The Royal Wedding Discussion Thread

Also note the reason he is saluting.

The guards lining the street in the 3rd photo above, are giving what is known as the "Royal Salute"

Rifles held in front pointing upwards. and not at order or slope arms.

This IS a salute, not in the way WIlliam is saluting but, the way it is done to royalty when you're carrying arms,

ordinarily you would salute at slope with a hand across your chest rested on the butt of the rifle. However in this case this form is reserved for Generals and Royalty.

reply to post by moogins


It is protocol. I read up on that yesterday as I was quite curious about it.

Originally posted by die_another_day

Originally posted by WhatAreSpinkters

Originally posted by die_another_day
I hope they die in a fire.

You are one sick person .... Any other thoughts of evil hatred you wish to share and spread around ...

edit on 30/4/11 by WhatAreSpinkters because: (no reason given)

If by saying that makes me sick, what would you say about the more SERIOUS things going on around the world?

With regards to more serious things happening in the world ..
I would still say .. you are sick ... if what you wrote was your actual opinion, and not an off the cuff statement ...
And do not understand what the relevance is between you wishing the royal newly weds burn to death .. and more serious things happening in the world ...

Are you saying .. that since more serious things are happening in teh world, that a wee royal scorching to death shouldnt be viewed as sick ...

No .... i feel like im debating with a wee 14 year old boy here .. got better more logical debates to be having ...

Originally posted by WhatAreSpinkters

Originally posted by die_another_day

Originally posted by WhatAreSpinkters

Originally posted by die_another_day
I hope they die in a fire.

You are one sick person .... Any other thoughts of evil hatred you wish to share and spread around ...

edit on 30/4/11 by WhatAreSpinkters because: (no reason given)

If by saying that makes me sick, what would you say about the more SERIOUS things going on around the world?

With regards to more serious things happening in the world ..
I would still say .. you are sick ... if what you wrote was your actual opinion, and not an off the cuff statement ...
And do not understand what the relevance is between you wishing the royal newly weds burn to death .. and more serious things happening in the world ...

Are you saying .. that since more serious things are happening in teh world, that a wee royal scorching to death shouldnt be viewed as sick ...

No .... i feel like im debating with a wee 14 year old boy here .. got better more logical debates to be having ...

edit on 1/5/11 by WhatAreSpinkters because: (no reason given)

Ok,

Kim Jong-Il's son gets married to another woman. Essentially a prince getting married.

Would he get any of this attention from the West?


Getting a euphoric about all this crap is like a big slap in the face to revolutionaries from past and in the present.


I know people who thinks this is a bigger deal than their own children's marriage ceremony.


The thing is, you DON'T know how many messed up laws and ordinances the government passed during this period of distraction.

It's interesting how some Brits get so worked up when someone disses their monarchy. And I'm one of them. I was really, really rude to Budski the other day when he started his "stick the monarchy up your a**" thread. He deserved it too. And despite being fully conversant with the T&C's and being an otherwise respectable contributor, I had no fear of putting the guy down, no fear of the Mods either. Sorry, Budski.

I've been trying to rationalise why I defend the monarchy so much & why I get so upset when people criticise them. I just can't figure it out myself. It's not like I think it's an ideal constitutional system, heck if we were setting up a new country today I'd vote for a republic rather than a monarchy. And it's such a daft system, the office of Head of State being passed from Mother to Son. I can't justify it at all.

I've come to the conclusion that it's just a ridiculous British thing, we all know it's ridiculous, the Royals know it's ridiculous ... but for reasons unknown the monarchy just seems to work. And, well, I don't want the United Kingdom to be like other countries, we're special and this throwback to a feudal system is one way we can be special. I don't want the country to change THAT much, I like the comfortably familar so long as it doesn't cause me any problems. To coin a weird analogy, the monarchy is like my late Grandmother's cabinet which sits in my living room. It's old, it looks old, despite being polished a million times it still stinks of Grandad's pipe, it's way past being fashionable and serves no purpose of any kind whatever ... yet I just can't bear to part with it. It's been part of my life since, like, forever and ever.

I hope it never gets abolished, the monarchy, it'd break my heart.

reply to post by Niall197


I know what you mean. In republic countries their head of state is mutable. ours is fixed. and comes with gold braid and fanfares!

When things go wrong look bad, who do we turn to for leadership. our PM? the Home Secretary?

No

The Monarch. In our British minds, they are "the ideal" of steadfast Britishness to which we aspire. You will never have seen any general election have the same reaction on the country as the monarchy did the other day. plain and simple.

I put it one way to an Irishman.
"I took an oath at the age of 6 to honour "God and the Queen" although my oath to honour the former mayb not have endured, the latter certainly has.

I least I can see her from time to time!

Originally posted by searching4truth

Originally posted by McGinty
Odd thing, the bishop marrying them said to william, something about him being himself, followed by "...And you will set the world on fire."

That sure gave me the willies, but i'm sure it's innocent. Hope they have a happy marriage.

Have you never heard that expression before? I thought it was common.

No, never!

Guess i should get out more

reply to post by McGinty


Well...better watch out, when I graduated high school and college a ton of people either said that to me or wrote it in the cards they gave me. Oh no I hope I didn't out myself I'm supposed to stay quite and hidden until the fire and brimstone start to fall. Oh well.

Originally posted by JakiusFogg
reply to post by wcitizen

 

Not to mention that the British Monarchy is not just King / Queen of the United Kingdom, but also of the commonwealth. including the likes of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Belize, Bermuda etc etc etc.

That's why it gets so much international coverage.

Exactly.

Originally posted by JakiusFogg
Regarding the Salute.

William was wearing full dress uniform and most importantly his regimental badge. Unlike the American military who salute willy nilly, for anything. The British armed forces salute ONLY when wearing the regimental badge.

Therefore as an officer, in this case a Colonel of the Irish Guards, When saluted by a lower rank, (and wearing his cap) he HAS to return salute. it is not Royal protocol, but British Military custom.

Had he not been wearing his badge, he would simply sit at attention, in return to a proffered salute.

By the way. the salute originated from helmed knights as a form of recognition. If they lifted the visor it was to denote a friend. If they lowered it. You were in for a fight. this had progressed into pointing out the regiment of the wearer, i.e. friend recognition. (something the Americans has still yet to learn about

)

Catherine Duchess of Cambridge on the other hand is not wearing military uniform, and therefore cannot salute. so a bowed head is the accepted form or returning compliment to whomsoever is offering it.

It's called respect.

edit on 1/5/2011 by JakiusFogg because: (no reason given)

Thanks so much for the in depth explanation!