Deadlines for responses have passed.
Will they show? Won't they show?
And, rumors of demands for money to cross hands to make appearances (new level of pay to play).
Such drama. You would think this was a soap opera where every episode ends with a crazy cliff hanger story plot to drive the next installment.
Sadly, I don't expect it to change any time soon either. No. For them, there appears to be way too much energy left in the will they, won't they to end it now even though everyone else is pretty much tired of it. Hardly something one can point to and claim that they are trying to reconcile with those who feel distressed about what was printed.
Just noticed something: remember that talk of trying to reach out and reconcile after the book, etc.? It seems to have drifted away, hasn't it? Hmm. Interesting. I wonder if that is recognized as a total lost cause or just delayed into the summer (or fall) campaign (could be harder to pull off now that they will no longer have Frog Cott as a base).
So put on your seatbelts as the next thirty days will be a crazy roller coaster ride - likely filled with lots of drama filled twists and turns.
Comments
`Coronation Race Bomb? (Meghan Markle)'
HGTudor wondering if she'll drop the `It was Charles' racial comment allegation
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to be 'astonished' to see close family members, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie hanging out with outspoken TV host Piers Morgan.
Piers has made no secret of his disdain for the Sussexes in recent years and even lost his job at ITV after refusing to apologise to Meghan over comments he made about her mental health struggle.
Despite the chequered history between Piers and the Duke and Duchess, royal siblings Beatrice and Eugenie looked delighted to be catching up with the TV host.
The pair were seen meeting up with Piers along with other celebrity pals, including chart-topping singer James Blunt, at The Princess Royal pub in Notting Hill, London.
To make matters worse for Harry and Meghan, they were seen laughing and joking with Piers as they left the venue.
A source told OK! Magazine that the couple are "astonished" that their cousins have "gone behind their backs."
“After everything Piers has said about them as a couple – especially Meghan, who he’s called so many names – Harry and Meghan are astonished that they’ve gone behind their backs,” the source revealed.
They added: “It will be interesting to see how Harry interacts with his cousins during the coronation."
However, Beatrice, 34, and Eugenie, 33, reportedly don't feel like they've done anything wrong, especially since they enjoyed a close relationship with Harry and Meghan prior to their dramatic move to the US and along with Harry's tell-all memoir Spare being released and spilling secrets about their family.
It's also said that Piers' new friendlessness with the Duke and Duchess of York's two daughters comes as way to hopefully secure an interview with the girls on his TalkTV show.
A source confirmed that the princess are on board with being grilled by Piers and have even asked King Charles for his permission to appear on the show.
"It won’t be a Harry and Meghan-style interview, because they have requested permission from the King and the interview will portray the family in a very positive light,” a separate source told OK!
“Eugenie and Beatrice are keen to put their side across and talk about their new lives.”
The newly formed bond hasn't only shocked Meghan and Harry, but also former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond.
“I was astonished – I find these pictures absolutely extraordinary,” she says. I don’t know what the relationship with Piers Morgan is, but I think it does compromise their relationship – particularly Eugenie’s relationship with Harry.
“I can’t imagine either of them, Meghan in particular, would be comfortable seeing [Harry’s] cousin really embracing Piers Morgan. And not just a quick handshake or peck on the cheek, but a full-blown hug," she told OK!
Serf ‘n’ Terf
Madam’s franchising a
Megha ‘n’ Maw
The bishtro once known as
the Stork ‘n’ Claw
Famed for it’s con-fusion
Troll ‘n’ Tofu
Her signet-ure dish
Fomo ‘n’ FukYu…
@WildBoar
Inflatulencer 💨
@Neutral Observer
Cheers 😊
@Maneki
I’m looking forward to the
Coronation. Sent my mum
a Fortnum’s musical biscuit box,
plays “God Save the King”
she’s already eaten the biscuits,
delish! And a Coronation card which
will hopefully be franked
‘Charles and Camilla’
by Royal Mail.
Great Britain will do what they
always do best, Pomp and Ceremony.
God Save the King
@OCGal
Much appreciated 😘
You got the nuance, double entendre,
and explained my musings perfectly,
thank you.
As for my noggin, arghhh, I wonder
where my thoughts come from?
“The Ballad of the Barren Mare”
Ah but ... allegedly she has moved on. To drop that now might be ... making the short visit really uncomfortable for someone (especially if dropped while he is on the plane and didn't know what they were walking into) and longer term probably help unify or rally people in a positive way of support toward the King that might actually be helpful (how dare she? thinking). Decisions. Decisions.
It would be interesting to look through all the photos of her when she was pregnant and near KC. How did she look? Sort of like that lovely photo of her in red at the military gathering (one of their last), smiling brightly while having proclaimed suicide ideation earlier in the day.
Barreling fast and furious toward T-0.
The only thing to usurp
the Coronation would be the
announcement of their divorce.
Even then….
I have watched the Markle interview. No, he did not confirm her infertility, nor even allude to anything like that.
Basically, he simply said that he is sorry, he would like to sit down with her in private and sort things out, and see his grandchildren.
Samantha said something interesting ... that her sister felt inadequate so she basically made up a lot of lies about her background and achievements. Having the royal family meet her family would have exposed her (in my opinion, especially to hapless), so she had to ghost everyone except Doria (my opinion, easier to control). As for Samantha's daughter, in my opinion, she brought her into her life because she does want family and Ashley is estranged from her birth family and, like Doria, is easier to control, though probably for different reasons.
Apologies for muddying the waters by mixing what was in the documentary with my opinions!
Re. HG Tudor's speculation ... exactly what I have been thinking! It would be so typical of her ... drop a bombshell through friends, hoping for headlines such as 'A racist king crowned'.
She must hold a grudge for so many reasons: Charles did not mention her children by name nor 'anoint' them with those precious titles in his first speech to the nation, but he did 'elevate' William and Catherine and speak in loving terms about Camilla. He did not give into any of her demands that she was trying to blackmail him with in order for her to grace the coronation with her presence. They probably got nothing from the Queen's estate and even had Frogmore Cottage taken away, whereas William got the Duchy of Cornwall (as expected, but she wants all rules broken in favour of her).
She might push her husband over the edge if the tabloids do their job and uncover her as the source, and especially if she was lying and it wasn't Charles.
Typically, he would support and champion her even if he knows what she is saying is not true, but a stint like that might be a bridge too far for him.
-----
As for reconciliation with her father ... her next Netflix documentary? That is if she is not too busy building houses and dispensing medical advice to pregnant women in South Africa!
re the children's titles-I got the impression that there was no formal confirmation of the children's new status. It seemed more like an unspoken `you can use them for the time being but future use might depend on it being proved that they were truly the children of H & *, according to the Law.
In other words, it's more like a short-term loan with the condition that permanent use would require their legitimacy to be established - to whit, they had been born of her body.
Today's DM front page:
NADINE DORRIES: Make peace with your dad, Meghan, or regret it for ever...
at https://www.dailymail.co.uk/columnists/article-12034699/NADINE-DORRIES-Make-peace-dad-Meghan-regret-ever.html
As if...
The Coronation Service
In full at:
https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/23-
24132%20Coronation%20Liturgy%20Commentary.pdf
Points I'd pick out:
No Gospel Choir apparently (Phew!)
Sadly, no Acclamation by the Scholars of Westminster School - That's the triple Vivat! that sent a thrill down my spine in '53
Here's what it say about the Homage of the People:
The homage of peers alone has
been replaced by the Homage of the People.
The Archbishop will invite those who wish, from
the United Kingdom and the other Realms
both within the Abbey, and those watching and
listening at home, to make their homage by
sharing in the same words - a chorus of millions
of voices enabled for the first time in history to
participate in this solemn and joyful moment.
This is a new and significant moment in the
tradition of the Coronation. Never before in our
history have the general public been offered
such an opportunity to join with national figures
in declaring their allegiance to a new Sovereign.
To judge from the reaction of Republicans, Celtic nationalists etc, one would think this was being enforced at sword-point.
A Saturday Coronation
There were rumours that this being Shabbat would necessitate changes from usual practice because of the Chief Rabbi, who is Orthodox, being there, eg no electricity to be used.
I haven' t found firm reference to his attending but he is permitted to attend if the King requires it. It has been reported that he will spend the preceding night within walking distance of the Abbey on Royal premises (St James's?). (Nothing said about how he goes home - is the distance walkable given there' more time after the service)?
I've read that one of the people bearing part of the regalia (I forget her name) is Reform Jewish so presumably she has no problem with carrying anything on the Sabbath.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgg0RaPJDGU
The statement I quoted was a C & P'd quotation.
What do you make of it? Especially the bit about `a wound'? Hearsay?
The Hollywood announcement, dramatic makeover and basketball PDA that wasn’t… why Meghan’s PR stunts are a shameful bid to steal attention from the King in his Coronation week
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-12038365/DAN-WOOTTON-Meghan-Markles-PR-stunts-shameful-bid-steal-attention-Coronation.html
That video is fabrication and bears no relation to the interview and what was said. There is actually nothing new, other than a photograph and video, in the interview, and certainly no secrets told.
Here are a couple of interesting videos about the interview by the channel The Royal Grift (the Markles are a very messy family, but that does not warrant nor justify her narc ghosting of everyone, and all the lies she has told!):
https://youtu.be/wVG4Eh9OFuc
https://youtu.be/ztWpyVRE448
Palace lovkdiqn after controlled explosion 8pm BST
I should have said `It has been claimed...'
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/man-arrested-throwing-shotgun-cartridges-194204285.html
claims that the twat had a "vision board" of her married life to the twit when she was still married to Trevor
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12039881/The-Windsor-spares-alike-theyd-admit.html
That is an interesting piece of information that Megyn Kelly dropped - about the vision board!
I reckon that the BRF has 'hidden' a lot of stuff about what she got up to when she was living in the UK. Sooner or later someone is going to talk - and TBW loves firing off those demanding emails and text messages, so I bet there is a mountain of 'evidence'.
"The court filings also revealed that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services [USCIS] had been unable to find Harry's file: "On or about March 13, 2023, Counsel for [The Heritage Foundation] received a call from USCIS indicating that they were having difficulty locating the Duke of Sussex's A-File."
re `https://twitter.com/GBNEWS/status/1653509941754306560'
This has certainly brought out the ad hominem arguments.
It is true that at the end of her Majesty's Xmas speech as the National Anthem was played my father (former British Army Officer) would arise and salute but his offspring found it somewhere between cringy and embarrassing. She can't see you do it so what's the point. The same applies to the Oath. Has the RF thus played a blinder or alternatively enraged the entire population. Thank heavens my father is no longer here to indulge.
Only three days to go, now.
I wonder if the bitch is involved in something worse than attracting attention to herself? If she could voice the comment about `one plane crash' could she also think of `one *xplosion'? i pray she is not.
Perhaps the best security would have been to accept her at the Coronation? Preferably gagged and bound, in obvious close proximity to the Working Royals.
God save the King
Perdition to faithless princes
- and confusion to his enemies.
Hilarious! She did not attend the Met Gala because she did not get invited but she puts out the PR that she did not want to create a 'media frenzy'!
If I can find the link, I'll post it ... there is a short video of Anna Wintour planning table seatings with staff. On the side of the board are a few green sticky notes. These are the people who are banned from getting an invite. Someone analysed the video and swears that TBW's name is on the last sticky note. I am convinced!
https://mysteriouslytransparentwitch.tumblr.com/
king charles 3: he is in spiritual mode, in study, in reading, in learning.
queen camilla: she is nostalgic for her life before (when she was a duchess), very scared for the day of the coronation.
prince william: we contain his emotions, he is excited but also nostalgic. Everyone's life changes and that's normal.
princess catherine: very focused, ready for a new chapter, aware that history and the world are watching them.
prince harry: he wants to appear victorious even if things really go wrong.
meghan markle: feels stuck and defeated.
princess beatrice: don't want to miss this opportunity
princess eugénie: problem in her marriage.
Why disparage Americans when you are poking fun at King Charles’ Coronation plans? I assure you that nothing planned has anything to do with us…we didn’t put him up to it. We walked away from kings and coronations in the reign of George III or it could be said even earlier circa 1620. Many Americans with goodwill toward our former mother country will be watching CR be crowned, and it sure looks like Elizabeth’s boy is determined to do it his own way. Everyone sort of knew that was coming, even on this side of the Pond. But there’s no need to lampoon our custom of placing hand over heart as a gesture of respect to our flag (which is symbolic as a gesture of respect to our nation—we are not worshiping a piece of fabric on a pole) as ‘back slapping’. It is the very opposite of backslapping and is meant to be reverential. Communal yet also personal—no one is obliged to sing or pledge or put hand on heart— Though if a president or a serving military officer fails to do it, we take a dim view.
I suppose Charles wants all his people watching to feel connected to events, and to him as sovereign with this community oath piece. He and William exemplify the ‘modern’ monarchy of touchy feeliness which his mother eschewed— ER was the last truly regal embodiment of the role, and even she was caught on a bridge to the modern age. An era has passed, and more changes are coming down the pike. The Queen is very much missed, even over here, but change is the only constant in life, even more constant than ERII.
I have often mused about Charles that it’s not so surprising that he clashed with his parents and the old guard over his views we now call ‘woke’ and his different temperament to theirs. Charles came of age in 1969 as part of the Woodstock Generation. Wrong side of the pond but the right time. While his American peers were rolling around in the mud at Woodstock and getting high, and while his peers in the UK were getting mod on Carnaby Street and listening to the Beatles and the Stones, Charles was busy getting invested as Prince of Wales. Had he not been born heir to a crown, he might’ve been a hippie. He is in many respects a man out of his time and has lived a paradox his whole life. His fingerprints all over the coronation service are just the tip of the iceberg. Unlike his mother was when she was crowned, he’s not a 25 year old girl to be bossed around by the gray suit brigade. For better or worse, Charles will have it his way. I don’t always agree with his thinking, but I have to admire the tenacity with which he is determined to be himself regardless of opinion.
"...there’s no need to lampoon our custom of placing hand over heart as a gesture of respect to our flag (which is symbolic as a gesture of respect to our nation—we are not worshiping a piece of fabric on a pole) as ‘back slapping’. It is the very opposite of backslapping and is meant to be reverential. Communal yet also personal..." - end quote -
Thank you for this thoughtful counterpoint to @Opus. I was stung at the unkind untrue and unneccessary vitriol from @Opus, but you put soothing balm over my heart, just where my hand goes.
Thank you again.
Someone on Saint Meh mentioned the `British expression, sour grapes' but doesn't seem to know where it comes from - if anyone here's in doubt, it comes from Aesop's fable about the fox and the grapes - only he said it in Greek.
Sorry Opus many of us are sincere in our pledge of allegiance or when singing the national anthem. if you have ever see a citizenship ceremony it is so moving and yes you want to stand up and say the pledge with them. i don’t even begrudge the Brits for standing for God Save the King or pledging allegiance. it’s a custom and many people feel proud to say and sing it all out loud
@OCGal
Thank you for this thoughtful counterpoint to @Opus. I was stung at the unkind untrue and unneccessary vitriol from @Opus, but you put soothing balm over my heart, just where my hand goes.
My sentiments exactly.
If I could give you a thumbs up emoji, I would.
Reciting the Pledge has largely gone out of fashion in our pluralistic, non-binary and etc. times but for generations of schoolchildren (including me) every school day began with this ritual as we rose in unison and recited the Pledge, the entire school in one voice. I will never apologize for participating in this patriotic ritual.
I pledge allegiance to the flag
Of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands
One nation under God, indivisible
With liberty and justice for all. (1892)
The current United States Flag Code says:
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all," should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute.[16] Members of the Armed Forces not in uniform and veterans may render the military salute in the manner provided for persons in uniform.[4]
No backslapping here,
I was fortunate to be schooled in those years, and we had manners.
She clearly had no idea of what's really been going on (presumably having no wish to find out or apply critical thinking - her reasoning seems no more than an autonomic reflex - no sign of facts getting in the way of bigotry.)
Europeans laugh at Americans who play the national anthem at every sporting event when it's not an international competition pitting one country against another. They see no need to drag nationalism into a routine sporting event because Europeans think that nationalism is a bad thing that leads to wars. That's what they were taught in school, at least after WW2.
https://archive.ph/2023.05.03-151807/https://pagesix.com/2023/05/03/meghan-markle-skipping-coronation-to-protect-her-peace/
He looks as if he's straight out of `Thunderbirds' (Scott Tracey, that is, not a member of another group of the same name)
Reciting the Pledge has largely gone out of fashion in our pluralistic, non-binary and etc. times but for generations of schoolchildren (including me) every school day began with this ritual as we rose in unison and recited the Pledge, the entire school in one voice. I will never apologize for participating in this patriotic ritual.
I pledge allegiance to the flag
Of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands
One nation under God, indivisible
With liberty and justice for all. (1892)
Maybe in some places, not everywhere. We pledge allegiance here, we stand for the flag and place our hands over our hearts when it passes. We do not pledge allegiance to a person or a government entity, but the United States and, in particular, the Constitution of these United States. There are many, many of us who have taken a pledge to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, to wit:
Under current law any individual elected or appointed to an office of honor or profit in the civil service or uniformed services, except the President, shall take the following oath: “I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.”
That oath does not have an expiration date.
This is hilarious - hapless trying to get a lift on coronation day!
-----
I enjoy this tarot reader ... seems like he has done a reading and predicts that someone in her inner circle (past or present) is going to spill some dirt on her. Off to see what he has to say ...
https://www.reddit.com/r/SaintMeghanMarkle/comments/136zws3/psychic_tarot_card_reader_is_always_correct/
* She is rapidly sending out a flurry of messages. (To media outlets? To the Palace?) It comes across as frantic.
* He is concerned about money, and his main reason for going to the coronation is actually about material stuff (money).
* There is a lot of disappointment around relationships to the extent of walking away and going alone. Is this the couple or him and his family?
* There is some kind of shocking revelation hat is about to break, and it seems to be about him or for him. It is the kind of revelation that shatters illusions.
----
I noticed some rather crude PR and anti-William and Catherine articles surfacing. I think she is handling her own PR, using Hello and The Cut and other media outlets that she has a relationship with. Does this last bit from The Cut article sound familiar ... who ends their 'digs' with 'right'?
https://www.reddit.com/r/SaintMeghanMarkle/comments/136zafy/quit_this_shite_meghan_this_malicious_rumor_you/
Could she be the reincarnation not of Diana but one of the Roman emperors? Caligula wasn't the only one that we'd now regard as certifiable?
Is being monarch a job that only someone not in their right mind would want? There's something to be said for the hereditary principle!
----------------
O/T
@GWAH
`Nationalism' is a dirty word in the UK, unless it's preceded by Scottish, Welsh or Cornish (and dare I say it, Irish). `England' only seems to exist on the sports field.
Sometime before before 2016, I asked the lady on the cheese counter in Tesco why Welsh and Scottish cheeses were described as such, with the appropriate flags, but Somerset Cheddar, Cornish Brie and so on, all bore the Union flag.
Her reply shook me, I'd expected her to say `I dunno..' or that the thinking of higher Tesco management were beyond her - not to reveal a political truth.
She said, `Its because the EU doesn't recognise England'.
I thought about this and saw that she was right. To the EU England was/is just a bunch of unrelated regions with largely arbitrary borders, no identity of own, despite being a kingdom for over a thousand years.
I have found it amazingly easy to wind up the woolly-minded by taking this logic to it's conclusion - that England is under what is called as `direct rule from Westminster', whenever it has to be is applied to Northern Ireland.
Said `liberals' yelled at me, told me I'm stupid, accused me of being unacceptably right-wing - I suspect they are the same people that support the Royal Renegades.
I’m an American who says the pledge of allegiance and sings our national anthem whenever the opportunity arises. It is a patriotic gesture for the country I live in and love very much and stand by her always. Make fun if you will, but there sure are plenty of people literally dying to make it across our borders every day to live and work here. (Even Hapless made the journey, albeit by cushy private jet with a huge carbon footprint.)
It comes down to respect. Respect for others, their customs, their beliefs and values. Disagreement will always be with us and we shouldn't discourage other's opinions, but derision and disrespect is not okay if we want to live in a civilized world.
BTW.(for overseas readers) our pillar boxes lend themselves to wearing `hats' knitted by yarn bombers - it started in the onslaught of the pandemic and has continued with topical creations ever since.
Singalong 🎤
Apologies: Cher
It’s In His Kiss
Tossers
Does she love him
we wanna know
How couldn’t he tell
that she’s just a ho
It is in her eyes
Oh, no he’s been deceived
It is in her lies
Oh, oh it’s make believe
If you wanna know
why he needs that ho
It’s in her wrist…
That’s where it ist
That tungsten fist!
Opus
I always stand, wherever I am,
for the National Anthem.
I will be pledging my allegiance
to King Charles III in front
of my telly.
Vivat Rex
I’m quietly patriotic and I don’t know of anyone doing any kind of hand etc gesture when our national anthem is played. We do stand when in the presence of the Monarch (when the national anthem is played). 😉
I’ve previously said before that we Brits have some quirks of our own and we don’t like them knocked by outsiders. I respect other nations quirks, particularly if they have no bearing on another country. 🙂
I am wondering if Harry’s wife is so desperate for attention that she will attempt to draw the spotlight away from Charles’ big day by re-launching The Tig either tomorrow on May 5th or worse yet, re-launching it on Charles’ actual coronation day on Saturday.
It would be nasty, petty, and in a way feeble thing to do, but as a narcissist, she has no sense of boundaries. Her victim narrative also drives her to hold massive grudges for every perceived slight.
Even everyday garden variety narcissists can’t stand for the spotlight to be on someone else. They will pull all sorts of stunts just to gain attention for themselves.
As the saying goes, narcissists want to be the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral.
Last coronation when a monarch of my country was crowned was in 1896. Nicholas II of Russia was a very hated ruler because of his russification program that tried crush our ancient laws and our languages. I have lived all my life in a republic so it is impossible for me to understand how citizens of modern monarchies may feel about all this.
History is very strange at times. The young officer of the Russian Imperial Guard (the Chevalier Guard) one can see in the russian coronation pictures with an eagle helmet was later leader in four wars (two against the Soviet union!) of our country and our sixth president.
-----
While Markle may be able to scramble back into some Hollywood circles, it is unlikely to be quite as rarefied a crowd as she once hoped. Meanwhile, her relationship with the royal family is pretty near irreparable.
At this stage, there is little doubt about the palace’s feelings about her. As harmful as Meghan’s actions in the last year have been, a source close to the royals tells me that much of the damage was already done — and that the personal feelings of the late Queen loom large. According to my source, the Queen “saw through Meghan Markle” and remarked that she was “evil” during a drinks reception at a dinner the late monarch hosted at Balmoral in August last year.
‘It was out of character for the Queen to use such a word as “evil” to describe Meghan, but she saw straight through her’
“Everybody’s eyebrows hit the ceiling,” the source claimed. “It was out of character for the Queen to use such a word as “evil” to describe Meghan, but she saw straight through her. It was a startling sentence to hear from the most forgiving woman on earth.”
“At the drinks before the dinner, a small group were talking to the monarch and she explained that Harry meeting Meghan had become a complete catastrophe and described her as evil. By this point we all knew the Queen’s health was in decline and she had months left, she seemed regretful about how things had panned out."
-----
https://thespectator.com/topic/meghan-markle-comeback-meghanaissance-harry-coronation/
Usually we pussy-foot around the question of the flaws in human nature, find reasons like mental illness, corruption by society or assert that were are more like chimps than we would ever care to admit but for Queen Elizabeth to use it of her grand-daughter-law, Wow! Just Wow.
......
I was at school when the 1944 Education was in force. This stipulated that the school day should start with a religious assembly of a `broadly Christian nature'. Parents who objected had the right to withdraw their children, if the parents weren't bothered, the child joined in. Usually the non-attenders were Roman Catholic (this was before Vatican II) or Exclusive Brethren. Hence Assembly became `a Protestant Hymn, a Prayer and a Telling off'.
In my state secondary school, we had to kneel upright on the uneven woodblock floor for the 4 prayers (Collect of the Day, then a prayer composed by any of a range of the great & good, eg St Ignatius, a very drawn-out sung Our Father, finishing with the Grace.) I'll swear the kneeling was to discourage us from wearing nylon stockings.
For the annual School Birthday event, we had know and recite the General Thanksgiving:
https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer/prayers-and-thanksgivings.
We sang the National Anthem at the end of Speech Day (in the local Drill Hall, next to the abbatoir, complete with noises off.) Also, IIRC on the Friday before Remembrance Sunday.
It all seems extraordinary now.
-------
Buckingham Palace security case - it's been reported that the chap that was arrested for lobbing cartridges over the BP gates is being detained under the Mental Health Act. Harold beware, it could happen to you.
Fuller details here:
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/man-arrested-shotgun-cartridges-buckingham-palace-speak-to-soldier/
Lady C apparently spoke to several of HLMTQ's close friends while writing *Meghan & Harry: The Real Story.* Lady C included some of those conversations in her book, and shared them again in a video, which I will link below. Some of the quotes from these friends in the linked video:
"[HLMTQ] thought [MM] was affected, insincere, offputtingly pushy, as well as unpleasantly gushing."
"[HLMTQ] thought Meghan had the soul of a tart, and a tart without a heart at that."
"[HLMTQ] felt that Meghan possessed no real warmth; that she had a patina of charm that duped unsuspecting onlookers into thinking she possessed warmth, when in fact, she possessed none."
"[HLMTQ] said her relationship with Meghan was very guarded and as superficially amenable as she could manage, and she was determined to keep it as pleasant as possible because of Harry and the children."
"[HLMTQ] was mindful of the lessons of Daniel...don't put your hand in the lion's mouth. She didn't trust Meghan and was of the firm conviction that [Meghan] was a wolf -- who sometimes faded into being a sheep -- but was at all times a predator, and a dangerous one at that."
"Much as [HLMTQ] would have liked to believe that Meghan's shows of sweetness meant something, she knew they were simply the actress's tools to deceive the audience into thinking that she was something she was not."
"The Queen made a pointed distinction between a relationship that was truly warm and one that was like baked Alaska."
"The Queen thought Meghan's tactics were those of the street...she felt the way Meghan went about Megxit...was disrespectful and calculated to spite the Queen personally -- for refusing to allow in-and-out -- and to intimidate her in case she, the Queen, needed to draw further lines of demarcation."
"The Queen did not appreciate the fact that her invitations were being rebuffed and that [Harry & Meghan] were playing her. Meghan, really, but Harry was complicit, which was a great 'sadness' and 'disappointment' to her."
Lady C says: "This person's impression was that the Queen thought Meghan was little better than a common or garden blackmailer who had brought the tactics of the gutter into the palace. She simply couldn't understand how anyone could be so ruthlessly self-centered and materialistic and agreed that she most likely suffered from a serious personality disorder and possibly a psychiatric condition as well. The Queen was deeply suspicious of Meghan, and very careful to be circumspect when dealing with her."
I agree with your take on nationalism. I'd also add that while the flags of Wales and Scotland are acceptable, the English flag - for those who mightn't know, a red cross on white background - has been highjacked by some racist groups or football supporters so it's not widely displayed. Also for some reason, the Union Jack is not widely displayed outside houses unlike in the US or Danemark, for instance.
Then you might recall there was the Labour MP Emily Thornberry who took a photo of a man in Kent showing his England flag hanging from a window with a white van (a symbol of working class drivers, often stereotyped as being inconsiderate) in the driveway. She showed her contempt for patriotic working classes by mocking him, which led to her downfall.
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@HappyDays
I think even if ILBW relaunched The Tig 2 tomorrow or on Saturday, not many people would take notice. They'd either be interested in the Coronation or else, if it's not raining, they'd be out. Monday is a a Bank Holiday so we have a long weekend and a lot of people will be away. I'd be surprised if anyone would show an interest in *'s blog. Maybe initially just out of curiosity.
Usually we pussy-foot around the question of the flaws in human nature, find reasons like mental illness, corruption by society or assert that were are more like chimps than we would ever care to admit but for Queen Elizabeth to use it of her grand-daughter-law, Wow! Just Wow.
......
I agree . . ERII spent 70 years being resolutely circumspect about her personal feelings on any matter, and being a devout Christian lady, I doubt highly that she descended to gossip even in family circles after a few Bombay Sapphire martinis. She must have known how little time she had left when she made that remark and opted to slice straight through to the point.
We here have known since the engagement that Harry's wife is a bad seed. We knew she was an insincere golddigger who turned up unkempt and inappropriately dressed to meet the international press and she told a number of lies in her first interview with Harry. Personally I gave it 3-5 years, myself. We are coming up on the 5th anniversary, just a couple of weeks after Charles is crowned. I don't recall any sort of fuss being made last year, does anyone? I figured she'd spend an obscene amount of money and perhaps be caught out, Fergie-style, in a few affairs before she'd flounce off. It's so much worse than we could have imagined. Never dreamt that a 'whip smart' woman would turn her back on the life of a Royal Duchess after barely a year. I'd call her evil, yes. At least, the results of her behavior are evil and she is entirely without conscience or remorse--or self-awareness. It's impossible to say what cocktail of factors of nature and nurture conspired to make her the way she is, but she will never change. If she sees anything 'wrong' in the way she behaves, she does not care. She never will. She's going to use people and wreak havoc and destruction until the day she dies.
Although one finds the term 'malignant narcissist' popping up a lot more around her in the MSM than formerly, it's still mostly the cyberverse that has her number. Harry and the Mrs. both need institutionalization for their own good and the safety of others, really. If their pernicious mental illnesses and substance abuse issues were taken seriously, but until something very grievous happens to either of them physically or unless they physically harm another person/people, nothing is going to happen. Hazza needs to be in a treatment facility for a rest cure and a complete detox. As for her, she belongs in a facility for the criminally insane. Trouble is, she hasn't done anything violent that we know of--at least to anyone but Harry. I think he could definitely be a victim of domestic violence. He looks like hell and he's afraid of his wife. On the eve of his father's coronation, I'll say again that I think H is a bona fide risk for self-harm of the fatal sort, or an accidental OD. It's really a shame that there seems to be no way to intervene before something completely tragic happens but here we are.
Thank you for the link to the Spectator article. I am a subscriber but don’t get emails from them highlighting content, so I miss a lot as I don’t often go to their website.
Explosive is the right word—I can imagine the Queen saying those things, though, and only wish we knew who it was that leaked the conversation over drinks at Balmoral. It must have been a family member, don’t you think?? I hope other media pick the story up.
To paraphrase the King-Elvis
The Meanest Girl In Town
“She’s Evil, middle name is Misery”
Now the gossip is that she is making a secret visit to London to see the King and make nice for the sake of her children. (My reading of this story is that she wants her children to be 'in' for royal events and financial handouts - what is the point of being a prince and princess if you don't have benefits, right.)
The Behaviour Panel has done a video analysing the Markle family interview. I have not watched it yet, but at the above there is a posting of the reasons Chase Hughes gives of why a narc would abandon family.
An American who got to talk to Catherine yesterday ... a long post of every detail. In person, Catherine is radiant and, yes, very chatty. William is very tall. And so on ... It is actually worth while reading to get a feeling of the power of their presence.
Apologies: A.A. Milne
Christopher Robin/BP
Plus None
They’ve changed the seats
at Westminster Abbey
Haz will be seated
in a draughty back alley
Said Palais
Madam left pondering
how green was her valley
Tallying the loss of Eugenie
last ally
Sad Malaise…
Duper-injunction
Cockrache will be around
for years to come
Surviving the apocalypse
nuclear bomb
Only way to get rid
of this pestilent pair
Put salt on his slug
and deny her media air…
We know ILBW is not averse to turning up uninvited but I doubt she'd go all the way to London. Where would she go? In a way, it'd be good to see her trying to enter the Abbey (no chance) and be turned away with the world's camera filming the action. She also need to make sure she has a birthday party for Archie with all her Hollywood friends (i.e. none) or staff. She can then sell the pix.
~~~~~~~~~~~
@Magatha
Love Duper-injunction! Cockrache🤣!!!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12050097/Prince-Harry-lands-UK-fathers-Coronation-private-jet.html
Catherine slays as usual, but check out the shoes. How does she do it? She’s like a gazelle in those things. Don’t
https://youtu.be/EXpd2VQhoi4
(b)HEIR ALREADY? (/b) (Me: I BEG YOUR PARDON???)
Speculation Prince Harry has landed back in UK for coronation as rift rages and Meghan stays home for Archie’s birthday
• Holly Christodoulou
• Published: 11:55, 5 May 2023
• Updated: 12:35, 5 May 2023
ECULATION is rife Prince Harry has already landed in the UK ahead of his dad's historic coronation tomorrow.
5
Meghan is staying in the US to look after their children
Harry, 38, is attending tomorrow's celebrations without wife Meghan Markle, who has remained in the US with their children.
The plane arrived at Farnborough, which is close to Windsor Castle, from Van Nuys private airport in California.
The runway is near to Harry and Meghan's Montecito home but it is not yet clear if Harry was on board.
He is only expected to be making a whirlwind visit as he prepares to re-join his family back in California for Archie's fourth birthday.
A source previously told The Sun: "He’ll be in and out of the UK in 24 hours.”
It is not yet clear what role if any Harry will be playing in Charles' coronation as a royal rift swirls around the family.
Harry has faced the fury of his dad and brother Prince William after making explosive revelations in book Spare and his Netflix series.
The coronation will be the first time he has been with his family since the bombshells.
The Royal Family will be making an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace tomorrow afternoon after the monarch is crowned.
But King Charles has limited the event to working royals only - meaning it is likely Harry will miss out.
Despite this, Harry was said to be "desperate" to attend the coronation to support his father.(AS IF!!!)
The Sun on Sunday revealed he had a heart-to-heart talk with Charles before agreeing to come.
Insiders said the King is “happy” with his son’s decision and “understanding” of Meghan staying behind.
https://youtube.com/shorts/0qxFteD3tiY?feature=share
`All the TV shows cancelled due to the coronation coverage this weekend'
yahoo home page
Relaaaaaax folks in UK - not a blackout but no cookery progs (never mind) and no footie - Hooray!
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I welled up when I read this report & watched the video:
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/rescue-police-horse-called-wilbur-124257268.html
I mean to buy more Kleenexe 'cos I'm going to be overwhelmed by it all - shall have to buzz down to the Coop first thing tomorrow - they open early.
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If H comes by PJ, it'll be to avoid other passengers' cameras. Perhaps he'll get the security & privacy he longs for - obvious armed guards and a blanket over his head - like they do for other criminals.
The universe seemed to be against me; so many things went wrong but I won through in the end and have managed to produce the Coronation Quiche, using freshly-bought dried tarragon, frozen beans and baby spinach. It looks pretty inviting smells divine. We'll eat it heated up.
Has anyone else tried it? I am exhausted but if you are interested the recipe is at https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/coronation-quiche
Now if I can find the energy, I'll knock up a Victoria sponge and Chocolate cherry one (not a full-blown Schwarzwalder Kirchtorte though) enlivened with a dash of gin or schnapps. It's for Sunday afternoon, in a neighbour's front garden. All the close is invited but I suspect our republican neighbour has gone.
Heck, we've still to put up some bunting...
The universe seemed to be against me; so many things went wrong but I won through in the end and have managed to produce the Coronation Quiche, using freshly-bought dried tarragon, frozen beans and baby spinach. It looks pretty inviting smells divine. We'll eat it heated up.
Has anyone else tried it? I am exhausted but if you are interested the recipe is at https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/coronation-quiche
Now if I can find the energy, I'll knock up a Victoria sponge and Chocolate cherry one (not a full-blown Schwarzwalder Kirchtorte though) enlivened with a dash of gin or schnapps. It's for Sunday afternoon, in a neighbour's front garden. All the close is invited but I suspect our republican neighbour has gone.
Heck, we've still to put up some bunting...
The sponges are going to have to wait, even it means getting up in the small hours, like village bakers used to do.
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On the subject of flags, a folk duo from Dartmoor way called Show of Hands had a number called `Roots'
Now it's been 25 years or more
I've roamed this land from shore to shore
From Tyne to Teign, or Severn to Thames
From moor to vale, from peak to fen
Played in cafes, pubs and bars
I've stood in the street with my own guitar
But I'd be richer than all the rest
If I had a pound for each request
For 'Duelling Banjos', 'American Pie'
It's enough to make you cry
'Rule Britannia', or 'Swing low...'
Are they the only songs we English know?
Seed, bark, flower, fruit
They're never gonna grow without their roots
Branch, stem, shoot
They need roots
After the speeches, when the cake's been cut
The disco's over and the bar is shut
At christening, birthday, wedding or wake
What can we sing 'til the morning breaks
When the Indians, Asians, Afro-Celts
It's in their blood, below their belt
They're playing and dancing all night long
So what have they got right that we've got wrong?
Seed, bark, flower, fruit
They're never gonna grow without their roots
Branch, stem, shoot
They need roots and
Haul away boys, let them go
Out in the wind and the rain and snow
We've lost more than we'll ever know
'Round the rocky shores of England
We need roots
And a minister said his vision of hell
Is three folk singers in a pub near Wales (`Wells'?)
Well, I've got a vision of urban sprawl
There's pubs where no-one ever sings at all
And everyone stares at a great big screen
Overpaid soccer stars, prancing teens
Australian soap, American rap
Estuary English, baseball caps
And we learn to be ashamed before we walk
Of the way we look, and the way we talk
Without our stories or our songs
How will we know where we come from?
I've lost St. George and the Union Jack
That's my flag too and I want it back
Seed, bark, flower, fruit
Never gonna grow without their roots
Branch, stem, shoot
We need roots
Haul away boys, let them go
Out in the wind and the rain and snow
We've lost more than we'll ever know
'Round the rocky shores of England
We need roots...
Cut and pasted:
Dear $ir,
P£$ $€nd $om€ mon€¥ to ¥our d€vot€d $on & di£ (not William's wife). Think of th€ ¢hildr€n th€¥ ar€ inno¢€nt in a££ thi$. W€ don't und€r$Tand. W€ did nothing wrong. P£$ don't $hut u$ out £ik€ I did to m¥ dad.
A$ €v€r, Meghan (w/ signature flourish)
FRIDAY, MAY 05, 2023
Blind Items Revealed #1
April 28, 2023
The alliterate one has been looking at scripts. The only conditions are that she must be the lead or second lead and that she gets producer credit too. The first project involves this writer/actress/producer who starred on an iconic show has a mystery baby daddy and lost a lot of weight.
Meghan Markle/Mindy Kaling
the comments are hilarious
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12042627/Michael-Bloombergs-family-ANTI-Prince-Harry-Meghan-Markle.html
Kara Kennedy’s story in The Spectator you posted the link for has spread! I’ve seen it in the Daily Express and the New York Post, and I’m sure it’ll be everywhere soon. That would be a very good thing.
Mirroring Meghan! Kate wears her sister-in-law's signature £490 Aquazzura heels with monochrome dress to Coronation reception
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12050813/Kate-Middleton-wears-Meghans-signature-490-Aquazzura-heels.html
Meanwhile, Bookworm says that Harold has landed in England on a private jet. The jet belongs to Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, who owns the LA Times and is part owner of the LA Lakers.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12042627/Michael-Bloombergs-family-ANTI-Prince-Harry-Meghan-Markle.html
New post in honor of the celebration! Ring the bells, blow the noise makers, sing the patriotic songs and dive into that food, drink after putting on your party clothes!
I apologize. I had missed that you posed that article first.