Not a monarchist, just semi-fascinated at the moment

The Queen and Prince Philip are in Canada for their 22nd royal tour.

(Insert stifled yawn here)

Considering that I'm covering the visit for this blog (and will continue to do so), I just can't rouse myself to feel any true excitement for the tour.

Having an 84 year old woman and her 89 year old husband displaying impressive energy and stamina when it comes to shaking multiple hands and unveiling plaques, just doesn't do it for me. It's something I noticed when Charles and Camilla visited last November. It was the same lack of excitement. Where was the glamour? The youth factor? At minimum, couldn't someone have fallen off a horse?

While it may be nice to have the Queen amongst us if only to compare her likeness to our currency, I have to ask what the point of these visits are? But then again, I had to ask what the point of the recent G20 visits were, an event that could have easily been accomplished by video teleconference equipment (yes, we have the technology!), wasted a billion dollars and led to a small group of anarchists overshadowing peaceful demonstrators with legitimate issues. Unlike the G20 world leaders, who we barely saw, the Queen does not hide behind partitions and cement barriers. We are not strongly encouraged to stay away, leaving the downtown core a ghost town. We are encouraged to come to see a woman who is the last of her kind, to celebrate her visit and to see the Queen of Canada who, as the most well-travelled monarch in history, and has seen and met more of of her subjects than any of her predecessors. While she may not enthusiastically wade into the crowds like the younger generation of royals, shaking all hands proffered, she is here, in the flesh, and visible.

When I look back on her previous visits, the first one in 1951 as Princess Elizabeth, the photos show an excitement to be marvelled at for the wrong reasons. Not to be viewed as the natural consequence of a deferential age but as a questionable response to a young woman far removed from our reality. It was inevitable that those types of reactions would reduce for subsequent royal visits. In the 1970s, when she brought her children, it increased the excitement factor. The photos from Charles and Diana's various visits show the same type of excitement and enthusiasm that was briefly repeated on Andrew and Fergie's 1987 tour, but has not been seen since then. Other royals may come and go, but it's just not the same.

With Charles and Camilla's recent tour, I chalked the lack of enthusiasm up to having the opening act instead of the star of the show perform. I had honestly thought that the Camilla curiosity factor would have increased the interest in the tour; it didn't. The lackluster response for their tour seemed to be an omen for this visit. Except in this case we have the star of the show in attendance. If the people from the 1950s were capable of viewing photos from this tour, they would marvel at our cynicism and in some cases our lack of respect.

At the risk of sounding like a monarchist - which I'm not - I'm glad she's here. I may not appreciate her visits until she's gone and that's a shame. In the future, other royals may come and go, but it just won't be the same.

© Marilyn Braun 2010

The Royal Tour of Canada 2010 - Day Two

Continuing their stop in Halifax, Nova Scotia, The Queen and Prince Philip visit coincided with the Celebrations marking the Canadian Naval Centenial - 100 years of proud service by the Royal Canadian Navy. The Queen also has a personal interest in the Royal Canadian Navy. She is patron of The Navy League of Canada, The Royal Canadian Naval Association and The Royal Canadian Naval Benevolent Fund.

The Duke of Edinburgh presented a certificate from the World Ship Trust to Canada's most famous and most decorated warship, HMCS Haida. HMCS Haida, a Tribal class warship built in England in 1941 it was Commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy in 1943. The certificate represents the prestigious International Maritime Heritage Award – bestowed on ships considered important to maritime history and heritage and honoring the legacy of those who served in HMCS Haida.

In the afternoon The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh visited the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Canada’s largest centre for ocean research. After this visit they board the naval frigate HMSC St John's for the International Fleet Review. This naval pageant featured about 22 foreign ships, each saluting the Queen as she passed by in the HMSC St. John's.

Later on in the day, The Duke of Edinburgh attended a reception with the the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment The Duke of Edinburgh meeting members of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment at Government House. The Duke of Edinburgh acts as Colonel-in-Chief of many units, including the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment. This long-serving regiment is the only regular force infantry battalion stationed in Atlantic Canada.

In the evening the couple attended a Celebration of Nova Scotia at the Cunard Centre, overlooking the Halifax port.  The evening celebrates Nova Scotians who have made significant contributions to their communities, province and country. These include recipients of the province’s highest honour – the Order of Nova Scotia – as well as the unsung heroes, who work quietly to make their communities better. During the event they were treated to performances by Nova Scotia musicians, dancers and singers. As well a performance by DRUM! a group of artists from Canada's Aboriginal, Black, Celtic and Acadian communities.
© Marilyn Braun 2010

All images via PicApp

The Royal Tour of Canada 2010 - Day One

The Queen and Prince Philip have arrived in Canada to begin their 22nd Canadian Royal Tour!

Arriving on a rainy day in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the Queen carried a clear umbrella; a deliberate choice to allow people to view her despite the weather conditions. The couple are welcomed  by officials, including the Hon Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and the Queen's personal flag is raised to signify the presence of the Queen of Canada.

Their visit starts with an official welcome ceremony to Canada and Nova Scotia, in the Garrison grounds at the foot of the Halifax Citadel Hill, a national symbol of Halifax's role as a major naval station in the British empire and in Canada's development from colony to nation. In attendance at this welcome ceremony is Prime Minister Stephen Harper, The Governor General Michaëlle Jean, and other prominent Canadian's and dignitaries. After the Prime Minister's speech, the Queen addressed the crowd:

"My mother once said that this country feels like a home away from home for the Queen. I'm delighted to be back among you all. Canadians have by their own endeavours built a society that is widely admired across the world," she said. "I am very proud of this country. Thank you for your welcome. It is very good to be home."

The Queen and Prince Philip paid a visit to a Mi'kmaq festival, and unveiled a plaque, rededicating Government House, the restored residence of Nova Scotia's lieutenant-governor — the oldest official residence in Canada, which had undergone a three-year renovation. 

The Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, Her Honour the Honourable Mayann E. Francis, presented The Queen with the ceremonial Royal Key, made of gilt-sterling silver and engraved with The Queen’s Royal Cypher. This presentation of the key, to be returned at the end of the tour, begins a new tradition at Government House. The Royal Key will also be presented to future Lieutenant Governors and important visitors who stay at Government House.

© Marilyn Braun 2010

All images via PicApp

The Royal Report for Sunday June 27, 2010 - Princes William and Harry, two brothers, two different destinies

In a recent joint trip to South Africa, Prince William and Prince Harry revealed their hopes and dreams for the future. Amongst Harry's: to be a ‘professional surfer’, ‘wildlife photographer’ and to live in Africa. William said that his ambition was to be 'happy, lucky, strong, caring, and a ‘successful pilot’. With their respective roles as future king and spare, which one of them has a greater chance of seeing their dreams become a reality?

Listen to the episode here

Publications mentioned

Hello! Canada No 178 28 June 2010

Blogs mentioned

British Royal Wedding

From My Royal Collection

Tiaras - A History of Splendour by Geoffrey C. Munn

Tune in to the next episode of The Royal Report on Sunday July 4, 2010 at 9:00PM EST (North America).

The topic will be: In honor of the Queen and Prince Philip's 24th royal tour of Canada, a look back at their royal visits to Canada.

© Marilyn Braun 2010

Swedish Royal Wedding Report

Unlike other royal weddings, the Swedish royal wedding coverage had the distinction that I didn't have a clue what the commentators were saying. Given that I'm in Canada and I have a link to watch the event online, I'm not complaining!

Despite this, you could arguably say that royal weddings have the distinction of being universal events and this one is no exception. From the Swedish public lining the streets, some imaginatively painting their faces in blue and yellow to the distinguished and royal guests in evening dress, to the stirring music, this event transcends the language barrier by the pagentry of it. And incidently was the first royal wedding since 2008, when Denmark's Prince Joachim wed Marie Cavallier of France.

Arriving by a Rolls-Royce, the Princess entered the Stockholm cathedral on the arm of her father the King, with her attendants leading the way. The pages wore sailor suits, a Bernadotte tradition.The bridesmaids wore  full-length pearl white dresses in silk organza with short sleeves and roll collars. On their feet white ballet slippers. The King and the Princess walked to the half-way point in the cathedral where the groom awaited to lead her to the altar. The groom, clearly emotional at the sight of his bride, bowed to the king and the couple briefly kissed before proceeding to the altar where the ceremony would begin.

Wearing her mother's wedding veil and the traditional cameo tiara, the bride and groom were emotional as they exchanged vows and rings. The brides dress, designed by Pär Engsheden was simple and unadorned. It is made of cream-coloured duchess silk satin, with short sleeves and a turned-out collar, which follows the rounded neckline. The dress has a v-shaped back with covered buttons. The sash at the waist is buttoned up at the back. The train is edged with a border, fastened at the waist, and has the same shape as the veil. The train is almost five metres long (about 16 feet). Her shoes matched the material of her dress and her bouquet consisted of lily of the valley, rose, phalaenopsis orchid, peony, clematis, cosmos, wax flower, sweet pea, dicentra formosa, Mårbacka pelargonium, Amazon lily, gardenia, azalea, bleeding heart and the traditional myrtle from Sofiero. All the flowers were white, and the bouquet was tied into a free teardrop shape.

During the ceremony the couple looked visibly moved. After the ceremony, the Crown Princess and the new Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland stood at the entrance to the cathedral, sharing a kiss, both relieved that the ceremony is completed as they awaited the arrival of the Parade Barouche from the Royal Mews to begin their cortège. It is the same barouche that was used by The King and Queen at their wedding exactly 34 years ago to the day.

The horse-drawn cortège travelled through the streets of Stockholm to the Royal Barge Vasaorden, rowed by eighteen cadets from the Naval College, taking them through Stockholm Bay, thronging with Swedish and foreign warships, flying their flags high and saluting the Crown Princess Couple with a 21-gun salute. After their arrival at Logården the couple enjoyed a choral tribute at the foot of Lejonbacken, before beginning their wedding banquet in the Hall of State at the Royal Palace in Stockholdm Sweden's finest ceremonial hall.

© Marilyn Braun 2010

All photos via PicApp website

Prince William and Prince Harry vs the vuvuzelas

During the England vs Algeria FIFA World Cup match in South Africa, the following conversation takes place through the buzzing of the ubiquitious blowing of vuvuzelas:

Spectator One: Did you hear that William and Harry are here today?

Spectator Two: (stops blowing his vuvuzela) WHAT?

Spectator One: WILLIAM AND HARRY ARE AT THE MATCH TODAY

Spectator Two: WHO?

Spectator One: PRINCES WILLIAM AND HARRY ARE HERE TODAY

Spectator Two: ARE YOU SURE? I DON'T SEE THEM

Spectator One: THEY'RE THE ONES NOT BLOWING VUVUZELAS



© Marilyn Braun 2010

The Royal Report for Sunday June 20th, 2010 - A Celebration of Prince William and Kate MIddleton's Love

On this episode: : Prince William once stated that he wouldn't consider getting married until he was at least 28. Given that he is turning 28 on June 21st, speculation will no doubt intensify about his relationship with Kate Middleton. On this episode, a celebration of Prince William and Kate Middleton's love.

You can listen to the episode here

Publications mentioned

OK Magazine - June 21, 2010 - Kate and William - The next big royal wedding

Hello! Canada Weekly No 176 14 June 2010

Hello! Canada Weekly No 177 21 June 2010

From My Royal Collection

The Face of Monarchy - British royalty portrayed - by Richard Ormond

Tune in to the next episode of The Royal Report on Sunday June 27, 2010 - 9:00PM EST (North America).

The topic will be: Prince William and Prince Harry - Two brothers, two different destinies.

© Marilyn Braun 2010

Unfortunately Kate Middleton isn't pregnant

At least according to Star magazine she is. Yet people have come out of the woodwork, emphatically denying these reports. I, for one am thoroughly disappointed.

Mainly because it would have made the royal family far more interesting. Injected some much needed controversy. Forget the two or three days of Fergie-gate 2010, an illegitimate child would have enough mileage for the next nine months. We could blog about her motivations for getting pregnant, whether the baby is actually William's, fire up discussion boards discussing whether he will make an honest woman of her, how this will affect the line of succession, and all of the royals and courtiers who are 'incandescent with rage' and 'knashing their teeth'.

Illegitimate children are nothing new to the royal family. History is littered with them. However, in the last 100 years we've had advancements in birth control, and the rabid media interest as back-up protection. If they wanted to take the heat off of an engagement announcement, this would have been the perfect way to do it aside from breaking-up or converting to Catholicism.

Did I mention that I'm extremely disappointed?

I am wistful thinking of the possibilities. Yes, once everyone got over the initial shock of it all, we would follow the pregnancy minutely. How she would cope as a single-mother should William drop the ball, what she would be wearing, where she would have the baby, boy or girl, names, titles, official photos, genealogists would pour over the history of royal bastards. Not to mention all of the show topics it would inspire. An example - On the next Royal Report: Now that Kate is knocked-up, will she go for natural or c-section?

Alas, it looks like I'll have to wait until they're married to speculate on all of this. How boring is that? It just won't be the same. Royal history is littered with legitimate children. Case in point: aside from the Queen, what have any of them ever done? William and Kate's illegitimate baby could live under the spectre of it for the rest of his/her life because we'd be here to remind them, the psychological difficulties of living under the burden of it all, if William doesn't marry Kate, how he/she will feel about being robbed of their birthright....

*Sigh* 

© Marilyn Braun 2010

Swedish Royal Wedding fever

Commemorative china? Check.

Official stamps? Check

Monograms unveiled? Check

Royal Barge Vasaorden on standby? Check

Only two more sleeps to go until the Swedish royal wedding and I'm about as passibly excited as I never thought I would be for a non-British royal wedding. Despite this, on Saturday June 19th I will allow myself to live vicariously through news reports about Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden's marriage to Daniel Westling. That extraordinarily photogenic couple who beat Prince William and Kate Middleton to the altar. Damn their non-receding hairlines, glorious bone-structure and progressive succession laws.

Members of various royal families and illustrious public figures will converge on Stockholm ready to take part in history; the first royal wedding of a female heir to the Swedish throne. Pint-sized future monarchs: HRH Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, HRH Princess Ingrid-Alexandra of Norway and HRH Prince Christian of Denmark will be amongst the young attendants on hand to upstage the bride and groom. Royal wedding traditions will be upheld, the bride will look stunning and it is certain to be a memorable occasion for royal watchers.

The ceremony is set to begin at 3:30PM in Stockholm (about 9:30AM in Canada) and I will attempt to simultaneously cover it both on this blog and as a guest writer at The Royal Representative.

© Marilyn Braun 2010

Prince William supports the Republican movement

Photo: Rex features

Male Royal Consorts

I rarely blog about non-British royals but in honor of the upcoming marriage of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden to Daniel Westling, I thought it would be appropriate to give a brief history of male royal consorts. Their destiny is to walk two paces behind, living in the shadow of their reigning wives. The future Prince Daniel is in good company.

Prince Albert, Prince Consort

Arguably the most famous Prince Consort in history, he his the only consort of a Queen Regnant to hold the title. He was a first cousin of Queen Victoria. They married in February 1840 and he was a devoted hisband until his death in 1861. Victoria mourned him for the rest of her life, imortalizing him in countless statues and landmarks.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Currently the longest serving royal consort in history. The husband of

Queen Elizabeth II, he was born in 1921 on a dining room table in Villa Mon Repos on the Greek island of Corfu. He was known as Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark until his engagement to Princess Elizabeth in 1947. He became a naturalized British subject in the same year, giving up his royal titles to become plain Ltn. Philip Mountbatten. Upon his marriage he became HRH Duke of Edinburgh and in 1957 he was given the title Prince of the United Kingdom. In 2007, The Queen and Prince Philip celebrated their Diamond wedding anniversary - the first for any British monarch in history.

Prince Claus of the Netherlands

The late consort of Queen Beatrix was a controversial choice for the Crown Princess. He was German and a former Hitler Youth Member. 60,000 Dutch signed a petition against the marriage and the Jewish community boycotted the celebration. They were married on March 10, 1966. On the day of the ceremony there were several attempts at sabotage, Dutch TV crews had an important cable cut. Protestors lined the route with smoke bombs. He gradually won over the Dutch public and was a popular member of the royal family when he died in 2002.

Prince Henrik of Denmark

The consort of Queen Margarethe II of Denmark. Henri Marie Jean André de

Laborde de Monpezat was born in 1934. He married the heir presumptive to the Danish throne, Crown Princess Margarethe, in 1967. Prior to his marriage he was a French diplomat. Raised as a Catholic he converted to Protestantism. At the time of his marriage his name was 'Danicised' to Prince Henrik.

© Marilyn Braun 2010

The things Prince William and Prince Harry do for England

Think being royal is a glamorous job? Fabulous wealth, jewels, palaces, and minions catering to your every need?

Throw in an 8-ft python and that golden page in the history books doesn't seem so appealing anymore, does it?

Kate, take note.

The Royal Report for Sunday June 13th, 2010 has been postponed

Tonight's episode of The Royal Report for Sunday June 13th, 2010 has been postponed

The Royal Report for Sunday June 6, 2010 - The Blogs Royal

Who are the ubiquitous royal additions to any style icon list? Is Kate Middleton wearing a wedding dress in Star magazine? How has the royal blogsphere changed in the last few years?

Find out on this episode

Publications mentioned

Royal Report

Star Magazine (June 2010) - William & Kate's $40 Million Wedding of the Century

Hello! Canada Weekly No 175 7 June 2010

Hello! Canada - Celebrating 100 years of Style icons

From My Royal Collection

Royalty in Vogue by Josephine Ross

Link to Sarah Ferguson's interview with Oprah Winfrey

Sarah Ferguson Speaks Out about the headline-making undercover video

The Blogs Royal featured on this episode

Royalty with Ella Kay

Princess Palace

Sophia's Royalty

The Royal Universe

Royalty in the News

British Royals

The Cross of Laeken

Lux-arrazzi

Tune in to the next episode of The Royal Report on Sunday June 13, 2010 at 9:00PM EST (North America).

The topic will be: William and Kate Middleton - A Celebration of their love

© Marilyn Braun 2010

Prince William and Kate Middleton's Royal Engagement?

According to a recent blog post by Tina Brown, today was supposed to be the day that William and Kate finally announced their engagement to the world. Right now I'm picturing Prince William kicking back and relaxing while the media goes into overdrive and people like me blog about it. Maybe Prince William is reading the papers and going online, texting Kate to see who can locate the silliest headline first.

As I write this post it is currently 6:47PM in London. I don't know about over there but that's quitting time in North America. The time that people go home to their families and have dinner. However, the day is not over in the UK and there's still time to spare. So we wait until 11:59PM and a last minute reprieve to put us out of our misery.Yes, William's people are just waiting to spring the news on all of us when we least suspect it. Here in Canada it could be cause for a celebration for more reason than one - a Friday, an engagement announcement and warm sunny weather! Boo Yeah!

While we wait, reporters twitter about Tina Brown's credibility. People bought her revelation hook, line-and-sinker and that's when the dissection started: other reporters jealously questioned her sources and thoroughly checked William's and the Queen's diaries for available time to make the announcement. Some wondered if she'd made the prediction to increase traffic to her site. Then there were fears, what if she might actually be  *gasp* right! Well, according to one reporter: 'Tina Brown's reputation is riding on her prediction."  Today, self-satisfied and commenting: "it was never going to happen today."  Like the Duchess of York, is Tina Brown throwing herself at the mercy of friends and  'leaving anguished messages' on their answering machines too?

While it's true that the changes of an engagement announcement on Friday are unlikely, it isn't 12:00AM in the UK just yet.

To quote Prince William, we just have to ''wait and see".

© Marilyn Braun 2010