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]

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or Duchess during a very formal presentation to her/him, and/or when s/he is representing the Queen - but that might be out of date.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.