Chapter 330 Baron Hardy, Governor of Cayman
After the money issue was settled, Hardy still had one more thing to do. He telegraphed the White House to inform President Johnson that he was planning to become a British citizen.
President Johnson is his ally, and Hadi's acquisition of foreign citizenship is definitely a big deal, so it is necessary to tell Johnson about it. In case it has any negative political impact, it would be irresponsible to the ally.
In the telegram, Hardy explained that the reason for obtaining British citizenship was to obtain ownership and autonomy of the Cayman Islands so that he could do business in the future.
After seeing the news, President Johnson's first reaction was that if Hadi could really obtain autonomy for the Cayman Islands, it would be a good thing for the United States.
South America is the hinterland of the United States, and the Cayman Islands is an enclave in the heart of the Caribbean. Although there were no problems in the past, if the competition with Britain intensifies in the future and Britain sets up a military base here, it will be very uncomfortable for the United States.
Cayman is not small, and it is more than enough to be a military base.
If Britain sets up an overseas military base here, it would be like standing behind you with a spear, ready to poke you in the ass at any time.
Now that Hadi has obtained Cayman's autonomy, it has eliminated a hidden danger for the United States, which is definitely a good thing for the United States.
Johnson wrote back, supporting Hardy's approach.
As for the possibility that Hardy would switch allegiance to Britain if he joined the country, Johnson never considered it.
As a capitalist, making money is the first priority and they will only be loyal to money. Johnson called Hardy back to tell him that he could do things according to his own ideas without any worries.
So far,
With nothing standing in the way, Hardy was ready to complete the deal.
At the Ministry of Finance,
The two parties completed the land purchase transaction, and Hardy purchased ownership of three islands in the Cayman Islands for US$10 million.
At the same time,
Wells Fargo signed a loan agreement with the Bank of Scotland to provide a loan of 50 million to the Bank of Scotland for a period of 5 years at normal interest rates.
Next, the financial investment department of the Hardy Group purchased US$60 million of five-year British government bonds.
Hadi completed the payment, and the British side acted quickly to help Hadi obtain British citizenship. At the Civil Affairs Department, Hadi took an oath in front of the British flag.
"I, Jon Hardy, solemnly swear in the name of God that upon becoming a British citizen, I will bear true allegiance to His Majesty King George VI, his heirs and successors, according to the laws."
"I will be loyal to the United Kingdom, respect its rights and freedoms, support its democratic values, and I will faithfully obey its laws and fulfil my duties and obligations as a British citizen."
Now there is only one last ceremony left, which is for the British royal family to confer the title of knighthood on Hardy and grant him fiefdom.
According to past rules, there will be only two conferment ceremonies each year, and many people will be conferred each time. The recipients are mainly British officials, such as the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice, and people who have made outstanding contributions to the UK. Even businessmen, actors, architects, police officers, and lawyers are possible.
Bill Gates was once knighted, and many people in Hong Kong have also received British titles.
Hadi was originally going to have to wait a few months to be conferred the title along with the others, but somewhat unexpectedly, the British royal family informed Hadi that they would prepare to arrange a separate ceremony for him as soon as possible to complete the conferment of the title on him.
All I can say is,
The power of money is strong.
One more thing,
Britain's status has been deteriorating recently, and people are increasingly feeling that this once world leader has declined. Britain needs something to boost morale and tell outsiders that Britain still has a solid foundation and that wealthy people like Hardy are willing to join Britain.
Hardy is definitely a big celebrity in the United States today. His reputation is more well-known than many heads of conglomerates.
This is mainly due to ABC TV.
And his legendary rise to wealth makes Hardy the representative of the American dream.
The government and the royal family believe that the announcement by Hardy, a well-known billionaire, that he had become a British citizen and was knighted will be very helpful in improving the image of Britain.
The knighthood ceremony was held at Buckingham Palace.
There are many British nobles here today, including the Prime Minister and several cabinet members, as well as the US Ambassador to the UK, the Japanese Ambassador to the UK, etc.
The conferment ceremony was open to the public, and hundreds of reporters were allowed in, including reporters from the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Global Times.
In front of everyone, Hardy knelt on one knee on the couch, and George VI dragged his sick body and placed the sword on Hardy's shoulder.
Medals were then presented.
From this moment on.
Hardy would become 'Baron Hardy' of the British Empire.
At the same time,
King George VI announced on the spot that he would grant the Cayman Islands to Baron Hardy as a fiefdom. Many people present were very surprised because the British royal family had not actually granted fiefdoms when granting titles for more than a decade.
Of course,
Those who know the truth know that Hardy spent 120 million US dollars to obtain those worthless islands.
It's an overseas territory.
Not worth the money at all.
The royal family and the government exchanged a few worthless islands for 120 million US dollars. This deal was definitely a huge profit.
Others came up to congratulate.
Prime Minister Attlee smiled and said, "Mr. Hadi, the government will issue you the official governor's document later. Congratulations, Governor Hadi."
Governor Hadi is a governor for life.
Hadi smiled and said, "I will be under your jurisdiction from now on."
This statement is just a polite one. As a self-governing territory, it has extremely high autonomy and the British government generally has no control over the Cayman Islands.
The US Ambassador to the UK also came up to congratulate him and asked with a smile: "Mr. Hardy, I never thought that you would become a British baron and get a self-governing territory. How do you plan to develop the Cayman Islands in the future?"
"Make it a tourist attraction, and they're planning to move the casino business there. In the future, we Americans will have one more place to visit. But these can't be told to outsiders," Hardy said in a low voice.
The ambassador smiled and nodded.
"I see. I wish you a prosperous business then." He raised his glass.
"Thank you."
At this moment, a guy with an oriental face and a tuxedo came over, bowed respectfully to Hardy and said, "Mr. Hardy, congratulations on becoming a British baron and governor of the Cayman Islands. I am Ichiro Maeda, the Japanese ambassador to the UK."
"Hello, Ambassador Maeda." Hardy replied indifferently.
"Mr. Hardy, the Japanese side asked me to inform you that the business situation and investment list you asked us to prepare are ready. I wonder when you are going to go to Japan to give us economic guidance?"
"You send the information to the United States first. I have found other financial groups and are preparing to go to Japan together. These data will help them make preparations in advance." Hardy said.
"Yes, I will inform them to send the data to the United States."
After exchanging greetings, everyone prepared to take photos.
King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, and many dukes and nobles prepare to take photos with Hardy.
Just as Hardy stood in the crowd, Princess Margaret next to him saw that Hardy's collar was somehow curled up inside. Without thinking much about it, she reached out to help Hardy take it out and even smoothed the corner of the clothes.
Hardy didn't care.
I have had a lot of contact with Princess Margaret these days. During her diplomatic period, she brought Taylor to see her many times, and they have already become friends.
But this scene is very remarkable to outsiders.
The princess reached out to help Baron Hardy smooth his clothes. The relationship between the two seemed very unusual. This scene was also seen by reporters. A sharp-minded reporter quickly pressed the shutter and captured the scene of Princess Margaret smoothing the corner of Hardy's clothes.
Everyone stand still.
Hardy is the protagonist today, so he stands next to King George VI, Princess Elizabeth stands on the other side, next to Princess Elizabeth is his husband Prince Philip, and next to Hardy is Princess Margaret.
Other nobles stood further out.
“Crack~!”
The photographer pressed the shutter button and the picture froze.
From then on, the world's first Cayman Governor, Baron Hardy, was born. Now people don't know what kind of changes this future Cayman Governor will bring to the world.