| Britain's Queen Elizabeth came to the
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| | fought for independence and national
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| British throne when she was only 25, and
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| | identity to adopt the Euro as her
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| at her side has been Prince Philip, the
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| | official currency.
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| Duke of Edinburgh, who married the Queen
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| | The modern Malta the Queen and Prince
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| in 1947.
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| | Philip visited as part of their 60th
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| In the modern world of celebrities,
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| | wedding anniversary celebrations has been
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| celebrity relationships, marriages and
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| | transformed into a holiday island, with
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| highly publicised breakdowns - including
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| | cheap flight to Malta deals bringing in
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| that of her son Prince Charles and
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| | tourists from the United Kingdom, and
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| Princess Diana - it is easy to forget
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| | increasingly from Italy, although the UK
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| that the Queen has acted with grace and
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| | remains Malta's most important market.
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| seldom complains of press coverage when
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| | Meanwhile, the population of Malta has
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| it is unfavourable - unless it is simply
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| | swollen from just over 300,000 in 1950 to
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| untruthful, when the British Press
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| | over 400,000 now, with the Maltese people
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| Complaints body intervenes.
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| | moving away from the rural areas to the
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| And the Queen now celebrates over sixty
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| | capital Valletta and towns such as
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| years of marriage to Prince Philip, and
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| | Sliema. Mellieha, a sleepy village on
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| in typical fashion chose a low key couple
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| | Malta's north coast then, is becoming a
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| of days on the island of Malta to
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| | popular holiday resort with hotel and
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| celebrate, before heading off to Uganda
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| | villa holidays popular with British and
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| on official business as Head of the
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| | German holiday makers.
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| Commonwealth.
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| | Since the 1970's Malta has been a holiday
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| Five years older than the Queen, Prince
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| | destination and a large part of her
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| Philip first met the then Princess
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| | economy now relies on the Malta holidays
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| Elizabeth when she was 13, but it was
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| | industry. A few years of decline have
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| some seven years later before they
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| | been reversed by the acceptance of low
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| started courting and became engaged, and
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| | cost airlines, not just from the UK but
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| married at Westminster Abbey in November
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| | other parts of Europe too, and the island
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| 1947.
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| | is able to offer both 5 star Malta
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| The time they spent together before
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| | holidays but also cheap Malta holidays
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| Elizabeth acceeded to the throne is
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| | too.
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| thought to be among their happiest
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| | When Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip
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| memories. Prince Philip was still a Royal
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| | lived on the island few if any people
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| Navy Officer when they married and he was
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| | were taking a holiday in Malta, and the
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| stationed in Malta. The island was quite
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| | population was Maltese with British and
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| different then from what it is now, with
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| | some Commonwealth military and civilian
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| hotels in Malta now dotting the
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| | workers. Until recently the vast majority
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| landscape.
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| | of those taking a Malta holiday were
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| The island of Malta allowed Queen
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| | British, but the cheap airlines are
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| Elizabeth and Prince Philip to live a
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| | allowing diversification with tourists
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| life as near as possibly could be called
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| | not just from the UK - although it
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| normal as an heir to the British throne.
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| | remains Malta's prime market, but from
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| The Malta of today is unrecognisable from
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| | Italy, Germany, Spain and the
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| the Malta when the Queen lived there. The
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| | Scandanavian countries.
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| island had been involved in the Second
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| | It's worth bearing in mind just how long
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| World War and gallantly held out as the
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| | Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have
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| German and Italian air forces tried to
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| | been married - sixteen years already
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| bomb her into submission, and Malta was
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| | before the Beatles had their first number
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| awarded the George Cross on April 15 1942
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| | 1 and they weren't far off their silver
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| by the Queen's father, King George VI.
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| | wedding anniversary when Neil Armstrong
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| Accommodation in Malta
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| | became the first man to walk on the moon
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| In 1942 61 RAF Spitfires, famous for
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| | and the Beatles were splitting up and
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| their role in the Battle of Britain,
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| | Paul McCartney was first thinking of his
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| arrived on the island to fight off the
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| | new group Wings.
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| German and Italian airforces and Malta
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| | Malta will be hoping the Royal couple
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| survived to become today a member of the
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| | visit the island again for their 70th
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| EU, and from January 1 this year even
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| | wedding anniversary for a vacation.
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| voluntarily surrendered part of her hard
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