Prince William and Kate Middleton wedding: 350 million viewers.
On April 29th, 2011, Kate Middleton, who was the daughter of wealthy business owners with ties to the crown, became Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer wedding: 1 billion viewers.
On July 29, 1981, Lady Di went from nursery teacher’s assistant to the Princess of Wales.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wedding: 1.9 billion viewers.
On May 19th, 2018, Meghan Markle, who had previously worked as an actress, blogger, charity ambassador, and advocate, (briefly) became HRH the Duchess of Sussex, Countess of Dumbarton and Baroness Kilkeel.
Funeral of Lady Di: 2 billion viewers.
Di’s funeral took place at Westminster Abbey on Sept. 6th, 1997. A hearse transported her coffin to Kensington Palace days before the funeral took place. Although this wasn’t the formal procession, thousands of onlookers lined the streets.
Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral: 2.5 billion people.
The State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II took place at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19th September.
UK viewing peaked at 20.4 million as Charles was crowned (compared to the 29 million who watched the Queen's funeral, & the 32 million who watched Di's funeral - second only to the 32.3 million who watched the 1966 World Cup Final). 🇬🇧
Only ten global events (including Di's & Queen's funeral) have been watched by 2 billion+ viewers.
Ali vs Larry Holmes: 2 billion viewers.
On Oct. 2nd, 1980, Ali took to the ring suffering slurred speech & decreased motor function. After 10 rounds his manager ended the fight.
Michael Jackson Memorial Service: 2 billion viewers.
A public memorial service for Michael Jackson was held on July 7, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, twelve days after his death.
Live 8: 2 billion viewers
Live 8 was a benefit concert to raise money to try & end poverty worldwide. The G8 countries & South Africa performed simultaneous concerts on July 2nd, 2005 - the 20th anniversary of Live Aid (estimated TV audience of 1.9 billion).
9/11 terror attacks: 2 billion viewers.
Media coverage started when American Airlines Flight 11 collided with the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Within one hour and fifteen minutes, three more planes crashed in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.
1998 World Cup Final, France vs. Brazil: 2 billion viewers.
France's 3-0 win was their first World Cup title. Zidane was named the man of the match, while Ronaldo was awarded the Golden Ball as FIFA's outstanding player of the tournament.
Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks II: 2 billion viewers.
September 15th, 1978, marked the second time Ali and Spinks met in the ring. Ali was 36, but dominated the fight and defeated Spinks by unanimous decision, avenging his split decision loss to Spinks from seven months prior.
2002 World Cup Final, Brazil vs. Germany: 2 billion viewers
On June 30, 2002, Brazil played Germany in a world cup final for first time. Two second-half goals by the original Ronaldo led to a 2-0 victory.
GB "News" is jointly owned by Paul Marshall & Legatum, under the umbrella of holding company All Perspectives: three of its significant shareholders work for Christopher Chandler's Dubai-based investment firm Legatum & three Tory life peers are shareholders or Directors.
The five people listed as having 'significant control' over GB "News" umbrella holding company All Perspectives Ltd are: Philip Vassiliou; Paul Marshall; Richard Douglas; Alan McCormick; & Christopher Chandler.
The House of Lords Register of Interests reveals three Tory life peers are Directors or shareholders of All Perspectives: Lord Agnew of Oulton & Baroness Morrissey are Directors; Lord Farmer is a Shareholder.
Whose interests does free-market propaganda channel GB "News" serve?
In 2013, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner published the final report of its two-year Inquiry into child sexual exploitation in gangs & groups - the biggest investigation into the scale & nature of child sexual abuse in England ever published.
Anyone wanting to read “If only someone had listened”, Office of the Children’s Commissioner’s Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Gangs and Groups, Final Report', published November 2013, by Sue Berelowitz et al, it's here:
In the new series of the #dystopian sci-fi series #BlackMirror, the second-richest man on earth, who owns 98% of one of the largest Hawaiian Islands, rolls out his total global surveillance system called 'The Oracle' to ensure 'good behaviour'...
This is the very definiton of 'dystopian', & draws parallels with the warnings outlined in Orwell's 1984, which Musk often alludes to. But it's not fiction - it's real.
While we all know about Musk, far fewer people know much about the second richest man on earth, Larry Ellison.
As of November 13, 2024, Ellison is the second-wealthiest man on earth according to Forbes, with an estimated net worth of $237 billion. He is also known for his ownership of 98% of Lānaʻi, the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands.
In a press release announcing its new UK-EU branch, based in London, Heartland boasted that it is “the world’s most prominent think tank supporting skepticism about man-made climate change”.
Shit-stirring hypocritical bigoted playground bullies were once shunned by society, but now they can become MPs.
Is Reform UK's Lee Anderson, who exploits ordinary people with his infantile divisive populism, the thickest & most hypocritical bigot ever to become an MP?
#30pLee is on his third party in six years.
He was elected as a Labour councillor in 2015 & suspended by the local branch of the Labour Party in 2018 after receiving a community-protection warning by the council for using boulders to block members of the Traveller community.
#30pLee resigned from Labour in 2018 & was elected as a Tory councillor on Mansfield District Council in 2019. He was selected as the Conservative candidate for Ashfield in 2019, and was elected as a Tory MP.
The Chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, Richard Cooke, has been suspended after he branded racism allegations as "nonsense" on social media after a former chief inspector alleged racism & homophobia were rife within the force.
Policing is hard. The Police Federation of England and Wales is the statutory staff association for police constables, sergeants, inspectors, chief inspectors & special constables in the 43 territorial police forces in England & Wales. Cooke is Chair of the West Midlands branch.
Under UK labour law, the police are prohibited from joining ordinary trade unions to defend pay and working conditions, by the Police Act 1996, because of the view that a police strike would pose an exceptional public safety risk.