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The Olympics and Other Royal Tidbits |
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Written by The Laird o'Thistle
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Saturday, 20 February 2010 18:15 |
As I watched the impressive opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics on 12 February the camera focused briefly on various of the attending royals. Princess Anne’s face flashed on the screen, and it suddenly struck me that she is not only a former Olympian herself, but she is also the great-granddaughter of the first royal host of the modern Olympics. The revival of the Olympics in 1896 occurred in Athens, with King George I of Greece and his family attended the opening ceremonies. Those games were officially opened by the king after a speech by the head of the organizing committee, Crown Prince Constantine. George I was Prince Philip’s grandfather, and presumably Philip’s father, Prince Andrew, was also in attendance.
George I...
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Last Updated on Sunday, 21 February 2010 14:28 |
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If you want a mug featuring Nicholas and Alexandra….. |
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Written by Janet Ashton
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Sunday, 10 January 2010 19:15 |
…there are plenty on sale right now at the brand new Hermitage, Amsterdam.
There are also catalogues of the new Hermitage’s excellent exhibition, “At the Russian Court”, diverse books on Russian art and history, novels, CDs, pill boxes, reproduction Faberge eggs and other assorted memorabilia. It all marks the emergence of the Hermitage as one of the world’s most modern and impressive museums, adept at marketing its vast collections.
I first saw the Hermitage in 1993, in the course of my first visit to Russia. It was most intense holiday I’ve ever been on, the realization of a childhood dream and one which left indelible memories of the huge sky and flat blue-grey river, so wide it curves almost backwards at the...
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Last Updated on Monday, 11 January 2010 05:03 |
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Written by The Laird o'Thistle
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Sunday, 15 November 2009 14:07 |
The just completed tour of Canada by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall seems to have come equipped with all the traditional accoutrements… from photo ops with Mounties and the Maple Leaf, to contretemps over the Duchess wearing some recycled old family fur bits in the cold, to a minor separatist riot in Quebec. Camilla’s Canadian roots were also celebrated as she visited the home of her great-great-great-great-grandfather in Ontario. The press, both in Canada and Britain, has been full of speculation as to whether Canada is about “over” the monarchy, and whether Charles will ever replace his mother on the Canadian currency, etc. Business as usual, it seems.
The royal visit has made me curious to look back at Canada’s...
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Last Updated on Monday, 16 November 2009 03:55 |
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The Jacobite Royal Lineage |
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Written by The Laird o'Thistle
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Friday, 15 January 2010 13:23 |
For all true Scots there is a grand occasion coming up, the annual celebration of the poet Robbie Burns whose 251st birthday is 25 January. Burns Nicht is a rather bizarre national occasion where we recite a poem to a liver pudding boiled in a sheep’s stomach (i.e. “The Haggis!”), take a dram or two of single malt whiskey, listen to bagpipe bands indoors, take another dram or two, and toast “The Immortal Memory” of a womanizing rascal whose Ayrshire dialect many of us can no longer quite bend our tongues around. We end the evening with arms intertwined chanting about taking (yet another) “right good willie-waught for auld lang syne!” It’s all great fun, actually. Where else will you see so many men’s men proudly decked...
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Last Updated on Sunday, 17 January 2010 08:20 |
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Will Shakespeare at Christmas Court |
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Written by The Laird o'Thistle
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Sunday, 20 December 2009 21:39 |
Some say that ever ‘gainst that season comes
Wherein our Savior’s birth is celebrated,
The bird of dawning singeth all night long.
And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad,
The nights are wholesome, then no planets strike,
No fairy takes nor witch hath power to charm,
So hallowed and so gracious is the time.
Hamlet, act I, scene I
It's a somewhat odd introduction to a scene featuring the visitation of a royal ghost, but the words certainly set up a good entre’ to a bit of royal history surrounding the Christmas holiday, and William Shakespeare's enduring "power to charm." The media of every age seem to have had to deal with planning for their Christmas presentations, whether Queen Elizabeth II's...
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 22 December 2009 04:17 |
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Written by The Laird o'Thistle
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Friday, 16 October 2009 17:57 |
Viewers of PBS (the Public Broadcasting Service) in the U.S. will be quite familiar with a longtime favorite program called “This Old House” in which designers and construction crews come in to renovate, upgrade, and restore old homes to current standards of comfort, convenience, and energy efficiency. It is quite an enjoyable program, even if it leaves one a bit envious at times. News reports in recent months suggest that Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and several other buildings of major importance to the Crown could qualify to be in the queue for a British equivalent of the show. The multi-million pound need for new roofs, new wiring, and other upgrades seem to have reached a critical mass requiring urgent attention, as is...
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Last Updated on Sunday, 18 October 2009 07:42 |
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