As the queen looked helplessly at her bodyguard, a look of obvious fright frozen on her face, the Duke of Edinburgh expresses dismay that they were not told in advance the Obamas were nearly 8 feet tall."They certainly didn't look it in any of the things we had previously seen of them on television," the duke commented afterward, "and I must say it came as rather a shock when they first strode ponderously into the room."
But no harm done, and Her Majesty seemed openly relieved as she discovered the Obamas are apparently quite tame.
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Incidentally, the Duke of Edinburgh still holds the Guinness Record for the number of medals worn by an individual who in real life was only a lieutenent.
In other news...
Oh, never mind. You have probable heard of the Queen and Michelle's little affair already.
Ha!
ReplyDeleteI think it's funny that when someone is taller than 5'6" they look like a giant.
If only people knew how short celebrities are in real life.
As an Amazon Queen myself, I think there should be medals given for dealing with the Vertically Challenged!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NvgLkuEtkA
Don't you remember the time the Queen was at the White House, and she couldn't be seen above the podium? She coped with that very well. :) Prince Philip is supposed to be 5ft 11. Perhaps he was once.
ReplyDeleteI would fit right in. As I age gracefully I find I have shrunk. I am now under 5 feet. Just wish I were not getting taller sideways.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you got in there first, ettarose, (and now I'll be in trouble for addressing you directly) but it lets me admit to my height - 5ft 2.5in. I don't consider it a lack of height, just that other people have a more of it. Please don't forget the half inch, I need it for sisterly domination.
ReplyDeleteThe Queen probably won't have noticed. Believe me, you get very used to a certain perspective on the world.
At 5'6" I fall right into the average category. The Queen suddenly looks just like my tiny little 4'10" grandmother. She used to be 5'1" (my grandmother - I have no idea about the Queen's height at any time of her life).
ReplyDeleteAnd it's no wonder the Duke got shorter, weighed down by all those medals.
It should be noted that one of the most formidable of all the kings of England, William the Conqueror, was married to the smallest, Maude of Flanders at 4'2" (and he was also reputed to have been faithful to her and demand his soldiers do the same, a tendency that went out of fashion in British royalty, um, pretty much from then on).
ReplyDeleteI'm 5'8" myself but my husband's great grandmother raised 11 children by herself while she was going blind. She could not have been five feet tall.
When it comes to capability, there's more to it than size.
Phil the Greek, at the end of his active naval service,was a commander, not a second lieutenant. His service in many battle formations during the second world war, entitled him to medals according to the campaigns involved.
ReplyDeleteI don't think he would have enough surface area to display all the other gongs which he has been awarded.
I think in that picture he looks like an understudy for Lurch.
Mrs Obama appears to have scored high points, as protocol strictly forbids touching the Queen, yet the Q was apparently not in the least offended, and returned the gesture. No cry of "ORF WITH HER HEAD!!!!" ensued.
If they're not careful the Q might give them a corgi.
Better, don't you think, than WINKING at Queenie?
ReplyDelete@Stephanie - William demanded that his soldiers be faithful to little Maudy as well??? No wonder she was all worn down. Har! A subject for another post as soon as I get it researched. :)
ReplyDeleteFaithful to their own wives. Geez, Max. Although I guess I should be grateful that you decided to put more thought into your response than--and I quote--Pfft.
ReplyDeleteDo all the research you want. I'm descended from them. Seriously.
Ah, Max, let me clarify. I'm all for the mutual back rubs, I think it's very telling, and everything I have ever read before on the subject states that touching the Queen, other than when initiated by her is absolutely forbidden.
ReplyDelete"where does this rule about not touching the Queen come from? The sovereigns of England and France at some point in their nations' long histories claimed a divine right to rule, a right often amplified by titles bestowed by the Pope in Rome. (The Queen, in fact, still has the title Defender of the Faith, an honor given to Henry VIII before he broke with the Catholic Church and established the Church of England.) That touch of holiness once gave the occupant of the throne the supposed ability to cure certain diseases — most famously, scrofula, a terrible skin ailment that was called "the king's evil." Thus, the miraculous contact had to be conserved. And so, whether a touch or a nod or a gaze, royal favor, like that of God, is not a subject's on demand; it is dispensed by kingly prerogative."
@Stephanie - Really? Truly? You are descended from William's soldiers?
ReplyDelete@Soubriquet - Bear with me, it is going to take a while to come up with any logical response to that. :) But don't think you've heard the last of this.
ReplyDelete@Stephanie - I'm sorry Stephanie. I knew what you meant. I don't know what came over me. I apologize. I do want to remind you that if you can prove William is your direct ancestor, you don't have to pay U.S. taxes anymore. At least that's what Treasury Secretary Tim "pay no tax voluntarily" Geithner says. So please don't think the luck of the genes is completely without reward. (Tell them I said that If you happen to get audited.)
ReplyDeleteYou know, I'm quite possibly descended from some of William's soldiers. Back then, nobles were involved in the fighting more than "common folk". Many of William's children married nobility, some wandering back in to the royal line, some not. However, the genealogical chart I have doesn't mention whether someone was in William the Conquerer's entourage.
ReplyDeleteServes me right for getting lazy with pronouns. Besides, my husband is always playing lawyer on my statements. *Sigh*
Whoa, just because my ancestors were British, I can be disowned by the US (wow, a lot of us are at risk). That surprises me. I thought one could not be disowned unless one were born in Hawaii and didn't have one's birth certificate chiseled in stone at the time.
Very funny pic thanks for posting it very good for a giggle
ReplyDeleteDid that advance the conversation? I'm not much for following rules anymore . . .
ReplyDeleteWilliam gave a piece of land to one of my ancestors after the conquering. My great aunt traced the line and my mother has the entire book somewhere. It's pretty scare really, especially considering that she did it without benefit of internet, or even computer or typewriter. It's all handwritten.
ReplyDelete