Non HM The Queen

wingsnwheels

wingsnwheels

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70 years ago today King George VI passed away. Princess Elizabeth became Queen and is now the longest ever reigning British Monarch.
I love HM, I feel she's been a great servant and ambassador for this country.
Please let's not turn this into a Royal Love/Hate thread. Try and remember what you were doing on 06/02/1952 if you were alive then.
On that day I attended Hill View Junior school. As we entered the gates one lad sang 'Hooray, Hooray the King is dead'. A teacher gave him one hell of a whack across the back of his legs.
 
I remember at Hillbourne school on one wall, there was this timeline of monarchs of England and the events that occurred during each respective reign. The section for Queen Victoria was huge long, long, long. No-one will ever beat that, we thought.

Then, surely, no single monarch could possibly see such transformations in society and so much technological change as Victoria did.
 
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I’m not a monarchist but I agree that she’s been truly remarkable in her role and a source of stability and strength for the country. I certainly respect her greatly and understand the part played by this institution in our society. Seeing her when my wife picked up a gong at Windsor Castle was genuinely unforgettable.

I do though think that we’ll only fully appreciate her when sadly she’s gone. Her unifying capacities are, I think, irreplaceable.

I’m sure this isn’t the time or indeed the thread to discuss Charlie’s public profile but I think it’s fairly clear that perceptions of the monarchy will be different.
 
Ken Baileys Ghost said:
Today's announcement regarding Queen Camilla will start a ruck, I have no doubt.

If only the Duke of Edinburgh hadn't had Diana killed. :throw:
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I'm not going to be drawn up that road but IMHO I would like to say that I felt very sorry for Princess Diana...as all the Country did... when Camilla came onto the scene. Diana had no one to turn to, she had just lost her father and it didn't seem to me that her mother was interested in helping her.
UTC
 
ErikthViking said:
Then, surely, no single monarch could possibly see such transformations in society and so much technological change as Victoria did.
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Interesting comparison. On society, the population roughly doubled in Victoria’s reign and there was a move to towns and cities from the countryside. But the basic structures of society didn’t change much: the lives of agricultural labourers, miners, dockers etc weren’t so very different; only men, albeit a wider selection of men, had the vote or could go to university. The population was still overwhelmingly white and dirt poor. It was still the world of the workhouse. There were big medical advances during Victoria’s reign but infant mortality was still high and families large in consequence. As far as technology was concerned, a lot of the big changes had already happened such as steam locomotives and telegraph communication although of course they expanded and were refined eg adopting morse code. Powered flight didn’t happen until a couple of years after Victoria died.

I would argue there have been much bigger changes during Elizabeth’s reign. We now have a much more culturally diverse society (with better food!) and, while there is still some way to go, a society where women have a much greater role. There have been massive advances in medicine and living standards, although many of us are now obese as a result. The advances in technology, particularly computing, have been transformative such that the world just after WW2 seems very long ago now.

I think there has been a bigger change between 1952 and 2022 than there was between 1837 and 1901.
 
Also remember learning about Victoria and her era at school, with the longevity and events therein. Interesting to think that the decades of Elizabeth II's reign will be taught in 50, 100 years time.
 
No memories of the King dying/Queen taking over. I can remember having to get dressed up to go next door to watch the Coronation on a tiny tv.My first time ever watching a tv. Chairs around the room in a semi circle with the kids sat cross legged in the front. I seem to remember being more interested in my new sandles. All the men were outside smoking and didn't watch the tv.
 
hba1 said:
watch the Coronation on a tiny tv
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My Grandparents, with whom I lived, had a TV. They invited a friend and her two young daughters to view the Coronation. Throughout the various parades one of the girls would move close to the screen and look at it from a tight angle. When asked what she was doing she replied, 'I'm trying to see where the coaches and horses go when they leave the screen'
 
My father was stationed in Germany then with the army, we lived in Hamburg and remember watching the Coronation in the NAAFI.

As an aside just had some pumpernickel with cheese for lunch, one of the tastes I got living in Hamburg.
 
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hba1 said:
dressed up to go next door to watch the Coronation on a tiny tv
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We had the neighbours round and we all watched it on my dad's 10 inch 'cabinet' TV. When he bought it a couple of years earlier, he had to decide between a 9 inch or 10 inch, because the available 12 inch screen was seen as too 'massive' for ordinary folk and only for the rich!
 
Sorry Roger said:
Interesting comparison. On society, the population roughly doubled in Victoria’s reign and there was a move to towns and cities from the countryside. But the basic structures of society didn’t change much: the lives of agricultural labourers, miners, dockers etc weren’t so very different; only men, albeit a wider selection of men, had the vote or could go to university. The population was still overwhelmingly white and dirt poor. It was still the world of the workhouse. There were big medical advances during Victoria’s reign but infant mortality was still high and families large in consequence. As far as technology was concerned, a lot of the big changes had already happened such as steam locomotives and telegraph communication although of course they expanded and were refined eg adopting morse code. Powered flight didn’t happen until a couple of years after Victoria died.

I would argue there have been much bigger changes during Elizabeth’s reign. We now have a much more culturally diverse society (with better food!) and, while there is still some way to go, a society where women have a much greater role. There have been massive advances in medicine and living standards, although many of us are now obese as a result. The advances in technology, particularly computing, have been transformative such that the world just after WW2 seems very long ago now.

I think there has been a bigger change between 1952 and 2022 than there was between 1837 and 1901.
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I heard on the radio the other day that the invention of the bicycle as we know it increased the distance at which someone found their marriage partner from 1 mile to 30, which in many ways must've been a seismic change in society.
 
My maternal Grandfather (born William Pope in Dundee Scotland) met Princess Elizabeth when she toured Canada in 1951. This photo was always displayed in his house and all of his children's houses. Very proud moment for him.
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charlian said:
I'm not going to be drawn up that road but IMHO I would like to say that I felt very sorry for Princess Diana...as all the Country did... when Camilla came onto the scene. Diana had no one to turn to, she had just lost her father and it didn't seem to me that her mother was interested in helping her.
UTC
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I’m sure Camilla felt a bit pissed when Diana came on to the scene.
 
Johnny Comelately said:
I heard on the radio the other day that the invention of the bicycle as we know it increased the distance at which someone found their marriage partner from 1 mile to 30, which in many ways must've been a seismic change in society.
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I wonder how much an affect a car made In this respect - significantly I would’ve thought.
 
hba1 said:
No memories of the King dying/Queen taking over. I can remember having to get dressed up to go next door to watch the Coronation on a tiny tv.My first time ever watching a tv. Chairs around the room in a semi circle with the kids sat cross legged in the front. I seem to remember being more interested in my new sandles. All the men were outside smoking and didn't watch the tv.
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I missed old George by 10 days but as a republican I can't really say I missed him.
 
Johnny Comelately said:
I heard on the radio the other day that the invention of the bicycle as we know it increased the distance at which someone found their marriage partner from 1 mile to 30, which in many ways must've been a seismic change in society.
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internet has made widened net even further now.
 
Johnny Comelately said:
I heard on the radio the other day that the invention of the bicycle as we know it increased the distance at which someone found their marriage partner from 1 mile to 30, which in many ways must've been a seismic change in society.
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That's what polluted the Isle of Purbeck gene pool; you hardly ever see people with extra fingers or webbed hands round here these days.

Bloody tragic..
 
Ken Baileys Ghost said:
That's what polluted the Isle of Purbeck gene pool; you hardly ever see people with extra fingers or webbed hands round here these days.

Bloody tragic..
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I heard the natives have moved to Brownsea Island and a lot of redheads have been born there in recent years as a result...
 
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