The Spectator

How many Lilibets are there in the world?

[Getty Images] 
issue 12 June 2021

Rare Lili

Other than the new royal baby, is there anyone in the world formally called Lilibet?

— There are 141 Lilibets in the US. None have been born since 1999 — when 8 were born, according to the US Social Security Administration.

— Lilibet Foster, born in the US Virgin Islands in 1965, is a documentary-maker whose film Speaking in Strings, about the violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, was nominated in the 72nd Academy Awards.

— In answer to a freedom of information request in 2017, the Office for National Statistics refused to provide a full breakdown of the first names of people living in Britain. But it does publish a list of the top 100 girls’ names for recent years, which haven’t included Lilibet.

Tax havens

The G7 agreed in principle to try to impose a minimum global corporation tax of 15 per cent. Some countries which currently have a rate lower than that:

Ireland, Cyprus, Liechtenstein: 12.5%

Moldova: 12%

Bosnia, Bulgaria, Paraguay, Qatar: 10%

Hungary, Montenegro: 9%

Uzbekistan: 7.5%

Barbados: 5.5%

Bahamas, Bahrain, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Isle of Man, UAE: 0%

War chests

A written parliamentary answer revealed that the 20-year military operation in Afghanistan has cost the UK taxpayer £22.2 billion. How does that compare with other military interventions?

First Gulf War (1991): £2.3bn

(£2bn refunded by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and others)

Bosnia (1990s): £1.5bn

Kosovo (1999): £1.1bn

Iraq war (2003): £9.6bn

Libya (2011): £238m

Source: Treasury/Royal United Services Institute

Out of shot

By 9 May, 89% of the over-seventies had had two doses of a Covid vaccine. What socioeconomic factors are shared by those with the lowest vaccination rates?

Bangladeshi heritage: 69%

Black African: 57%

Black Caribbean: 64%

Chinese: 77%

Pakistani: 66%

Buddhist: 79%

Muslim: 67%

Speak English well though it’s not their first language: 77%

Speak some English but not well: 71%

Speak no English: 63%

Source: ONS

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