I will disagree with the poster who said Princess Anne should be next in line.  She has not led an exemplary life and if there were the slightest chance that she would become Queen, I think the Brits would start throwing something stronger than tea into the Thames!  She is considered by many as a royal parasite.  Of course, we all know she has done good work at the United Nations for decades…. but she is not loved as is or was Charles or as is Prince William.

I have heard some suggest that after Queen Elizabeth, the monarchy will just fade into something less formal, less expensive and powerless.  I wonder.  As to the changes brought forth by Prime Minister Brown, I am more impressed about the religious changes than I am about the gender change.  We shall see if the Brits can get a majority to agree.  We might remember that former Prime Minister Tony Blair waited until he was out of office before converting to Catholicism.

The monarchy is wonderful. 

HRH Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, most definitely should be vaulting Prince Andrew in the line of succession. HM the Queen will go down in history as a truly great monarch, I have no doubt that Princess Anne would do the role justice as well. That said, I look forward to the reigns of HRH Prince Charles and HRH Prince William.

Long Live the Queen!

Just what does constitute a Monarchy? They are human. They yawn. They scritch and scratch—discretely, one would hope. I’ve never understood the traveling leather toilet seat. Seems a tad unsanitary, doesn’t it, but each to his own. The past and protocol gave them better protection, to some degree. Now we get photographs of public urinations. I would think Anne’s daughter finally ditched the pierced tongue ball. Princess Zara in Plan Nine From Outer Space. What was she thinking when she named that child? Zara Anne Elizabeth Phillips? Even my mother knew enough to ensure an attractive and "balanced" monogram.  "Think of your linen, my Dear.  Your silver."

Years ago, Prince Charles and Princess Anne visited Washington, D.C. during a blistering hot period of "swampum we gottum" weather. Rumors floated. President Nixon wanted Charles to marry Trisha. The media showed Trisha’s new wardrobe for this visit: a lot of little baby doll dresses with tulip pockets and gingham trim, I seem to remember. Headbands. Papagallo shoes. Welcome to the nursery. That summer, I was working in a student (but salaried employee) position for The Smithsonian Institution in The Museum of Natural History, several floors about the babble and rabble, thinking I was going to be a paleontologist one day. I never was. Life had tricks up it’s sleeve, but I digress.

 I do have to tell the story of my hiring.  My mother could never get over it.  I had just gotten my driver’s permit.  I started college young.  Gee, who’da thunk it. I asked my mother to ride with me because, "I’m going to work at the Smithsonian this summer."  (Who was that child? Where did she go?)  My mother waited in the car outside the Arts and Industry Building where the Smithsonian then housed their personnel department.  I walked back out, started the ignition and said, "I start at the end of May and work until the end of August."  My mother loved telling that story, but I digress.

  Don’t worry, Ms. Smith.  I’m getting to it. A memo was sent out (I still have it,) announcing that Prince Charles and Princess Anne would be joining the Nixon girls on a tour of the Smithsonian, and if we should meet them in the halls, the protocol to be taken: Keep your yap shut unless spoken to. Curtesying optional. How to address the Royals "if" spoken to: Keep it short, polite and don’t go off on anything political like Nixon is a lying crook that should be impeached.

Let me lapse into another Proustian moment and digress again. Louis Leakey was sending back bones to the Smithsonian for carbon dating (while not chasing grad students through the veldt.) My boss thought he was an untrained hack, but by God, National Geographic loved him to bits, and he sure brought in the money. Some staff were gaga. Charles loved Leakey! Luuuvvved him! Maybe he’ll come to our department! Charles loves Africa! Charles apparently did not love the Nixon girls.

I was equally vocal to the gaga’s. Forgive my strident youth. My mother certainly trained me to have better manners, but I got so tired of this….gush, that I said, "I am not going to go rushing out and line the halls if he shows up. I am just going to keep on working. I’ve written a few times about my experience working at the Smithsonian. Germany sent over one of their functioning Gutenberg presses, and I befriended the two printers. One morning before the doors opened to the public, they let me print (on linen) a page of the Gutenberg Bible (framed in my living room now.) Now that was something to get excited about.

On a hot summer morning, early, the word was out: we would be having the visiting party pass through. I was told I would stop whatever I was doing (tagging skeletons of a Chinese village with a genetic predisposition to hip disease?) and join the others. They came. They went. I returned to work. Here is what stands out. Speak, memory.

 Charles and Anne were much taller than the Nixon girls and had better posture. Charles was extremely polite. Julie looked bubbly and…vivacious.  Eager to please, like a puppy.  Trying hard. Trisha had a small cat smile that spoke of either paralyzing fright or an egocentric dish filled to the brim with cream. Anne? Didn’t even try. Nose that looked like it walked out of a painting of Nelson. Dressed in simple but very well made clothes. A huge hat I would have killed for, and boredom so blatant she could turn you to salt. A good three-quarter body turn away from the Nixon’s. A gaze set off above everyone’s head, and when spoken to? A drawl that would have the Scarlet Pimpernel drooling with envy. Unmasked boredom is such a gross understatement. It was quite a performance. I soaked it in like a little sponge.

I think the changes would be great.  I’m a Canadian so they are our monarchy too and I’m very much in favour of getting rid of the discrimination against women and Catholics.  I don’t think religion should have anything to do with any major desicion outside the church.

I’m hoping Charles will be too old to take over from his mother, though I’m sure William will want some years to live a life before having to become the monarch.  Harry would be a hoot but I doubt he’ll ever attain the title "King of England".  Too juicy to contemplate though.