Coronation Day

[poliphilo]

I have lived under 11 prime ministers. I was counting them on my fingers in bed last night. At first I made it ten, but then I realised I'd forgotten Sir Alec Douglas Home (which is easily done). You know what? I was at school briefly with a distant relative of Sir Alec's. At least I suppose they were related: they were both Scottish nobilty and both had Douglas in their hyphenated surnames, so surely they were cousins? Anyway, my man's name  was Lord Patrick Douglas Hamilton- and he was charming, dithery and lank-haired and  kept a duelling pistol in his locker.  My sort-of-friend D- who liked to think he was an aristo too- was desperately jealous of Lord Patrick and tormented him to the point where he threw up his hands and left our school and got himself educated privately instead. What a shame! D is now a mighty international banker (you don't know how tempted I was to substitute a "w" for the "b") and Lord Patrick.....

Well, I just Googled him and am happy to report  he's still alive. He shows up in an online studbook called Descendants of William the Conqueror and his entry reads

Birth: 1950
    Christening:
          Death: *
         Burial:
Cause of Death:
          AFN #: 

Isn't that grim? The grave gapes for him. A virtual prize will be awarded to anyone who can plausibly explain what AFN# means.

The only other fragment of information I can find is that his ex-wife- Lady Lulu- is now married to Mathew Benson the seriously wealthy, Oxford chum of current Tory leader David Cameron. 

Which brings us back to where we started- more or less.

So- prime ministers: What was I saying? Ah, yes.  A new one is coronated today. Which raises my score to 12. 

And that's all I'm saying. I won't rail or mock. Tomorrow maybe, but not today. Blair has gone. Savour the moment.  And where there's death there's hope...

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Dear me, is that really you?

We were all wankers back then, were we not?

I unreservedly apologise. I feel bad about having been so insulting- especially since you're taking it so well. I forget how public this bloody internet can be.

But really? Fields House, 1964-5? You don't remember?

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, yes, but you were called "Anthony" then, now I come to think of it, and were interested in English and History. Obviously you got distracted by erotic dreams along the way...? Anyway I don't remember being particularly agreeable at that age, but I would be appalled to know that I had harassed someone to that extent! DvS

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Ha, the only person who calls me Anthony these days is my mother.

I can't say it didn't happen because I remember what I remember. I may of course be an unreliable narrator. D-H was an effortlessly superior sort of chap and you found him annoying. We're not talking physical bullying- nothing like that (as I remember Lancing had a pretty clean record there) but you did tease him rather hard. We were all- what- thirteen or fourteen at the time?