I do love our Queen

[wyntir_knight]

Queen Elizabeth II is just so ... so normal! She seems so cool and down to earth, not at all what I expect Royalty to be like. Now, I've always felt this way about her. It will be a sad day when she dies and we have to say God Save the King (though it might not be so bad if William ascends).

I mean, here is a woman who should never have been Queen. Her father was the younger son, he had a terrible studder and was petrified of public speaking. He was never groomed for it, and then, his brother had to abdicate and marry that American twice-divorcée. And yet, through it all, through being King through World War II, through dealing with the Blitz and all the aftermath, the Windsors managed to stay totally normal. I keep on expecting to hear that the Queen showed up at some woman's house dressed in her house coat, ready to serve afternoon tea.

Maybe I would feel differently if I lived on the other side of the Pond. We are seperated from the Queen by quite a bit, after all. The closest we get is the Governor General, so I admit, I'm probably seeing things through rose-tinted lenses.

What brought this on, you ask? Oh, just the fact that she walked out of a photo shoot with Annie Liebovitz because she was tired of getting dressed up. And as I read the story two thoughts popped through my head. The forst was "Annie, what the hell were you thinking!" and the second was "All right Elizabeth! You tell her!"

As far as I'm concerned, the woman is fantastic. Yeah, I'm a Royalist, and proud to be one, especially with a woman like that on the throne.


Queen Elizabeth II walked out of a recent photo shoot when renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz asked her to take off her crown.

The Queen, who was posing for a series of official photos at her Buckingham Palace home to mark her state visit to the US earlier this year, was not amused when she was told by the photographer that she looked too dressed up for the occasion, contactmusic.com reported.

Annie had initially asked her to wear 'Order of the Garter' robes and a diamond tiara but changed her mind during the session saying: "I think it will look better without the crown. Less dressy. The garment robe is so... extraordinary." The Queen fumed: "Less dressy? What do you think this is?"

She then stormed out of the room, reportedly saying, "I'm not changing anything. I've had enough of dressing like this, thank you very much." A camera crew filming a documentary, titled "A Year With The Queen" caught the scenes.

Annie, who eventually managed to complete the shoot, says: "She doesn't really want to get dressed up anymore. She just couldn't be bothered and I admire her for that."

Hindustan Times
< href="http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070712-0549-britain-queen-.html">San Diego Union Tribune
News Chanel 7, SC

Comments

[nightwind69.livejournal.com]

I've always been interested in the British royals, though admittedly my interest lies with the older ones (like, medieval ones) moreso than anyone more modern than the 1700s. But I do indeed have a special fondness for QEII. She has always epitomized grace under pressure to me, from the pressures of WWII and its aftermath to the pressures of "modernizing." I like her an awful lot, and I fear what will happen when she dies. I've always suspected that she might be the last English monarch, and it'll be interesting to see if that's so. I've heard it said that William will accede, but... *shrugs* He'd likely be a better choice than Charles at this point in time, if it happens.

You've seen The Queen, I trust? I thought Helen Mirren did a fabulous job. If you haven't seen the movie, you should see it ASAP...

[wyntir-rose.livejournal.com]

I actually haven't had the opportunity to see it yet. I wasn't able to go when it was in the theatres here and I haven't seen it on the movie chanel yet. It's one that I really want to see though.

As for Charles, he might surprise us, but right now he strikes me more like a farmer than a King. He seems to be a good man who means well, but the fact that he wants to live in a cottage in Transylvania with no electricity or running water is a little bizare.

Just for PR alone, William is a better choice, and the fact that Camilla can't be Queen has it's own problems. ... I can't recall a single case in British history where the wife of the King hasn't been Queen.

[nightwind69.livejournal.com]

You should definitely see the movie, when you get a chance. It gives a nice, balanced view of her, neither overly-fawning nor overly-critical. And I loved James Cromwell as Prince Phillip, too. (Admittedly, I've always had a weird fondness for the crusty, curmudgeonly Duke of Edinburgh. ;) ) The movie made the Queen seem like a semi-normal person caught between upholding tradition and giving in to public emotionalism. (The movie, in case you haven't heard, addresses the immediate aftermath of Princess Diana's death in 1997.) I think you'll like it.

I think Charles is content with being what he is. Like you said, he's more cut out, these days, to be a gentleman farmer than a king. I think he gave up on the idea of being king a while ago, between having an apparently-immortal mother (The Queen Mother lived to be, what, 104 or something?) and the whole Diana debacle. I think he's just happy pottering around, crusading for greenie causes, and hanging out with Camilla. :) It's nice to see him (apparently) happy; I always felt sorry for him being yoked to Diana, actually.

I don't think the inability of Camilla to be queen would have much to do with anything, though. Historically, there actually have been many basically queen-less monarchs. For instance, Richard the Lionheart's wife never set foot in England and was never officially crowned or even named as Queen. The majority of Henry VIII's wives were never crowned, either, and there are many other examples. Although I suppose those examples weren't actually legally barred from being queen so, yeah, maybe there is something to that after all. :)

Anyway, yeah, I think William is the better choice, assuming that anyone will reign after QEII dies. Methinks that he will be pushed to marry soon, though of course it won't be to Kate who as a commoner is "unsuitable." Here's hoping they don't screw things up like they did with the "match" between Charles and Diana...

[wyntir-rose.livejournal.com]

That's a good point about Richard and Henry, I had forgotten about them, but they seem to be extreme exceptions. In the case of Richard he never wanted to get married, and as for Henry, it's harder to get rid of a wife if she's Queen than if she's just ... what's the term? Royal Consort?