Although I have lived on the other side of the world from my birthplace for most of my life, I still feel a strong bond to my English roots. As much as I try to have a fairly casual attitude to anything Royal, the pomp and ceremony which is part and parcel of the British culture never ceases to make me feel proud of my heritage. The recent funeral of Prince Philip just emphasised once more how much there is to admire whenever there is any occasion involving the Royal Family.
So much negativity and gossip seem to be part and parcel of the world today and when it involves “the Firm”, to coin a new phrase to describe the Royal Family, then much of the fanfare is to sell the news to the world at large. We had just recovered from the Megan Markle and Oprah Winfrey debacle, when we heard that the Duke of Edinburgh had died just a few weeks away from what would have been his 100th birthday. Despite anything negative having been aired on television recently showing flaws in the early years of the royal marriage, the fact is that the Duke had been a very important support for her Majesty the Queen throughout a marriage spanning 73 years. That in itself is an amazing achievement.
When one watches a British royal event one can only admire the precision with which everything occurs. Discipline and control as well as taking absolute pride in being part of the proceedings is par for the course. Everything goes according to plan and the timing is precise. No such thing as delays and hiccups – a far cry from African time! There was not very long for the entire proceedings to be planned and even the tailors must have worked around the clock making the identical outfits for the males in the entourage. Once again, the perfection of the outfits, both male and female had to be admired for their beautiful quality and fit.
I felt sad when I watched Her Majesty enter the chapel on her own, as well as sitting by herself whilst the funeral service took place. She looked rather frail and alone – not surprising when one considers that she is 95 years of age. It was a very tasteful ceremony and apparently the kind of service which would have been chosen by the Duke of Edinburgh. When the British do something such as hosting a royal occasion, then the hundreds of years of pageantry and tradition guarantee an event of which they can be proud.
The Magic Roundabout 