Now then. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. I’m guessing you fall into one of two very distinct camps. Either you have loved the whole affair, your veins are bursting with patriotic pride and you're utterly devastated that it’s over, so thank God for the Euros and the Olympics. Or you are a dyed-in-the-wool republican, hated the whole thing, the very sight of a union flag brings you out in hives, you couldn’t stomach another red, white and blue cup cake and you’re heartily grateful that it’s all over, so thank God for the Euros and the Olympics.
If you fall into the second camp, I imagine you were secretly (or perhaps publicly) gratified that the heavens opened on to the “flotilla”, although you might have been rather hacked off that your street party was a wash out since burying your head in a bucket of beer was probably the only way to get through the events.
There may be a third school of thought, containing The Confused. People who thought they were republicans but have nonetheless become swept along by the general outpouring of national pride. Or people who thought they were Royalists but have found themselves becoming inexplicably irritated by the whole sorry affair and dying for it to be over. I find myself somewhere in between. I am a big supporter of the worthwhile royals (i.e. those who are able to conduct themselves with the dignity which we, their subjects, are entitled to expect from people whose job it is to represent our nation abroad, attract tourists into the country and make us feel proud of our heritage, rather than behaving like an advert for the Jeremy Kyle show) but I don’t really get the British class system and all these well-heeled pseudo-royals who enjoy enormous privilege, do sod all to earn it, and behave unspeakably badly to boot, really do make me grit my teeth.
It’s interesting, although probably not surprising, to note that the Queen herself enjoys a huge amount of national fondness, even from those people who are dyed-in-the-wool republicans. They may have no time at all for the lesser royals (Prince Charles downwards as I like to think of them) but they seem to hold the Queen in high regard, even though they don’t agree with the whole inherited privilege system which is the basis for our Royal Family and our class system, like it or loathe it.
Personally, I am a big admirer of the Queen. She’s 86 years old and is allegedly privileged, and yet she still works very hard, has to be nice to, make conversation with and be interested in absolutely everyone she meets even if they are a total bore, and has worked for more years than anyone else I can think of, apart from Prince Philip of course. I like him too – he is an old rogue who takes delight in being as politically incorrect as he possibly can (and then writing to apologise about it afterwards). His brain is no more age-addled than mine, he just likes to say what he feels, and good for him. I am reminded of an incident back in the 70s when the Queen came to visit our regiment to present a new pipe banner, an excruciatingly expensive piece of kit which is a critical part of the paraphernalia of a Highland regiment. Times were hard and the officers had managed to pull off something of a miracle and procure a free plate from Wedgwood with all the regimental battle honours on it, through either an administrative error or some sort of bulk order deal. They thought they could present the Queen with this free plate as a token of their gratitude for their new pipe banner. Came the day, and Her Majesty was duly presented with her free plate. She examined it closely, proclaimed it to be “lovely”, and then uttered the words which even now remain imprinted upon my father’s brain: “I bet it didn’t cost as much as my pipe banner”. Horrified intake of breath. How could she know?!? She wrote to apologise for her remarks afterwards though.
