Greenwich to get royal status

Greenwich Council is to become a royal borough.

The south east London borough’s royal status will come into effect in the year of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

The honour was confirmed yesterday in the House of Lords by Lord Mandelson.

It is bestowed in recognition of the close links between Greenwich and royalty, from the Middle Ages to the present day.

It also acknowledges the borough’s global significance as home of the Prime Meridian, Greenwich Mean Time and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There are at present three Royal Boroughs: Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston, and Windsor and Maidenhead.