Another Milestone

[poliphilo]

Well that was my birthday- my 62nd. We were snowed in for it. Ailz is afraid of slipping on the ice and I'm afraid of her slipping so we don't go anywhere in these conditions if we can help it. The binmen left the rubbish uncollected so I suppose they must be afraid of slipping too.

Barack Obama got himself re-inaugurated. I saw an estimate of what it cost and you could have made several Hollywood blockbusters for the price. Prince Harry is back from Afghanistan and footage has been released in which he talks all macho and says he's killed people. Finally Michael Winner died. I remember him as a pushy boy wonder. He made over 30 movies and I don't believe I've seen a single one of them. 

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

We're used to Royal personages parading around in fancy uniforms, covered in medals that mean nothing so it comes as a bit of a surprise to learn that one of them has been doing some real soldiering.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

True- the last of the royals to command forces in the field was George II.

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

Prince Andrew? In the Falklands? Well, I suppose it was a helicopter rather than forces - but I thought something similar - what do people want? Damned if they do and damned if they don't?
Didn't the previous Duke of Kent do some soldiering in WW2?

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Yes they did, but not as field commanders. Phil the Greek also saw active service.

Given the attitudes of our print media they'll be wrong whatever they do and I speak as one of a republican tendency.

I'm also a military historian and the daughter of a bootneck and I'd rather see royals at the sharp end doing some real soldiering than standing around in uniforms they're not entitled to, covered with phoney orders and medals as our friend states above.

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

Isn't it a good thing (from the republican P o V) that they didn't do it as field commanders?
I also lose patience with former National Servicemen, who parade around wearing medals, when they never came under fire, and spent most of their time drilling, or in offices and kitchens and servicing vehicles