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The real issue with swine flu

Thursday, May 07, 2009
Sycophant o' the day, or a Republican in disguise?

Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has made arrangements to monitor the health of members of the Royal Family during the current outbreak of swine influenza in Mexico. [272587]

Dawn Primarolo: The royal family has its own medical advisers to monitor their health. Clearly, all information issued by this Department is available to everyone, including members of the royal family.

Ol' Betty Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Battenberg and the Duke are on the A list for being old, and presumably the rest of them get special treatment for being in government / the wider public sector.

I am sure they are all hovering by their letter boxes just waiting for a patronising leaflet from the DoH.


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posted by Croydonian

Lèse majesté, Spanish style

Wednesday, December 24, 2008
I am indebted to El País for this tale:

"A website, kingandwin.com, is giving punters the chance to bet on King Juan Carlos’ annual address to the nation. Will he say “pride” or “satisfaction” more often? How long will the speech
last? Will the Spanish flag be to the king’s left or right? Will he mention soccer’s Euro 2008?"

Doubtless less than enthusiastic royalists could play a similar game with Mrs Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Battenberg's address tomorrow.

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posted by Croydonian

Lèse majesté at the Royal Mail

Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Admittedly a number of years ago, but flicking through a New Statesman pamphlet called 'This England' which contains curious news clippings I found this and felt it would be selfish not to renew its audience:

"As a great admirer of the Royal Family, I was disgusted to see ,that two of the animals in the special Post Office issue of stamps showing rare breeds of cattle had their hindquarters to the Queen's face. Surely face to face would have been more dignified". (Letter in Daily Express)

Here are what I believe are the offending cows, from June '84:





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posted by Croydonian

It is not what you know, it is who you know....

Wednesday, April 23, 2008
"The Queen has been graciously pleased to appoint His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales to be a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter... The appointment of the Knights and Ladies of the Garter is in The Queen's gift".

There's a full list of those with access to the dressing up box here, the most intriguing bit being the list of crowned heads from abroad who sport the garter - Spain, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands and Japan. Soo, no Belgians. Or Thais, sons of the desert, Swazis or Basotho, inter alia. Presumably Monaco is viewed as too trashy and Liechtenstein too small.

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posted by Croydonian

Vanity, thy name is Kinnock.

Thursday, March 20, 2008
Perusing a British Council report on transatlantic relations (1) I happened upon this drawing of Kinnock, who happens to head the BC these days:
Nice of the artist to lose Kinnock's glasses and shave off around 20 years, was it not? Even Betty Saxe Coburg Gotha Battenberg has dropped the pretence that bank notes should carry an image of her looking circa 25. Mind you, ID-ing Her Maj from a first class stamp would not be easy....


(1) Of which more later. Probably

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posted by Croydonian

How to lose friends...

Friday, January 18, 2008
In a typically well thought out move, Buck House has decided that it cannot be bothered to send any of the cast of the national soap opera to attend the funeral of the national hero of one of the nations Betty S-C-G reigns over.

And lo and behold, our Kiwi friends know an insult when they see one, and it is the front page of one of the NZ dailies:

"Buckingham Palace has decided not to send a member of the royal family to Sir Edmund Hillary's funeral in what will be seen as a snub to one of the country's greatest legends".

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posted by Croydonian