Join the most popular community of UK swingers now
Login

great to be british

last reply
15 replies
1.3k views
0 watchers
0 likes
what a wonderful day it has been :thumbup:
just got back from a very long day in london to see the flotilla, for what was a celebration of the queens diamond jubilee. what a glorious spectacle and the feel good factor was the biggest high of all. everyone was in such a fantastic mood.
days like today come along once in a lifetime and it makes me think how lucky i am to live in such a great city. today was the start of a fantastic few days of celebration of our queen being on the throne for 60 years. a wonderful ambassador for this great country of are also heading into london for tuesdays celebrations where everything that is great about britain will be on display. whatever anyone says i beleeve that this is the greatest country in the world, and we also have the greatest capital in the world. oh and the greatest head of state in the world.
60 years is a wonderful achievement, and may she reign for many more. :thumbup:
congratulations your maj :thumbup:
Yup - Totally agree with you Star some great sites on TV and what a credit toour nation :thumbup: God bless the Queen
Despite my staunch anti-aristocratic Republican tendencies and antipathy for The Monarchy ( capital T, capital M. ) I have to have respect for the woman ( small t, small w. ). I think she's probably been a force for good on the whole, genuinely driven by a feeling of service, and 60 years of it is some achievement. I like that there's an excuse for communities that might not otherwise have done so to try and get together around a common purpose for a bit cos there's not enough of that these days. Four days of it is a bit much though innit?
I was happy with the extra day's bank holiday, quite enough for me. Half-way through The Times I was today before I found an actual news article and that's meant to be a quality newspaper. Bet you could hardly carry The Express home in a wheelbarrow and it's only day two FFS!
We, like many others in Ireland watched the pageant on BBC1. What a great tribute.
I'm enjoying have an extra day off work smile
Happy as a 'little sand boy' as so far successfully avoided flotillas, street parties, concerts, etc.
Quote by HnS
Happy as a 'little sand boy' as so far successfully avoided flotillas, street parties, concerts, etc.

well you are either abroad or have not left your house or, are not british.
such a shame.:notes:
Quote by starlightcouple
Happy as a 'little sand boy' as so far successfully avoided flotillas, street parties, concerts, etc.

well you are either abroad or have not left your house or, are not british.
such a shame.:notes:
au contrare Star,
not abroad, definately left the house as a couple of hundred could witness last night and last time checked passport, birth certificate, etc. definately British. Just not a Royalist.
Granted it's only been the House of Windsor since 1917 when George V changed the name of the royal house from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. This decision was primarily taken because Britain and her Empire were at war with Germany and given the British Royal Family's strong German ancestry, it was felt that its public image could be improved by choosing a more British house name. The new name chosen, Windsor, had absolutely no connection other than as the name of the castle which was and continues to be a royal residence.
At the same time this happened in Belgium as the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is a German dynasty, the line of the Saxon House of Wettin that ruled the Ernestine duchies, including the duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha starting with Ernest I in 1826.
Ernest I's younger son, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, became Prince Consort to Queen Victoria, Ernest's niece through his sister Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. As a consequence of their marriage, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha became the dynasty of the British Royal Family from the accession of Edward VII in 1901
By the way Ernst's nephew Ferdinand married Queen Maria II of Portugal, and his descendants continued to rule Portugal until that country became a republic in 1910.
:notes:
:laughabove:
Well put HnS
I am about 10 times more British than the current Royal Family. How do I know? My paternal family arrived with William 1 - AD 1066. My maternal family arrived with the Vikings - AD 700. That is 38 and 50 geerations respectively (using standard 25 years = 1 generation). Let's average that to 44. The current RF have been 'British' for about 4 generations. A quick division of the numbers gets me to 40 generations ahead of HM & Co.
So, if you don't mind, I won't be making so much of the newcomers. lol
The last British monarch not born in Britain was George II born in 1701. I think there's been 6 generations to our current Queen. It only takes 24 generations to get back to that wannabe Frenchman, William the conquerer.
I used to be the manager of a retail outlet in the west end of London. I totally appreciate the money in tourism that the royal family bring to the country. And having an extra day off is good too. Do I feel especially proud to be British today? dunno Not really.
Queen victoria married a Saxon Duke from the germanic regions, but not Germany. Germany has only existed as a unified country since 1871. it would be more correct to call him Prussian.
Prince Alberts correct personal name was Wettin. Considering there was no such institution as deed poll then I guess he just continued to use the title of saxe coburg and why not? As far as I am aware there is no law in this country, no or then, that states your child has to have the same surname as you were born with? (Standing by to be corrected though).
It is perhaps noteworthy to mention that the closest modern version of native 'british' people are the Welsh. The Celtic tribes were driven out of England by the Romans, who subsequently withdrew, but left behind 400 years of breeding. Roman soldiers were recruited from all across the Empire so may not necessarily have been Roman. It is known that troops served and settled here from modern day Spain, Portugal, Germany, France, and Italy. When they withdrew Britain became invaded by the Anglo Saxons, a germanic tribe from the north of modern day Germany. Then came the Normans, from part of modern day france. No-one else has successfully invaded the UK mainland since 1066. However we as a collective nation have spread out around the globe spreading our gene pool and brining in others from all corners of the world. The Royal family may well have changed there surname, but so what? So have many millions of others in this country.
It is my opinion not to judge people from a time and lifestyle we do not necessarily fully understand. Todays borders and countries do not match those that were present 170 years ago and its all too simple to label someone based on a loose understanding of the facts.
But if anyone wants to label me then please feel free to use the label English.
:doh:
should have known better really i suppose.
still for many millions of peeple it was four days of wonderful celebration of everything that is british. i am aware a few dont like the monarchy, thats fine to. but it created a feel good factor for most and how we needed to feel good as a country at the moment.
the concert was a fantastic array of music that i thought would have suited everyone. from past to present. gary barlow did a wonderful job and the peeple behind the scenes as always are the unsung heroes. how they did that to the front of buckingham palace when madness came on was amazing.
yes the weather also was typically british but that certainly did not take anything away from what was a most glorious enjoyable four days.. i am glad to say that me and mrs star were there for 2 out of the 4 days and yes we got soaked, and all night down the mall was inspiring. the queen as always signifies what britain stands for and i look forward to the celebrations for her 90th birthday. :thumbup:
it proved to many peeple that the monarchy are as popular as they ever were, and that the monarchy is in safe hands with the young royals taking a front seat through the celebrations. the mood of the peeple at the celebrations could not be beaten anywhere else in the world, and i think we spoke to peeple from so many countries that had come over to the uk just for the celebrations. this morning as i headed back into work both me and mrs star were still up there with the clouds. back to the reality now of making a few pounds to try and pay the bills every month,,,,it was superb whilst it lasted/
Not exactly a royalist.....but I do think the queen has been a stablising force through many rough times. I think they ( the royals ) have made a few mistakes along the way, but have learned from them, and I do think with William and harry..they have a well balanced bright future.
I do have to say, I don't think anyone quite does a big celebration with pomp quite like the British and I did enjoy seeing all the festivities. It helped bring people and communities together, and give a little light relief, from what sometimes seems nothing but bad news on the telly.
Quote by HnS
Happy as a 'little sand boy' as so far successfully avoided flotillas, street parties, concerts, etc.

Missed it all as well :thumbup:
Dave_Notts