Friday, April 29, 2011

Cavaliers and Roundheads

As the natural-born citizen of a free republic (like at least one other well-known person) who became, by choice, the citizen of another king-free zone, I suppose I should be appalled by today's royalist happenings.

Though, judging by the homepage of one of Germany's leading news magazines today, I suppose this association is less strong than you might think (note the crown in place of the usual 'O'):



Anyway...nonetheless, as the son of a woman (born in the same year as Lizzie II, as it happens) whose membership in the post-Second-World-War British diaspora was (almost, at least as far as I remember) daily renewed by some reference to the Windsors (and who, by breaking through police barriers during some royal tour in the late 1970s managed to briefly hold hands with HRH The Prince of Plant-talkers), I find it difficult not to feel somehow positively disposed toward today's couple.

And there was a moment during the singing of 'Jerusalem' (which sounded at said woman's funeral four years ago, though in the rather less bombastic Billy Bragg version) during which, I must admit, a tear or two was shed.

That's what a sad case I am.

So I wish them well. As she would have done.

[UPDATE]: Norm put it better than I ever could.

2 comments:

Marcellina said...

Indeed she would have. I also like that the Middletons must have had one heck of a moment when they realized that their daughter was actually going to marry the future King of England.

Also, the crowd chanting "Kiss Again!"

The Honourable Husband said...

Would I be perpetuating horrible stereotypes if I made the following observation?

Germans are reluctant republicans, I feel. There is something about a strong, established monarchy which appeals to the Teutonic sense for order, stability, and clear lines of authority.

Our local chat- and reality-shows are still peopled by Celebritäten who use their now constitutionally-irrelevant royal titles, are they not?