve, wait attendance on Rand, who is slowly dying of his wounds. A funeral pyre is held; but it is revealed that Rand had exchanged psyches with Moridin, and is therefore alive. No longer able to channel the One Power, Rand now has the ability to manipulate the Pattern directly, though it is unclear to what extent. He demonstrates this ability by lighting his pipe without the use of the One Power.


title: A Memory of Light

text: "A Memory of Light" was originally expected to be published around March 2012. On December 21, 2011, Sanderson announced on Twitter that "A Memory of Light—the final book in The Wheel of Time—has been finished". That same day, Sanderson also announced on Twitter that revisions would take "a good six months" and that the book would probably be released in autumn 2012. Tor released the hardcover book on January 8, 2013, although the e-book was not released until April 8, 2013.


title: A Memory of Light

text: There was public backlash against the publisher, Tor, for delaying the electronic release. Backlash included the review bombing of the title on Amazon and other book seller websites. Brandon Sanderson stated that the decision was that of Robert Jordan's wife, Harriet, who was concerned that the book would not reach the top of the bestseller lists, as all the previous "Wheel of Time" books have done, if purchases were divided between e-book and hardcover. She felt that this would harm her husband's legacy; Sanderson claimed that she had originally pushed for a one-year delay. Various end users threatened to download a pirated e-book unless the official e-book was available at launch.


title: A Memory of Light

text: Harriet McDougal clarified her reasoning for the late e-book release of "A Memory of Light" in a March 18, 2013, interview with Tor publisher Tom Doherty. McDougal, the widow of Robert Jordan, explained that "the brick‑and‑mortar bookstores were very good to Robert Jordan throughout his career. They are having a hard time now. This was a chance for Robert Jordan to give back to people who had been very good to him for 20 years. That was really the main reason for the windowing."


title: Undercover (2019 TV series)

text: Undercover is a 2019 Belgian-Dutch Dutch-language crime drama streaming television series starring , Anna Drijver and Frank Lammers. The plot revolves around a story inspired by real-life events, where undercover agents infiltrate a drug kingpin's operation in Limburg, a Flemish province bordering the Netherlands. The infiltration is executed by two agents, Bob Lemmens (Tom Waes) and Kim de Rooij (Anna Drijver), who are posing as a couple at the campground where the drug kingpin spends his weekends.


title: Undercover (2019 TV series)

text: It is a co-production between Netflix and public Belgium TV station Eén, and was ordered direct-to-series. The first season premiered on Eén on February 24, 2019, in Belgium; its second season is scheduled for a September 6, 2020 release on Eén. The series began streaming on Netflix on May 3, 2019. It was renewed for a second season which premiered on November 8, 2020. Season 3 premiered in November 2021, starring Nazmiye Oral.


title: Court dress

text: Court dress comprises the style of clothes and other attire prescribed for members of courts of law. Depending on the country and jurisdiction's traditions, members of the court (judges, magistrates, and so on) may wear formal robes, gowns, collars, or wigs. Within a certain country and court setting, there may be many times when the full formal dress is not used. Examples in the UK include many courts and tribunals including the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, and sometimes trials involving children.


title: Court dress

text: Members of the old Judicial Committee of the House of Lords (or "Law Lords") and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council never wore court dress (although advocates appearing before them did). Instead, they were dressed in ordinary business clothing. Since the creation of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in 2009, the Justices of that court have retained the Law Lords' tradition of sitting unrobed. On ceremonial occasions they wear a robe of black damask embellished with gold with the badge of the Supreme Court embroidered at the yoke.


title: Court dress

text: Court dress is worn at hearings in open court in many sittings of Senior Courts of England and Wales and in the County Court. It is not worn in the Technology and Construction Court, nor in the Commercial Court. Further, in any court formal dress may be dispensed with at the option of the judge, e.g. in very hot weather, and invariably where it may intimidate children, e.g., in the Family Division and at the trials of minors.


title: Court dress

text: In July 2007, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, announced that changes would be made to court working dress in the English and Welsh courts. The reforms were due to take effect on 1 January 2008; however, following reports of strong opposition to the proposed changes, they were delayed, eventually taking effect in autumn 2008. The new robes for judges were designed by Betty Jackson and unveiled in May 2008, although a survey of judges published in March 2009 revealed substantial opposition to the new designs, as well as widespread annoyance at the lack of consultation prior to the change.


title: Court dress

text: The Chairman of the Bar announced in April 2008 that, as a result of a survey of the profession, the Bar would recommend that advocates should retain their existing formal robes (including wigs) in all cases, civil and criminal, with possible exceptions in the County Court. In a letter to the profession, he said (in part):


title: Court dress

text: For the most part, the changes only affect what is worn by judges in civil courts, who now wear a simplified robe and no wig. Dress worn in criminal courts remains largely unchanged. The changes have been reflected in the dress allowances made to judges (while the one-off cost of supplying the new civil gown was estimated at about £200,000, annual savings in the region of £300,000 were projected).


title: Court dress

text: English and Welsh advocates (whether barristers, solicitors or other authorised lawyers such as chartered legal executive advocates with the appropriate right of audience) who appear before a judge who is robed must themselves be robed.


title: Court dress

text: All male advocates wear a white stiff wing collar with bands (two strips of cotton about hanging down the front of the neck). They also wear either a dark double-breasted suit (or with waistcoat if single-breasted) or a black coat and waistcoat and black or grey morning dress striped trousers (black lounge suit). The black coat and waistcoat can be combined into a single garment, which is simply a waistcoat with sleeves, known as a bar jacket or court waistcoat. Female advocates also wear a dark suit, but often wear bands attached to a collarette rather than a wing collar.


title: Court dress

text: Junior barristers wear an open-fronted black gown with open sleeves, gathered and decorated with buttons and ribbons, and a gathered yoke, over a black or dark suit, hence the archaic term "stuffgownsman" for juniors. In addition, barristers wear a short horsehair wig with curls at the side and ties down the back.


title: Court dress

text: Solicitors wear the same wing collar with bands, or collarette, as barristers. Their gowns are of a slightly different style, with a square collar and without gathered sleeves. By virtue of the Consolidated Criminal Practice Direction at I.1.1 (as amended by Practice Direction (Court Dress) (No4) [2008] 1 WLR 257), "Solicitors and other advocates authorised under the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 ... may wear short wigs in circumstances where they would be worn by King's Counsel or junior counsel." Other qualified advocates, such as chartered legal executive advocates, will wear the same attire as a solicitor.


title: Court dress

text: Barristers or solicitors who have been appointed King's Counsel ("KCs") wear a silk gown with a flap collar and long closed sleeves (the arm opening is half-way up the sleeve). For this reason, barristers who are appointed King's Counsel are said to have "taken silk", and KCs themselves are colloquially called "silks". The KC's black coat, known as a court coat, is cut like 18th-century court dress and the sleeve of the KC's court coat or bar jacket has a turned back cuff with three buttons across. On special ceremonial occasions (such as the opening of the legal year), KCs wear (in addition to their court coat, waistcoat and silk gown) a long wig, black breeches, silk stockings and buckled shoes, lace cuffs and a lace jabot instead of bands.


title: Court dress

text: Judicial robes have always exhibited variety depending on the status of the judge, the type of court and other considerations. In addition to robes, judges have generally worn a short bench wig when working in court (reserving the long wig for ceremonial occasions) and a wing collar and bands at the neck.


title: Court dress

text: All judges in criminal cases continue to wear these traditional forms of dress, which are described in more detail below. Judges in civil and family cases, however, have since 2008 worn a new design of working robe with no wig, collar or bands; this plain, dark, zipped gown (of 'midnight blue gabardine with facings in navy blue velvet') is worn over an ordinary business suit and tie. The status of the wearer is indicated by a pair of different colored tabs below the collar: Appeal Court judges wear gold tabs, High Court judges wear red tabs, Masters and Insolvency and Companies Court Judges of the High Court wear pink, and District judges wear blue. It was originally envisaged that Circuit judges sitting in the High Court would likewise adopt the new-style robe with purple tabs, but they opted to retain their violet robe as worn in the County Court.


title: Court dress

text: On special ceremonial occasions (such as the opening of the legal year) more elaborate forms of traditional dress are worn, by civil and criminal judges alike.


title: Court dress

text: The Lord Chief Justice, when robed, dresses like a High Court Judge (see below) with the distinction of a train to his scarlet robe. On ceremonial occasions he wears the scarlet and fur hood and mantle, and in addition a gold chain of office in the form of a collar of esses. (Summer robes, with grey silk in place of the fur, were formerly routinely worn for part of the year and are still used on occasion.)


title: Court dress

text: Judges in the Court of Appeal, Criminal Division, wear the same black silk gown and court coat as KCs, together with the short bench wig. Judges of the Civil Division did likewise until 2008, but they now wear the new-style robe.


title: Court dress

text: The use of plain black gowns in the Court of Appeal dates from the origin of the Court in the 1870s, when it was populated by Chancery judges who were accustomed to this form of dress.


title: Court dress

text: On ceremonial occasions, all Judges of the Court of Appeal wear the full-bottomed wig, together with a black silk damask gown, trained and heavily embellished with gold embroidery, over court coat, lace cuffs and jabot, black breeches, stockings and buckled shoes.


title: Court dress

text: On ceremonial occasions, all High Court judges wear the traditional full-bottom wig, the furred scarlet robe (as described below, with scarf, girdle and tippet), with a matching hood and mantle in addition. Underneath, breeches are worn with stockings and buckled shoes. The judicial black cap is carried.


title: Court dress

text: King's Bench Division: When dealing with first-instance criminal business a High Court judge of the King's Bench Division wears a scarlet robe with fur facings, a black scarf and girdle (waistband), and a scarlet 'casting-hood' (tippet) worn over the shoulder. In addition, the judge wears a wing collar, bands, and a short wig. (Prior to 2008 this robe was only worn in the winter months; in summer months a different scarlet robe was worn, with grey silk facings in place of the fur. The 'summer' robe is no longer routinely provided, but its use is still permitted in court.)


title: Court dress

text: In civil cases, High Court judges wear the new-style robe with red tabs at the collar, and no wig, collar or bands. Before 2008, these judges wore: in winter a black robe faced with fur, a black scarf and girdle and a scarlet tippet, and in summer a violet robe faced with silk, with the black scarf and girdle and scarlet tippet.


title: Court dress

text: On red letter days (which include the Sovereign's birthday and certain saints' days), all judges of the King's Bench Division wear their scarlet robes.


title: Court dress

text: Chancery and Family Divisions: Until 2008, when working in court, judges in the Family and Chancery divisions of the courts wore the same black silk gown and court coat or bar jacket as KCs. Since autumn 2008 they too (if robed) have worn the new design of robe in court.


title: Court dress

text: High Court Masters and Insolvency and Companies Court Judges: Masters (in both the King's Bench Division and Chancery Division) and Insolvency and Companies Court Judges (in the Chancery Division) formerly wore black gowns, white collar and bands, with short wigs, when sitting in open court. Since 2008 they wear the new design of civil robe with pink tabs at the neck and no longer wear wigs. Ceremonially, they wear a black court court, waistcoat and gown, with black breeches, stockings, buckled shoes, white lace jabot and cuffs, and a long wig, similar to the ceremonial costume of King's Counsel.


title: Court dress

text: Circuit judges (in the County Courts or the Crown Court) wear a violet robe with lilac facings, introduced in 1919. As well as a girdle, the judges wear a tippet (sash) over the left shoulder - lilac when dealing with civil business and red when dealing with crime. Since autumn 2008, circuit judges in the County Court have not worn wigs, wing collars or bands; however, circuit judges in the Crown Court retain the wig, wing collars and bands.


title: Court dress

text: Prior to introduction of the violet robe, Circuit judges usually wore a plain black gown and short wig; this older tradition has been retained by the Central Criminal Court.


title: Court dress

text: On ceremonial occasions, circuit judges in addition to their violet robes wear a matching hood, long wig, black breeches, stockings and buckled shoes, and a lace jabot instead of bands.


title: Court dress

text: Since autumn 2008, district judges in the county courts have worn the new-style robe, with the rank of district judge indicated by blue tabs on the facings of the robe by the collar. On ceremonial occasions, district judges wear their ordinary robe together with a short, bar wig.


title: Court dress

text: Court clerks in the Crown Court, if a High Court judge is sitting, wear wig, black gown, wing collar (or collarette) and bands; if a circuit judge is sitting they wear the same outfit without a wig.


title: Court dress

text: Scottish court dress is very similar to English court dress, but there are notable differences. For example, Scottish advocates wear tail coats under their gowns, and wear white bow ties instead of bands. KCs and judges wear long scarf-like ties (known as falls) instead of bands.


title: Court dress

text: Scottish judicial robes are very different from English ones. Senators of the College of Justice are Scotland's senior judges; they sit in both the Court of Session (Scotland's top civil court) and the High Court of Justiciary (Scotland's top criminal court). Judicial robes in the Court of Session are dark red, faced with red crosses (a stylised representation of what were once ribbons used to fasten the gown). Judicial robes in the High Court of Justiciary are predominantly white and red, faced with red crosses over the white. The white and red robe of the Lord Justice Clerk is differentiated by many small perforations in the white satin, through which the red cloth shows giving an ermine-like impression. The Lord Justice General wears a red robe and hood (without crosses) edged in ermine (black-spotted white fur). Sheriffs (who preside over Sheriff Courts) wear the black gowns which they formerly used in practice (silk gowns for KCs; stuff gowns for advocates and solicitor-advocates), with falls in place of the bow-tie.


title: Court dress

text: In Australia, court dress varies according to the jurisdiction. Judges in all Australian courts will not usually wear court dress for procedural or chambers proceedings.


title: Court dress

text: In the High Court of Australia, justices wear plain black robes with zippered fronts over normal attire. The robes are similar in appearance to those worn by Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, although they are more elaborately tailored. These robes have been worn since 1988, when the High Court abandoned the previous court dress of black silk robes, bar jackets, jabots or bands and full-bottomed wigs and lace cuffs on formal occasions and bench wigs for ordinary business attire. In the High Court of Australia, barristers wear the same dress as is required by the Supreme Court in their jurisdiction.


title: Court dress

text: In the Federal Court of Australia, judges no longer wear traditional court dress, but wear black wool robes with a black trim for 'first instance' work, and black wool robes with a red trim for appeal cases. These robes were adopted in 1997 and were designed by Bill Haycock. The robes have seven horizontal tucks or "ombres" on one side, representing the six Australian States and the territories. They also serve to symbolise Australia's federal constitution and the federal jurisdiction of the Court. The robes also include a vertical band of black silk made up of seven equal parts, also symbolizing Australia's federal system and equality before the law. For a matter heard in the Federal Court of Australia, barristers robe (but without a wig) if it is the usual practice to robe in the Supreme Court of the state or territory in which the matter is being heard.


title: Court dress

text: Judges and judicial registrars of the Family Court of Australia wear a black silk gown, a bar jacket with either bands or a jabot and a bench wig. On formal occasions, judges wear full-bottomed wigs.


title: Court dress

text: Judges of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia wear a plain black gown in court without a wig. Prior to 2010, counsel did not robe before the Federal Circuit Court of Australia. Barristers are now expected to robe for most hearings, but not for interlocutory or interim matters. Wigs are not worn on any occasion.


title: Court dress

text: Judges of the supreme courts of the states and territories of Australia wear court dress similar to that worn by judges of the High Court of England and Wales. On formal occasions, judges wear red scarlet robe with white fur facings, bands or a jabot, a black scarf and girdle and a scarlet casting-hood, with a full-bottomed wig. Unlike judges in the United Kingdom, judges in Australia never wear breeches, hose and buckled shoes. When sitting in criminal proceedings, judges wear scarlet robes with grey silk facings, bands or a jabot and a bench wig. When sitting in appeal or in civil proceedings, judges and masters wear a black silk gown, a bar jacket with either bands or a jabot and a bench wig. In some jurisdictions, the wearing of wigs has been abandoned for other than formal occasions.


title: Court dress

text: Judges of the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales and judges sitting in the Workers' Compensation Court of NSW and the Dust Diseases Tribunal of New South Wales wear the same court dress as a judge of the Supreme Court sitting civilly.


title: Court dress

text: Judges of the district or county courts of the states of Australia wear court dress similar to that worn by judges of the County Court of England and Wales.


title: Court dress

text: Stipendiary Magistrates and justices of the peace do not robe, other than in NSW where they have worn a black robe over normal business attire since 2005.


title: Court dress

text: Barristers in all Australian jurisdictions, when required to do so, wear court dress similar to that worn in the United Kingdom. King's Counsel or Senior Counsel wear a black silk gown, a bar jacket, bands or a jabot and a horsehair wig with curls at the side and ties down the back. On formal occasions, they wear full-bottomed wigs. In addition Victorian Senior Counsel wear a black rosette hanging from the back of their gown. Junior Counsel wear an open-fronted black stuff gown with open sleeves and a gathered yoke, and otherwise wear the same outfit as Senior Counsel (other than full-bottomed wigs). Counsel usually wear dark trousers or striped trousers, or a dark skirt for female barristers. Barristers will not usually robe for procedural hearings (which are called 'directions hearings' in South Australia).


title: Court dress

text: Solicitors, in those jurisdictions where the legal profession is not fused (such as New South Wales and Queensland) do not robe when appearing in court, even before superior courts. In those States and Territories with fused professions, solicitors robe in situations where barristers would normally wear robes.


title: Court dress

text: In 2010, the Chief Justice of Western Australia, Wayne Martin, introduced major reforms for Western Australian Courts; in the District Court, wigs were abolished for both lawyers and judges. District Court judges and lawyers maintained their robes. In the Supreme Court Criminal Jurisdiction, traditional judges' red robes were replaced with American-style plain black robes; this also applied to all appeal courts. Wigs were abolished in all Supreme Courts for both judges and lawyers. This change was met with sadness by some members of the legal fraternity in the state, as it ended over 180 years of tradition in Western Australia.


title: Court dress

text: In Victoria, the Chief Justice of Victoria has the power to make decisions about the attire of judges in courts, while decisions about what barristers wear are a matter for the Victorian Bar. In April 2016, the Chief Justice of Victoria Marilyn Warren, issued an edict that Victorian Supreme Court judges will no longer wear wigs from May 1 that year. Since then, use of wigs has been declining in Victorian courts; as of August 2021, only 13 out of 70 County Court judges continue to wear wigs, with barristers only wearing wigs when the judge does.


title: Court dress

text: In Canada, court dress is identical to that previously (pre-2008) in use in England, except that wigs are not worn. Wigs were worn in early courts but phased out beginning in the mid-19th century with last holdouts British Columbia (1905) and Newfoundland and Labrador (upon joining Canada in 1949)). Bar jackets are worn under the gown, though KCs and judges have more elaborate cuffs than other lawyers. Barristers are required to gown for the Courts of Appeal and Superior-level courts of the provinces and territories, unless appearing on applications in chambers, on some family court matters, in Small Claims Court or before Masters.


title: Court dress

text: The Federal Court and the Tax Court of Canada at the general procedure level require barristers to gown. As well, gowns are required at the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. The donning of business attire is acceptable by barristers appearing in chambers and in inferior (puisne) provincial and territorial courts; court dress is also permitted, though rarely worn, with the exception of Quebec where gowns are standard practice in the Court of Quebec. Judges of the Supreme Court of Canada wear scarlet robes with white fur trim on ceremonial occasions together with black tricorne hats; however, they wear black gowns with white neck band tabs when hearing cases. Judges of all other federal and provincial courts wear black gowns, sometimes adorned with various sashes and crests which depend on the level of court and the province in which the case is heard. All Canadian judges also wear black court waistcoats with white collar and tabs.


title: Court dress

text: In Cyprus, the courts have upheld the traditions of wearing black and white. All judges and advocates, equally, wear a black suit, black trousers, black shoes, white shirt, a white neck band, and a black gown. This applies to all the courts of Cyprus. The regulations in the Cypriot courts come from the past that Cyprus had as a British Colony.


title: Court dress

text: Male judges wear white shirts and trousers with a white neck band and a black coat, whilst female judges normally choose to wear the traditional sari, and pair it with a white neck band and a black coat.


title: Court dress

text: Court dress in Malaysia is based on English court dress, with some modifications. Since the 1990s, judges no longer wear wigs, wing collars and bands but instead wear a waterfall cravat with court coat and black silk gown. Ceremonial robes for judicial office-bearers are generally black with gold lace, and include a Malay songkok.


title: Court dress

text: Counsel in Malaysia dress as English junior barristers do, but do not wear wigs. Prior to the 1980s, counsel serving in the government legal service wore wigs. Counsel in private practice have never done so. However, some counsels in East Malaysia still wear wigs as part of their court dress.


title: Court dress

text: In New Zealand, court dress was simplified in 1996. District Court judges wear black American-style gowns in the Employment Court and District Court. Coroners wear a blue gown with a black yoke and black ribbon on the cuffs. High Court judges wear the KC's gown over suits, while counsel are only required to wear black gowns for jury trials in the District Court, and all the time in the Employment Court, High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.


title: Court dress

text: Wigs (for counsel) are only worn on ceremonial occasions such as when newly qualified barristers are called to the Bar. No gowns are ordinarily worn by the judges of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand or Supreme Court of New Zealand.


title: Court dress

text: After independence, in Pakistan, the courts have continued to uphold the pre-independence (British-Raj traditions) of lawyers wearing white shirt and black coat, trouser and tie. However, in the 1980s, judges modified their dress to do away with wigs and to allowed (optional) the usage of a black sherwani, a long traditional Pakistani coat worn over a white shalwar and qamiz (trousers and shirt).


title: Court dress

text: In Pakistan, the dress code for lawyers or legal practitioners varies with the season. During the winter months, a formal black suit and tie are worn. During the hot summer months, white shirt and trousers and a white neck band may be worn. In addition, judges wear a black robe over their other garments. Wigs are no longer worn. Dress codes are rigorously enforced within the Superior Courts of the country.


title: Court dress

text: In Sri Lanka, the British tradition of court dress had been adopted and practiced until reforms of the legal system took place in the 1970s, and much of the ceremonial and formal court dress worn by judges and lawyers was replaced with black business suits. However, the old traditions were revived in the 1980s with many elements of the traditional court dress being used today. Both judges and counsel dress in white and black, white shirt, black coat, tie and trousers for men and white sarees for women.


title: Court dress

text: The Chief Judge and Judges of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka wear scarlet gowns when attending court. On ceremonial occasions (such as ceremonial sittings of the Supreme Court) they wear a scarlet gown, barrister's bands, mantle and a long wig.


title: Court dress

text: The President and Judges of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka wear black gowns when attending court. On ceremonial occasions (such as ceremonial sittings of the Supreme Court) they wear a black gown with purple borders, barrister's bands, mantle and a long wig.


title: Court dress

text: President's Counsel's court dress is similar to that of King's Counsels. It includes a silk gown with a flap collar and long closed sleeves (the arm opening is half-way up the sleeve). Therefore, the term "taken silk" continues. On special ceremonial occasions (such as ceremonial sittings of the Supreme Court), PCs also wear a long wig.


title: Court dress

text: Attorneys at law wear white and black when appearing in all courts. They must wear black robes when appearing in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and the High Court; it is optional in the lower courts. Male attorneys may wear black suits with white shirt, black tie and trousers or white national, while female attorneys may wear a white saree or dress.


title: Court dress

text: Court dress in many jurisdictions with legal systems derived from England's, including Caribbean and African countries, which have court dress identical to that in England and Wales.


title: Court dress

text: Justices of the Supreme Federal Court wear a black robe, usually worn open. These robes are mandatory under article 16 of the Internal Regulations of the Supreme Federal Court and are made of satin. Similar robes are worn in other courts. Lawyers wear a robe when addressing judges.


title: Court dress

text: Recent changes to Chinese courts have led to a more formal dress code. Business suits or black gowns (with a red stripe on the front) are replacing the military look of the Chinese court system.


title: Court dress

text: Judges of the supreme court wear black robes with a red strip with buttons. The buttons are gold with the top button having the seal of the People's Republic of China.


title: Court dress

text: Legal professionals in court wear a black robe with colored elements. The color depends on the profession – purple (judges of common courts), red (state prosecutors) and blue (attorneys). Attorneys only wear robes in criminal proceedings and in all proceedings before the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Administrative Court. Judges of these courts wear specific robes.


title: Court dress

text: German court dress consists of a plain robe similar to the ones worn in the United States, normally without any kind of scarf or collar. However, judges and prosecutors always wear white shirts and white neckties under their robes, as is customary for lawyers in criminal cases.


title: Court dress

text: The colour of judges' robes varies between different kinds of courts and branches of the judiciary. While at the Federal Court of Justice in civil and criminal matters dark red robes with dark red velvet linings are always worn, lower courts – which are under the jurisdiction of the German states – use black in civil and criminal matters. Other branches of the judiciary (labour, administrative and social) use different colours of judges' robes.


title: Court dress

text: Hats are out of use at most German courts, with the exception of the Federal Constitutional Court, where they are still worn by the judges.


title: Court dress

text: While the colour of German judges' robes can vary, lawyers in all branches of the law nearly always wear black robes while in court, with the exception of those admitted to the Federal Court of Justice Bar, in civil matters; these specially appointed attorneys in private practice also wear dark red robes with silk linings.


title: Court dress

text: The robes of lawyers and judges can be distinguished by the size and material of the lining. State prosecutors wear the same black robes as states' judges sitting in "ordinary" (criminal or civil) courts, while representatives of the Federal Public Prosecutor General wear dark red robes like federal court judges.


title: Court dress

text: At the Federal Constitutional Court, a different type of robe is used which is based on the historical court dress of the Italian town of Florence. The constitutional court judges wear scarlet satin robes with a very high neckline, and caps, combined with a white pleated jabot. Lawyers appearing before the Constitutional Court wear their accustomed robes, i.e. black or dark red.


title: Court dress

text: Under the one country, two systems principle, Hong Kong remains a common law jurisdiction. Court dress in Hong Kong practically remains unchanged from its British administration era and is similar to court dress in England and Wales. English legal traditions are well preserved. Judges of the former Supreme Court of Hong Kong wore wigs; those of the present Court of Final Appeal, however, do not wear wigs, but only gowns with lace jabot, similar to those worn on the International Court of Justice.


title: Court dress

text: Some judges wear wigs as part of the ceremonies during the ceremonial opening of the legal year in Hong Kong.


title: Court dress

text: The Irish Free State, established in 1922, continued largely with the courts and court system inherited from the United Kingdom, albeit pared down and shorn of some of its imperial grandeur. To fit with the reorganization of the courts, the judiciary all but abandoned the wearing of their former ceremonial costumes. Prior to Independence, the Lord Chancellor, Master of the Rolls and the Lords Justice of Appeal in Ireland would have worn full ceremonial dress identical to their English equivalents, viz. long black damask robes with wide bands of gold lace and ornaments. The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Chief Baron (up to the extinction of the office on the retirement of Christopher Palles in 1916) and other "puisne" judges of the High Court would likewise have worn scarlet robes with ermine hood and ermine-trimmed mantle. Many fine examples of these robes can be seen in portraits of Irish judges in the King's Inns.


title: Court dress

text: Upon the passing of the Constitution of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann) Act 1922, the office of Lord Chancellor immediately became defunct. Then in 1924 the Court of Appeal was refashioned into the Supreme Court; the Lord Chief Justice became simply Chief Justice and head of the judiciary; and the Master of the Rolls was replaced with a President of the High Court. The judges of the new superior courts, including the Chief Justice and President, adopted for all occasions—ceremonial or otherwise—the ordinary working judicial dress of the austere type previously worn by members of the old Court of Appeal, that is, as Order 119 rule 2 of the Rules of the Superior Courts, 1986 originally read: Wigs are now optional for judges of the High Court.


title: Court dress

text: Judges of the Circuit Court also wear similar costume, pursuant to Order 3 rule 1 of the Circuit Court Rules, 2001. The prescribed dress of judges of the District Court (in Order 5 rule 1 of the District Court Rules, 1997) is the same, but does not include a wig.


title: Court dress

text: This new uniform is worn without a wig, and the single white neck tab is more reminiscent of European style court dress.


title: Court dress

text: This alteration to the dress of the Supreme Court has also been implemented in the Court of Appeal, the Circuit Court and the District Court. The "double ribbon banding" is coloured dark blue with gold trim for judges of the Court of Appeal, dark red for judges of the Circuit Court and blue for judges of the District Court. Judges of the Circuit Court appointed prior to October 2016 and judges of the District Court appointed prior to March 2017 may wear the older judicial dress if they so wish. The dress of judges of the High Court remains unchanged. Wigs remain optional in the traditional dress, but do not constitute part of the recently introduced dress.


title: Court dress

text: Barristers' dress in the Republic of Ireland is almost unchanged since the pre-Independence era. Counsel may not exercise his right of audience unless he is properly attired. It is provided in Order 119 rule 3 of the Rules of the Superior Courts as follows:


title: Court dress

text: It may therefore be said that Irish barristers robe similarly to their English counterparts. Such robes are worn by barristers in all courts, including the District Court. Like King's Counsel in England, Senior Counsel generally wear a short bar wig and black silk or poplin gown with flap collar and long, closed sleeves over a buttoned and broad-cuffed court coat. Their shirts will have a detachable stiff wing collar, worn with bands. Junior Counsel wear a short bar wig and black poplin or stuff bar gown (which has a gathered yoke and short, open sleeves) over a dark three-piece suit with similar wing collar and bands. While it is not unknown for female barristers to wear a blouse with separate bands much like male colleagues, more commonly they would wear a starched white all-in-one collarette or bib covering their neckline that approximates in looks to a tall Mandarin collar and bands.


title: Court dress

text: Section 49 of the Courts and Court Officers Act 1995, however, did abolish the requirement that barristers should wear wigs in court. To this extent only, the wording of the Rules of Court above is somewhat out of date. (All counsel still must wear a gown and bands etc.) By affording individual barristers a discretion to wear the forensic wig in court, the new rule defused what had become an increasingly bitter debate in the profession whether it was appropriate to cleave to anachronistic modes of dress - even as a traditional and undoubtedly recognizable uniform - and avoided a more drastic solution, such as the abandonment of wigs or gowns altogether. Accordingly, there is little contemporary call for reform of court dress in Ireland.


title: Court dress

text: Junior counsel are called to the Bar in three sittings in the year, one in Hilary term, one Trinity term, and the other in Michaelmas term. This ceremony takes place in the Supreme Court. All new barristers habit themselves in full court working dress.


title: Court dress

text: Senior Counsel are appointed annually in the Call to the Inner Bar, a short ceremony in the Supreme Court towards the end of Michaelmas term. (Junior counsel are members of the Outer or Utter Bar.) On this occasion alone do the new Senior Counsel wear full-bottomed wigs, though with their working robes rather than with the breeches, stockings, patent court shoes and lace stock of former times. This is purely a matter of convention and is not, so it would seem, governed by any rule of court. Since 1922, the Chief Justice has presided over the ceremony in lieu of the departed Lord Chancellor. None has seen fit to alter the manner of the Call.


title: Court dress

text: Judges and counsel are forbidden to wear wigs and gowns in proceedings in the District, Circuit and High Courts in respect of "inter alia" the following Acts:


title: Court dress

text: It is arguable that the Oireachtas intended the ban on "wigs and gowns" should be read liberally to mean that judges and barristers should appear in ordinary suits in these cases. In practice, a literal interpretation of the rule has been preferred. Judges and counsel do not wear either wig or gown in the family courts but will dutifully don the court coat (if applicable) and a wing collar and bands nonetheless.


title: Court dress

text: Full court working dress remains worn in the Supreme Court in any proceedings, including those under the foregoing statutes.


title: Court dress

text: The Rules of Court oblige judges and barristers to wear court dress only "during the sittings" that is, during the four law terms of Michaelmas, Hilary, Easter and Trinity. In any hearing during the vacations, judges and counsel wear ordinary suits.


title: Court dress

text: By virtue of Section 17 of the Courts Act 1971, all solicitors have full rights of audience in the superior courts of the Republic of Ireland. When appearing as advocates, they wear ordinary suits and, unlike in England, are not required to wear gowns.


title: Court dress

text: Both Israeli judges and lawyers (while appearing in a court higher than the magistrate ('shalom') level) wear black robes, generally worn open to show a white shirt, black necktie, and either black or dark blue trousers or skirts (optional for women), and jackets in the winter. The robes and neckties may bear the logo of the Israel Bar Association. (Out of court, many lawyers will wear a Bar Association pin in their jacket lapel.) While the practice of lawyers wearing court dress is a legacy of the British Mandate that immediately preceded Israeli independence, the relatively simple outfit (and lack of wigs) shows American influence; both nations' systems of law have similarly influenced Israel's.


title: Court dress

text: In Italy judges, prosecutors and lawyers wear black robes in higher courts or in criminal cases. Judges and prosecutors wear red, ermine-lined robes with golden striped hats on solemn occasions such as the opening of the judicial year.


title: Court dress

text: In the Netherlands and Belgium, judges, lawyers and prosecutors dress identically in the form of a black robe and a white band. This is a symbolic act, as it is meant to convey the idea that the judge is merely the representative of Dutch or Belgian law, rather than an elevated individual with the power of sentencing people. This idea finds its origins in the time of the French revolution. However, there are some slight differences between the judge and the lawyer. The judge wears a black robe, with silk ties on the sleeves and on the closure of the robe. Lawyers just wear a simple black robe. The higher the rank in court, the fancier the robe becomes; the members of the Dutch 'Hoge Raad' (High Council) wear a velvet black robe with ermine ties. In Belgium, the ceremonial robes of the judges in the courts of appeal, the courts of labour and the Court of Cassation use the color red in addition to black. The official Belgian court dresses are laid down in the royal decree of 22 July 1970.


title: Court dress

text: Previously, Dutch judges shared no common dress as the Spanish Netherlands and the Dutch Republic, as the Netherlands were highly decentralised with only provincial and urban law and no federal law. Hence judges would dress as was the tradition in their own cities or towns.


title: Court dress

text: In Norway all court officers wear robes according to what type of court, a black wool robe with a scarlet velvet lapels and cuffs for judges in the Supreme court, a black wool robe with a black velvet lapels and cuffs for judges in Appellate court and Municipal court.


title: Court dress

text: Advocates (councellors) and prosecutors wear a black wool robe with a black silk lapels and cuffs. Court scribes (court reporters) wear a black lapel-less wool robe with no adornment on the cuffs. Prosecutors who are police advocates (police prosecutors) can wear their police uniform with their rank insignia on their shoulders. Bailiffs wear a police-like uniform. There are no special collars, wigs or hats.


title: Court dress

text: The judge in municipal court, as well as the senior judge in appellate court can decide that no one wears robes, on a case to case basis, but this happens only in non- air conditioned courtrooms on hot summer days.


title: Court dress

text: In Sweden there is no official court dress for judges and judges do not wear gowns. Judges usually wear an ordinary suit.


title: Court dress

text: During the early history of the United States, the court dress of judges and practicing lawyers closely mirrored British court dress of the 18th century; both wore white powdered wigs and (typically) black robes in the lower courts, and in the higher ones, judges would wear red with black markings. The practice fell out of favor and died out by the mid-nineteenth century.


title: Court dress

text: Today, generally judges of both state and federal courts are free to select their own courtroom attire, although some jurisdictions do formally require judges to wear robes of some kind when presiding over hearings in court. The most common choice is a plain black robe which covers the torso and legs, with sleeves. Female judges will sometimes add to the robe a plain white collar or lace jabot. Beneath the robes business attire is standard (although judges will sometimes don business casual attire, since they are only ever seen in court wearing a robe). Typically judges pay for their own custom made judicial robe.


title: Court dress

text: Until the tenure of Chief Justice John Marshall, all Supreme Court justices wore red robes with ermine trim and full-bottomed wigs, reminiscent of British court dress. Marshall, however, eschewed this formality and began the practice of only wearing a black silk robe, with no wig. There is some evidence to indicate that the shift to black robes preceded Marshall's tenure. In 1995, Chief Justice William Rehnquist added four gold bars (similar in appearance to captain insignia in the US Navy) to each sleeve of his black robe, but the change in his attire (he had been Chief Justice since 1986) was his own innovation and was inspired by a production of the operetta "Iolanthe", rather than any historical precedent. His successor, John G. Roberts, chose to remain with the traditional plain black robe.


title: Court dress

text: Some Supreme Court justices (including Clarence Thomas, the late Antonin Scalia, and Stephen Breyer, all of whom are or were balding) maintain the ancient legal practice of wearing large black skullcaps, in their case when wearing their robes outdoors in cold weather (for example, at presidential inaugurations in January.)


title: Court dress

text: Many state supreme court justices wear unique styles of robes, the most notable being the Maryland Court of Appeals, where all judges wear red, and British-style tab collars. The judges of the Delaware Superior Court continue to wear the red sashes or baldrics of their British predecessors, albeit now only on ceremonial occasions.


title: Court dress

text: Some judges eschew special dress entirely and preside over their courts in normal business wear. This is often seen among administrative law judges who preside over relatively informal administrative hearings.


title: Court dress

text: Lawyers wear normal business attire in courts of all levels. In some parts of the country some judges permit less formal attire. Some attorneys routinely omit the neckties and some even wear jeans and cowboy boots without a jacket or tie in some courts. During the second-wave feminism movement in the 1970s, some judges forbade female attorneys to wear trousers when appearing in court, but pantsuits are now widely accepted. Like judges, American attorneys do not wear wigs.


title: Court dress

text: Until the 1970s, morning dress was required of all attorneys appearing before the United States Supreme Court by the Court's rules. Even after the Court abolished the requirement, the Office of the Solicitor General maintained the practice. When the Solicitor General (or any of the deputies) appears before the U.S. Supreme Court, they wear morning dress, with striped trousers, grey ascot, waistcoat, and a cutaway morning coat. A feminized version is sometimes worn by female deputies, which consists of the same garments tailored to female measurements. Former Solicitor General Elena Kagan, appeared before the Court in pantsuits in lieu of morning dress. The traditional female equivalent of morning dress, "softly flowing dresses with hats", is strictly for social purposes and would be inappropriate attire for appearances before the nation's highest court. The Court's Marshal and Clerk of both sexes also wear morning dress when the Court is in session.


Air transport of the British royal family and government is provided, depending on the circumstances and availability, by a variety of military and civilian operators. This includes an Airbus Voyager of the Royal Air Force, No. 10 Squadron and the King's Helicopter Flight, which forms part of the royal household. Civil aircraft and scheduled commercial flights are also utilised.


title: Air transport of the British royal family and government

text: The first aircraft ordered specifically for transport of the royal family, two Westland Wapitis, were delivered to No. 24 Squadron at RAF Northolt in April 1928. Although the RAF maintained at least one of these aircraft for a time the Prince of Wales eventually became solely responsible for the aircraft. When the Prince ascended to the throne in 1936 as Edward VIII, The King's Flight was formed as the world's first head of state aircraft unit. In contrast the first flight of a sitting U.S. president was in January 1943. This unit initially used the King's own de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide. The flight was commanded by the prince's personal pilot, Edward "Mouse" Fielden who continued to lead the flight before and after the war.


text: In May 1937 an AS.6J Envoy III replaced the Rapide. The King's Flight Envoy had seats for four passengers plus a pilot, wireless operator and steward. When Nevil Shute Norway of Airspeed queried the need for a steward on flights of up to two or three hours, he was told by the captain of the flight, Wing Commander Fielden "of the fatigue that royal personages must endure ... of radiant people who had opened a Town Hall and shaken a thousand hands ... collapsing in a coma of fatigue directly the door was shut, grey faced and utterly exhausted".


text: The outbreak of World War II in 1939 led to the replacement of the Envoy III with an armed Lockheed Hudson. A de Havilland Flamingo was added to The King's Flight in September 1940.


text: In 1942, The King's Flight was disbanded and its responsibilities transferred to No. 161 Squadron. No. 161 Squadron was an operational military squadron, involved in the dropping of supplies and agents over occupied Europe throughout the War. The King's Flight was reformed on 1 May 1946 at RAF Benson with a single aircraft, a de Havilland Dominie and, soon after, with four Vickers Viking C.2.


text: As The Queen's Flight from 1952, the unit operated a variety of aircraft for the transportation and pilot training of members of the royal family, including Vickers Viking, Avro York, de Havilland Heron and Devon, Westland Whirlwind, Westland Wessex HCC.4, Douglas Dakota (for the Royal Visit to Nepal in 1960), de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk, Beagle Basset and Hawker Siddeley Andover aircraft.


text: On 2 November 1977, Queen Elizabeth II travelled for the first time aboard Concorde (aircraft G-BOAE). Her Majesty then flew from the Grantley Adams International Airport, Barbados, to London Heathrow, England. That occasion was also the first visit by a Concorde aircraft to Barbados.


text: In 1983, the RAF leased two BAe 146 aircraft to assess their suitability as replacements for The Queen's Flight's Andovers. The trial was a success and three VIP-configured BAe 146-100s entered service with The Queen's Flight (as BAe 146 CC.2s) from 1986 as the flight's first jet aircraft. In 2002 one of these BAe 146s was sold as surplus. These jets, also known as the BAe 146 Statesman, have a specially designed Royal Suite cabin. Although the civilian BAe 146-100 has 70-94 seats, the two BAe 146 CC.2 are configured for 19 or 26 passengers in comfort.


text: On 1 April 1995, The Queen's Flight was merged into No. 32 Squadron RAF to become No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron. Its BAe 146s and two Westland Wessex HCC.4 helicopters moved from Benson to 32 Squadron's base at RAF Northolt.


text: The responsibility for royal family travel was transferred to the royal household on 1 April 1997. Before then, it was shared by the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Transport and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The funding comes in the form of a royal travel grant-in-aid provided by the Department for Transport. Later in 1997, the Royal Yacht "Britannia" was retired and not replaced, and the Royal Household was given authorisation to acquire a helicopter for its private use.


text: The Royal Helicopter and the Royal Train are insufficient to meet all the travel requirements of the royal family, even for domestic travel. The King does not travel on scheduled flights, but the rest of the family does whenever possible. Members of the family are normally flown on private charters, either large fixed-wing aircraft, small fixed-wing aircraft, or helicopters, depending on the distance and the size of the official party.


text: The squadron merger ended the RAF's provision of dedicated VIP transport aircraft; the aircraft of 32 Squadron are only available to VIP passengers if not needed for military operations. This was declared officially in 1999, with the Ministry of Defence stating "the principal purpose of 32 Squadron [is] to provide communications and logistical support to military operations; the Squadron's capacity should be based on military needs only; and any royal or other non-military use of... spare capacity is secondary to its military purpose." The effect of this declaration was to radically reduce the charge per hour to the royal travel grant-in-aid for flying in an RAF jet, because now only the variable costs of the flight were expensed to the royal travel budget.


text: Operated for The Queen's Flight since 1986 two of these aircraft remained available to No. 32 Squadron as short-haul VIP configured airliners.


text: It was also announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 that the current Command Support Air Transport fleet aircraft would be replaced as they reached the end of their life to increase their operational utility and ensure continued effective transport for the Royal Family and senior ministers.


text: In February 2022 Defence Equipment and Support announced that the four BAe 146 aircraft will be replaced by two Dassault Falcon 900LX aircraft.


text: Other RAF aircraft have transported members of the Royal family and ministers, particularly for long range trips for which The King's Flight and Royal Squadron planes were unsuitable. This most often involved Vickers VC10 C.1s, "XR807" and "XV106", of the now disbanded No. 10 Squadron - later subsumed by No. 101 Squadron based at RAF Brize Norton.


text: Occasionally, the supersonic passenger aircraft, Concorde, was used to transport the Prime Minister and Royal Family, particularly to international conferences abroad. The first supersonic flight that Queen Elizabeth II experienced was on 2 November 1977 at the end of her Silver Jubilee.


text: Most air travel by cabinet and junior ministers is on scheduled commercial flights. Travel on 32 Squadron aircraft is recommended where it is more cost-effective than using commercial air transport, or where security considerations dictate that special flights should be used. In 2016, the VIP RAF Voyager became the first dedicated VIP transport plane for government ministers and the Royal Family, after such plans had been proposed and shelved repeatedly since the 1990s.


text: The majority of non-scheduled travel for the Royal Family is provided by private charter, with Luxaviation UK being the exclusive supplier of private charters to the Royal Family since April 2009.


text: Historically, only the Royal Family had dedicated aircraft; government ministers would fly on commercial flights, rented private jets, or occasionally RAF-operated flights. Proposals to provide a new dedicated VIP transport aircraft, for governmental or royal use, were first mooted in 1998. However, in March 2009 a proposal for a £7 million 12-seater private jet plans were halted by recession. In November 2015, it was announced the government would fit VIP seating to one of the nine core fleet of RAF Airbus Voyager tanker/transport aircraft for the use of senior government officials and members of the Royal Family. The Voyager refit cost £10 million and the government estimated the use of the aircraft would save £775,000 a year versus the cost of charter flights; The new arrangement was expected to cost around £2,000 per flying hour as opposed to £6,700 for long-haul charter. The refit included a secure satellite communications system, missile detection, conference facilities, a changing room, 58 business class seats and 100 economy seats.


text: The aircraft, the VIP RAF Voyager, retained the standard Royal Air Force livery and continued its primary military duties when not in use by the government. Its first use as a VIP transport was on 8 July 2016, when it was used to take government ministers from London Heathrow airport to the 2016 NATO conference in Warsaw, Poland.


text: In 2018, the then foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, criticised the arrangements, protesting that the Voyager "never seems to be available". He also remarked that the aircraft's "drab grey colours undermined Britain's reputation when the country needed a powerful 'flagship'" and suggested that provision of a dedicated government aircraft would be desirable '"if there's a way of doing it that is not exorbitantly expensive". In June 2020 the aircraft was repainted in colours of the Union Jack at a cost of £900,000.


text: A Royal Air Force AgustaWestland AW109SP helicopter is occasionally used by ministers. Based at RAF Northolt, the helicopter performs the Command Support Air Transport role for senior military commanders and government ministers. Depending on requirements, other RAF helicopters may be used.


text: In February 2022 Defence Equipment and Support announced that No. 32 Squadron (previously the Queen's Flight) will acquire two Dassault 900LX aircraft.


text: The first of these jets was delivered to RAF Northolt in May 2022. The RAF named the new aircraft type Envoy IV.


text: Both planes were used to take Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Liz Truss to Aberdeen Airport on 6 September 2022 as part of their journey to meet The Queen at Balmoral Castle to resign from and take the office of Prime Minister, respectively.


text: In November 2020, the Cabinet Office signed a contract with Corporate Travel Management (North) Ltd for the exclusive lease of a VIP configured aircraft for the use of the prime minister, other ministers and VIPs. The contract was initially for two years (extendable to five years) with a potential total value of £75 million. The Cabinet Office had called for an aircraft with at least 30 and preferably 50 fully "lie-flat" seats, meeting areas, high-speed internet and secure weapons storage. The aircraft was required be available within 12 hours notice, be capable of carrying 30–50 passengers with 55 kg of luggage each, at least from London to Washington (4,500 nm) in all weathers and be available 24/7 while flying 50 hours per month. A "key" aspect was that the aircraft be painted in the same "Global Britain" livery as the VIP Voyager. The travel management company sub-contracted Titan Airways to provide the actual service and an Airbus A321-200 NEO registered G-XATW entered service in early 2021. In April 2022, the aircraft was repainted and leased from Titan to luxury travel operator TCS World Travel, and the government was provided by Titan Airways with an identical A321Neo, registered G-GBNI, which operates on the same basis.


text: The King’s Helicopter Flight (TKHF) is part of the King's Private Secretary's department of the Royal Household, and is tasked by the Royal Travel Office at Buckingham Palace. Known as The Queen's Helicopter Flight (TQHF) until the death of Queen Elizabeth II, it is currently based at RAF Odiham and operates two Sikorsky S-76C++ helicopters, with the registrations G-XXEB and G-XXED.