I’ll be watching The State Funeral of HRH and commenting here if you would like to join the convo. I mentioned on Sunday that it was estimated that 750 000 people would have paid their respects to The Queen by this morning, joining The Queue that snaked its way through kilometres of London. Now people line the streets, waiting for the procession to start and I am glued to my screen, watching. And yes, pretending rather valiantly, to work in between. Who else is watching?
The subtitles are gold - current Leader of the Opposition is Sir Keir Starmer... Forever in my head now as Cursed Armor, thanks to YouTube subtitles running across the screen as government arrives at the church.
How can you not watch? Whether you love or hate the royals or are completely ambivalent this will be a 'where were you when...' moment. Where were you when you heard about the death of Princess Di'? Where were you when the Twin Towers fell? It's all about presence. The Queen was globally present for so long that we almost need the closure of laying her to rest. And if you aren't into all of that then the uniforms, horses and Meghan's resting mourning face will be sure to keep you entertained...
Whatever your opinion on the monarchy, few could disagree that today's state funeral of HRH was visually spectacular - it felt at times that not a single person, not all the thousands of them, put a single foot out of step.The Queen herself was consulted over the Order of Service as possible plans for this eventuality have been in place for decades - and the mix of stately pomp and grieving family served to remind all that she was both a Queen and a mother. At one stage, I was watching the BBC News' YouTube live stream with close on 700 000 other viewers. And that was just one of several sources where the day's proceedings could be streamed. Much to talk about and unpack the significance of, so I will get to work! All the deets in the newsy on Friday. If you aren't yet subscribed, please do. And tell your friends.
Thought this is was interesting from royal (usualy fashion) commentator Elizabeth Holmes: Piper to the Sovereign is an official role that dates back to Queen Victoria. From The Telegraph: “The post dates back to the time of Queen Victoria, who first heard bagpipe music in 1842 when she and Prince Albert visited the Highlands for the first time. They were staying at Taymouth Castle with the Marquess of Breadalbane, who had his own personal piper, and she was quite taken with the idea. ... After Queen Victoria's death, successive monarchs retained the piper’s services.” The Queen’s last piper, Paul Burns, closes out today's service.
Got waaaay too carried away watching to actually comment on anything except the endlessly odd closed captions on YouTube - those cut-glass English accents definitely gave YouTube a run for its money today. A brief reprieve from the extraordinary pageantry of the whole day.
The subtitles are gold - current Leader of the Opposition is Sir Keir Starmer... Forever in my head now as Cursed Armor, thanks to YouTube subtitles running across the screen as government arrives at the church.
I'm glued too! Is there a black hat left to buy in all of London?
There CANNOT be! Not a bare head left!
How can you not watch? Whether you love or hate the royals or are completely ambivalent this will be a 'where were you when...' moment. Where were you when you heard about the death of Princess Di'? Where were you when the Twin Towers fell? It's all about presence. The Queen was globally present for so long that we almost need the closure of laying her to rest. And if you aren't into all of that then the uniforms, horses and Meghan's resting mourning face will be sure to keep you entertained...
I'm with you - a huge global moment even if you aren't into all the pageantry or even the monarchy.
Whatever your opinion on the monarchy, few could disagree that today's state funeral of HRH was visually spectacular - it felt at times that not a single person, not all the thousands of them, put a single foot out of step.The Queen herself was consulted over the Order of Service as possible plans for this eventuality have been in place for decades - and the mix of stately pomp and grieving family served to remind all that she was both a Queen and a mother. At one stage, I was watching the BBC News' YouTube live stream with close on 700 000 other viewers. And that was just one of several sources where the day's proceedings could be streamed. Much to talk about and unpack the significance of, so I will get to work! All the deets in the newsy on Friday. If you aren't yet subscribed, please do. And tell your friends.
Thought this is was interesting from royal (usualy fashion) commentator Elizabeth Holmes: Piper to the Sovereign is an official role that dates back to Queen Victoria. From The Telegraph: “The post dates back to the time of Queen Victoria, who first heard bagpipe music in 1842 when she and Prince Albert visited the Highlands for the first time. They were staying at Taymouth Castle with the Marquess of Breadalbane, who had his own personal piper, and she was quite taken with the idea. ... After Queen Victoria's death, successive monarchs retained the piper’s services.” The Queen’s last piper, Paul Burns, closes out today's service.
Got waaaay too carried away watching to actually comment on anything except the endlessly odd closed captions on YouTube - those cut-glass English accents definitely gave YouTube a run for its money today. A brief reprieve from the extraordinary pageantry of the whole day.
Princess Anne in her military uniform. Best.