The Queen
When Elizabeth II died I thought: She wasn’t a bad old bird–these very words went through my mind. I remember singing God Save The Queen to her at Saturday morning pictures (movies for kids) back in the 1950s when I was 8 or 9. I am no royalist but at least she gave people something to hang onto. Her accent alone was worth the price of admission–surely even she could see that it was absolutely hilarious. Now we have dear old Charles, also hilarious, and a mere one year older than me. A rich vein of comedy will take Old Blighty into the future.
I appreciate the sense of duty that they all have, they were born into it and I feel for them at this sad time.
However, all this forelock tugging is becoming tiresome – especially when their basic claim to fame (and elevation above us) is that they’re decendants of ancient, power-mad thugs and murderers.
Monarchy is surely a sign of insanity in the nation that tolerates it.
There’s a connection between monarchy and madness–it’s a kind of delusion, with the gaudy pageantry, meaningless rituals, and aura of fantasy. Both are like religion in being removed from ordinary life and dubiously intelligible.
The divine right of kings.
The kingdom of heaven.
Ha Ha. God save the king!
I suspect many people will have trouble singing the national anthem with “queen” replaced by “king” because the new referent is not regarded with the same reverence and affection as the old.