Modern Vespa

Wonder if the little fella will have that repressive ginger gene like his uncle?

I always thought I was not a royalist and felt that the British Royal family was utterly irrelevant to me as an average joe englishman. I believed in my younger days that the Queen especially was completely out of touch and that Phil the Greek simply put his foot in it every time he opened his mouth. Examples include standing on the Great wall of china and warning a group of english students within ear shot of the chinese diplomatic entourage,

"Don't stay here too long or you will turn slitty eyed!"

or being shown around a factory in the North of England and spotting an electrical socket with the wires hanging out,

"I suppose that one was wired by a Paki!"

Also addressing a previous Chancellor of Germany as Heir Reichsfuhrer, an honorific used solely for Hitler!

All these quotes are racist and ones I in no way personally support or endorse, I share them here to highlight Phillip's complete disregard for decorum in a modern world!

However, as I have got older I have developed a deep respect for the Queen (not so much her consort perhaps). The Queen is not victorian in values but does sit uncomfortably between the more stoic older generation and the more modern world today.

However, during the Second world war she drove a truck, learnt to be a mechanic and 'did her bit'. A very honorable role was fulfilled. She is the envy of the world and brings a lot (and I mean a lot of money) to Britain due to tourism, etc.

She has only on one or two occasions pissed off the british public, firstly she tried to grieve privately and mourn the death of Diana and totally misread the public who demanded her to grieve more openly and show she cared.

Secondly she forbade her sister to marry the man she truly loved because he was a divorcee (Roddy LLewellyn) and this is supposed to have contributed with alcohol and smoking to her untimely early death.

It is true that the British royal family chose Windsor as their surname, after a castle they lived in to distance themselves from the Kaiser (a cousin) around the first world war and that their real surname is Battenburg but many British have such mixed blood between, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Germany and Scandinavia respectively that this is quite common and no reason to dislike them.

When the Queen does pass, then I believe that the last links to a bygone era will pass with her and it is likely that first Charles then William will try to modernise the royal family but, I do honestly believe the Queen herself has laid the foundation to do this.

Personally I would not want her job. The media scrutiny as proved by Diana is intolerable and the ability to live even a semblance of a normal life is impossible.

Rule Brittania I say!

[quote="Orangezorki"] David,
I don't actually thought anybody has been thinking about the folks working in the hospital, while all the world's media is blocking the street/door.

Please go outside and tell the ladies from "Good Morning America" that they can go home now. 8)

Most of the royal families are all tied to the same central Saxon houses.
The queen is descended from the house of wettin (think that's spelled correctly)

Elizabeth, Queen of Scots (note: not Elizabeth 2) will serve till she dies as will prince chic and prince Billy.

The only thing that can change this is the people.

Up here in the north even if we vote for breaking away from the united kingdom the queen will still be our head of state.

Name will be Andrew, William, George or something of the same ilk

Yeah, everyone could call him Stormy for short.

we have a name ......

Yaaaa!!! Wham Bam-Thank You man!

Excellent!

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Bunk mates. Yawn. Nothing endearing about any of it. A shame really and a waste of bandwidth. My response was spot on with scutrbrau, and for that he earned negatives? WTF did those comments have to do with our scooter friends in the UK?

Maybe you both misjudged the premise of the conversation.

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tomjasz has been ejected from this topic

Too right! Lets get the Kardashians back on the front pages!

But you have to admit that many Americans are utterly obsessed about them.

I wonder if it is a lack of similar 'history' (if you ignore the indigenous tribes of the Americas) for the caucasian colonists who settled in America and bravely fought for independence that drives this appetite?

Simply replacing the lack of a royal family with celebrities and film stars doesn't seem anywhere near as fulfilling does it?

Talk about a regal blood line!

Son of a Chinook pilot
Grandson of a helicopter pilot
Great grandson of a helicopter pilot.
Uncles and cousins who are helicopter pilots.

Is it no wonder that so many are properly enraptured and others are clearly jealous?

please let's not. i hereby nominate the entire Kardashian clan for NSR Celebrity Death Bus

at least the Royals have a few brain cells to share around between them, and they use their spare time to support Worthy Causes. all the Kardashians appear to do is shop

I make no comment specifically about either but I would note that a society's character can be most accurately reflected in the persons it elevates to be of significant standing and respect.