HM Queen Elizabeth

R.I.P.

Your duty is done. Time to pass the baton on.

Well, Charles seems to have picked it up more decisively than the average British Olympic runner… certainly no drops within the handover zone.

beamer wrote:Well, Charles seems to have picked it up more decisively than the average British Olympic runner… certainly no drops within the handover zone.

To be fair, most British Olympic runners don't train for 70 years beforehand,

JGK wrote:

beamer wrote:Well, Charles seems to have picked it up more decisively than the average British Olympic runner… certainly no drops within the handover zone.

To be fair, most British Olympic runners don't train for 70 years beforehand,

Guess that’s one of the benefits of the system, they certainly get to learn the job they were born into… Charles has been doing a lot of the day-to-day stuff in recent years anyway but being the figurehead is still a big change.

There seems to be one rogue one per generation though, as per the Targaryens… I think the monarchy will last until the next time that person is the one in direct line to the throne.

Anyway, we now have God Save the King… QCs are now KCs… His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs… is Queensland now called Kingsland?

No word from Brian May and Roger Taylor yet either… though I think “King” is already taken as a band name!

beamer wrote:Anyway, we now have God Save the King… QCs are now KCs… His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs… is Queensland now called Kingsland?

Victoria is now called Edward.

Geez, I reckon the new King has to keep his obviously short temper under control when in the public eye.

Social media has lit up over two incidents in recent days.

The first when he was at, what he believed, a "cluttered" signing table. He glared and petulantly waved his hand numerous times at the objects of his disdain until an underling removed them (of course it was beneath him to actually pick something up and move it).

The 2nd was earlier today in Northern Ireland at another signing. He whinged and moaned about a leaky pen after signing the wrong date on the document and went on about he "hated this" and how he "cannot bear this bloody thing".

Her Majesty very, very rarely showed public annoyance. King Charles needs to be much more mindful of his public image IMHO.

It makes it look like the privileged life has made him a very pompous, entitled twat.

Just a step or two from a Joffrey-style “I… Am… The… KING!” moment. (To which Tywin replied that anyone who needs to say that is no true King, or words to that effect…)

Obviously Charles is a different personality to his mother and will have to get used to the role, even having served a 70-year apprenticeship. And the uniquely traumatic circumstances in which a new monarch typically comes to the throne of course have to be allowed for. But yeah, this is the social media age and everything he does will be magnified with a fine tooth comb, to mix a couple of metaphors…

The two Her Majesty offsprings to come out of this smelling of roses are the remarkable and incredibly hard-working Anne, who was literally beside her Mum from when she passed until she was delivered to London, and Edward, who showed his normal quiet, respectful decorum.

King Charles the Petulant, and Randy Andy the kiddy fiddler (and his defiant return to the public eye), have not covered themselves in post-Her Majesty glory.

Thought Charles’s initial speech was pretty well delivered to be honest.

Andrew should be sent packing on a one-way ticket to the Falklands (or has he been punished enough by having to take on the yappy-crappy corgis?)

Anyway, if you did ditch the monarchy in Australia, would you go for an all-powerful political President like the Yanks, or elect Kylie Minogue/Ricky Ponting/Skippy the Bush Kangaroo as a ceremonial ribbon-cutter?

ceremonial president only, elected/appointed like the GG, but called the President

don't ditch the system, just cut the tenuous apron strings

populists like Hanson, Palmer, Rudd, Turnbull should never be allowed near the post or even candidacy

actually not sure that the dead (and hence non-interfering) Queen isn't better than all other alternatives

Come to think of it, from my suggestions above, Drunky would have a worse temper than Charles… most of the one-time best options are sadly no longer with us (Shane, Richie, Steve Irwin…) Could always have Gilly yapping his approval at the politicians. “Bowled, Scott… Nice one, Tony…”

Anyway, if Australians really do want to cut ties with the British monarchy, how about a better idea than a boring old republic… the ultimate reality TV show to find a truly Australian royal family? Could be an already famous family or an unknown one, but whichever is seen to be the best representation of “Australian-ness” to present to the rest of the world, and could do the whole concept in a very different way to ours? Obviously the winners could have a recall option if future generations didn’t come up to scratch…

An Australian monarch could best be decided by a farcical aquatic event. The reality show would best be reserved for a sort of ‘primary’, the selection of an appropriately moistened bint to take the role of Sheila of the Lake.