Cambridge blues and royals

King William IV by Sir Martin Archer Shee, c 1800

1765-1837. King from 1830-37

There are not many similarities between the last King William and the new Duke of Cambridge who will one day become the next King William. The title conferred upon him by the Queen was not the one I thought, (Clarence), but rather that which William IV's younger brother held.

But both William IV and Prince William of Wales do seem to favour a more frugal lifestyle to the person who was their predecessor, (George IV in William IV's case, and Prince Charles whom we assume will be Prince William's predecessor as king).

These historical pointers notwithstanding, the one attribute that struck me as a casual observer, was what manly men both princes William and Harry are, compared to their father and uncles. This is enhanced by their almost indifference to the status which they hold, a trait not unlike their grandmother.

Okay, enough already.

Happy Birthday Queen Elizabeth II

Today marks the 85th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She was born on April 21, 1926 as HRH Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of York at her parents home in Picadilly (Royals didn't give birth in hospitals until the 1960's). Until the age of ten, she was fourth in line to the throne. Things changed of course, when her uncle Edward VIII bagged the throne to marry Mrs. Simpson. All of a sudden, Princess Elizabeth found herself not only second in line to throne, but facing the very real prospect that she would be Queen one day. Her idyllic childhood changed in that moment.  Not that the Queen has ever complained about her life. She has a strong sense of duty (comes from being a Taurus).  According to the April issue of Majesty Magazine, the Queen actually likes the structure and the routine of monarchy, every day regimented, knowing her schedule six months in advance. It's not just that she was brought up with it. No doubt, if Edward VIII had done his duty and married and sired a son (although there is speculation that he was probably sterile), she would have married some nice aristocrat and settled down to a life in the country with her horses and dogs, only occasionally fulfilling royal duties.

Although the Queen will have been on the throne for 60 years next year, there is still so much we don't know about her, and that's as it should be. She has actively cultivated the mystique of the monarchy. We do know that she keeps her breakfast cereal in Tupperware, eats her dinner on trays when she's home, and goes around turning out the lights in Buckingham Palace. We also know that she's worn the same hairstyle for the past 50 years, and wears neon colors so that she can be easily seen by the crowds in public. Beyond that, she is unknowable. Only three people in the world probably know the Queen intimately, her sister Margaret, her mother, Queen Elizabeth, and her husband Prince Philip. Even her children don't know her that well. They are always conscious that their mother is not just their mother, but also their Queen.

The Queen has been married for almost 64 years (Whoa) to Prince Philip. Royal Watchers know that she met her future groom when she was 13 and he was an 18 year old cadet at the Dartmouth Naval College. Apparently from that moment on, she had decided that he was going to be her husband (that stubborn Taurus Sun). Lucky for her, Prince Philip went along with the program and they were married when she turned 21.

That's her dress on the left. Isn't it beautiful? Seriously, I think it's much more beautiful then the dress that Diana wore for her wedding. It's simple but classic. If you shortened the sleeves, it could be worn today, and the color is stunning, from the picture it almost looks like a champagne color. And I adore the embroidery on the dress. It was designed by Norman Hartnell, who designed many of the Queen and the Queen Mother's clothes over the years. Can you imagine being couturier to the Queen of England?

Here is a picture of the happy couple on their wedding day.  The war had been over for only 2 years when the then Princess Elizabeth married her dashing Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, who renounced his Greek titles and citizenship to marry the Queen. The King made him the Duke of Edinburgh on their wedding day, so that she became HRH, the Duchess of Edinburgh. It had to have been hard for such an Alpha male like Prince Philip to know that he was going to have to walk 3 paces behind his wife for the rest of his life.

It would be interesting I think to see a TV movie about the Queen's early years, from the time of the war through the coronation. It would have to be carefully cast, like The Queen or The King's Speech. Otherwise, you end up with something like the Lifetime movie William and Kate.



Ships that sail in the night

The Royal Yacht 'Britannia' Leaving Sydney, c. 1960, O/CB by John Allcott (Australian 1888-1973), 

sold by Louis J Dianni Auctioneers for USD800. 

HMY Britannia is one of the world's most famous ships. Launched at John Brown's Shipyard in Clydebank in 1953, the Royal Yacht proudly served Queen and country for 44 years. During that time Britannia carried The Queen and the Royal Family on 968 official voyages, from the remotest regions of the South Seas to the deepest divides of Antarctica. As 83rd in a long line of Royal Yachts that stretches back to 1660 and the reign of Charles II, Britannia holds a proud place in British maritime history. On 16 April 1953, Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia rolled down the slipway at John Brown's Clydebank Shipyard, on the start of her long and illustrious career. Commissioned for service in January 1954, Britannia sailed the oceans for 43 years and 334 days. Britannia was decommissioned on 11 December 1997.

Britannia is now permanently moored at Leith in Edinburgh, and during the time we lived there we toured this floating museum, which had poignant memories for us, as it had been the backdrop to the handover ceremony at HMS Tamar in Hong Kong on 30 June 1997, at which the Prince of Wales represented the Queen. The ceremony was held during leaden skies and at times very heavy rain, and we, like all participants, were soaked through to the skin. It felt like the tears of heaven, and at the time there was much sorrow from locals for the conclusion of British administration, and fear about what was to replace it. Two pieces of music still evoke the memories of that day - Highland Cathedral played by bagpipes as the Governor, Chris Patten left Government House for the last time, and Elgar's Nimrod, by the band at the parade.

At midnight Patten sent the following telegram to the Foreign Office: "I have relinquished the administration of this government. God Save the Queen", as Britannia sailed out of Victoria Harbour.

The following day we left during a downpour of even heavier rain for a week's recuperation in a private pool villa in Ubud, Bali.

What strikes one most about the interiors in Britannia is its total lack of ostentation, and indeed the Spartan quarters provided for the Royal Family, including the Queen's bedroom.

In control

Clarence John Laughlin (1905- 1985) The Magnificent Spiral (No. 3), 1946

One rather suspects that this story from Celebrity Cafe is very unlikely to be true.

Perhaps this line gives it all away:

When the Queen heard this news, according to royal reporter Yvonne Yorke, “She was so angry, that she…didn’t even bother going into a private room…she walked right into the office, and said to somebody ‘give me a phone’.

It might have sounded more plausible if the writer of this drivel had said: The Queen, wearing her usual daywear tiara summoned several liveried lackeys and demanded that they call the Gold Stick-in-Waiting,  imperiously instructing him to gather a division of the Household Cavalry, so that they might ride post-haste to her grandson and ask him why he wasn't wearing his Garter Robes on a daily basis...

One rather suspects that Her Majesty is very much in control.

Of her emotions.

But of course one should never let a good story get in the way of the truth. And there will be plenty of those around in the months leading up to the wedding at the end of April.

Vivat Regina!

Soaring eagles

This portrait of an Officer of the Russian Imperial Chevalier Guards was for sale at auction last night. It is by Carl Ludwig Friedrich Becker (German 1820-1900) and measures 22.3 inches x 12.75 inches, excluding its magnificent frame:

which substantially increases both the size and the effect of the picture. I was smitten with it, and placed a bid, which sadly was superseded ten times. The pain of watching it soar was all too evident, as unusually I was able to watch the bidding on line. But I was not tempted to exceed the limit I had set in my mind. 

This lot was sold together with many other items from imperial Russia, including this pendant depicting Tsar Alexander III,

which I thought had some resemblance to a royal award given by a sovereign to his or her female family members, usually affixed to a court dress by a grosgrain ribbon. (Queen Elizabeth II wears two of the Royal Family Order - one from her grandfather King George V - white ribbon, and one from her father, King George VI - pink ribbon.)

Queen Elizabeth II's own Royal Family Order, (worn inter alia by the late Queen Elizabeth, and the Duchess of Cornwall), with its yellow ribbon.

The price achieved certainly suggests that it might have been that important, and indeed I imagined that all the lots were from an émigré with imperial Russian ties. However, it seems they were merely from a collector, so my romantic notions about a bygone era have been quashed.

Prior to the lot coming up we were discussing exactly where we would hang the picture of the guardsman. Ah well, at least the four pictures that would have had to be moved will not now need to exercise my mind. And I need a few readies for my next foray, which I fear will be unsuccessful too, as I'm sure it will exceed my limit. All to be revealed after Sunday's auction for that lot.

Regal recess

A signed print of Pietro Annigoni's sketch for his 1954-55 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II anchors a tablescape in a recess in the hallway. The table is George III, and the silver dishes displayed on a perspex stand hold commemorative crowns, issued by the Royal Mint. The filligree silver dish is German.

It's not snowing here

In fact it's sunny, with blue skies, low humidity, and a slight breeze, with temperatures ranging from 31C to 20C. Perfect.

If ever there was a need to remind people that travelling over busy holiday periods can be hazardous to one's charm skills, this story of the chaos at Eurostar is surely a salutary reminder.

On the other hand, one can take precautions, and travel well ahead of time, as demonstrated by Her Majesty here.

When "now" means "right now"

This rather amusing story from The Daily Express is a reminder not only of the longevity of the Queen's reign - and the eleven prime ministers who have served her over the course of 57 years, but also of the constitutional role of the sovereign, and "her government".

Minding your (p)agers & (q)ueens

An amusing anecdote from the diary of the junior minister in Tony Blair's government:

As important as the Queen?
June 26, 2002
George Foulkes, who has just been made a Privy Counsellor, tells the following tale. Some time ago Clare Short and Mo Mowlam were attending upon the Queen when Clare's pager started vibrating. Clare surreptitiously checked the message. Whereupon Her Majesty looked up and enquired: 'Someone important?'

Or as the saying goes: "It's nice to be important. But it's important to be nice." And obviously "we" weren't very amused, either.

* A View From The Foothills, by Chris Mullin, is published on March 12 by Profile Books at £20.

* Photo: The Monarchy, by Robert Hardman. The Queen and her Privy Council prepare to swear in two new members at a monthly meeting, Buckingham Palace.

Reunited

The statue to the present Queen's father King George VI stood solitarily for over 50 years. This week their daughter unveiled a statue to the late Queen Elizabeth, who died in 2002, and so their 50 year separation came to an end, albeit symbolically in bronze. Here is the Daily Mail story. Photos are by Jamie Wiseman, and the lowest by Columnist, taken in 2007.

Three wise

St.Matthew 2:1 tells us: "...Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem . . ." This Bible passage doesn't state how many wise men actually came from the east nor does it mention their names or their method of travel. It is only assumed they traveled by camel and they could have easily traveled by foot. The Bible doesn't claim these men to be kings, however it is speculated they were at least learned men and perhaps even astrologers.

http://www.merry-christmas.com/stories/wise-men.htm

In today's parlance it is appropriate that wise men should include wise women, and if not kings, perhaps a queen. There are of course more to choose from, but if you could invite anyone for dinner, wouldn't these three warrant an invitation?

The pleasure of Annigoni

This portrait (top) of Princess Margaret by Pietro Annigoni is to go on public exhibition for the first time in more than 30 years at the National Portrait Gallery in London. It hung on a wall in her apartments at Kensington Palace and was inherited by her son Viscount Linley, (David Linley of furniture fame) after her death, and along with many other of her possessions was auctioned to meet GBP3m in death duties. Such is the interest in items with historical provenance that the sale raised GBP14m. The picture itself was sold for GBP680,000 and the buyer turned out to be Linley himself.

Annigoni painted the portrait at about the same time (1954-55) as the one he did of the Queen (centre), which in my view is the best ever produced during her reign, and which was used extensively on stamps and banknotes of countries where she is head of state, or which are the remnants of the empire.

I have a print of the Queen's portrait, signed by Annigoni which I like for its stark simplicity, compared to the glorious and romantic colours of the oil, which evokes the hopes and aspirations of the British people for their young monarch, (in her twenties), at the beginning of her reign, the new "Elizabethan Age", recovering from the debilitation of the war which had virtually bankrupted the country and saw the divestment of the empire.

Taste doesn't always help...

"Taste," the Queen is supposed to have said, "doesn't always help." It's a brilliant thought. Taste – she obviously meant advanced visual discrimination, not finer feelings – doesn't always help. I've known people with perfect pitch in clothes, houses and food whose manic quests were so obsessional they brutalised everyone around them in the search for the perfect bleu marin or knocked-back green Connemara marble.

(Read the rest of this article from "The Independent" here:http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/interiors/buckingham-palace-a-right-royal-makeover-926740.html)

Illustration by Noma Bar

Happy Birthday Princess Eugenie

"How do I play the princess thing? I don't really."



So Fergie and Prince Andrew's little girl has grown up!



This past Sunday (Easter no less) Princess Eugenie celebrated her 18th birthday. Eugenie Victoria Helena Mountbatten-Windsor (the Mountbatten comes from when Prince Philip renounced his Greek titles. Yes, I said Greek. He was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark on a kitchen table in Corfu. When he married Princess Elizabeth, he was simply Lt. Philip Mountbatten. Mountbatten was the name that his maternal grandfather took during WWI when having a German surname of Battenberg was not a good idea) in Portland Hospital.



Two years later her parents seperated and finally divorced in 1996 (see my post on Sarah, Duchess of York at Scandalous Women). However both parents were loving and committed to giving their daughters the best possible parenting despite not being married anymore. "They are the best divorced couple I know," Eugenie has said. "They just went out of their way to make us feel loved and secure. " The Duchess of York endeavored to make sure that both Eugenie and her older sister Beatrice had as normal an upbringing as possible.



Eugenie attended Upton House school in Windsor along with her older sister. Later she moved on to St. George's school also in Windsor. Unlike most of the royals, Eugenie is a gifted student who passed nine GCSE's with flying colors before studying for her A-level exams. She's also modest, saying that she's "more of a worker than a clever person" when it comes to academics. The Duke and Duchess of York have also made sure that Eugenie was introduced to the less fun aspects of royal life like charitable duties from a young age.



Here she is with her sister and mother at a charitable ballet performance at the age of 8. Love the purple tutu and the crazy make-up! Like most young aristocratic English girls, Eugenie went through a horse mad phase, learning to ride at an early age. She's very close to her grandmother, the Queen, whom she describes as "truly one of the most amazing women ever, she has this air of magic about her. And she is incredibly wise."


Unlike her older sister Beatrice, Eugenie says that she tends to be shy in social situations. While Beatrice has a steady boyfriend, an American who works for Richard Branson, Eugenie seems to be playing the field for now. She's a huge music fan, favoring bands like Death Cab for Cutie and The Stereophonics (Now I feel old, I know only Death Cab for Cutie from watching the OC).


Eugenie is very close to her mother and her sister Beatrice. "Mummy, Bea and I call ourselves 'the Tripod' – they are my best friends in the world," she has said in interviews. Many people think that Eugenie resembles her late great-grandmother, the Queen Mother who was born Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, daughter of the Earl of Strathmore.


She seems to be a very savvy young woman, who has her own MySpace page (you totally know that I'm going to friend her) travels by Tube, and has ambitions to visit Spain to learn the language during her gap year (she can always stay with her distant relatives the King and Queen of Spain!).

EKM