Greenwich to become a Royal Borough

The London Borough of Greenwich is to join Kingston, Windsor and Maidenhead and Kensington and Chelsea as a Royal Borough. The change will take place in 2012.

Announcing the news, in the House of Lords, Lord Mandelson said:

"This rare honour is to be bestowed in recognition of the historically close links forged between Greenwich and the Royal Family from the Middle Ages to the present day."

The honour was also in recognition of "the borough's global significance as the home of the Prime Meridian, Greenwich Mean Time, and the Unesco World Heritage Site".

The news should be especially pleasing to Cllr Nigel Fletcher, a Conservative councillor on Greenwich who has proposed that The Queen's portrait be on display in the Town Hall.