posted on Sep, 10 2015 @ 06:35 AM
It was mildly surprising that nobody bothered commenting on this story yesterday.
It may not be grand conspiracy or grand politics, but it should at least be general-chitchat worthy.
The Queen exceeded the reign (measured in days) of Queen Victoria, and so became the longest-reigning British monarch.
This is part of a very odd set of statistics which anyone knowing British history well can't help noticing;
Elizabeth I; 1558-1603 (44 years)
George III; 1760-1820 (59 years)
Victoria; 1837-1901 (63 years).
Elizabeth II; 1952-?
In other words, four of the last five centuries have had a long reign dominating the second half of the century.
Each reign extends beyond the end of the century.
And the reigns get longer as the series progresses.
If that trend continued, someone would inherit well before 2050 and reign for a good 70 years or so.
I do have one bone to pick with Her Maj., in the interests of the English language.
She was reigning while her mother (Elizabeth the Queen Mother) was still alive, for a good half century.
So she and her mother, between them, have been responsible for convincing at least three generations of Britons that the term "Queen Mother" means
"mother of the Queen".
As a result, while Princess Diana was alive, there were people (even the Times newspaper) coining the horrible neologism "King Mother" to describe
her future role.
Aargh! (Quietly beats head against the wall)
Look. If the lady formerly known as Kate Middleton (until she dropped her old surname on marriage) becomes King William's queen and then lives
on into the reign of her son, she will be
a) A Queen, retaining the honorary title
b) Mother of the reigning monarch.
Putting those two together, you get Queen Mother.
THAT is how the late Queen Elizabeth, nee Bowes-Lyon, became Queen Mother.
If Diana had become Charles' queen and lived into her own son's reign, she, too, would have become Queen Mother.
I suppose we must blame modern school history lessons and their apparent focus on lifestyles rather than names. Otherwise a quick survey of all the
royal ladies in history who have been known as "Queen Mother" would have cleared up the point.