#I also have a corgi named Elizabeth ii

[lezabeththetheodoraimposter]

as a teenage girl who has a billion stuffed animals I’m proud to say that I do in fact own a blue elephant in a Hawaiian shirt that I named ella

[maturemenoftvandfilms]

The Disgraced Prince

CHAPTER SIX: The Offer

My name is James Cole, PR chief to His Majesty, King Charles III. My job is to drum up good press and to neutralize any disgrace and embarrassment to the British royal family. More importantly, keeping his tryst between his new fuck boy a secret. Another being Prince Andrew, who has been reduced to nothing more than Lord High Dogwalker, keeper of the royal corgis under Charles' rule, who I'm also a fuck boy too. And he wants me to use my status to help him become a 'working royal' again. But recently, I introduced him to a hand picked rent boy to keep him occupied.

On today's agenda, His Majesty wants me to encourage Andrew to leave the Royal Lodge in Windsor in exchange for Frogmore Cottage. Apparently, the brothers have reportedly been at odds over a sweetheart deal cut between Andrew and his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, to give the Duke of York lifelong possession of a grand mansion on the grounds of Windsor Castle. He doesn't need all that space, and also the optics are absolutely terrible that someone who stepped back as a working royal in disgrace is in this huge grace-and-favour property. And now it's my job to make the offer.

After the meeting with Charles, I headed over to the Royal Lodge in Windsor to break the news and maybe fuck him. When I arrived, I was escorted into the sitting room where Andrew was. The closer I got to the room, I heard moaning, swearing and loud noises that sounded like slapping. Having heard the sounds of sex before, I excused the sevant hurried into the sitting room and to my surprised found Andrew fucking Fergie doggy style. The two were fucking like rabbits as I to watch unnoticed. Randy Andy was insatiable, still fucking his ex I thought before saying, "Don't let me interrupt."

"Sorry Mr. Cole… Fergie and I still like to get togetherfrom time to time." Andrew said as he helped Sarah to get dressed to leave.

"Andrew, I don't care who you fuck or from who. Just as long as there legal and your careful that no ones finds out." I said after she left.

"Had enough?" I asked after noticing his still hard erection.

"Of course not."  

"Well, we can't have that now. Can we?" I said as I knelt in front of him and took his cock in my hand, looked at it, admiring its stiffness and straightness.

Then I licked his balls, taking each in my mouth and alternatively sucking, then ever so gingerly, biting on each. Hearing Andy moan, I wanted to bring the hubristic prince to the height of excitement before sucking the cum out of that lovely cock. And once his cock passed my moist lips, I instantly tasted Fergie's pussy as Andrew stared down at me with a smile.

Moments later, we were both naked in bed with me bobbing up and down on Andrew's cock. I alternated licking up and down his cock and balls, making sure Andrew didn't cum too quickly.  

"I love the way you suck my cock." The prince said, when I stopped. I slid up his body, stopping to kiss each nipple on his chest before I pulled my face up even with his and placed a wet kiss on his mouth.

It was wonderful to share the taste of his cock with him as we locked our tongues together, sucking on each other’s tongue. And the prince’s kisses became more passionate the longer we embraced. But I wanted to feel his tongue on my cock. I pulled my face away from him and moved up and straddle Andrew's chest and pushed my dick against his mouth.

"Suck me." I said.  

I didn’t think The Duke would open his mouth, but then I guess he was so turned on he didn’t know what he was doing. The next thing I knew Andrew was sucking my dick and it felt wonderful. But even better was looking down at Andrew's face while he had my dick in his mouth. He remembered what I did to make him feel good and tried to copy my technique, bob his head up and down just as I had done earlier.

"That's it, just like that." I said as I reached behind me and grabbed Andrew’s dick and started jacking him as hard and fast as possible while he sucked my rock hard dick.  

I worked on it with such skill that he began moaning deep inside his throat as he sucked my dick until we came together. I shot off in Andrew’s mouth and he squirted his big load onto my naked back. He gagged at first, but swallowed all my load before pulling it out. But even as I climbed off him and onto the bed, I could tell Randy Andy still wasn't satisfied. Neither was I.

I moved down, hoisted his legs up over my shoulders and I spit on the head of my dick. Andrew knew I was going to insert my thick meat up his ass. But he was so worked up he was ready to let me do whatever I wanted as I pressed the swollen red head of my cock against his tight royal hole. I put more and more pressure against my dick until it popped into his asshole.

The entitled, arrogant prince cried out as my dick slowly plunged into his ass, stretching it to accommodate my thick dick. I leaned over and kissed him as I drove my dick deep into him. Andrew reached up and pulled my face hard against his as I sent my tongue down his throat. He couldn’t cry out, just moaned deep in his throat as I rammed my dick up to my balls inside of him, fucking the decadent upper class twit brutally. I was fucking him so hard that the bed creaked with the weight of two of us squirming in ecstasy. Andrew was clutching the bed sheets as he was now enjoying the fierce pounding that I was administering.  

Suddenly, the hubristic prince was screaming, "Fuck me James, Fuck me!" over and over again, surprising me.

The passion we exchanged sent me into a sex craze as I was pounding his ass pussy like he must have pounded all the pussy in his life. The slapping sound was getting more intense and I started to wonder if anyone of the servants could hear.

"You like a cock up your ass. You love it. You were born to be fucked like this Your Royal Highness!"

I got so much pleasure out of controlling him, of spitting my words at him like he'd done to his servants, that I suddenly shot my load inside of him. And as my orgasm flooded through me, Andrew suddenly released his second load between us. He held me tightly for a few moments before I collapsed on the bed beside him.

After resting for a few minutes, I finally made Charles' offer, but Andrew saw it as a demotion and said no. Looking at him, I thought this entitled, arrogant asshole is never going to be a public-facing member of the Royal Family again deserves worse. But he's a good fuck, better than Charles. So I'll continue to string him along. I fucked Andrew long into the night, making him cum again and again. Between sessions, I allowed him to plow my ass. We thoroughly enjoyed each other until we were totally spent.

[rex-and-regina]

Royal Pets- Part 1

I think we all know about Queen Elizabeth II's love for corgis.

Her Majesty owned more than 30 corgis in her lifetime. At the time of her passing, she had two: Muick and Sandy. They are now living with Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew.

King Charles III inherited his mother's love for dogs, but he prefers a different breed. In 2017, he and Queen Camilla adopted two Jack Russell terriers named Beth and Bluebell.

What makes these pups even more special is that they're rescue dogs! They were adopted from Battersea Dogs' and Cats' Home, an animal shelter in London.

Prince William and Princess Catherine also love dogs. From 2011 until he died in 2020, their family had a black cocker spaniel named Lupo.

The family was, of course, devastated when their beloved Lupo died. But now, they have a new dog- Orla, another black cocker spaniel, whom they adore. Orla was gifted to the Prince and Princess by Catherine's brother James. She is actually related to Lupo- her mother was Lupo's sister!

[ask-crammaster-ham]

Many people have been making jokes online that HRH Queen Elizabeth II (God Bless) reincarnated as the baby of some Youtuber that happened to be born on the same day she died. Though in my study of post-mortem transmigration I generally don’t find the process of reincarnation to be so fast, as in the same day. Also, all signs in the Queen’s life pointed to potential reincarnation into a horse - she loved horses and they were part of her life. People might argue she would then reincarnate into a corgi, as those beings are largely associated with her, but the cosmic connections that foreshadow our future reincarnations run deeper than that, they’re intricate. I’ve done a lot of meditation, I feel confident that the Queen’s next life is as a horse. Also, worth mentioning, the Royal Stable marked the birth of a horse named Peggy just two days after her passing, and I’m sure that those in charge were well aware that they were providing a vessel for her.

[blackswaneuroparedux]

My corgis are family.

- HM Queen Elizabeth II

English royals since at least Queen Victoria have been devoted to their dogs. Victoria’s early passion for German dachshunds gave way to a mania for Scottish collies later in life. She repeatedly gave her collies the name of Noble, and historians distinguish among them with Roman numerals: Noble I through Noble V.

In living memory, no world leader had been as widely identified with a particular animal as Elizabeth II with her corgis. Symbols of friendliness, they were shrewdly deployed for publicity purposes, lending warmth to her public image. In a skit for the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, corgis led James Bond into Buckingham Palace. At Christmas time usually the first thing seen by visitors to the palace gift shop was a giant mound of stuffed-animal corgis.

The corgis have been more than symbols, though. In a life ruled by protocol, they provided an easy way for the Queen to break the ice with strangers. In what can be an isolating position, she got from them unlimited amounts of love and physical affection, uncompromised by the knowledge that she is the monarch. Whenever possible, the Queen fed the corgis herself and led them on daily walks, which also served as a kind of therapy. Her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, jokingly referred to this form of therapy as his wife’s “dog mechanism.”

Since the 1950s, with considerable help from others, the Queen personally oversaw a programme of corgi breeding that was based on the grounds of Windsor Castle. Purebred puppies from her kennel are registered under the affix of Windsor. The Queen had never allowed her own corgis - there have been scores of them over the years - to compete at dog shows, and she had never sold one, though she had given many away as gifts.

All this is came to an end in 2018 with the death of the last corgi, Willow.

[solrosan]

There are notes and a more readable version of the wiki page under the cut.

Notes

I found Susan (dog) on Wikipedia and realised that J.B. II needed one

This article is based on that one and the one about Caesar (dog)

The See also are actual Wikipedia articles. I’ve linked to them at the end

It’s written after May 2021

Eggsy is not involved in writing this or the Swedish one

Though I imagine it’s someone who knows Eggsy who has written the English one

Other Kingsman wiki pages can be found here

J.B. II (dog)

J.B. II (known as JB) is a pug and the pet of Prince Gary of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland.[1] He was given to Prince Gary by Crown Princess Tilde of Sweden shortly before their engagement was announced in 2017. J.B. II is the second pug Prince Gary has owned. The first one, also named J.B. after the 24 character Jack Bauer, died in September 2017 in the explosion that ruined Prince Gary’s home and also took the life of Brandon Jones, one of Prince Gary’s closest childhood friends.[2]

Early life

J.B. II was born in Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom, in August 2017 at Rozavel Kennels.[1] There were three puppies in his litter, all of which survived. His kennel name is René d’Herblay after Aramis in The Three Musketeers. René d’Herblay is the character’s Christened name. The other two puppies’ kennel names are Charles de la Fère and Isaac du Vallon.[3]

Crown princess Tilde personally visited the kennel and picked René d’Herblay for Prince Gary.[2]

Royal life

J.B. II’s first official appearance was in the two hour long ‘behind the scenes’ documentary, Tilde & Gary, which was filmed during Crown Princess Tilde’s and Prince Gary’s engagement. The documentary shows how the Crown Princess Couple moves into Stockholm Palace (they have since moved) and was a way to introduce the future Prince Gary to the Swedish people. In the documentary, Prince Gary tells the story of how he got J.B. II and is seen play with the dog in the halls of the palace. He also explained that his first dog was named after Jack Bauer, but that J.B. II was named after J.B..[2]

During the wedding, J.B. II was present at the church and rode the open carriage with Crown Princess Tilde and Prince Gary through the city of Stockholm. He did not attend the banquet.[4] For the wedding, a special collar was designed for J.B. II in black leather with gold thread.[5]

In 2018, after the wedding, J.B. II moved with his owners to Haga Palace north of Stockholm.[6] It is not uncommon to spot Prince Gary or Crown Princess Tilde out in the garden with J.B. II all year around.[source?] J.B. II is not allowed to accompanying the Crown Princess Couple on official trips, but according to Prince Gary he comes with them every time they go to London to visit his mum and sister.[1] J.B. II also stayed with Prince Gary when he was taking the time to finish his apprenticeship at Kingsman Tailors.[7]

J.B. II has his own verified Instagram account,[8] presumably run by Prince Gary, but the Swedish Royal Court has repeatedly declined to comment on the matter. As of May 2021 J.B. II still hasn’t made an appearance on the Swedish Royal Family’s official Instagram account. He does however appear in a few pictures on their website and has his own introduction.[1]

See also

Dash (spaniel) – a King Charles Spaniel owned by Queen Victoria 

Caesar (dog) – a Wire Fox Terrier owned by King Edward VII

Susan (dog) – the first Pembroke Corgi owned by Queen Elizabeth II

Canadian Parliamentary Cats

Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, United Kingdom

Hermitage cats in Saint Petersburg, Russia

Pets of Vladimir Putin

Tibs the Great

Cats of the President of Taiwan

United States presidential pets

References

"J.B. II” - Sveriges Kungahus".(in  Swedish).Royal Court of Sweden

Documentary: Tilde & Gary, SVT

Rozavel Kennels. Retrieved 2019-04-19

“Ingen fest for Gary Unwins hund” (in Swedish) Aftonbladet.se

“Bara det bästa för Gary Unwins pug” (in Swedish) Svensk Dam Tidning

 “JB får eget rum på Haga” (in Swedish) Svensk Dam Tidning

 “Jetsetter Pets” The Sun

 Instagram @pug_of_Sweden 

[just-a-lil-thing]

Random Happy Facts

The Marvel comic superhero, “Blue Ear” who is donned with a hearing aid was created to motivate a lil boy to wear his.

Not only do otters hold hands with other otters to keep them from drifting away while sleeping, but they also have a pocket in their skin to hold their favorite rock.

The name for a group of pugs is called a grumble and the name for a group of hedgehogs is called a prickle.

C-3PO and R2-D2 once guest starred on Sesame Street and R2-D2 even developed feelings for a certain fire hydrant on the episode.

In 2014, the U.S. recycled and composted 89.4 million tons of trash which is beats 1980 by a 617% increase in the recycling and composting of garbage.

A six year old in the UK wrote to the Railroad Museum in regards of applying for a job there and the museum replied by appointing him as their “Director of Fun.”

The official Space Jam website hasn’t been altered since 1996.

Throughout the band’s career, The Beatles used the word “love” in their lyrics a total of 613 times.

The life-saving three point seatbelt was invented by Volvo and instead of keeping the money from the invention for themselves, Volvo gave the patent away to other car companies so more lives could be saved.

Mickey Mouse voice actor and Minnie Mouse voice actress got married in real life.

The dot above the “i” or the “j” is known as a tittle.

Eugene Cernan, a man who walked on the moon during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 etched his daughter’s initials into the moon dust. It is said that her initials will most likely remain for thousands of years.

Squirrels unknowningly plant thousands of trees each year when they forget the locations of an estimated 74% of where they buried their nuts.

John Cena has granted the most wishes for kids in the Make-a-Wish Foundation at over 500 granted.

Instead of making money off his paintings on The Joy of Painting, Bob Ross made money selling art products and painting books. He donated all his paintings from each episode of the show which he wasn’t even paid to be on.

Google hired a camel to create the street view of a desert.

Maternal deaths are down globally.

All the sweaters Mr. Rogers wore on his show were knitted by his mother.

Rats and mice laugh when they are tickled.

The largest sand castle ever measured was 54 feet tall and took 168 trucks over a week to deliver enough sand for it.

The biggest known Dalmatian litter was 18 puppies.

A couple from Manchester jokingly sent Queen Elizabeth II an invite to their wedding and she actually showed up.

Elephants suck their trunks for comfort.

Worms communicate by snuggling.

Smiling means the same thing in every language.

In Welsh folklore, it is said that corgis were fairies’ preferred form of transportation.

Cows can have best friends.

Although human babies typically only smile socially after the 2-month mark, they can be observed smiling in their sleep anytime after birth.

Productivity and concentration can increase up to 44% when viewing cute baby animals.

Scotland’s national animal is the unicorn.

An island called Okunoshima is located in Japan and is filled with tame bunnies.

Feel free to comment about any of your favorite happy facts!

[randallvangundy]

Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Pembroke Welsh Corgis are the types of Welsh Corgis that come with a compact body and closely docked tails. They are also known to be short, have prick ears, and a foxy face. They were initially bred to herd cattle, horses, and sheep, and they’re the smallest of all the dog breeds in the herding group.

They are fast, have impressive agility, and brilliant dogs. They are straightforward to train and make excellent family dogs and companions even to children. Their playful nature makes them even more lovable that even the Queen of England couldn’t resist.

Pembroke Welsh Corgi Statistics

Dog Breed GroupHerding Group Height10-12 inches Weightup to 30 pounds (male); up to 28 pounds (female) Lifespan12-13 years

Pembroke Welsh Corgi Ratings

Energy level Exercise needs Requires attention Playfulness Trainability Shedding Grooming Friendly with family Friendly with strangers Friendly with other dogs Prey Drive

History Of Pembroke Welsh Corgis

The history of Pembroke Welsh Corgis is rather enchanting. According to ancient folklore, Pembroke Welsh Corgis were a gift from fairies living in the fields. It believed that fairies used these pups to pull carriages and as rides into battle. The marks on the back of the Corgis are proof of this. And as great gifts by the fairies, these Corgis became treasured family companions that help a family take care of the cattle.

But, if you’re not interested in the fairytale, here’s the other version of their origin story.

Pembroke Welsh Corgis, as the name implies, originated from Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is one of the oldest breeds that is said to be traced back as far as 1107 AD. In that year, Henry I of Great Britain invited the best weavers to live and work in the southwestern part of Wales.

The craftsmen, having accepted the invitation, brought everything they needed to live a healthy life in a different country. They brought with them their dogs, described as sturdy, short-legged herders. These dogs are what is believed to be where the modern Pembroke Welsh Corgis descended.

There were no documents as to what went through to create the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, but it was only in the 1920s when the UK Kennel Club recognized Welsh Corgis as a pure breed. By 1934, the American Kennel Club identified two types of Welsh Corgis with one type being Pembroke.

It was only in 1936 when Pembroke Welsh Corgis were introduced in the US, and has been popular until today. But they are even more popular in the royal courts of Europe, especially in the court of Queen Elizabeth II.

Temperament Of The Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Pembroke Welsh Corgis are very playful and active. Herding, agility training, and chasing balls are a few activities that he would enjoy doing to keep up with his desire to work. They are intelligent dogs and would find the need to have something to do.

They are also very alert. They would react to even the slightest sound or anything out of the ordinary. This is then accompanied by a surprisingly loud bark coming from that small body. Because of this alertness, they can be excellent watchdogs.

Pembroke Welsh Corgis can be loving and affectionate to their humans. They also are excellent with family pets he grew up with. But as a previous herding dog, they can become very territorial and will chase strays away from your home. With strangers or guests, they can be polite and reserved; however, expect that they’ll keep an eye and will stay on high alert to these new people.

They are easy to train and can adapt quickly to any home situation. However, as much as they love pleasing their owners, they can be quite stubborn too, and love getting things his way. You can use food to convince them for training as they love eating.

You need to train Pembrokes at a younger age to get rid of the excessive barking, slight aggressiveness, and stubbornness. Training should be focused on socialization and obedience to decrease these unlikeable traits. As an owner, you should be firm, consistent, and confident. Also, you would need a lot of patience and persistence.

Care Requirements For Pembroke Welsh Corgis

Nutrition: Pembroke Welsh Corgis love eating, so as the owner, it’s essential to watch out for their weight. Generally, Pembrokes would need two meals in a day. The amount you put will also depend on the dog’s size, activity level, and age. It’s also best to buy food with high-quality ingredients and make sure it contains well-balanced nutrients. Meat or protein should always be the primary ingredient of the food. You can then add vegetables to the diet as support. Just make sure that a balanced meal should contain 50-75% of animal protein, 15-18% fat, and 25% carbs.

Grooming: Pembroke Welsh Corgis have a tick and weatherproof double coat that sheds daily. Brushing every day would help minimize the shedding before it hits any area of the house. Watch out for the shedding season in late spring or early summer. This would be a great time to bathe your Pembroke to help loosen dead hair. Just make sure to dry off the dog before brushing thoroughly, and you can also use a rake to help strip out the undercoat. Again, the same with any other dogs, check the ears and nails regularly too. Make sure the ears are clean and nails are trimmed.

Exercise: Pembroke Welsh Corgis have an athletic nature because of their herding background. They love having things to do, which is why daily exercise is something that they need. It is even better if you do activities where he would have a goal. Try to mix up exercises such as in-home games, walks, puzzle toys, training, and fetch to keep him busy. Do this every day, and make sure not to skip. You wouldn’t want your Pembroke bored, or else they’ll find other things to do that will keep them busy, which might include destroying your house.

Health: Just like other dogs, Pembroke Welsh Corgis can be prone to diseases as well. Although a typically healthy breed, it is still better to be aware of the common diseases that they might get. One particular problem that is of great concern is the Degenerative Myelopathy (DM). This is a progressive paralysis that, unfortunately, cannot be cured. Fortunately, tests can now be performed to detect this disease early. The long back can also cause Intervertebral Disc Disease, which is why it’s best to stay away from activities that might cause so much strain to the dog’s back. Health problems such as hip dysplasia, eye problems, and hypothyroidism are other diseases you need to watch out. They can also be prone to cryptorchidism, epilepsy, and reproductive issues.

Lifespan: The life expectancy of Pembroke Welsh Corgis is 12-13 years.

Famous Pembroke Welsh Corgis

Holly: Corgi of Queen Elizabeth II; starred in 2012 London Olympics opening video Ralph: Instagram famous Corgi with 238,000 followers Molly: Stephen King’s Corgi; also called “The Thing of Evil” by the author Ein: The Corgi from the beloved anime “Cowboy Bebop” Corgi: Another Social Media famous corgi who loves dressing up; has 800,000 Facebook fans and 700,000 Instagram followers Rufus: Amazon.com’s original mascot Sutter Brown: The first dog of California; owned by Jerry Brown, the governor of California

Fun Facts About Pembroke Welsh Corgis

Pembroke Welsh Corgis’ ancestry dates back to the 10th century.

Although small, they belong to the top herding dogs.

They are Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite dog breed.

They are Huskies’ distant cousins. Pembroke Welsh Corgis only evolved to be tailless.

Their coat has double layers that shed in the fall and summer.

They are the 11th smartest dog breed.

The post Pembroke Welsh Corgi appeared first on Furry Friends Gear.

Pembroke Welsh Corgi published first on https://furryfriendsgear.tumblr.com

[mastcomm]

Like Its 2 Royal Guests, Canada’s Most English City Reinvents Itself

VICTORIA, British Columbia — If Prince Harry ever gets lonesome for royal life while in Canada, he can always visit his great-great-great-great-grandmother, perched at a dining room table over a glass of sherry, her hair lovingly shampooed and fluffed by one of her most devoted subjects.

Until last week, Ken Lane, who once ran the Royal London Wax Museum in Victoria, British Columbia, kept Queen Victoria’s wax head in a box in his basement, stored with the heads of Elvis, Grumpy Smurf and other items from the museum, which shut down in 2010.

But after the recent arrival of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, in Victoria, Mr. Lane decided to move the figure of Queen Victoria upstairs. He spent three days getting her ready for display, coifing and styling her real human hair imported from Italy.

Wearing a crown, she now presides at his dining room table, as if in mid-conversation, with the figures of Queen Elizabeth II; Diana, Princess of Wales; and Winston Churchill. Union Jack napkins are at the ready, and multicolor Skittles are available for snacking.

Mr. Lane hopes that Harry and Meghan’s decision to retreat from their royal duties and move to Canada will nourish a renewed fascination with the British royals, and that his collection of 350 wax figures will then find a new home.

“Meghan and Harry are popular royals, and I feel sorry for what they’ve been through,” said Mr. Lane, past chairman of the Victoria branch of the Monarchist League of Canada, which works to support Canada’s constitutional monarchy. Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, is the country’s head of state.

Victoria, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, has long marketed itself as Canada’s most English city. It is peppered with Tudor Revival architecture, pubs with names like “the Churchill” and specialty shops selling marmalade jam. Until 1950, its police officers wore bobby-style helmets.

Some residents, like Mr. Lane, have clung proudly to this image of Victoria. The city was established as a British trading post in 1843, before it became the seat of British Columbia’s government and a popular destination for retirees and honeymooners.

But increasingly shaped by a wave of new immigrants, a growing high-tech sector and a mayor who refused to pledge the traditional oath of allegiance to the queen, the picturesque city no longer aspires to be a “little piece of Old England.”

In many ways, said John Adams, 70, a local historian and city guide, the makeover of Victoria is not unlike the rebranding its newest and most famous residents are attempting.

“Harry and Meghan are a contemporary couple trying to break with tradition, and that is perhaps why they resonate so much here in Victoria,” Mr. Adams said. “Like them, this city is trying to bring an old past into the future.”

Harry and Meghan, also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are reportedly ensconced in an 18 million Canadian dollars, or nearly $14 million, French-inspired eight-bedroom beachfront estate on Vancouver Island, where they spent their Christmas vacation. Their presence has been greeted with a mixture of enthusiasm, curiosity and studied indifference.

But such is the overall interest generated by the royal couple’s decision to move to Canada’s westernmost province, that the CBC, the Canadian broadcaster, issued an etiquette guide for would be royal-spotters that reads like a how-to from the parks authority for engaging with wildlife.

“Never touch a royal,” the guide sternly warns, citing a royal expert. If presented to the couple, bow or curtsy. “Treat them like cats,” it adds. “Let them come to you.”

Lawyers representing the couple have threatened legal action against the British media after reporters hiding in bushes took photos of a beaming duchess walking with her son, Archie, in a public park near their rented home.

Local residents, though, appear determined to leave them alone.

A water taxi captain was feted as a local hero for refusing to bring a Japanese television crew to visit the property. On a recent day outside the estate, at the end of the long narrow road leading to the property, two security men with British accents came outside and barked at curious journalists to stay away.

Not everyone is thrilled by the duke and duchess’s arrival and even Mr. Lane is irked by their royal mutiny.

“We are not amused,” he said, using a quote attributed to Queen Victoria to express his disappointment with the couple’s decision to step back from the Crown, which sent shudders through his tight-knit monarchist fraternity.

Opinion on the royal couple was divided on a recent day during high tea, a popular ritual at the imposing and luxurious Empress Hotel, which was opened in 1908, and boasts vaulted ceilings and Bengal tiger head furnishings that hark back to the British Raj.

Sitting among a large group of female friends, wearing fascinators befitting a royal wedding as they sipped tea and devoured tiny egg and cucumber sandwiches, Christina Yee, a human resources manager, said she was “drawn to the mystery of what it’s like to be a princess or prince.”

But Rebecca Bertrand, who works in sales and whose mother is British, lamented that the royal couple’s presence could raise local property prices. “No one wants paparazzi here,” she added.

Pritam Sunger, the high tea hostess, offered a practical view. “I love that they are here,” she said. “It’s good for tourism and the economy.”

Jordana Burnes, a Vancouver native who also works in sales, had this to say: “I could really care less.”

One person who is not obsessing about the royals is Victoria’s mayor, Lisa Helps, a left-leaning historian who is passionate about pushing for affordable housing, raising chickens and fighting inequality.

The mayor, who was first elected as an independent in 2014, has drawn opprobrium from royalists like Mr. Lane because she refused to swear an oath to the queen. Mr. Lane called that “childish” and “churlish.”

In Canada, representatives at the provincial and federal level pledge allegiance to the queen but mayors in British Columbia aren’t required to do so.

In not swearing the oath, Ms. Helps said she had been protesting the subjugation of Indigenous people by the city’s former British colonial masters.

“I have deep respect for the British bones of this city,” she said, over breakfast at a hip downtown cafe, adding that she would be delighted to welcome Prince Harry and Meghan to City Hall. But, “to me such an oath is an anachronism.”

The city, she stressed, was no longer a throwback to the British Empire, nor the place some British Columbians have mocked as home of “the newly wed and the nearly dead.”

Instead, she said, 21st-century Victoria was a place of Indigenous cultural affirmation, green-friendly bike lanes, artificial intelligence companies, and immigration from countries with few ties to the Crown, like China or Brazil.

In Mr. Lane’s living room, though, “God Save The Queen” was blaring. His House of Windsor-themed room is decorated with commemorative tea towels of Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding and cushions festooned with corgis, Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite dogs.

He lamented that Victoria had been hijacked by political correctness. But he was still hopeful that his beloved Queen Victoria would find a new Canadian home — even if it was not in the city that bears her name.

In any case, he added, in his collection, there was no wax figures of Prince Harry and the duchess.

“He’s a spare — not the heir,” he explained.

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[beautytipsfor]

Royal wedding fever hits the US: Here's how to watch in America and where to celebrate

America was always wild about Harry. The wedding of his brother seven years ago drew almost 23 million viewers in the States; given that the Prince is marrying an American, Meghan Markle, the excitement about his own wedding has only intensified. And the drama surrounding Ms Markle's family has sparked a certain surge in fascination, as cable news channels devote lengthy segments to her ailing father Thomas's "will he, won't he" attendance, and scrutinise his ill-judged decision to pose for paparazzi pictures near his home in Mexico. It all means that, come Saturday, the United States will be riding the wave of Royal mania. Of course, the story in itself is a classic fairy tale straight out of a Disney film – a handsome prince meets a glamorous actress, and whisks her off her feet. Yet their nuptials will be, in the hearts and minds of many Americans, more akin to something far more readily identifiable. A student at Meghan Markle's former Los Angeles high school wears British and American flags she takes part in a 'Here's to Meghan!' celebration Credit:  REUTERS/Mike Blake  “It’s the Super Bowl of weddings,” said Anne Chertoff, a wedding magazine and Royal expert, currently running classes on the subject in New York. “America has gone bonkers.” “It’s definitely captured the imagination here,” said Michael Howells, Britain’s consul-general in Los Angeles, Ms Markle’s hometown. “People are talking about it a lot.” The Los Angeles Times has run fashion features on British style, highlighting labels chosen by the bride-to-be such as Burberry and Jigsaw, and has already begun a live blog, with rolling coverage of the lead-up as Ms Markle’s mother left LA to travel to London and meet the Queen. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle How to watch the royal wedding in America The wedding will be broadcast live in the US - 7am ET, 4am PT. PBS PBS will also be showing the wedding live. The channel will run a five-part nightly series starting May 14, which will end with a live broadcast of the wedding on May 19. CBS CBS will start their coverage three hours before the ceremony, with live broadcasting from  4am ET from Windsor. Tina Brown will join Gayle King and Kevin Frazier live. CBSN CBS's live-streaming site will also reportedly be broadcasting coverage starting at 4am ET. MSNBC Joy Reid will anchor coverage of the royal wedding on MSNBC from New York starting at 4am ET, while Stephanie Ruhle and Katy Tur will report live from Windsor. NBC  Commentary will begin on NBC at 4:30am ET with Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb reporting live from "an exclusive vantage point overlooking Windsor Castle." FOX Fox's coverage of the big day will begin at 5am ET with Ainsley Earhardt broadcasting live from Windsor. Their main coverage of the wedding will start at 6am ET, and will feature Shepard Smith and Sandra Smith along with other guests. BBC AMERICA BBC America will be streaming coverage and commentary of the event on May 19. ABC Good Morning America will be starting their coverage at 5am ET on ABC. 20/20 will also provide coverage of the royal wedding with primetime specials on Friday at 10pm ET and Saturday at 10pm ET. E! "E! Live From the Royal Wedding" with hosts Giuliana Rancic, Brad Goreski, Sarah-Jane Crawford, and royal expert Melanie Bromley will start at 5am ET on May 19. The channel will also have programming like “The Real Princess Diaries: From Diana to Meghan" scheduled in the weeks leading up to the wedding, and are airing a "Royal Wedding Rundown" on Saturday evening, to recap the historic event right after it happens. How and where to watch the royal wedding if you're in the UK Students at Meghan's old school in Los Angeles wave flags at a pre-wedding celebration in the city Credit: REUTERS/Mike Blake Los Angeles In LA, where Thomas Markle Snr lived until 2011, British pubs across the city are advertising their “slumber parties” for the 4am-local-time ceremony, with the Cat and Fiddle in Hollywood suggesting revellers come in their pyjamas and fascinators – described helpfully by the LA Times as “the precarious and ostentatious ladies' headgear constructed for such special events.” On the day of the wedding itself, Mr Howells will host around 150 people at the consulate for an afternoon tea, with guest invited from across the LA area representing some of the charities the couple are known to support – veterans’ organisations, childrens’ charities and LGBTQ concerns. It will be 11pm in Windsor when Mr Howells’ guests arrive, but at Ms Markle’s former secondary school they couldn’t wait – and had to see the ceremony live. Girls currently studying at Immaculate Heart, a private Catholic day school in Hollywood, are planning to gather in the school to watch the 4am events as they happen. Ms Markle studied at the school from 11 to 18, leaving in 1999. Shea Sprague, 17, said their classrooms were abuzz when the news of the engagement was made public. Maureen Diekmann, president of Immaculate Heart school, with students Credit: Harriet Alexander “This school raised a princess,” she told The Telegraph, to laughter from her friends. Mia Speier, 17, added: “She’s made such a difference – not just as an actress, but also as an activist, a UN ambassador – it’s really inspirational. “She’s poised and well spoken. Even if she didn’t come from royalty, she’s ready.” The girls said they knew they couldn’t miss the live ceremony – even before the timing was announced. “Even if it’s in the middle of the night,” said Miss Sprague. “We’ll be watching with a cup of tea.” Chicago On leaving high school Ms Markle attended Northwestern University in Chicago – a place the Prince’s mother visited in 1996. On the eve of the wedding the university plans a talk about the history of the royal family, exploring their evolution with an afternoon tea entitled: The British monarchy: then and now. Meghan Markle's high school yearbook photograph Credit: Harriet Alexander Washington DC The nation’s capital is celebrating at a royal wedding pop-up bar, which has opened in Washington DC for two weeks. On the day of the wedding the bar will be open from 6:30am for customers to view watch the wedding from big projectors with a full catered breakfast, and all proceeds going to Prince Harry's Invictus Games Foundation. “It’s hard not to get swept up in the romance of a royal wedding, especially when it involves a modern, real-life fairy tale,” said Angie Fetherston, CEO of Drink Company, which owns the bar. “I’ve been a superfan of the Royals since I was a kid and knew as soon as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were engaged that we had to bring a slice of their day to all of the fans who want to experience a little bit of the fantasy - fascinators and all.” Inside the bar the interior of St. George’s Chapel has been recreated, with hand-carved replicas of the wedding venue’s vaulted ceiling and columns. Patrons can sip on cocktails including the Kensington Garden Party and the Markle Sparkle, or opt for God Save the Queen - a classic martini with gin and dry vermouth, served with a souvenir crown. The British embassy in Washington is delivering handwritten notes from visitors to the bar to Kensington Palace, and have leant the bar a statue of a Beefeater, along with a Royal Mailbox. New York City In New York, too, preparations have been afoot for the big day. Last week eight corgis were bounding through Herald Square in central Manhattan, to promote a television drama portraying their courtship. The Queen in 1969 Introduced by name, Meghan the corgi was the star of the show in a white wedding dress and tiara, while Prince Harry wore his ceremonial blues. “Duchess Kate” was in a blue dress and feathered hat and her “children,” “Prince George” and “Princess Charlotte” were in a blue tie and a pink dress, respectively. “Queen Elizabeth II” was suitably regal in a bejewelled crown and cape. The show, Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance, aired on Sunday - the night after CNN show their documentary on the couple. Humans wishing to emulate the pair, meanwhile, can book the Conrad Hotel’s “Propose like a Prince” package – two nights in their Conrad suite, a helicopter tour of the city, and a private consultation with the London Jewellers, based in TriBeCa, who are offering an exact replica of Ms Markle’s engagement ring. Students at Meghan Markle's former Los Angeles high school dance as they stage a 'Here's to Meghan!' celebration ahead of her marriage Credit: REUTERS/Mike Blake “We’ve had a lot of interest in this – so much so that it’s been extended until the end of summer,” said Vildana Kurtovic, assistant marketing manager for the hotel. “I’m a huge fan of the Royal family, and we just wanted to embrace and celebrate them in a big way.” She admits, however, that despite the interest no one has actually taken the plunge – the $10,000 price tag perhaps having something to do with it. In the run up to the wedding, Mrs Chertoff, the wedding and Royal expert, has been hosting etiquette talks at the Downton Abbey exhibition in midtown Manhattan. Royal wedding PREMIUM GRID Inside the formal dining room of the Crawley family, tourists and New Yorkers are manners fit for a princess – how to curtsey, how to sit, how to approach a Royal dining table. “It’s kind of a history lesson, but also useful for modern life,” said Mrs Chertoff. “Millennials are especially interested, because they perhaps don’t have formal dining at home. “We have a nice mix of ages coming along, and I think people have a renewed fascination thanks to The Crown – I get asked a lot of questions about her tiara, and the line of succession. “There are few things that can bring a country together like a Royal wedding.”

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[phooll123]

Queen Elizabeth: Surprising facts, history

Her family nickname is "Lilibet."Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II is the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch in history.

She's ruled over the United Kingdom as a constitutional monarch since her 1953 coronation.

The queen and her family are frequently in the news — but there are some facts about Queen Elizabeth II that might fly under the radar.

Queen Elizabeth II has had quite a career. Not only is she the longest-reigning British monarch in history — she's also the longest-reigning current monarch in the world, and the longest-serving current head of state. On Saturday, April 21, she turns 92 years old. She's the first UK monarch to ever celebrate a sapphire jubilee, which marked her 65-year reign in 2017. CNN reported that, should the queen still be reigning on February 6, 2022, she will be the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee. Her career was recently fictionalized in the Netflix historical drama series "The Crown," and the royal family is often in the news. But that doesn't mean there aren't a few facts out there about the queen that you might not have heard before. Here's a look at some surprising facts about Queen Elizabeth II:

Elizabeth was a favorite of her grandfather, King George V.

Wikimedia CommonsIn"Queen and Country: The Fifty-year Reign of Elizabeth II," biographer William Shawcross wrote that the monarch made for "a surprisingly playful figure" who loved to play games with his first female grandchild. British politician Winston Churchill also reportedly described her as "a character."

The queen has at least two family nicknames — "Lilibet" and "cabbage."

Wikimedia CommonsShawcross wrote in "Queen and Country: The Fifty-year Reign of Elizabeth II" that her grandfather coined "Lilibet." The family nickname also may have arisen from the way Queen Elizabeth II pronounced her own name as a small child. Town and Country reported that the queen's husband Prince Philip also may affectionately refer to her as "cabbage" — possibly a twist on the popular French pet name "mon petit chou," which means both "my little cabbage" and "my little pastry puff."

Elizabeth II reportedly made the first ever royal transatlantic telephone call in 1939.

WPA Pool / Getty ImagesThe 13-year-old called her parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, who were touring Canada at the time, according to"I Never Knew That About Royal Britain"

For her 1953 coronation, the queen's coronation gown featured symbolic embroidery that reflected the Commonwealth at the time.

Wikimedia CommonsBiographer Robert Lacey wrote in "Monarch: The Life and Reign of Elizabeth II" that the dress featured the English rose, the Scottish thistle, the Irish shamrock, the Welsh leek, the Australian wattle, the Canadian maple leaf, the New Zealander silver fern, the South African protea, the Indian and Ceylonese lotus flowers, and the Pakistani jute.

The queen was the victim of one of the worst royal security breaches in modern history.

Jeff Spicer/Getty ImagesOn the night of July 9, 1982, she awoke to discover Michael Fagan in her bedroom, the BBC reported. Fagan had reportedly managed to dodge guards and electronic alarms, according to UPI. A security alarm that the queen pressed didn't go off, as it wasn't properly set up. A footman who had been out walking the queen's corgis subsequently returned and subdued Fagan, according BBC.

Queen Elizabeth is the first-ever head of state to open not one, but two Olympic Games in two different countries.

BBCShe helped to kick off the 1976 Montreal Games, according to the Montreal Gazette. The queen also made a splashy appearance in the 2012 Summer Games, starring with James Bond actor Daniel Craig in an action-packed short film run during the opening games, Business Insider reported.

The finances of Queen Elizabeth and her son and heir Prince Charles were scrutinized after their names appeared in the leaked Paradise Papers.

WPA Pool / Getty ImagesThe leak revealed that millions of dollars from The Duchy of Lancaster and The Duchy of Cornwall — private estates belonging to the royals — had been invested offshore. Spokespeople from both duchies denied wrongdoing and pointed to the fact both royals voluntarily pay taxes on their incomes, Business Insider previously reported.

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[topmixtrends]

“The only members of the party not perhaps completely happy are the corgi dogs, feeling apparently just a little bit out of the picture.” – “Royal Family on Holiday” (1960)

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again…

Where

Are

The

Corgis????????

I never wonder this more often than I do when watching Netflix’s The Crown. However, the recent second season—which premiered on Netflix earlier this month—took my questioning to absurd degrees. It’s no secret that Queen Elizabeth II loves corgis—indeed, has loved corgis since before she was ever what she is most known for now, which is the longest-reigning British monarch, though even that is debatable because, Christ, the lady LOVES CORGIS. She loves them publicly. They love Meghan Markle. We saw them all over The Crown: Season 1. When I heard that there would be more seasons, I thought to myself: Ah yes, There Will Be Corgiez.

Where, then, exactly, in The Crown: Season 2, are they?

Here we glimpse them for the first time in Season 1—a total of THREE episodes in and during a flashback to Dec 10, 1936 (the day of King Edward VIII’s infamous abdication) no less:

During this first view of corgis (“Where are the corgis?” “There they are finally!”), we never see more than two corgis in one frame. Yet, we hear the girls on bikes (here, the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret) repeatedly shouting, “Gina! Carina! Ella!” while the dogs bark along, which suggests that there are in fact three corgis. As though to avoid any confusion about what “Gina,” “Carina,” and “Ella” rigidly designate, we see young Elizabeth turn a corner towards a corgi while saying, “Ella! Ella.”

Now, I always thought this scene was fishy. According to my records, Elizabeth never even owned any corgis under the names of Gina, Carina, or Ella. And it’s even more unlikely that she would’ve had all three of them in 1936, given that Dookie—Elizabeth’s first corgi—was introduced into the household only three years prior in 1933. (Something I recently learned was that, when selecting her first corgi puppy, Elizabeth went for the one with the slightly longer tail “so that we can see whether he is pleased or not.”) Dookie was followed three years later—aka 1936, during which this scene is set—with corgi Lady Jane (who Dookie actually didn’t really take to, but that’s another story), so it seems even more implausible that the princesses would be hanging around with Gina, Carina, Ella, et al here. Some further googling of these three names together leads me to one Maria Carter, who is the owner/trainer of—yes—three show corgis with these exact names (see here; they’re also supposedly featured in this advertisement for London, if you care to compare to image above).

It seems more than a little possible, then, that the actresses portraying young Elizabeth and Margaret in this scene are simply calling the actual names of the three show corgis, which doesn’t even make that much production sense if we assume that they hired these corgis to act and thus presumably respond to names that might not be their own. (Corgis have the IQ of a 5 year old FWIW…BUT CAN AN ANIMAL REALLY ACT?) This seems borderline offensive to me, especially if we remember that this is the first time we see any corgis on a show that is literally about the life of a famous monarch who basically “made corgis happen” and because it’s a bracketed representation of a historical date in what is already a historical drama! I get why the show needs to dial up the unreliable intrigue when it comes to Philip’s affairs, Jackie Kennedy, and whatnot, but there is zero reason why anyone needs to lie about how many corgis 10-year-old Elizabeth had or what their names were. And honestly, given Elizabeth’s penchant for liquor, “Gin” would have a far more plausible name than “Gina.” There’s simply no excuse for this shadiness.

Sit down folks, we’re going to be here all day.

The second time we see corgis on The Crown is in S1Ep7, during a meeting Elizabeth has with Winston Churchill. Here they are:

The middle one is drooling with excitement, and the one on the far right seems completely starstruck about meeting the Bulldog. Corgi on the left seems more chill, like maybe he could take it or leave it, but for now this is fine.

Moving on to the next corgi appearance, here they are in the following episode, appropriately titled “Pride and Joy”:

Our three corgis sit obediently near Elizabeth while she works. Corgis apparently come in threes in the Queen’s household. At this point, I’m starting to get a little suspicious. Is The Crown simply reusing the same three corgis for all their corgi scenes? Actors are expensive these days, but do they really need to skimp on corgis?

And given the primacy of Susan—Elizabeth’s famous “foundational bitch” from which all her current corgis derive—at the time, it seems more than a little egregious to represent the corgis of her early reign as some mere indistinguishable pack. Elizabeth and Susan (an 18th birthday gift following the unfortunate death of Lady Jane by car) were historically inseparable. Susan went with Elizabeth and Philip on their honeymoon to Scotland, after all! I would’ve liked to see more one-on-one with Susan in The Crown, and the level of deception and assumed ignorance on behalf of viewers is unsettling. Corgis are not simply background features in the Queen’s life. In fact, Elizabeth had to train Susan to accept the presence of new human offspring Charles when he was born, with tricks like introducing Susan to the baby while “stroking Susan all the time” and also to “when nursing baby let Susan have a nice saucer of milk or tea [???] beside you.” This corgi drinks tea. The corgi is part of the royal family, not some kind of quaint joke accessory.

Even more unforgivable is the fact that the corgis acting on The Crown are Pembrokes with a nontrivial amount of white fur. The Queen’s corgi aesthetics famously tended toward Pembrokes of the darker red persuasion (as the breed more commonly used to be), and with very little white on them. As Vanity Fair has reported, Elizabeth once remarked upon one of the corgis of the chairman of the Welsh Corgi League with the following disapproval: “Oh, he’s got a lot of white on him, hasn’t he?” What we have on The Crown, it seems, is the Americanization of the corgi. (To be sure, one of my favourite corgis is an all-white albino corgi named Winston, but that’s no excuse for period piece inaccuracy.)

Compare the above images, then, with an actual photograph of Susan:

Where is the white chest fur here? Exactly.

I bet the actual Queen cringes each time she sees a corgi on The Crown, if she’s even still watching, because this level of corgi-washing is unbearable.

Alas, onwards. Elizabeth returns from her 23-week tour of the Commonwealth countries to her children and corgis and doesn’t bend to hug either one:

DEAR GOD, SOMEONE GIVE THIS CORGI SOME LOVE!!!!

Look into the corgi’s desperate eyes, for they are trying to tell you something.

Now onto Season 2, where the corgis are at least introduced a bit earlier this time with their first appearance occurring near the end of episode 2:

Captions are featured here because at least someone cares to be specific about the corgis on this goddamn show.

Here we see them, leaving the car with the Queen as God intended them to. This is the only time The Crown eludes to the fact that Elizabeth travels everywhere with the corgis. Half of the public photographic record of the Queen’s corgis involve them getting in and out of cars, or up and down airplanes, so you’d think the show would make a point to feature travel scenes with corgis. This is not the case. When Elizabeth flies on The Crown, there are no corgis ever in sight.

Look, all I’m trying to say here is that the Queen goes everywhere with her corgis and The Crown doesn’t even try to respect this fact.

Beggars, it seems, cannot be choosers, so back to regular programming: after the corgis bound from the cars, they scurry inside, and we find the family sitting around the radio in anticipation of Philip’s Christmas speech:

Elizabeth isn’t even making eye contact with the corgi here.

The next time we see corgis in Season 2 is near the end of Episode 5, when the Queen invites a bunch of semi-commoners into the palace at the end and the corgis join too, presumably for promotional reasons? As if the corgis aren’t genuinely an integral part of Elizabeth’s daily life?

Once again, three corgis. Always (the same?) three corgis…

Near the beginning of Episode 8—otherwise known as The Kennedy Episode—we see three grumpy corgis (you can always tell by looking at how their ears begin to droop) at the back of her Land Rover:

Sure, give us corgis in vehicles only when the corgis appear to be suffering. These corgis are going through hell. I hope they fed them plenty of tea after this shoot.

And finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for since you hit that click button and started reading this piece: The Corgi Room Scene. This scene is arguably the heart of the episode, which is further centered around the key to, yes, Elizabeth’s heart. In a moment of intimacy, the Queen takes Jackie Kennedy into the Corgi Room (this aspect of The Crown is at least accurate) and introduces her to Sugar and her puppies Whiskey and Sherry.

It’s a touching scene—a moment of what appears to be sincere empathy and affinity between the two women who bond over having each found themselves rather unwillingly in the public spotlight. Both Elizabeth and Jackie self-identify as the “shy” one between their respective sisters, and as “deep down […] happiest with animals.” Corgis are not simply background effects here, then. Instead, they crucially mediate the newfound closeness between Elizabeth and Jackie as well as become the literal topic of conversation. In this scene, corgis are both form and content. They are revealed as the background—the hidden Corgi Room—that in fact grounds the very core of what makes The Crown, well, uniquely Elizabeth. Viewers see this scene as a turning point for Elizabeth, as she opens up to Jackie on what is very much her turf. Both women are brought just a little bit more down to earth, as often happens when one is around corgis. And as if to allay any anxieties that the show might be recycling the same three corgis, the three corgis here are noticeably neither Gina, Carina, nor Ella as evinced by their darker markings and varying sizes. Viewers are further drawn then to understand this scene as a turning point for corgi representation on The Crown as well, in which the animals are finally recognized for the key figures they are.

Alas, for anyone who watched through to the end of the episode, this scene is yet another disappointing mirage. Elizabeth and Jackie aren’t really friends. Susan, Whiskey, and Sherry aren’t really the corgis we are led to believe they are. L To begin, the real Susan looked like this:

  Yes, folks, she is a lovely deep-hued red corgi. And the Susan on The Crown is, oh dear, a tri-colored corgi:

Sigh.

Equally troubling is the fact that while Whiskey and Sherry were born in 1955, the Kennedy visit to Buckingham Palace didn’t happen until June 1961. The most generous reading of the artistic decision to play fast and loose with dates here is that The Crown is replicating the illusion of corgi-lubricated intimacy played out between Elizabeth and Jackie here by simultaneously pulling the wool over viewers’ eyes with a bald lie about Sugar, Sherry, and Whiskey’s biographical details. Did they think we’d eat out of the palm of their hand here because of how naming Sugar’s puppies Sherry and Whiskey is SO HECKIN’ CUTE? How we move on from this I don’t even know.

It should go without saying that I adore The Crown so much, and, perhaps against my better judgment, still do. I’ll take any corgis I can get. But this season, especially, I felt increasingly that the corgis were featured as Easter Eggs—popping up here and there, always in threes—rather than what they actually are, which are living, breathing, frapping members of the royal household. Check yourself, The Crown, before you etc.

For instance, I started listing the moments where the show would be more plausible if there was a corgi in the scene. Besides almost all the scenes featuring a vehicle, think also about those where Elizabeth is sitting around the television. The Crown does excellent work of always reminding viewers that Elizabeth’s reign follows the arc of television’s increasingly everyday presence in people’s lives by having Elizabeth follow real-time world historical news on her television. Beginning with the televizing of Elizabeth’s own coronation, The Crown frequently thematizes how Elizabeth’s understanding of how the public views her through the medium of television is a first-order experience of how we as Netflix viewers come to understand Elizabeth through The Crown. In other words, there ought to be more corgis.

The TV they are watching is so small they could definitely fit a few corgis in here:

They even rented a TV for watching the Kennedys!:

You would think the Queen would definitely nap with corgis:

It just doesn’t add up! If The Crown is about both realism and entertainment, then wouldn’t both beg the presence of more corgis? It’s not like the show or the advertising around it isn’t already aware that corgis are a major selling point. All the articles featuring how the corgis “stole the show” on the red carpet, for example, led me to expect more of the same in the actual show itself. Consider too the enviable London promotion where one might “Borrow My Corgi” to binge-watch the premiere of the second season. Or The Crown’s little add-on spoofs featuring an all-corgi cast. I would have preferred if corgis weren’t treated like fluff to be paraded as some paratext to the show, and were actually taken seriously as the heart and spirit of the Queen—indeed, the Crown—itself. As with the first season, this one concludes too with a photographic portrait of Queen Elizabeth, except instead of a solo portrait, this time we have Elizabeth surrounded by her growing, bouncing, increasingly unruly family. This season, Elizabeth looks a little less put together, a little more dead inside:

Could it be because there is no corgi in the frame? That it is finally dawning upon Elizabeth that the corgis are being slowly erased from the life of the heroine? That, as Claire Foy sits here in her last appearance portraying the Queen on The Crown, she too is slowly coming to comprehend how the corgis have already gone long before her? A spectre is haunting Britain—the spectre of corgilessness.

  The post Occasional Corgis: The Crown’s Canine Politics appeared first on Los Angeles Review of Books.

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By Appointment — Gentleman's Gazette

You have certainly seen those seals bearing a phrase that starts with, “By Appointment to”. It is the Royal Warrant, an endorsement by a member of a royal family to a product or provider of services that they deemed worthy of that honor. Does it really mean superior quality? Who can “appoint”? Gentleman’s Gazette explores this famous distinction.

The Prince of Wales Warrant to Laphroaig Single Malt Scotch Whisky

It is highly probable that the first time you saw a Royal Warrant of Appointment – or Royal Warrant, for short – was in a bottle of Scotch Whisky. In Britain, 27 holders of the Warrant are related to drinks, and since 1994 one of these – Laphroaig – has a Warrant by the Prince of Wales, a regular consumer of the peaty Islay single malt. Though many countries still maintain the system of royal warrants (even if there isn’t a monarchy with an official position), we will focus today on the most famous system of warrants: the British Royal Warrants.

What is a Royal Warrant?

A royal warrant is essentially a seal of approval: a Royal Warrant allows the supplier to boast that he has a royal (the issuer of the honor) as a client, gaining prestige by this fact. In the case of Great Britain, companies may apply for a Royal Warrant if they have been suppliers to the Royal Household for at least five years. After the honor is granted, the holder may display the coat of arms of the granter and the words “By Appointment”.

The History of the Royal Warrant

Henry II Plantagenet

A Royal Warrant holder may exhibit the seals – a tradition that started in the 18th century – in their products, premises, stationery, vehicles, and advertisements. But the privilege is much older and comes from the royal charters granted to medieval corporations or guilds, such as the one granted by King Henri II to the Weaver’s Company in 1155. The Warrants are not awarded to professional services such as banking, lawyers, accountants, periodicals and places such as pubs.

The Royal Warrant Holders Association Annual Dinner

In a dinner organized by the holders in 1840 to celebrate the birthday of Queen Victoria, they decided to create the “Royal Tradesmen Association”, then with 25 members, all men: if a woman or a company belonging to one received a Royal Warrant, she could “appoint a gentleman to represent her.”

Queen Victoria in 1840

Queen Victoria was the main Power behind the prestige of the honor: in her 64-year reign, she and her family granted over 2,000 Royal Warrants, many of them – as those awarded to companies such as Fortnum & Mason, Schweppes, and Twinings – extant. In 1907, a Royal Decree – renewed 100 years later by the Queen – transformed the association in “The Royal Warrant Holders Association”. However, as an option, not all holders are members of the association.

The Royal Warrant Today

The seals of the extant three royal warrant granters

In the UK, only three members of the royal family may award warrants to a regular and trustable supplier. (The Queen Mother – a keen gin drinker – also granted warrants, but they expired automatically in 2007, five years after her death in 2002.) As of this writing, Queen Elizabeth has 634 standing Royal Warrants, the Prince of Wales 164 and the Duke of Edinburgh 34. In the case of the Prince of Wales, the company must also show that it follows proper environmental policies.

The holders of Royal Warrants form a small and select group of 832 companies with daily, normal activities and also with prosaic ones, such as Cherwell Packaging Ltd, “supplier of washroom hygiene products”, or Hugh Todd, that fits into the “Agricultural and Animal Welfare” and supplies “animal pregnancy scanning”, probably for the horses or corgi dogs of the Queen.

Latitude Cartography Ltd products

In an era where almost everyone has a precision GPS in their hands, thanks to the smartphones, it is almost unimaginable that someone may still need a cartographer, but Latitude Cartography Ltd was granted a Royal Warrant of Appointment by Her Majesty in 2008! I believe that their main customers are the landed gentry who need to have the exact dimension of their properties – and it comes in a nice package, too.

But I believe that the reader may be more interested in the Royal Warrant suppliers of apparel, or, as the Royal Warrant Holders Association states, “Clothing and Accessories”.

Triple Warrant Holders

Some of these companies hold three Warrants, granted by the Queen, by the Duke of Edinburgh or by the Prince of Wales.

An old Daks advertisement

Daks

That is the case of Daks, for instance. Founded in 1894, it became famous for the invention of the “self-supporting trousers”, thanks to the adjustable waistband that eliminated the need for belts or suspenders. They also had small rubber pads inside the waistband to hold the shirt in place.

Daks ad

These slacks were a creation of Alexander Simpson, son of Simeon, the founder. By the way, the name Daks come from a combination of the words “DAD” (the founder) and “SLACKS” (the American word for informal trousers).

Ede & Ravenscroft

Ede & Ravenscroft entrance at Chancery Lane, London

Another garment company to have three warrants is Ede & Ravenscroft, a name that sounds as if it came straight out of Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley. The company – now almost 330 years old – produces legal and ceremonial dress, as well as regular tailoring.

Gieves & Hawkes

The Prince of Wales tries his hand at cutting a wool fabric for a suit

Gieves & Hawkes, majestically located at the iconic No. 1 Savile Row, is one of the Prince of Wales’ main tailors. In 2013, during one of his visits to the bicentenary company, he tried his hand at cutting a gray wool fabric, perhaps for a new suit for himself.

The Royal Warrant issued for Gieves & Hawkes

One of their DNA marks is a soft shoulder, with room at the front and a high armhole, as well as a roped shoulder coherent with their military roots. They now boast all three British royals as clients and granters.

Barbour

Prince Charles in a Barbour jacket

A name that is probably familiar for those with an active country life is Barbour, “Manufacturers of Waterproof & Protective Clothing” for the three granters. They are most famous for the wax jackets they make in the North East of England. These coats may be rewaxed, meaning that they may be worn for years or decades – something that appeals to the thrifty side of the Prince of Wales. Margaret Barbour said that their warrants “make her very proud” – and to top that off, she was the first lady member elected to the Royal Warrant Holders’ Council.

Other Notable Warrant Holders

Anderson & Sheppard

A visit to Anderson & Sheppard

Per Anderson, one of the founders of the company established in 1906, was a keen disciple of the legendary cutter Frederick Scholte, who made clothes for the Duke of Windsor (of Wallis Simpson fame). They were responsible for most of Prince Charles double-breasted suits for years. In their books, the prince is named “Charles Smith” since he started to order clothes from them in 1982.

John Hitchcock, chief cutter at Anderson & Sheppard

Mr Hitchcock, the chief cutter, describes the Prince as “very frugal”: the rule is that he will be more called to repair an old garment than to create a new one. Faithful to the old adage, “The suit shouldn’t wear the man; the man should wear the suit”, Anderson & Sheppard still adopts the fluid style established by Per Anderson as a general guide to the minimum of 27 measurements required for each suit. Anderson & Sheppard currently hold one royal warrant.

Lock

James Lock logo and their warrants

James Lock & Co. Ltd. was founded in 1676 by Robert Davis, and it is the 34th world’s oldest family-owned business, as well as the world’s oldest hat shop. Even though the Queen has not granted it a warrant – she buys hats at George Goddard and also at Patey -, her husband and her heir have.

It is a locks measuring device for bespoke hats; not a torture instrument

The 6, St. James’s Street address company is famous not only for their bespoke and ready-to-wear hats and caps but also for scarves, gloves and headgear accessories, such as hat boxes, brushes, and others. They currently hold two royals warrants.

Burberry

Thomas Burberry

As Britishly iconic as the Big Ben or the Queen herself is Burberry, established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry, then only 21 years old.

Charles and Diana wearing Burberry raincoats

The brand really became famous after 1880, when Thomas created the waterproof gabardine, the fabric that enabled the trench coat to be the First World War garment. After the war, it became a civilian icon. Burberry currently hold two royal warrants for weatherproofers and outfitters.

Turnbull & Asser

Robert Redford as Gatsby and Turnbull & Asser shirts

This is one of the warrants granted by the Prince of Wales alone. The company was founded in 1885 and has made shirts for eminent men – and literary characters, too: one of the most remarkable scenes from The Great Gatsby movie (with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, the version I prefer) had Redford, as Gatsby, flinging his Turnbull & Asser shirts to the air and commenting with Daisy: ” “I’ve got a man in England who buys me clothes. He sends over a selection of things at the beginning of each season, spring and fall.” And Daisy cries: “They’re such beautiful shirts,” she says, “her voice muffled in the thick folds.”

The Prince of Wales also tries his skill at Turnbull & Asser factory

According to the company’s website, “The film’s producer, Robert Evans, wrote in his memoir that he chose Turnbull & Asser shirts to star in the film after his friend, actress Candice Bergen, looked stunning in one when they had lunch together in London while he was filming Gatsby at Pinewood.” This author had two T&A shirts in Sea Island cotton, over 40 years ago, which could stand to the test: thrown in the air, they would take a lifetime to get to the floor. They were really light – and this is my “Commoner Warrant” if I’m allowed to grant one.

Oops, There Goes My Royal Warrant…

Some 20-40 companies lose the concession every year, for loss of quality, closure, bankruptcy, changes in society and other causes. A similar number receive a Warrant in the same period, which is reviewed every five years.

A Royal Falling Out: Harrods

A man removes the Royal Warrants from Harrods façade

The most famous case of a company that lost its warrants is Harrods, the ultra-traditional London department store, bought in 1985 by Mohamed al-Fayed. In December 2000, the Duke of Edinburgh withdrew his Seal of approval allegedly due to a “significant decline in the trading relationship” between the Duke and the store. However, Prince Philip was inflamed by the declarations of owner Mohamed al-Fayed, who suggested that the Duke would be the mastermind of the supposed plot that killed Princess Diana and Dodi, his son.

Mohamed al-Fayed burns the RW at his property

After the announcement, al-Fayed removed the royal warrants from the store façade and from its stationery. Not satisfied, he also burned the seals and filmed the act.

Other Royals, Other Warrants

Danish Cookies Bisca

But if you believe that only the British Royal Family grants warrants, you are wrong. The Danish Royals also honor some companies and are even stricter than the British: if a regular supplier wishes to use the seal stating, “By appointment to the Royal Danish Court,” it must have been rendering services or providing goods for 10 years, at least. Among these, we have many Danish suppliers, such as Bang & Olufsen (surprise!) and Carlsberg. Swedish, Dutch and Belgian royal houses also grant warrants.

Conclusion

If you have a friend that is knowledgeable about wine, you will probably ask him or her before buying a case of a Burgundy you have never drunk before. He will state his preference, even though it may not be the best value or the best tasting wine in that price bracket. Similarly, the Royal Warrants are not granted to the best products, but to those preferred by this or that royal house member.

Sometimes, the British treat the RW as a privilege that makes the price of those products go up; sometimes, the products are considered elitist. But take a closer look and you will find Cadbury chocolates, Heinz sauces, Stork margarine, which can hardly be considered elitist. Some companies, such as After Eight, are no longer using the RW because the younger generation dislikes the royal endorsement. And sometimes, the Royals think twice: Benson & Hedges, famous for their cigarettes, had their Royal Warrant revoked in 1999. Apparently, the Queen did not want her endorsement on products that killed her subjects. Besides, not everyone is as keen on the Royals’ approval: in a survey mentioned in 2011 by The Guardian, 42% out of 230 adults were indifferent to royal warrants, the same percentage considered them unimportant and only 13% thought they made a difference. Yes, the fact that Nestlé – read After Eight – dropped their RW may indicate that the multinationals no longer believe in the differential value of that honor in the sales of their products. Anyway, in a changing world, as this is, it is interesting to patronize whoever supplies goods with inherent quality, and it allows a commoner with monarchist penchants to feel close to the royals: “Prince Charles and I drink Laphroaig, our preferred single malt…”

Summary

Article Name

The Royal Warrant: By Appointment

Description

What exactly is the royal warrant? Gentleman’s Gazette explores this famous distinction.

Author

Marcello Borges

Publisher

Gentleman’s Gazette LLC

Publisher Logo

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Like Its 2 Royal Guests, Canada’s Most English City Reinvents Itself

VICTORIA, British Columbia — If Prince Harry ever gets lonesome for royal life while in Canada, he can always visit his great-great-great-great-grandmother, perched at a dining room table over a glass of sherry, her hair lovingly shampooed and fluffed by one of her most devoted subjects.

Until last week, Ken Lane, who once ran the Royal London Wax Museum in Victoria, British Columbia, kept Queen Victoria’s wax head in a box in his basement, stored with the heads of Elvis, Grumpy Smurf and other items from the museum, which shut down in 2010.

But after the recent arrival of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, in Victoria, Mr. Lane decided to move the figure of Queen Victoria upstairs. He spent three days getting her ready for display, coifing and styling her real human hair imported from Italy.

Wearing a crown, she now presides at his dining room table, as if in mid-conversation, with the figures of Queen Elizabeth II; Diana, Princess of Wales; and Winston Churchill. Union Jack napkins are at the ready, and multicolor Skittles are available for snacking.

Mr. Lane hopes that Harry and Meghan’s decision to retreat from their royal duties and move to Canada will nourish a renewed fascination with the British royals, and that his collection of 350 wax figures will then find a new home.

“Meghan and Harry are popular royals, and I feel sorry for what they’ve been through,” said Mr. Lane, past chairman of the Victoria branch of the Monarchist League of Canada, which works to support Canada’s constitutional monarchy. Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, is the country’s head of state.

Victoria, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, has long marketed itself as Canada’s most English city. It is peppered with Tudor Revival architecture, pubs with names like “the Churchill” and specialty shops selling marmalade jam. Until 1950, its police officers wore bobby-style helmets.

Some residents, like Mr. Lane, have clung proudly to this image of Victoria. The city was established as a British trading post in 1843, before it became the seat of British Columbia’s government and a popular destination for retirees and honeymooners.

But increasingly shaped by a wave of new immigrants, a growing high-tech sector and a mayor who refused to pledge the traditional oath of allegiance to the queen, the picturesque city no longer aspires to be a “little piece of Old England.”

In many ways, said John Adams, 70, a local historian and city guide, the makeover of Victoria is not unlike the rebranding its newest and most famous residents are attempting.

“Harry and Meghan are a contemporary couple trying to break with tradition, and that is perhaps why they resonate so much here in Victoria,” Mr. Adams said. “Like them, this city is trying to bring an old past into the future.”

Harry and Meghan, also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are reportedly ensconced in an 18 million Canadian dollars, or nearly $14 million, French-inspired eight-bedroom beachfront estate on Vancouver Island, where they spent their Christmas vacation. Their presence has been greeted with a mixture of enthusiasm, curiosity and studied indifference.

But such is the overall interest generated by the royal couple’s decision to move to Canada’s westernmost province, that the CBC, the Canadian broadcaster, issued an etiquette guide for would be royal-spotters that reads like a how-to from the parks authority for engaging with wildlife.

“Never touch a royal,” the guide sternly warns, citing a royal expert. If presented to the couple, bow or curtsy. “Treat them like cats,” it adds. “Let them come to you.”

Lawyers representing the couple have threatened legal action against the British media after reporters hiding in bushes took photos of a beaming duchess walking with her son, Archie, in a public park near their rented home.

Local residents, though, appear determined to leave them alone.

A water taxi captain was feted as a local hero for refusing to bring a Japanese television crew to visit the property. On a recent day outside the estate, at the end of the long narrow road leading to the property, two security men with British accents came outside and barked at curious journalists to stay away.

Not everyone is thrilled by the duke and duchess’s arrival and even Mr. Lane is irked by their royal mutiny.

“We are not amused,” he said, using a quote attributed to Queen Victoria to express his disappointment with the couple’s decision to step back from the Crown, which sent shudders through his tight-knit monarchist fraternity.

Opinion on the royal couple was divided on a recent day during high tea, a popular ritual at the imposing and luxurious Empress Hotel, which was opened in 1908, and boasts vaulted ceilings and Bengal tiger head furnishings that hark back to the British Raj.

Sitting among a large group of female friends, wearing fascinators befitting a royal wedding as they sipped tea and devoured tiny egg and cucumber sandwiches, Christina Yee, a human resources manager, said she was “drawn to the mystery of what it’s like to be a princess or prince.”

But Rebecca Bertrand, who works in sales and whose mother is British, lamented that the royal couple’s presence could raise local property prices. “No one wants paparazzi here,” she added.

Pritam Sunger, the high tea hostess, offered a practical view. “I love that they are here,” she said. “It’s good for tourism and the economy.”

Jordana Burnes, a Vancouver native who also works in sales, had this to say: “I could really care less.”

One person who is not obsessing about the royals is Victoria’s mayor, Lisa Helps, a left-leaning historian who is passionate about pushing for affordable housing, raising chickens and fighting inequality.

The mayor, who was first elected as an independent in 2014, has drawn opprobrium from royalists like Mr. Lane because she refused to swear an oath to the queen. Mr. Lane called that “childish” and “churlish.”

In Canada, representatives at the provincial and federal level pledge allegiance to the queen but mayors in British Columbia aren’t required to do so.

In not swearing the oath, Ms. Helps said she had been protesting the subjugation of Indigenous people by the city’s former British colonial masters.

“I have deep respect for the British bones of this city,” she said, over breakfast at a hip downtown cafe, adding that she would be delighted to welcome Prince Harry and Meghan to City Hall. But, “to me such an oath is an anachronism.”

The city, she stressed, was no longer a throwback to the British Empire, nor the place some British Columbians have mocked as home of “the newly wed and the nearly dead.”

Instead, she said, 21st-century Victoria was a place of Indigenous cultural affirmation, green-friendly bike lanes, artificial intelligence companies, and immigration from countries with few ties to the Crown, like China or Brazil.

In Mr. Lane’s living room, though, “God Save The Queen” was blaring. His House of Windsor-themed room is decorated with commemorative tea towels of Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding and cushions festooned with corgis, Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite dogs.

He lamented that Victoria had been hijacked by political correctness. But he was still hopeful that his beloved Queen Victoria would find a new Canadian home — even if it was not in the city that bears her name.

In any case, he added, in his collection, there was no wax figures of Prince Harry and the duchess.

“He’s a spare — not the heir,” he explained.

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