Lucky Lizzie has left us.
Now, the pictures on some Canadian money gets to change.
Now, our official head of state is an organic farmer forced to marry someone he didn’t love who has dead ex wife an an estranged son.
I’m not a royal watcher and their impact on my life has been inescapable.
All of her life was governed by something much bigger than her. Her agency within her regency was dictated by long held customs and traditions. All of her behavior dictated by the role she was born into.
So the question seems simple: Did Lizzie surf?
A cursory search goes into great detail about Lizzie’s special relationship with the criminals in Oz. She even visited Bondi beach once shortly after her coronation.
Her uncle however?
Dirty Eddie, the divorcee diddler?
He LOVED surfing.
According to the British Museum of Surfing1, Edward Windsor, Prince of Wales, Surfed in Hawaii in the 1920's with the late great Duke Kahanamoku.
However, the future King Edward VIII was so stoked on surfing that he ordered the royal ship HMS Renown to return for 3 days in September just to surf! On this secret surf trip he hooked up with Duke’s brother David Kahanamoku, and along with his great friend Lord Louis Mountbatten, they went surfing every day. The photos were signed by the Edward and Louis as a thank you to their hosts.
Edward wasn’t king long. He found himself a dirty little secret. He hooked up with a divorcee! Oh the scandal! People were incensed! Eddie baby was dipping the royal quill in unclean ink!
The horror!
The shame!
The scandal.
Sixteen years after Eddie? After some of the worst conflict and chaos in history, Lizzie started her reign.
Surfing was out. Propriety was back. The rules were observed and order restored.
Nobility seems to be a pain in the ass.
Want more joy?
Find where in your personal ‘monarchy’ the rules are restrictive.
Abdicate.
Surf.
And love in a way that has a chance to satisfy your desire - even for a moment.
As for me?
I’m neither king nor queen.
I’m going surfing.2
I might even have a moment of silence.3
The Limeys love their museums quite a bit. I imagine that there’s a British Museum of Museums. This of course would open the way for a British Museum of Museums of Museums. Then of course the British Museum of Museums of Museums. This joke could be extended but the risks to the planet is too great. Also daunting is the risk of tisks of dismissal. I’ll stop.
The incredible irony here is that the Hawaiians called surfing the pursuit of kings. That kinda kills my take on this. And? I think that may be the point.
To honor moments of silence. Then I’ll have a moment of silence to honor moments of silence honoring moments of silence. It will be very pious. Almost Prius pious. And I will feel deep gratitude that Lizzie wore adult diapers so she could shake hands longer. I’m glad she did. The results would be a bit messy otherwise.
"Find where in your personal ‘monarchy’ the rules are restrictive.
Abdicate."
Having grown up in chaos, there were few rules except those linked to survival. We didn't have traditions or "airs" to put on.
I married a lover of traditions. Our children seem to have learned a reverence for them as well, especially those that are centered around food. Hmmm...I think they are all centered around food. My Italian heritage poking out to say hi.
My efforts to change up some traditions have not worked well. My elder child, having experienced something different and good, will declare it is a new tradition, typically to be ADDED to the existing ones. So, now I have created more of these expectations, not fewer.
Abdication has become increasingly complex.
My children will move into their own homes someday when home prices settle or the typical salary is 250k. The kingdom will get smaller and the King and I will make up new traditions willy nilly as our sphere of influence will be very tiny indeed.
PS I think the Queen had a tough job. Not one I would wish on a person. I think she did okay. I hope someday someone says that about me, "She had a tough job and she did okay." Hey you, if no one has said it lately, "You are doing okay, too".