Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Fight them, without becoming them!

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

If marriage is the equivalent of selling yourself into slavery, women with self respect should reject the offer.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

The lights are all blinking red.

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / Something Is Happening At Buckingham Palace

Something Is Happening At Buckingham Palace

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This post is in: 

Just a few Twitter rumors for now, but it looks serious.

QUEEN Elizabeth II’s entire staff from across the United Kingdom has been summoned to an emergency meeting at Buckingham Palace in London today, according to reports.
Servants will be addressed by the Royal Household’s most senior officer Lord Chamberlain and Her Majesty’s Private Secretary Sir Christopher Geidt in just hours.

The only specific I’ve seen is that Prince Philip has died, but those tweets say that needs to be confirmed.

The Guardian had a long article in March on what will happen when Queen Elizabeth dies.

The United States doesn’t currently have an ambassador to the Court of St. James’s, rather a career foreign service officer is the chargé d’affaires.

I guess the twentieth century is finally ending.

 

Reader Interactions

120Comments

  4. 4.

    Davebo

    Thanks for the tip. Just had dinner with 3 Brits (and a Austrian and a Romanian) and clued them in.

  6. 6.

    Adam L Silverman

    The Deputy Chief of Mission/Charge de Affairs is not just a career foreign service officer. He or she is a Senior Foreign Service Officer, which is the pay grade and rank equivalent of a general officer/flag officer, and is an ambassador in his or her own right. So while it would be nice, let alone appropriate and proper to actually have a Senate confirmed ambassador that has presented credentials to the Court of St. James and had them accepted, the current leadership of Embassy London is a career diplomat who is an ambassador.

  7. 7.

    Sab

    So sorry for the Queen. I am adamantly not a monarchist, but she has been a very decent human being for her entire life and I am very sorry for her loss.

  8. 8.

    Yarrow

    I hope it’s nothing, but doesn’t seem likely. Apparently protocol dictates palace announcements at 8:00 a.m. their time. We’ll have to wait.

  9. 9.

    efgoldman

    @Adam L Silverman:

    the current leadership of Embassy London is a career diplomat who is an ambassador.

    And certainly well more qualified than anybody Mango Malignancy would appoint

  11. 11.

    Cheryl Rofer

    @Adam L Silverman: I agree that a chargé is a capable person who can handle things well for the US, likely better than Joe the Plumber or equivalent Trump nominee. (Has Trump nominated an ambassador to the Court of St. James’s?) But they are not ambassadors in the formal sense.

  12. 12.

    Lizzy L

    New Zealand media says that Buckingham Palace has told them that neither the Queen nor Prince Philip has died. (Breanna Barraclough on Twitter.)

  13. 13.

    Bitter Scribe

    I can’t help feeling just a little sorry for Prince Charles. The poor bastard is 68 years old and has spent more time waiting for his parent to die than any Prince of Wales in British history. His efforts to be relevant and say meaningful things about contemporary life have met with consistent ridicule. And his life hasn’t been any bed of roses, according to a recent bio. In an act of borderline child abuse, he was sent far from home to a horrible boarding school in Scotland where he was ostracized and often beaten up. The sainted Princess Diana also abused him, mentally and often physically. When he does get to be king, I hope he enjoys it, for whatever time he has left.

  16. 16.

    Adam L Silverman

    @efgoldman: US Ambassador to the Court of St. James, depending on administration (and GOP or Democratic often isn’t indicative), bounces back and forth between a career diplomat as ambassador and the appointment of a major donor or political benefactor. When it is the latter, as is the case everywhere that the ambassadorial appointment is political rather than career foreign service, the Deputy Chief of Mission is always a Senior Foreign Service Officer career diplomat who has earned ambassadorial rank. In Israel it is even more complicated. The US Ambassador to Israel is almost always, regardless of administration or Party, a political appointee – often a major Jewish American benefactor of the President. That ambassador always has a Senior Foreign Service Officer career diplomat of ambassadorial rank as the Deputy Chief of Mission at US Embassy Tel Aviv. At the Consul General (CONGEN) in Jerusalem, which is both the oldest American diplomatic outpost/embassy (it was the embassy to the Ottoman sultanate) and the diplomatic outpost between the US and the Palestinians, the Consul General is always a career Senior Foreign Service Officer with ambassadorial rank.

  17. 17.

    Chris

    @Sab:

    I too am staunchly anti monarchist, but honestly, Britain isn’t a monarchy. It’s a parliamentary democracy with a state sponsored mascot family. And if the mascot is what it takes to give the traditionalist conservatives warm fuzzy feelings and accept the system, well, let’s just let the baby have the bottle.

    And, as you say, she’s been pretty awesome for a whole century. RIP if he really has passed.

  18. 18.

    efgoldman

    @Bitter Scribe:

    When he does get to be king

    Which is never. His affair with Camilla and his divorce bumped him out of the line of succession

  20. 20.

    hitchhiker

    Remember that time the Beatles played for the Queen and John Lennon got cheeky?

    Lovely moment.

  23. 23.

    PhoenixRising

    @efgoldman: winner winner chicken dinner!

    DCMs all over this troubled world are better off just doing the job without having to fend off stupidity from the political appointees Orange Julius Caesar would cough up.

    As to the 20th: Yup, that is one dead parrot. Tomorrow we fight the plutocrats again, my friends.

  24. 24.

    Bitter Scribe

    @efgoldman: His affair with Camilla and his divorce bumped him out of the line of succession

    I don’t know where you’re getting that. The only way he won’t be king is if he dies before Mum.

  25. 25.

    Anya

    @Lizzy L: Maybe the Queen will abdicate and Charles will be king.

    @Bitter Scribe: I am on Prince Charles side. I don’t actually care about his personal life. He’s a staunch envirmentalist, he’s a tireless supporter of lots of worthwile charities, among them Muslim charities and I often agree with him on architects. If he was handsome he would’ve had a different relationship with the media.

  26. 26.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Cheryl Rofer: As far as I know there is no Ambassador-designate to the Court of St. James. And I’m not arguing your point that we don’t have a formally nominated, Senate confirmed, and accepted by Her Majesty’s government ambassador in London. I was simply providing the inside context that we have a career diplomat with earned civilian equivalent rank and grade to a general officer/flag officer who also has earned rank and title of ambassador running the embassy. In fact running every US embassy right now. So while it is a major issue that the President has only nominated a handful of ambassadors and none, as far as I know, have been confirmed, we have actual by rank and title ambassadors running our embassies. In simple terms: the people currently acting as the formal, recognized ambassadors are themselves ambassadors.

  29. 29.

    Bitter Scribe

    Something I read about Queen Elizabeth that really moved me:

    A physician who had done a lot of volunteer work in Syria was being honored and was seated at dinner next to the Queen. This man, as you might imagine, had seen indescribable horrors. The Queen asked him what things were like in Syria, and he found himself literally unable to say anything.

    The Queen understood and called for a pair of her Corgi dogs to be brought over. She and the doctor petted them under the table and she said, “There, isn’t that better than talking?”

  31. 31.

    mdblanche

    @Anya: I can’t see the Queen ever abdicating; too many bad memories of when her uncle Edward did that. She especially wouldn’t do that now since the UK is in the middle of an election.

  32. 32.

    Calouste

    I think the Queen is just calling in her staff to tell them not to let that annoying May woman in next time she calls. The only thing she ever wants to talk is “Bridgett”, she is such a bore. Whatever happened to that David who used to visit each week? He was such a nice polite young man, and so fond of animals, specially pigs.

  34. 34.

    mai naem mobile

    I never understood what Elizabeth saw in Philip. He wasn’t a hunk and he comes across as a bit of a racist sexist prick. I’m guessing there must have been some kind of political advantage to the union or there wasn’t another suitable royal available for her at that time .

  35. 35.

    trollhattan

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    ‘ex ‘istols. Kidz these days.

    I see nary a peep anywhere, but they do play things close to the vest and besides, they’re out of practice.

  36. 36.

    Betsy

    Why should she abdicate!? She’s a perfectly good queen and it’s the height of misogyny and ageism to suggest that she just roll over so a younger man can have the job.

    If her health or mental acuity become an issue then it would be reasonable. Until then, give a damn matriarch her due.

  38. 38.

    efgoldman

    @Bitter Scribe:

    The Queen understood and called for a pair of her Corgi dogs to be brought over. She and the doctor petted them under the table and she said, “There, isn’t that better than talking?”

    It would have been really, really easy for the royals to be assholes. That Elizabeth has been as unfailingly gracious as she has, for as long as she has, is a lot more than just noblesse oblige

  40. 40.

    Yarrow

    @mdblanche: And even if she did decide to abdicate now, she certainly wouldn’t gather her advisers at 3:00 a.m. to let them know.

  42. 42.

    Betsy

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Revolting as that would be to endure, she’s no coward, nor has she ever shrunk from her duty. I think one sure thing we can acknowledge about this queen, she is supremely dutiful.

  46. 46.

    Cookie monster

    @mai naem mobile: I don’t especially disagree with your assessment of his character, but Philip was very much the choice of the then Princess Elizabeth, and considered quite a controversial one at the time – though technically a prince, he was without much but a title and an RN rank. She had plenty of other suitors considered better choices by the Govt. of the time.

  48. 48.

    NotMax

    Cut a deal to turn Buckingham Palace into a Trump hotel?

    Liz finally discovered that she and Philip are cousins* and is demanding a divorce?

    *In truth, they are.

  52. 52.

    Mnemosyne

    @efgoldman:

    Charles will be king, but the agreement is that Camilla will never be queen. That’s enforceable even after Queen Elizabeth’s death because the Archbishop of Canterbury would have to agree to Camilla’s coronation and she doesn’t get to be a queen without one.

  53. 53.

    Suzanne

    I very much admire QEII, and if this is true, I hope she hangs in there okay. Prince Charles is a douche with the bad taste of an old man who hates CHAAAAAANGE, and feh. Wills and Harry, and their significant others and children, are much better.

  54. 54.

    Mnemosyne

    Okay, I had to look it up — Camilla’s current title is Duchess of Cornwall, because she agreed not to be the Princess of Wales. When Charles inherits, he will be King and she will become Princess Consort, similar to Prince Philip’s title.

    The next Queen of England (and next Princess of Wales) is Kate Middleton, but it’s gonna be a while before she gets there.

  55. 55.

    Amir Khalid

    @Calouste:
    Not that, surely. That weekly briefing is on both their work schedules. Plus, Her Majesty doesn’t just sit dumbly through the briefing, nor hold back on what are said to be very knowledgeable comments, questions and suggestions. Remember, she’s been taking these briefings since before Theresa May was born.

  56. 56.

    Anne Laurie

    Morbid humor: What if it turns out the Queen and her consort are fine, but Charles has died… Sixty-plus years of being ‘The Emergency Backup’ hasn’t exactly been a low-stress life, poor dumb bastid. He’d’ve been happier making a career in the Army, and he could’ve married Camilla while they were both young.

    We’ll know in a couple of hours, regardless.

  58. 58.

    Mary G

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: That was my first thought. Twitler has been demanding to ride through the streets of London with her in the gilded horse-drawn carriage and that is a huge expense and hassle. Obama, of course, took his usual car.

  60. 60.

    SC54HI

    @Adam L Silverman:

    we have a career diplomat with earned civilian equivalent rank and grade to a general officer/flag officer who also has earned rank and title of ambassador running the embassy. In fact running every US embassy right now.

    Better them than some asshat tRump appointee.

  61. 61.

    Anne Laurie

    @mai naem mobile:

    I never understood what Elizabeth saw in Philip.

    Best I can understand it, Phil the Greek was one of those sexy bad boys that proper young ladies fall for — although comparing their romance to Grease would probably fall under the treason statutes. As royal marriages go, it doesn’t seem to have been too bad, so more points to young Lilibet for chosing well.

  65. 65.

    ??‍? Martin

    I think the queen has decided this colonial excursion of ours has gone on long enough. “Look, we’re out of the EU and the US is clearly too drunk to go on, let’s just annex them and put things back as they were.”

  66. 66.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Anne Laurie: There is absolutely no reporting on this at any of the British news sites. Nor on their twitter feeds. Nothing, nada.

  67. 67.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    And no sooner are they citing absolute confirmation than announcements go up from the Palace stating that both The Queen and her husband are alive and well.

  68. 68.

    Adam L Silverman

    @SiubhanDuinne: Again: there is nothing being reported even about an emergency meeting at the BBC, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Independent, their twitter feeds, or any other British news source. I’m not saying something may not be going on. I’m not saying this emergency meeting at the palace isn’t actually happening. But I find it highly strange that none of the major UK news sources/outlets is reporting anything.

  71. 71.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @efgoldman:

    Which is never. His affair with Camilla and his divorce bumped him out of the line of succession

    Sorry, this is just plain flat-out untrue.

  74. 74.

    CarolDuhart2

    I read the “London Bridge” article at the Guardian. There is a strict protocol for this: and no one is going to break the protocol.

    Palaces these days don’t do 3am anymore. Something has happened that is very grave indeed. Anything else can wait until the morning for meetings, since the actual work of state is now done elsewhere, and there is no need for instant response.

    I suspect it’s either the Queen or Philip. In any case, a peaceful passing. (anything else would have been picked up by other press-like it was for Diana)

  75. 75.

    CarolDuhart2

    @SiubhanDuinne: No longer true after Edward VIII. The Church of England changed the rules regarding divorce, so Charles can now succeed Elizabeth.

  76. 76.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Anne Laurie:

    Once the denial about Philip came through, I started wondering that myself. Certainly not unheard of for a 68-year-old man to take suddenly ill. Although, as with every senior Royal, there would be protocols in place. Never heard of this kind of flurried “emergency meeting” before.

  77. 77.

    CarolDuhart2

    @SiubhanDuinne: It’s been so long since a truly big royal has died (not counting Diana) that we really don’t know how a sudden end would be handled that wasn’t accidental. The King’s death (1952) and the previous monarch’s (1937) was hardly unexpected, so no emergency meetings.

  78. 78.

    Anne Laurie

    @Amir Khalid:

    Charles was Royal Navy, like his dad and his mum’s dad.

    Oops. Bet Camilla would’ve settled, though — I can see her as a modern version of Admiral Wentworth’s wife in Jane Austen’s Persuasion, a ‘square, solid, well-built woman’ who ‘by dint of putting out her hand, kept her husband from tipping the carriage into the ditch, or running afoul of a cart… actions, Anne suspected, not unrepresentative of their marriage.’ [from memory]

  79. 79.

    Adam L Silverman

    @fuckwit: Doubtful. More likely someone heard something wrong, mentioned it to someone else, and it got picked up by the reporter from the Australian news organization Cheryl referenced at the top of the post.

  81. 81.

    Anne Laurie

    @SiubhanDuinne: I think you two are arguing about the difference between ‘literally’ (Charles could insist Camilla be called Queen) and ‘seriously’ (he won’t, should the day ever come, because it’s been settled that she can be Consort, like his old man was).

  82. 82.

    Mnemosyne

    @CarolDuhart2:

    Not to mention that he and Camilla married after Diana died, so even in the eyes of the church, he was a widower when he married a second time.

    But Camilla’s first husband is still alive and was alive at the time of her marriage to Charles, which is one of several reasons why she agreed never to be crowned queen consort.

  83. 83.

    Mnemosyne

    @Anne Laurie:

    Camilla can’t be queen unless the Archbishop of Canturbury agrees to coronate her, and I doubt he would. That doesn’t mean that Charles won’t be king, though.

  84. 84.

    SFBayAreaGal

    Of course this was reported by someone on Twitter:

    Ro Pi
    Twitter › TheRAP1966

    I’m hearing very strong and credible rumours that nobody has the faintest idea why the #BuckinghamPalace meeting has been called

  85. 85.

    Mustang Bobby

    At 2:48 a.m. EDT the BBC website had nothing about anything at Buckingham Palace. Their lead story is that Macron won the French presidential debate.

  86. 86.

    opiejeanne

    Well, in 5 minutes it will be 8am in London, if I haven’t screwed up my calculations. We should know shortly.

  88. 88.

    Adam L Silverman

    @opiejeanne: Now we know:

  89. 89.

    Mike J

    Betty has decided Brexit is bullshit and is packing up the whole Saxe-Coburg-Gotha clan to move home to Germany.

  92. 92.

    eemom

    Why the fuck do we in this godforsaken mess of a country, and especially here on a liberal website — where we rightfully make fun of things like trump tower — care so much about kings and queens and princes who, whether “good people” or not, have lived obscenely privileged lives in palaces because they’re….”royal”? Someone riddle me that one plz.

  94. 94.

    Anne Laurie

    Palace meeting’s been moved from 8am to 10am, per the BBC — any left-coaster waiting for news might as well go to bed now.

    (If I were a real reporter I’d probably have to hold the Early Morning Open Thread open, I guess.)

  96. 96.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Anne Laurie: Morbid humor: What if it turns out the Queen and her consort are fine, but Charles has died… Sixty-plus years of being ‘The Emergency Backup’ hasn’t exactly been a low-stress life,

    Craig Ferguson used to do a hilarious (to me) imitation of a creepy Charles saying “Drink your juice, Mother…”. Maybe it’s been “Drink your juice, Charles…” all this time.

  97. 97.

    MomSense

    After meeting with May she probably came to the conclusion that her people and their bumbling public servants had gone terribly astray. Hoping she has some little known constitutional safery switch she can use to stop the Brexit madness.

  98. 98.

    Keith G

    Top of the hour BBC Radio 4 reports the meeting but says it is not about the health of the Monarch or Prince Philip.

  100. 100.

    piratedan

    hell… for all we know the Brits may drop the other shoe regarding Trump and the Russians….

  101. 101.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @MomSense: There were rumors that she was pro-Brexit, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there are people in her orbit who leak right-leaning rumors to advance their own agenda. Phillip, for example, probably thinks Churchill was half a commie.

  102. 102.

    Sloane Ranger

    My best guess is it’s​ about some internal reorganisation. Worse case scenario is redundancies, best case an announcement that the Queen and Phillip will no longer be visiting certain properties which will be opened to the public for longer.

  105. 105.

    Robert Sneddon

    @eemom: Why the fuck do we in this godforsaken mess of a country, and especially here on a liberal website — where we rightfully make fun of things like trump tower — care so much about Presidents and Senators and congressmen who, whether “good people” or not, have lived obscenely privileged lives in palaces because they’re….”elected”? Someone riddle me that one plz.

  106. 106.

    Joey Maloney

    It’s probably best that the USA’s senior diplomat is career FS and not whatever clownishly vomitous piece of refuse the Trump admin will eventually hork up into the position.

  108. 108.

    Bruce K

    @MomSense: I think that technically, the Crown can withhold royal assent to bills that have passed through Parliament – royal assent in the UK is basically the equivalent of the President signing a Congressional bill into law, except that in the UK it’s less a check-and-balance thing and more of a formality.

    So, technically, the Crown gets a veto; realistically, the Crown gets one veto, so it’d take something extraordinary to precipitate that. (Scottish author Charlie Stross pointed out that even territories leaving the British Empire and declaring their independence didn’t rise to that level.)

  109. 109.

    Elaine

    I have just this minute read that the meeting was to announce that Prince Phillip will no longer carry out official duties from later this year.

  110. 110.

    Elizabelle

    The Guardian put up a story about 45 minutes or so ago.
    Royal sources scotch Prince Philip rumour ahead of emergency meeting

    News that Buckingham Palace had summoned royal household staff for an emergency meeting prompted a flurry of speculation overnight about the health of the Queen and Prince Philip.

    Royal sources said there was “no cause for alarm” about the couple’s health but gave no further indication as to the reason for the meeting. They said such all-staff meetings did occur occasionally.

    The BBC reported that the meeting was being held at 10am on Thursday.

    The Sun briefly published on its website – and then swiftly removed – an article about the Duke of Edinburgh’s death, titled “Prince Philip dead at 95, how did the Duke of Edinburgh die, etc etc”.

    The Daily Mail reported shortly after midnight that staff from the Queen’s residences across the UK had been ordered to London by senior palace aides for the emergency meeting on Thursday morning.

    An unnamed source told the paper: “Although meetings involving the entire royal household are occasionally called, the way this has been done at the 11th hour is highly unusual and suggests that there is something major to be disseminated.”

    The Queen, the world’s longest-reigning living monarch, celebrated her 91st birthday last month. Philip turns 96 next month.

    The Queen met Theresa May on Wednesday to formally agree to the dissolution of parliament before June’s election, while Philip opened a new stand at Lord’s cricket ground in central London.

    The Mail reported that the royal staff would be addressed by the lord chamberlain, the most senior officer of the royal household, and the Queen’s private secretary, Sir Christopher Geidt.

    Does kinda sound like a reorganization, as sloane ranger suggested.

    Continuing to rumour-monger, though, could also be staff plan for dealing with recent terminal diagnosis for one of the olds. Or of another Royal family member.

    But could be something else entirely. Would be cool to know if “emergency meeting” means once every two years, or 1-2 times a year or what ….

  111. 111.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Not sure if this thread still has a pulse* but reposting from upstairs:

    BBC just reported that the Duke of Edinburgh (Prince PHILIP) will stop doing official engagements effective this coming autumn “with the full support of The Queen.” The Queen will continue to make visits and undertake official engagements. Details coming later in the hour, but apparently that’s what all the excitement was about.

    Good. Glad it isn’t anything more dire.

    *******

    *(Maybe a thready pulse.)

  112. 112.

    Origuy

    Here’s the announcement, from the BBC.

    The Duke of Edinburgh is retiring from royal duties this autumn, Buckingham Palace has announced.
    The decision was made by Prince Philip himself and is supported by the Queen, a palace spokesman said.
    Prince Philip turns 96 next month.

    As Cole said on Twitter, a 95 year old man retiring is not breaking news.

  113. 113.

    Elizabelle

    FWIW, here’s the Guardian’s long article, earlier this year, on plans in place for QE2s’s demise.

    ‘London Bridge is down’: the secret plan for the days after the Queen’s death
    She is venerated around the world. She has outlasted 12 US presidents. She stands for stability and order. But her kingdom is in turmoil, and her subjects are in denial that her reign will ever end. That’s why the palace has a plan.

    I hope Liz outlasts Trump. I hope we all do.

  114. 114.

    Anya

    @Betsy: There’s no misogyny and ageism intended. Maybe the queen is stepping aside so that her son can be king or maybe she’s tired of all the bs that comes with being a queen. People retire all the damn time. It has nothing to do with ageism or misogyny to speculate.

  115. 115.

    Cheryl Rofer

    This appears to be the announcement.

    The Duke of Edinburgh is retiring from royal duties this autumn, Buckingham Palace has announced.
    The decision was made by Prince Philip himself and is supported by the Queen, a palace spokesman said.
    The duke, who turns 96 next month, will attend previously scheduled engagements between now and August but will not accept new invitations.
    The Queen “will continue to carry out a full programme of official engagements”, the palace said.

    And (I’m right up there with the long-time BJ pedants) it’s Court of St. James’s. It’s short for St. James’s Palace, which is the diplomatic center for the UK. Hence the odd possessive.

    I’ll stick to my point on chargés and ambassadors too. A chargé acts in place of an ambassador but is not an ambassador. Wikipedia has an explanation that is the same as what I understand. I’ll take Adam’s word for their equivalency to military general officers. The Foreign Service is arranged that way, and those rank equivalences are, I believe, formal. The Public Health Service also has a military-like rank setup.

    I have a friend who has been both a chargé and an ambassador. She differentiates the two, as do other friends who have been or are in the Foreign Service. All this is a bit much for someone who has spent her professional life in an organization that has one job title for professionals, so it’s been impressed on me.

  116. 116.

    Hunter

    “I guess the twentieth century is finally ending.”

    If you look at the history of the past few hundred years, it seems to take about 15-18 years before a new century kicks in: WWI ended the 19th century; Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo ended the 18th century; the accession of Louis XIV ended the seventeenth century; and on down the line.

  117. 117.

    Stan

    @Bitter Scribe:

    I can’t help feeling just a little sorry for Prince Charles.

    I can. He’s a twit, just like all the rest of them.

    I will give them all credit for one thing only: their military service. Even Queen Elizabeth was an Army driver in WW2, and they stayed in London during the german bombing campaign.

    But the idea that royalty exists still….that’s crazy. Charlie should get a f*cking job.

  120. 120.

    Robert Sneddon

    @JGabriel: He has a job, as a Royal carrying out assorted duties including those of representing Her Majesty at various functions. He can’t retire from those duties, he’s too young and still quite fit, fitter than a lot of other folks his age. His real work starts when he takes over from his mom. Myself, I think the Royals have access to secret life-extension technologies as they (the female line at least) do tend to last a long time. Liz is 96 and her mother was over a hundred when she died, so Charlie might have still have some time to wait.

    He has had other jobs in his life including being a Naval officer and becoming Master and Commander of one of his mom’s ships (HMS Bronington) for a couple of years before he left the Armed Forces to take up his job in the family business.

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