UK Papers Herald Future 'Queen Camilla'

Camilla, the wife of Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II. Credit: AFP Photos
Camilla, the wife of Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II. Credit: AFP Photos
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UK Papers Herald Future 'Queen Camilla'

Camilla, the wife of Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II. Credit: AFP Photos
Camilla, the wife of Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II. Credit: AFP Photos

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has announced that she wants daughter-in-law Camilla to hold the role of queen consort once her son Charles ascends to the throne, in a major statement timed to mark her unprecedented seventieth jubilee.

The move cemented a remarkable journey to public acceptance for Camilla, after being vilified for her role in the break-up of Charles' marriage to Princess Diana -- and shows that the Queen is planning for the future after her death.

Predictably the news dominated Sunday's front pages, with the Daily Mail -- Britain's highest-circulation newspaper -- declaring "Camilla WILL become Queen".

The move was a long time coming for the Mail, which splashed on its Sunday front page that the queen's statement "ends years of speculation" over the future role of the Duchess of Cambridge as well as quashing rumors that she might abdicate, AFP said.

The decision, the tabloid declared, represented "the clearest sign yet not just of the Queen's unswerving support for her daughter-in-law but proof of her enduring affection for the woman who has secured her eldest son's happiness".

The Mail's main conservative tabloid rival, The Sunday Express, also led with the story, describing it as the Queen's "Platinum Jubilee Gift to Charles" and offering readers a free eight-page souvenir special to mark Elizabeth II's 70 years as monarch.

The broadsheet Sunday Times, too, emphasized the significance of the decision, reporting that the Queen "anoints Queen Camilla" in a move that ended "years of controversy and confusion".

"It was the first time the Queen has given her view publicly on an issue that has divided opinion since Charles and Camilla wed in 2005," it said.



Israel Signs $5.2 Bln Deal to F-15 Fighter Jets from Boeing

FILE PHOTO: A F-15 fighter jet takes off during a graduation ceremony for Israeli Air Force pilots at Hatzerim Airbase, in southern Israel, June 29, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A F-15 fighter jet takes off during a graduation ceremony for Israeli Air Force pilots at Hatzerim Airbase, in southern Israel, June 29, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
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Israel Signs $5.2 Bln Deal to F-15 Fighter Jets from Boeing

FILE PHOTO: A F-15 fighter jet takes off during a graduation ceremony for Israeli Air Force pilots at Hatzerim Airbase, in southern Israel, June 29, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A F-15 fighter jet takes off during a graduation ceremony for Israeli Air Force pilots at Hatzerim Airbase, in southern Israel, June 29, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo

The Israeli defense ministry said on Thursday it had signed an agreement to acquire 25 next generation F-15 fighter jets from Boeing Co.

It said the $5.2 billion agreement was part of a broader package of US aid approved by the US administration and Congress earlier this year and included an option for 25 additional aircraft.

The United States has provided crucial military support to Israel as it has battled Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and traded fire with Iran.
The Biden administration recently warned Israel that if it did not facilitate the delivery of more aid to Gaza, US laws may force the administration to curb some of its military support.
The State Department said this week that Israel had yet to sufficiently improve aid deliveries ahead of a mid-November deadline.
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end the wars in the Middle East without saying how he plans to do it.

Delivery of the new F-15IA aircraft will begin in 2031, with 4-6 aircraft to be supplied annually, said the Israeli defense ministry.

The aircraft will be equipped with weapons systems integrated with existing Israeli weapons as well as having increased range and payloads.

"These advantages will enable the Israeli Air Force to maintain its strategic superiority in addressing current and future challenges in the Middle East," the ministry said in a statement.

"This F-15 squadron, alongside the third F-35 squadron procured earlier this year, represents a historic enhancement of our air power and strategic reach - capabilities that proved crucial during the current war," the director general of the defense ministry, Eyal Zamir, said in the statement.

Zamir said that the government has secured procurement agreements worth nearly $40 billion since the onset of the war in Gaza that began Oct. 7, 2023.

"While focusing on immediate needs for advanced weaponry and ammunition at unprecedented levels, we're simultaneously investing in long-term strategic capabilities," he said.

For Boeing, the F-15 agreement is the second major deal this year. In August, flag carrier El Al Israel Airlines, signed a deal with Boeing for the purchase of up to 31 737 MAX aircraft worth as much as $2.5 billion, beating out rival Airbus.

Ido Nehushtan, president of Boeing Israel, said the company's relationship dates back to Israel's establishment and "will continue working with the US and Israeli governments to deliver the advanced F-15IA aircraft through standard military procurement channels."