Call me Ma'am from now on!

I have just realised that I haven't yet blogged about my trip around Buckingham Palace the other week, and my extensive gawp at Her Madge's diamonds.

The Hubby and I went round Buck House last year to see Kate Middleton's wedding dress, and much to our surprise (particularly The Hubby's) thoroughly enjoyed what was a very well organised and informative visit. Apparently it's 20 years since they started opening the place up to the public, which is amazing, and it is certainly a very polished and professional experience. This year, we got free re-entry for returning within the calendar year, which actually makes the entrance fee we paid last time (£18 each) seem pretty reasonable, as it's a good half day out.

You get to see all the State Rooms and oodles of just jaw dropping art including some by my favourite artist, Canaletto. I can stand and look at his work for hours and am constantly seeing something new in it. There are fifteen Canalettos on the Palace walls to see; I took ages! There is also a very good commentary through a little mobile unit with personal headphones so you can go at your own pace and no one rushes you so you have plenty of time.

This year, the special exhibition to coincide with the Diamond Jubilee is the vast collection of diamond jewellery, swords and trinkets owned by the Queen, including almost all the pieces made from the famous Cullinan diamond which was found in South Africa about 80 years ago and presented to the Royal Family as a gift. The original stone was huge, and there are now nine pieces of jewellery made from it, seven of which were on display at the Palace (the other two are part of the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London, with the main stone the centrepiece of the Imperial State Crown). I adore sparklies, and these were just magnificent, in particular a necklace made from some of the Cullinan stones and some enormous iridescent emeralds which shone like the green eyes of a cat. There was also a beautiful tiara originally owned by Queen Alexander in 1905 which looked like it ought to have belonged to the Snow Queen with its spiky tips and almost frosty gleam.  

We then stuffed ourselves with coffee and posh cakes in the cafe (amazing confections including little chocolate disks on top which had gold crowns painted on them in edible paint!) and then had a trip round the gift shop which has a large amount of surprisingly affordable stuff (magnets, stationery, tea towels etc) as well as the eye wateringly expensive porcelain and glassware. Despite having my eye on a replica tiara, I was persuaded instead to a replica pair of diamond and pearl earrings (fake diamonds, but real pearls) and treated by The Hubby, which was very nice and a surprise.

All in all, whether you are a royalist or not, this is a worthy day out and if you haven't been I'd recommend it. Wear good walking shoes and don't carry too much (security is phenomenal and airport style), and do use the audio guide, which is excellent. And like us, if you go in this year you will get free re-entry next year too.

So go along. And oh, call me ma'am from now on, will you?

Back to reality, and long may she reign!

Well the Diamond Jubilee is well and truly over and we have all gone back to work after a wonderfully flag waving, patriotic weekend.

There’s nothing like a bit of national pride to cheer you up, is there? Watching the celebrations on the telly brought quite a lump to the throat, and in particular watching the poor old Queen on her own on Monday and Tuesday after her husband went into hospital was quite emotional. She looked so small and lonely, and I felt desperately sorry for her that in what should have been her greatest moment of celebration, she was alone (by the way, I gather from the tabloid press that one of the reasons she looked a little strained on Monday evening at the concert was because she was wearing ear plugs to keep out the excessive noise!).

A few people have, of course, carped about the cost of the whole thing and questioned why we are celebrating the longevity of an archaic institution which has a shield of incredible wealth and privilege and is simply there by right of birth and not by any elected public will.

But the fact is that it is a whole lot better than the alternatives, and the monarchy has a massive majority of public support. The last time a proper poll was taken (by which I mean one carried out by MORI and not some half arsed thing done by The Sun or Daily Mail with about 20 people) about 80% of people supported the Queen herself and over 70% supported the monarchy as an institution.

The Queen’s face was on newspapers all over the world this weekend, and many countries are envious of the wonderful public persona that she presents and the fact that she is such a tireless ambassador for this country. She has worked hard for her country for sixty years completely selflessly simply to foster its interests internationally and support her elected government (why on earth otherwise would you want to sit through endless children’s choirs, native dances, posh dinners and boring speeches and get dressed up in posh clothes when you would much rather slump around in trackie bottoms and a t-shirt watching Corrie and eating beans on toast). She has tried to bring up her family (with varying degrees of success) with a similar work ethic and an acknowledgement that although they are in their positions by birth, they owe a payment to the nation in return.

I for one am grateful that we do not live in a republic. There are countless examples all over the world where republics have gone bad and where presidents have assumed absolute power at the expense of their people. Even in a democratically elected presidency (such as America) there are countless abuses of power because there are no controls and checks on the powerful relationship of the President with the security services who do his/her bidding and are themselves totally unaccountable.

Last year, as I have blogged before, The Hubby and I went round Buckingham Palace and did the tourist thing. He was reluctant – not sure why, I know he’s not really an ardent royalist but I don’t think he is a closet republican – but we both thoroughly enjoyed it. And the information given out about the royals certainly made us think more about the value they add to the UK, which is considerable.

Anyway, I joined in the flag waving this weekend with enthusiasm, although I had to pretend with the actual waving thing since no one had actually bought me a Union Jack or any bunting. It was all really nice, which is an inadequate word but somehow appropriately warm and fuzzy, and it was a joy to see so many people packed into London all with smiles on their faces and just there to soak up the atmosphere and be supportive.

So long live the Queen, and much longer may she reign!

Good old Liz!

London is gearing itself up for the Diamond Jubilee this weekend. Everywhere you look, there are flowers, bunting and Union Jacks. Even Victoria Station, normally so drab, dirty and boring, has spruced itself up to some degree with red, white and blue everywhere. There are little triangular union Jacks on bunting strung across the ceiling, massive ones stuck onto the floor and long skinny ones like mediaeval banners hanging from the rafters and down the walls. It all looks rather nice.

For all our cynicism, give us a genuine reason to celebrate something with national pride and us Brits go all out for it. And sixty years on the throne, governing this miserable little island which punches far above its weight due to it’s (possibly glorious, possibly reprehensible) empirical past is certainly an achievement to celebrate.

Although not avidly, I have always been a royalist to some degree and certainly I think it is better than the alternative. And good old Liz is probably the best of the bunch (although I always had a sneaking liking for Princess Margaret with her dissolute lifestyle – I bet she was quite a girl!). She has selflessly put her country first for virtually all her life, kept a fairly low key profile when not on duty and never done anything to embarrass her family. If only the same could be said of her offspring or her spouse.

Although of course, it is their eccentricities and the fact that they don’t give a shit what anyone thinks about them and their archaic set up which in many ways endears the Royals to us. Although other countries have royal families, and I’m sure if you live in those countries you will have your own views on their lives and usefulness, they all seem pretty tame compared to ours. The exception may be the Monegasque royals, who have that whiff of showbiz about them, a little scandal and some much larger than life characters (including Prince Ernst, who apparently has a penchant for peeing over the balcony onto the domestic staff below).

This weekend should certainly be a spectacle, although I have no intention of coming up to London myself; I’d much rather sit in my own lounge in comfort and watch it on the telly. There are events on each day, with probably the highlight being the river pageant on the Thames at 2.45pm on Monday. Apparently there will be around 1,000 boats in a three mile long flotilla with a brand new, sparkly gold barge in the middle with the Royal family on board. All the bridges are closed to traffic, and most of them to pedestrians with only a selected few allowed across by invitation. It should be quite a sight and is the largest river flotilla since Elizabeth I. On Tuesday, there is a parade through the City with the spectacular gold coach (with of course Liz and Phil the Greek inside) on display. No doubt Kate and Wills will be prominent and the following week the glossy magazines will have a field day with massive picture spreads.

I am, definitely, starting to feel the excitement, and am much more inclined to celebrate this event than the Olympics which frankly, are starting to bore me. I like the Queen, and last year we went round Buckingham Palace which was also a bit of a treat (The Hubby had been very cynical about that as a day out, but in the end thoroughly enjoyed it too). I also quite like Wills and Kate, who seem pretty normal and (as much as possible bearing in mind their situation) a grounded young couple. Shame about Charlie boy, but there you go – there’s always one!

So this weekend I will be getting out the Union Jack T-shirt and cheering Liz on with the rest of them. She won’t go on for ever, but while she is there, a steadying and classy act at the helm, we should be grateful and support her!

Liz's Diamond Jubilee

Watching the news, the country appears to not only be gearing itself up for the Olympics, but also for the Queen's Diamond jubilee. Now that really is something to celebrate.

She's a game old bird, is Liz. Thrust into a role for which she had not been prepared as a very young girl, having to catch up only later in her youth when her uncle abdicated, she came to the throne aged 25 much earlier than anyone expected and has presided over a country which has changed enormously for 60 years. She has weathered scandal, natural disaster, minor wars and several governments and always appeared calm and unruffled. Dragged into the controversy of Princess Diana's death when she would much rather have privately been caring for her grandsons, she showed that albeit unwillingly, she could stand in the public eye admitting that she may have misjudged a situation and still win people's hearts and minds.

As you may have guessed I am, in a fairly passive way, a royalist. At any rate, I think it's a damn sight better than any possible alternative. On a per capita basis, it doesn't actually cost us that much and the positive PR it gives us is invaluable. A recent survey showed that satisfaction with the monarchy is running at at 70% and that is pretty consistent, amazing in the 21st century for what coud be considered an outdated institution. Satisfaction with the Queen herself usually tops 80%.

It's a shame about the rest of the family, many of which seem pretty much to be a waste of space. William is OK, and Kate seems a nice young woman, but Harry would appear to be a bit of a waster with an expensive taste in cocktails (the thing he drinks in Boujis, a club in South Kensington, costs £350 a pop (it contains real gold flakes apparently) and if you believe the gossip magazines he regularly runs up drinks bills there of several thousands). We're paying for that. Beatrice and Eugenie don't seem to have any real use in life, and don't get me started on the well meaning but generally prattish Charlie boy (or, come to that, Andrew).

But the Queen herself is worth her weight in gold. She has said this week that she wil continue in her role for her lifetime, something I was pleased to hear. She certainly deserves her celebratory year and I dearly hope that her husband, Prince Philip, is able to be by her side for all of it. Philip amuses me - his irascible manner and tactless approach are something which is very refreshing in the stuffy inner circle, although I bet he's a bugger to live with. But he does seem to be her rock, and I bet she would find it very hard to continue without him.

We went round Buck House last summer and thoroughly enjoyed the very professional guided tour and the special exhibition of Faberge eggs. This year, the special exhibition is, naturally and very appropriately, of the Queen's most precious diamonds. I love sparkly things, so I'd really like to see that and we get a free re-entry, so we'll definitely be going.

I won't be going up to the concert outside the Palace (much better view on the telly) or to any special events, but I will be wishing her well where ever I am. Let's hope she keeps going for many more years!