HM Queen Elizabeth

[TheGreenAnger]

Funeral scheduled to be held on Monday 19th (as expected).

Which has been declared a public holiday.

[G-CPTN]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/ ... e-the-king

God Save the King rings out around Oval cricket ground.

[PHXPhlyer]

In addition to new coins, paper money, and stamps with the King's likeness, there will be a great need for embroiderers to do new uniforms for the trumpeters, etc. and the throne.
EIIR to CIIIR, I assume.

PP

[EA01]

Do I now live in Kingsland rather than Queensland??

[bob2s]

I saw in the news this morning, that William and Kate joined by Harry and Megan spent time together reading the tributes and talking to the crowd
outside the gate of Windsor Castle. Perhaps there has been a truce called.

[FD2]

Sadly there didn't appear to be much contact between them - just same place at the same time and under orders unfortunately.

[G-CPTN]

It must rankle to be reminded that older brother (Prince of Wales) is destined to become King whilst Harry and Meghan remain Duke and Duchess.

[TheGreenAnger]

It must rankle to be reminded that older brother (Prince of Wales) is destined to become King whilst Harry and Meghan remain Duke and Duchess.

One would hope that there would be a shared grief and mutual sympathy over the loss of a beloved grandmother. Maybe this sad period will be an opportunity to let bygones be bygones and to reset the tone of relationships as is often the case in normal families at such times the world over.

Of course the average family doesn't have elements of the press stoking the flames of family resentment, and public prurience, all in the cynical name of profit.

[Ibbie]

The website of W Purves, the undertakers who are moving HMQ's coffin to Edinburgh, has crashed this morning.

[TheGreenAnger]

Probably not an opinion one would expect to be posted on a supposedly pro-aviation forum, but I am apt to agree with this Spectator opinion piece...

The Queen loved the royal train. The Royal yacht was a luxury that was more for show than convenience but the train was a unique way for her to travel in comfort and without the hassle of flying. Modestly fitted out in a seventies vinyl panelled style with little extra decor, the Royal Train suited her unfussy taste and was easily accessible for her at Windsor. Therefore it was no surprise that the plan for a final rail journey had long been part of the London Bridge operation if she passed away in Scotland. It was envisaged that the Royal Train, which incidentally was not owned by the Queen but by the German state owned railway company DB Cargo, would be used to take her body down to London.

She would have approved of this for good reason. The origins of the concept of Royal trains stretch back to Queen Victoria for whom the Great Western Railway provided a special carriage in 1840 which, according to the company, was ‘handsomely arranged with hanging sofas of carved wood in the rich style of Louis XIV’. It took a couple of years to persuade her to use the train and only after a special roof-mounted device allowing the Queen to signal to the driver directly that she felt it was going too fast. However, as Victoria started making longer journeys, such as to and from Balmoral, she realised the train’s potential as an unprecedented way of getting around the country and showing herself to her subjects. No previous monarch had been able to be seen by so many people and this clearly added to her popularity.

That is what makes the decision to fly the Queen’s coffin between the two capitals rather than using the Royal Train, which has actually a special carriage adapted to take a coffin, so disappointing. The change in the plan, which had been clearly set out in the 2017 version of Operation London Bridge, occurred around the time of the start of the Covid shutdown. The decision, taken jointly by the Palace and the police, was apparently the result of fears that the passing of the train down the East Coast line would create unprecedented policing problems. There were not only the usual worries about security, but also concern that rail enthusiasts would impeded the train’s progress by trespassing on the tracks in order to get the best photographs. They pointed to similar issues when the Flying Scotsman steam locomotive hauls charter trains around the country with trainspotters risking life and limb to get the perfect shot. Other concerns were that the platforms would become overcrowded and even that people would wave Union Jacks that might then become entangled on the overhead electrification wires.

This, frankly, is stuff and nonsense, a mistaken overreach by the health and safety brigade. All these issues could have been dealt with by policing and adequate staffing of stations. These ‘final’ train journeys are part of a long tradition for major public figures such as King George V and Winston Churchill, and everything possible should have been done to maintain this rather special way of enabling people to make their farewells without travelling to London. It could, too, have been a useful show of the government’s serious intent on levelling up, enabling people to make their final farewells without having to travel to London.

There is a wider underlying change taking place here, too. Railways are dependent on a high level of societal track. Those tracks running through large swathes of sparsely populated countryside are ever vulnerable. It does not take much to disrupt the rail service. Even a trespasser on the line, probably with no more malicious intent than suicide, can stop trains on a mainline route. While many of us will have been on trains that grind to a halt accompanied by an announcement about people on the track, for the most part this does not happen. Nor does sabotage which, in truth, requires little more than a spanner and a crowbar, as the French Résistance demonstrated so effectively in 1944.

Now, however, the authorities are telling us they are powerless to stop such incursions and instead the whole plan for the nation’s mourning has to be changed. This should be challenged. Society may be different than when Churchill died but by and large trains can still operate safely and people behave properly. The symbol of the late monarch being taken slowly across the whole of England and part of Scotland being viewed by respectful crowds – yes waving the occasional Union Jack – would have been a memorable sight, a real show of unity at a time when it is most needed. It would have been an evocative image for our great grandchildren watching King William’s funeral.

Instead, we will view a jet taking off in the air, disappearing into the clouds, anonymous and instantly forgotten. It seems we have lost more than a monarch.

[Archer]

In addition to new coins, paper money, and stamps with the King's likeness, there will be a great need for embroiderers to do new uniforms for the trumpeters, etc. and the throne.
EIIR to CIIIR, I assume.

PP

One suggestion I noticed on Twitter was that the Post Office should henceforth be referred to as 'C3PO'.

[TheGreenAnger]

In addition to new coins, paper money, and stamps with the King's likeness, there will be a great need for embroiderers to do new uniforms for the trumpeters, etc. and the throne.
EIIR to CIIIR, I assume.

PP

One suggestion I noticed on Twitter was that the Post Office should henceforth be referred to as 'C3PO'.

As opposed to his sons and their spouses R2-D2. (Royals too and Duchesses 2)

[admin2]

Posts about JH and his travel plans for the funeral are now here viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7517

[Ex-Ascot]

This is what HMK flew into Edinburgh in https://www.luxaviationuk.com/our-fleet ... 650/g-legc

No idea what they are going to fly HMQ down in. DM had a photograph of the Voyager. Think they should get busy digging up the A40 and laying some more tarmac down if they are planning on NHT.

[G-CPTN]

Note that the Duke of York was dressed in mufti at his Edinburgh appearance.

[ricardian]

I have noticed on one or two sites (including some run by the BBC) that there are references to "Elizabeth 11" and "Charles 111". Is nobody aware of Roman numerals nowadays?

[G-CPTN]

Elizabeth aye aye (i i) and Charles aye aye aye (i i i).
Alternatively, Elizabeth the second and Charles the tird . . .

[Woody]

So much for BA respecting and honouring her late Majesty, received this email today

[llondel]

Following on from the mufti post, it just went past on Twitter that "only working members of the Royal Family" will be allowed to wear military uniform during the state funeral and procession, so Harry is going to need a suit as well as Andrew.

[G-CPTN]

Several commentators have remarked on the visits being made by King Charles III to various parts of the UK, not realising that these visits were planned a long time ago:-

Operation Spring Tide

This covers the new King’s upcoming trip around the UK and its name stems from an especially high spring tide, which is known as a “King tide”.
There are separate names for each country he will visit, expected to be in the days following a procession along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh on Monday.
King Charles III will visit Scotland (Operation Kingfisher), Wales (Operation Dragon) and Northern Ireland (Operation Shamrock).

See also:-
https://www.itv.com/news/2022-09-10/wha ... on-marquee