May 2012
I once knew a guy whose middle name was Royal after two grandfathers, Royston and Alexander, his full name being James Royal Tea so everyone bowed when he entered the room . . . not really, I made that up!
What a lot of pomp and circumstance accompanies the Royal family wherever they are in the world. None more so than in England, i.e. the Trooping of the Colour, Royal weddings, Christmas at Sandringham, summer hols at Balmoral etc. etc. and of course now the Diamond Jubilee. The expense and man hours of organization must be astronomic.
I'm neither for or against royalty and I will admit to enjoying the spectacle of Horse Guards Parade, the scarlet uniforms, bearskins, the beautiful horses, stirring music and precision marching, but I hate the dreadful national anthem: God Save the Queen; why just save the Queen or King when the whole country needs saving? What a relief it was when they stopped playing it after the main film in the cinema where, if you were a bit slow, you had to stand through it while those escapees were first in the bus queue. There must be, in this day and age, a more fitting anthem to encompass the whole country. Even 'Britannia rules the waves' is outdated and no longer can reflect the decreasing armed services. We might have ruled the waves in this once green and pleasant land, but no longer are we the centre of the universe. I suppose 'Land of hope and glory' would fit the bill and perhaps regenerate interest in what is around us.
The Queen has done a sterling job for the last sixty years but is only a figure head and can only reflect in her speeches what she is told or advised to say. Would tourism bring in as much money to the coffers if royalty was disposed of? Would it help if she was able to have a say in the running of her country? We will never know, as whoever steps into her shoes can only continue in the same vein.