Queen Elizabeth may have to start laying people off... (1 Viewer)

Send her victorious, happy and glorius, long to reign over us, god save the Queen!! :D

I had a close encounter with HRH when I was about 12 years old, my dad had been playing in a football match near Windsor Castle against her household staff team and after the match the clubhouse was actually in the grounds of Windsor Castle. As we were following the staff cars through along these endless winding roads, up ahead were two black cars parked off the road and there in the middle of the road (wearing a head scarf) was the Queen and she held her hand up to stop the cars and someone crossed with the corgi's and Fergie was there to at the side of the road with her two daughters Eugene and Beartrice (toddlers).
I was only a few cars back from them and saw them real close, as a young lad I was mesmerized and this has always stuck with me!! :)
 
Cornwallis said:
Send her victorious, happy and glorius, long to reign over us, god save the Queen!! :D

I had a close encounter with HRH when I was about 12 years old, my dad had been playing in a football match near Windsor Castle against her household staff team and after the match the clubhouse was actually in the grounds of Windsor Castle. As we were following the staff cars through along these endless winding roads, up ahead were two black cars parked off the road and there in the middle of the road (wearing a head scarf) was the Queen and she held her hand up to stop the cars and someone crossed with the corgi's and Fergie was there to at the side of the road with her two daughters Eugene and Beartrice (toddlers).
I was only a few cars back from them and saw them real close, as a young lad I was mesmerized and this has always stuck with me!! :)
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Nice story, M'Lud! Though from the first sentence, I expected it to end up as, "...and the ball sailed over the fence onto the castle grounds. The Queen came out and picked it up and said, "This is mine now, that's right, you're not getting this back, it's my ball now!"

:D
 
Seriously, though, as an outside observer, I have always thought that Her Majesty epitomizes good grace and civility, especially under pressure and under the constant magnifying glass of contemporary media.

Prost!
Brad
 
The life they lead seems to take a toll on their personal lives. I'VE worn a "Nazi" costume to a costume party in my youth and it didn't get in the papers.

I seem to remember that the bombing of one of the Royal palaces during WW II was actually a good thing for British moral as in, "we're all in this together."
 
I never realized tht the royal family was also an actual part of government though I still really don't understand how much so on a day-to-day basis. The website is pretty useful though it is very badly put together.

My feeling about them are still very mixed through my own misunderstanding I suppose. What I thought was a redundency doesn't seems as much of one now but the lifestyle they live is incomprehensible to me.

My feeling about England as a former empire is still very strong. With the incredible military history, battles, individual sacrifices - I still look at where they were, for what reason, what the ultimate goal was and the outcome achieved. More often than not, it chills me.

It actually pained me to see Obama bow his head to the queen. Of all people with hereditary backgrounds like his, it didn't seem right. But that's just my personal feeling.
 
Gideon said:
I never realized tht the royal family was also an actual part of government though I still really don't understand how much so on a day-to-day basis. The website is pretty useful though it is very badly put together.

My feeling about them are still very mixed through my own misunderstanding I suppose. What I thought was a redundency doesn't seems as much of one now but the lifestyle they live is incomprehensible to me.

My feeling about England as a former empire is still very strong. With the incredible military history, battles, individual sacrifices - I still look at where they were, for what reason, what the ultimate goal was and the outcome achieved. More often than not, it chills me.

It actually pained me to see Obama bow his head to the queen. Of all people with hereditary backgrounds like his, it didn't seem right. But that's just my personal feeling.
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I really mean no offence to you personally with this but its a bit sad to look at my country as a former Empire?.It ended decades ago and we've all moved on from there.I do not look at America and think of the way you treated your native people,i look at America today and all the good its done and doing.This Empire thing is long gone and should be left in the past,i would not judge the present German generation for what there forebears did,it would be absurd.

Rob
 
Gideon said:
..........It actually pained me to see Obama bow his head to the queen. Of all people with hereditary backgrounds like his, it didn't seem right. But that's just my personal feeling.
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Gideon, aren't you thinking of the King of Saudi Arabia?


Just editing here that "when in Rome"....you know the rest. Polite gestures such as kissing rings and cheeks, shaking hands and bending the head or knee to shorter people are either customary or just "nice." HRH seems to have liked or got along with all of the recent US Presidents.
 
Right Baron! I enjoy this forum and I recently came back after a self-imposed exile over current politics.

The more I thought about my first post about the Royals, I thought that IMHO, HRH, Elizabeth II is a "class act!"
 
Rob said:
I really mean no offence to you personally with this but its a bit sad to look at my country as a former Empire?.It ended decades ago and we've all moved on from there.I do not look at America and think of the way you treated your native people,i look at America today and all the good its done and doing.This Empire thing is long gone and should be left in the past,i would not judge the present German generation for what there forebears did,it would be absurd.

Rob
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No offence at all.

I guess what I am saying is that I've always seen the royal family as a part of that empire.

Though the empire is now broken up, I sort of see the royal family as the last vestige and trapping of that past. As in, the wealth attained from that empire is still prominent in the family and largely still supporting it.

My misunderstanding comes from that perspective and not understanding what their roled in government actually are.

BTW, is there an instance when a "rogue" PM was put in line by the crown?

Though, you are right in what you said about us and the native populations here. There is still a terrible gap between them and us which is tragic.
 
Its a perfectly understandable association you are making there,but of course there were Kings and Queens of England long before the Empire.I think the two World Wars really helped increase the popularity of the Monarchy as (along with Churchill)they helped galvanize the people efforts against the Germans.

As for politics it's mainly symbolic these days,the Prime minister goes to the Queen to ask permission to desolve Government etc,and she reads out 'Her' governments plans at the state opening of Parliament,but has very little to do with everyday politics.

For all its faults (and there are plenty)the Queen is loved by this country and has given her life to the service of it.Ales mentioned earlier about the death of Diana,people forget she was looking after her grandchildren and this was her first concern.The people called for her to speak to them and although it took a few days for her to return to London,when she did her popularity soared again.

Its hard perhaps for people to understand the whole Royal system,but for us they are much loved and a huge part of this country's history stretching back hundreds and hundreds of years,for all the faults we love them.

Rob
 
Rob said:
........The people called for her to speak to them and although it took a few days for her to return to London,when she did her popularity soared again.

Rob
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I was a sucker for that scene in The Queen when the queen (Helen Mirren) offered to place the little girl's flowers on Diana's tribute pile. The girl told her the flowers were for her. ("sniff") I hope that was based on a true incident.
 
I nearly posted last night but wanted to be considered....................

We have a constitutional monarchy, not an absolute monarchy. It has already been said that in our unwritten constitution the monarch is an important stabilising factor. It is bad enough being ruled by politicians.............

As for the hereditary bit........please don't take this the wrong way....Roosevelt, Bush, Kennedy - how many US families provide the rulers, with due respect to Mr Obama.

The final irony, Louis and I were discussing a legal case and the US government still claims sovereign immunity - can't usually be sued. We got rid of this - Crown immunity - years ago.

Gideon, most of us are proud of our history and the Royal familly and what they stand for, we may not always be fully approving of the odd individual - but the institution? Same everywhere?

As for Her Majesty - be careful, she is truly respected by most of us. Can everyone say that about their head of state?
 
panda1gen said:
I nearly posted last night but wanted to be considered....................

We have a constitutional monarchy, not an absolute monarchy. It has already been said that in our unwritten constitution the monarch is an important stabilising factor. It is bad enough being ruled by politicians.............

As for the hereditary bit........please don't take this the wrong way....Roosevelt, Bush, Kennedy - how many US families provide the rulers, with due respect to Mr Obama.

The final irony, Louis and I were discussing a legal case and the US government still claims sovereign immunity - can't usually be sued. We got rid of this - Crown immunity - years ago.

Gideon, most of us are proud of our history and the Royal familly and what they stand for, we may not always be fully approving of the odd individual - but the institution? Same everywhere?

As for Her Majesty - be careful, she is truly respected by most of us. Can everyone say that about their head of state?
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Kevin, you have explained this in a most admirable way. I was getting worried where this thread was going to!

Jeff
 
While I have all three of you at once, can you tell me why you all have the same signature? There must be some joke there that this daft one is not privy to.
 
jazzeum said:
While I have all three of you at once, can you tell me why you all have the same signature? There must be some joke there that this daft one is not privy to.
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I'm sorry Brad, I don't know what you mean?:confused:
 
I would hate to give out major infractions to you lot unless you can come up with something better than that:p;):eek:
 
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