The Queen is Dead. Long live the King.

[belamyi]

Oh, not to speak of the fact that it is "Italian" that is NOT a real language.

 

[belamyi]

^ For one thing they tell us to make our own choice among all the different variants at all levels, mainly phonetic ones, since it will ultimately become just one more among the "legitimate" or "common" Italian variants.

If they are invited they will definitely not be invited as Her children: that is why they are expected to marry well, to remain in a good position to be "eligible" for the right occasions.
Still, as usual, as always, all the mess they had always wanted to avoid will be there, again, as if nothing were wrong anymore: a divorced queen, a queen from the common British "toffs", with her spawn guzzling and grubbing at the royal wedding reception.

 

[Latimer]

BTW, I assume you made him aware that "Spanish-Italian-French" is not a nationality. Not even three.

My boyfriend's father was Spanish, his mother half-Italian and half-French. He grew up between Madrid and an English boarding school, and his family had an estancia in Argentina. "Boyfriend" is perhaps not the right description: I had an intense and exhausting affair with him about eight years into the relationship with my partner. (He looked like a young Rossano Brazzi, so how could I resist?) Although he had enjoyed Portugal and the Portuguese on visits there, he said it was not a "serious country", which was also his opinion of Argentina and Italy.

 

[belamyi]

Although he had enjoyed Portugal and the Portuguese on visits there, he said it was not a "serious country", which was also his opinion of Argentina and Italy.

Being himself a Spaniard was the ultimate joke
He reads like the typical Spaniard in classical Europe: taking very seriously his own tragic comedy... like Penélope Cruz in the role for which they gave her an Oscar.

He meant he considered those countries like "losers" in the context of world order: like Spain forty years ago... or ten.

 

[belamyi]

My boyfriend's father was Spanish, his mother half-Italian and half-French. He grew up between Madrid and an English boarding school, and his family had an estancia in Argentina. "Boyfriend" is perhaps not the right description: I had an intense and exhausting affair with him about eight years into the relationship with my partner. (He looked like a young Rossano Brazzi, so how could I resist?)

Of course, how could YOU resist


I mean... sex?!

 

[Latimer]

Charles has greeted his first prime minister, Rishi Sunak. I find it interesting that in the stills that have been released, both the King and the Prime Minister look to be bowing slightly to each other. I've read that Charles has plans to streamline and reform the monarchy. The first thing he should do is do away with the bows and curtsies. I like to think that Sunak did not bow when he entered the room,

See 00:19

 

[belamyi]

Charles has greeted his first prime minister, Rishi Sunak. I find it interesting that in the stills that have been released, both the King and the Prime Minister look to be bowing slightly to each other. I've read that Charles has plans to streamline and reform the monarchy. The first thing he should do is do away with the bows and curtsies. I like to think that Sunak did not bow when he entered the room,

See 00:19

Well, you bent your head just like you wear a tie in front of him, what's the big deal. The idiotic thing was the obsession with not giving one's back... if anything, it should be the royal giving one's back or leave the room first but, better, to make a slight change of posture, or sit back at a desk or something (isn't that the normalest of things in offices after a meeting or interview...).
I'd rather dispense with stupid handshakes LOL, all that touching of random strangers, exchange of palm oils, obsession with grasp pressure...
Actually, I'd prefer the head bend, somewhat deeper for a royal, to be the general cultural Western norm.

 

[Latimer]

So do people bow and curtsey to Juan Carlos and Letizia?
@Harke the Boeotarch Do people bow and curtsey to Willem-Alexander and Maxima?

I'm heading off to Japan in two weeks where everyone bows as a common courtesy, and I've always enjoyed the custom on past visits. But bowing to royalty? Forget it.

 

[belamyi]

So do people bow and curtsey to Juan Carlos and Letizia?
@Harke the Boeotarch Do people bow and curtsey to Willem-Alexander and Maxima?

I'm heading off to Japan in two weeks where everyone bows as a common courtesy, and I've always enjoyed the custom on past visits. But bowing to royalty? Forget it.

They DO. Not everybody feels they MUST, and it may be more depending on the occasion. If you are at an official reception at the Royal Palace, those who go there will probably be more of the kind who feel they MUST but, to give you an idea of the world with which we are dealing here, today's news was about the Princess and the Queen emerita trampling on the protocol, something usually decried on the Queen or P. Sánchez, treated (by social climbers festering in their own baseness) as coarse parvenus.

Oh, so you would bow to a commoner, but not a royal. For men it's very simple, with the mere head bowing, no matter when and where, in front of him, mainly (someone said in some occasion that there must be some parallel or perpendicular line with your tie or of your tie with... whatever): in the Throne Room or a royal line-up, females would definitely have to struggle with the high heLLs they would usually be wearing.

I personally find it harder the stupid American smiling... you know I can't smile that may be why I am so fond of that Conrad Veidt face in this forum

 

[Harke the Boeotarch]

So do people bow and curtsey to Juan Carlos and Letizia?
@Harke the Boeotarch Do people bow and curtsey to Willem-Alexander and Maxima?

I'm heading off to Japan in two weeks where everyone bows as a common courtesy, and I've always enjoyed the custom on past visits. But bowing to royalty? Forget it.

You stand up whenever they enter a venue, and all is discontinued until the royals approve and are seated, after which everyone else sis down again.

This happened at a venue where my late lover and I went, knowing the cast and directors personally, and it was a magical moment.

Afterwards at the reception for the actors/singers I was stood a few feet from then Queen Beatrix for quite a while. Of course I did not stare, but I also took care not to turn my back on her.

 

[belamyi]

In Spain, the usual suspects act like they were the royalty, but in some cocktail gathering and such, if anyone felt like doing something bad, they could: a few years ago, I think around the beginning of the current reign, some guy make a point of proving that someone could easily put himself in a place to freely shoot down the king and whoever he pleased... he was discharged, I think, of any criminal intent, but he didn't need to stage the whole thing himself.
Also, around the time Hark! was living la vida loca in BCN, the year I was "serving" in that boiler room for catering purposes or under catering guise (the now deceased Gourmet Paradis), they took us to the reception offered at the Albéniz Pavilion for the Día de las Fuerzas Armadas hosted that year in BCN, and I was SHOCKED to turn around and see myself at barely two palms away from the weird grey-green-whatever eyes of the queen, in the circle of the majesties, without anyone ever caring to stop me and ask where I was heading holding that metal tray full of glassware.

 

[Latimer]

@ belamyi "Oh, so you would bow to a commoner." I was speaking of Japan, where everyone (excluding the emperor and empress) bows to each other. That said, as I'm sure you know, there is an etiquette surrounding bows that determines depth and duration of the bow depending on status and the nature of the relationship. I previously posted that I enjoyed the custom; I should add that the few times someone has bowed very low to me--signifying my higher status--I felt quite uncomfortable.

I read an interview once with Aline Griffith, the American-born Countess of Romanones--perhaps at the time she published a book about her adventures as a spy in Madrid during WW II--in which she described her stays with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor at one of their houses in or outside of Paris. She mentioned that she began the day by curtsying to her hosts, and I thought how strange for an American to be curtsying to another American, let alone a Brit.

 

[unloadonme]

I read an interview once with Aline Griffith, the American-born Countess of Romanones--perhaps at the time she published a book about her adventures as a spy in Madrid during WW II--in which she described her stays with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor at one of their houses in or outside of Paris. She mentioned that she began the day by curtsying to her hosts, and I thought how strange for an American to be curtsying to another American, let alone a Brit.

It's more complicated than that. The Duke of Windsor was an HRH whereas the Duchess famously was not. One would normally, therefore, bow (or curtsey) to him but not to her. If one was the Duchess's guest, I suppose one might feel obliged to bow regardless of her semi-non-royal status.

 

[Latimer]

If I remember correctly, the Countess acknowledges this, and points it out to underline how sensitive the couple were regarding her status.

As you know, the Duke and Duchess thought that, regarding the HRH, she had been unfairly denied what should have been hers by right. I understand, therefore, that his attendants, their servants and their circle in France--including the Moselys--observed whatever protocol came with the HRH.

 

[belamyi]

@ belamyi "Oh, so you would bow to a commoner." I was speaking of Japan, where everyone (excluding the emperor and empress) bows to each other. That said, as I'm sure you know, there is an etiquette surrounding bows that determines depth and duration of the bow depending on status and the nature of the relationship. I previously posted that I enjoyed the custom; I should add that the few times someone has bowed very low to me--signifying my higher status--I felt quite uncomfortable.

I read an interview once with Aline Griffith, the American-born Countess of Romanones--perhaps at the time she published a book about her adventures as a spy in Madrid during WW II--in which she described her stays with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor at one of their houses in or outside of Paris. She mentioned that she began the day by curtsying to her hosts, and I thought how strange for an American to be curtsying to another American, let alone a Brit.

So you would not bow to royals, but you would to the Japanese.

They were a special sort of royals: the compelling sort.

BTW, your post just brought me childhood memories of olden golden days

 

[unloadonme]

As you know, the Duke and Duchess thought that, regarding the HRH, she had been unfairly denied what should have been hers by right. I understand, therefore, that his attendants, their servants and their circle in France--including the Moselys--observed whatever protocol came with the HRH.

Yes, you're absolutely right about that.

 

[belamyi]

If I remember correctly, the Countess acknowledges this, and points it out to underline how sensitive the couple were regarding her status.

As you know, the Duke and Duchess thought that, regarding the HRH, she had been unfairly denied what should have been hers by right. I understand, therefore, that his attendants, their servants and their circle in France--including the Moselys--observed whatever protocol came with the HRH.

Yes, it's all the difference between aristocratic rank and social[ly acknowledged] rank: like when Simeon of Bulgaria became a "mere" PM, while being no less a royal... you would have bowed to a Japanese PM, but never to a royal Bulgarian one

 

[Latimer]

@belamyi So I recognize the American countess and the duchess with three or four y's and seventy or so other titles, but who's the third one?

 

[belamyi]

You mean her?

Nati Abascal - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Latimer]

^
Thanks. The fashion crowd has certainly come a long way since the time of Marie-Antoinette's milliner, Rose Bertin.

During her lifetime, the US press usually referred to the Alba woman as "the socialist" or "the communist" or even "the red" duchess.