April 22, 2006
YOUR MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY
Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 80th birthday(Jennifer Quinn, Associated Press, April 21st, 2006)
Cheering crowds, red-jacketed bandsmen in bearskin hats and ceremonial gunfire saluted the Queen on her 80th birthday Friday, but clouds denied the monarch her wish for sunshine.Wearing a cerise coat and matching feathered hat, the Queen appeared promptly after noon through the Henry VIII gate at Windsor Castle.
Prince Philip, her husband of 58 years, briefly trailed behind but then moved off to greet other sections of the crowd, estimated by police to number 20,000.
Friday's events included a 21-gun salute at Windsor, a 41-gun salute at Hyde Park in London and a formal dinner at Kew Palace. But for monarchists and celebrity spotters, the day's big event was the chance to greet the Queen outside the imposing castle founded by William the Conqueror.[...]
"She's always the same. She never changes, does she?'' marvelled John Tyler, 69, a retired military man who came with his wife Iris. "She's got older, but she's always been a person of the people. She's the Queen of the people. Try and find another in the world like her. You won't, will you?''
Another man in the crowd, Colin Edwards, 65, of Wales, said he had been a bystander at 113 royal events since 1982.
"She has never been involved in a scandal, she has carried out her duties superbly, we love her to bits and hope that she reigns for at least another 20 years,'' Edwards said.
"She's fantastic,'' added Mary Wintle, 71, who also came from Wales to cheer the monarch. [...]
On a visit to the British Broadcasting Corp. on Thursday, the Queen was asked what she wanted for her birthday.
"A nice sunshiny day - that would be nice,'' she said.
It is one of the delightfully irrational quirks of British history and government that the country that invented male primogeniture has had so many strong, beloved queens and so many feckless, unpopular kings.
The queen should formerly make her grandson, William, her heir to avoid any unpleasantness in the succession when she dies. Charles it seems has become smitten with Islam and is, if not a Moslem convert, at least a Moslem hanger-on. The future king of England pining to be a 7th century avatar.
You really can't make this stuff up.
Naw, Charles III will be around 70 himself when he becomes king and so will be quite irrelevant, no more than an aging symbol of monarchy. His personal, private religious preferences (and I have no way of knowing what they are) are unimportant as long as publically he's a good Anglican Christian, and Charles knows his duty.
Posted by: Dave W at April 22, 2006 11:15 PMDave W:
as long as publically he is a good Anglican Christian...
I'm shocked...shocked that you would set the bar so low. :-)
Posted by: Peter B at April 23, 2006 7:52 AMForgive me Peter, looking at my post I sound like a loyal subject of the crown, which several of my ancestors took up arms and shed their blood so that I wouldn't have to be.
Does the Archbishop get to ask Charles "who is your Lord and Saviour" prior to placing the crown upon his head? If the man's going to be the head of the CofE how he responds is darned important.
Charles' reign could be a short one as he abdicates the throne "for the religion I love". Then the Archbishop could go right down the line, if need be, through William V, Henry IX and Andrew I.
Posted by: Dave W at April 23, 2006 11:37 PM"It is one of the delightfully irrational quirks of British history and government that the country that invented male primogeniture has had so many strong, beloved queens and so many feckless, unpopular kings."
Didn't the Queen and Parliament recently decree an end to male primogeniture? Perhaps this is why.
Posted by: Dave W at April 23, 2006 11:44 PM