Some Wedding Or Other

[poliphilo]

 I watched the bit where they were all turning up to the Abbey: various hereditary monarchs from places like Tonga, Monaco and Lichtenstein, Prince Charles's old girlfriends in scene-stealing hats, Elton John and David Furnish.  Formerly I would have stayed to mock, but I'm getting too old to play the urchin; I have my own dignity to consider- so I went and cleaned the toilet instead.

Then I had a shower. Then I clipped the hedge.

They're still at it. I'm back in the room with the TV because that's where the computer is. The archbishop has just blessed the congregation and the choir has gone AAAAaaaaaAAAAaaaagh-men. Now there are trumpets. And now it's the national anthem. Apparently Prince Charles, who likes that sort of thing, has imported a lot of Parry into the service.

 

Odd wedding- one at which the groom's old dad gets to pick the music.! But I'm starting to do just what I said I wouldn't. Shut up, Grist!

Comments

[unbleachedbrun.livejournal.com]

Actually, it wasn't the archbishop who blessed the congregation, it was the dean of Westminster. The archbishop had a noticeably and surprisingly small role in the ceremony. And, he had the most hideous cope. It looked as though there was a cobra on the back of it.

There were a couple of new musical works. The dean and chapter paid money to commission that atheist Rutter guy to write something, but I sure hope it didn't cost much, cause it sounded like all of his other music. The motet, on the other hand, a new setting of Ubi Caritas by Paul Mealor, was exquisite.

The wedding dress was lovely, though rather surprisingly understated. The Queen looked very nice in bright yellow. The fashion losers today were definitely the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal. OMG.

Oh, I want a sky blue waistcoat like the Earl Spencer.

You should have gone to the ceremony. Tsk, tsk.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't do crowds. I'd have been panicking in the Mall with all those people.

I had my back to the TV when the Dean gave the blessing.I guess one high ranking Anglican clergyman sounds much like another.

I liked the wedding dress too. Classic and simple. The Duchess of Cambridge has taste.

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

Don't agree at all that RW's Welsh voice has any resemblance to the dean's . Do agree about the dress

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

i didn't watch it all, but my understanding is that the clothes horrors (that made me close my eyes) were the York princesses
i don't remember seeing the Princess Royal. but i thought that the D of C was not all that differently dressed than HM (and a more dignified colour)

[unbleachedbrun.livejournal.com]

Oh, I've a question for all you Brits. Why did the ladies not curtesy to the Duke and Duchess as they left the abbey? I thought one was supposed to do that for all royal highnesses...are they just doing that for the Queen now, or has that awful Labour Government abolished bowing and curtsying?

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

I thin k that you only curtsey to a Duke or Duchess during a very formal presentation to her/him, and/or when s/he is representing the Queen - but that might be out of date. It's over forty years since i was told that!
I'm fairly sure that you never curtsey to anyone else when the Queen is present. By the way, i thought that the new Duchess made her curtsey beautifully - neither overdone nor sketchy

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

PS - there's a lovely story about Queen Victoria - she was making an informal visit to an Anglican convent, and had asked for no ceremonies. She scolded the nuns for curtseying to her
"Er - they are curtseying to me", explained the Mother
(It makes the story even funnier that the curtsey they used to make was quite different from a court curtsey.)

[unbleachedbrun.livejournal.com]

Genuflecting? You know how those R.C.s are.

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

Um- I said Anglican! No, just a brief dip of one knee, usually without pausing from walking past - and never used in chapel.

[unbleachedbrun.livejournal.com]

Ah, so you did. I didn't realize that Anglican nuns still existed. I don't think I've ever seen one in my whole life.

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

There aren't very many now - in 1963 or thereabouts there were hundreds - but most of those communities have amalgamated with other communities. Wantage probably has the most members now. East Oxford has a small community (in members), but still runs a huge complex of buildings - nursing home, guest house, two hospices
I'm surprised that you didn't see any while you were up - for obvious reasons, they tend to gravitate to and round Oxford - east Oxford still has two communities within half a mile of each other
I don't know who the greyclad Sisters were who sat next to the newly weds - most of them wear blue habits or ordinary clothes these days

[unbleachedbrun.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, that makes sense. I've not been in England since I was up at Oxford, and that was way back in 1982. My memory has disintegrated since then.

I was just worried that those dreadful Labour people might have been tinkering with proper respect to the royal family and other ancient British traditions.