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Crowning glory

Entertaining experiences are rare in these grim times of the covid pandemic and their devasting health and economic impact, but one of them – for viewers of Netflix - is the latest series of The Crown, the story of Britain’s royal family from the 1940s to modern times. According to one newspaper, the first episode attracted a staggering 29 million viewers worldwide.
The fourth series, depicting events taking place between 1977 and 1990, is dominated, as ever, by Queen Elizabeth II, now the world’s longest-reigning monarch - played superbly by Olivia Colman. Attention-grabbing newcomers are Lady Diana Spencer, the late wife of the Queen’s son and heir to the throne, Charles, Prince of Wales, and Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first woman prime minister – played by Gillian Anderson.
The Crown kicked off in 2016, winning extravagant plaudits for its lavish production, good storylines and talented cast - and for the pleasure of peeking behind the scenes at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and other royal residences. It dramatizes the story of the Queen and her family since she ascended the throne on the death of her father George VI in 1952. Previous high points include the antics of her younger sister, Margaret, who died in 2002, and her eyebrow-raising behavior in the “Swinging Sixties.” It is also the most costly TV series ever made.
The latest season covers dramatic periods in recent British history including the Falklands war of 1982, when Argentinian forces invaded the South Atlantic island known to them as the Malvinas, and a resolute Thatcher oversaw a British victory – which could not be taken for granted. Pre-dating that, in 1979, was the assassination of Lord Mountbatten, the last viceroy of India, by the Irish Republican Army. He was the most senior royal killed since Charles 1 was executed in the mid-17th century.
The marriage of Charles and Diana in July 1981 – at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral - was accompanied by huge public celebrations and watched by 750 million people worldwide. But the honeymoon did not last long. This series provides insights into Charles’ previous (but ongoing) relationship with his married girlfriend, Camilla Parker-Bowles, who he wed eventually after divorcing Diana, who died in a car crash in 1997.
Another episode has the Queen’s husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, challenge her to name the favorite of their four children. It is clear that this is Andrew, the third child, but that has had a disturbing echo since 2019 when Andrew insisted in a notorious BBC TV interview that he had not had sex with an under-age girl allegedly procured by his former American friend, the financier and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. This season is the first to have been broadcast since Andrew stepped down from his royal duties. It is therefore especially hard to separate fact from fiction. (Prince Philip’s favourite is Anne, their only daughter).
The fifth episode of The Crown’s new season is a fictionalised account of what the notorious intruder, an angry, unemployed and unhappy man called Michael Fagan, spoke to the Queen about after breaking into Buckingham Palace in 1982. Fagan is famous for climbing the palace railings and managing to enter via an open window – an astonishing breach of royal security.
Another of the 10 episodes deals with Charles and Diana ‘s visit to Australia and New Zealand in 1983 – when it became clear that something was amiss with their marriage, not least because Diana burst into tears at a public event but also attracted attention by her beauty. It was made worse by the realization that the princess – played by the rising star Emma Corrin – suffered from an eating disorder.
An especially riveting episode purports to tell the story of a clash between the Queen and Thatcher about the sensitive issue of imposing sanctions on South Africa in the apartheid era. The Queen believed that sanctions were necessary to fight racial segregation and bring the Commonwealth nations together, while her prime minister argued that this would damage UK trade. British press reports claimed that the Queen was "dismayed" with Thatcher’s approach.
The second episode has Thatcher – a grocer’s daughter and middle-class in origin - paying an uncomfortable visit to Balmoral Palace in Scotland with her husband Denis, in the course of which she accompanies the Queen on an excruciating hike across the countryside, obviously overdressed and wearing inadequate shoes for the muddy ground.
Royal sources have been quoted as saying that the Queen, now aged 94, enjoyed the first season of the Crown, but it is not known whether she has seen any of the later ones. Her youngest son, Prince Edward, is reported to have encouraged his mother to watch it. Historians of the monarchy have expressed scepticism about whether the latest series is factually accurate, with one critic complaining that the characters were “caricatures” and “villains” who bore no relation to their true selves. No surprise then that current members of the Royal Family are said to be finding series four “hard to stomach” and are nervous about what will happen in seasons five and six of this remarkable programme.
IAN BLACK
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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