The Monarchy.

In reference to the previous post, I might point out that I’m not anti-monarchist. If we didn’t have a monarchy we would probably have either a dictatorship or a republic. Dictatorships often turn a bit nasty, and if we had a republic we might end up with somebody like George W Bush exercising actual power. So having a monarchy is OK with me. What I find interesting, however, is that people still take the royal family seriously. The whole carry on is riddled with strange anachronisms like bowing, curtsying and the enforced retention of flatulence at the banqueting table. What’s more, some of the royals even take themselves seriously.

A policeman once told me about a colleague of his who was assigned to security duty when Mr Prime Silly Arse, Prince Edward, was making an official visit to the area with his wife. One of the colleague’s duties was to open the car door for the duchess, and he made the mistake of glancing at her as he did so. Next thing you know, Eddy Baby is writing angrily to the Chief Constable demanding ‘That horrid policeman looked at my wife. Off with his head!’ Or words to that effect, because the policemen was severely reprimanded for his breach of protocol. Come on, Eddy lad, the monarchy has been purely constitutional for three and a half centuries. We don’t hang, draw and quarter people for saying ‘Well I think King Henry is a very naughty man’ any more. We are in the 21^st century, aren’t we?