The Diamond Jubilee Armed Forces Parade and Muster, Windsor: May 19, 2012


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Watching it on BBC I player and the one thing that's annoying me is Fiona Bruce's commentary on the Queen's parade down to the arena. I wanted to listen to the crowd not her repeating information.
 
I am almost finished watching it, but I have to say I felt a bit awkward when General Sir David Richards was speaking and he mentioned all of the Queen's members of the family who had served and they obviously did not mention Edward as he has not done it. As he listed The Prince of Wales, The Duke of York, The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, I sort of thought Edward must feel a bit awkward. I know he chose to drop out, which is fair play to him as he knew it was not for him and he did not want to carry on just because it was "tradition" (and he got away with it being the youngest), I still feel he must feel a bit odd at times like that.

Having said that, I like the uniform he was wearing today! Odd question, but I noticed Prince Michael and The Duke of Gloucester wearing uniforms; have they ever served or are they similar to Edward's ie. honorary appointments.
 
Molly2101 said:
I am almost finished watching it, but I have to say I felt a bit awkward when General Sir David Richards was speaking and he mentioned all of the Queen's members of the family who had served and they obviously did not mention Edward as he has not done it. As he listed The Prince of Wales, The Duke of York, The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, I sort of thought Edward must feel a bit awkward. I know he chose to drop out, which is fair play to him as he knew it was not for him and he did not want to carry on just because it was "tradition" (and he got away with it being the youngest), I still feel he must feel a bit odd at times like that.

Having said that, I like the uniform he was wearing today! Odd question, but I noticed Prince Michael and The Duke of Gloucester wearing uniforms; have they ever served or are they similar to Edward's ie. honorary appointments.

Both hold honorary appointments and never served. Anne was also wearing a uniform today, one she technically did not "earn". Like her brother Edward, but people forget that because she is either Anne or they see that she is a woman. The armed forces are very difficult and you have to be a certain type of man to hold out, Edward unlike his brothers is a very different character.

Love the diamond jubilee fanfare and the anthem to the Queen btw, simply beautiful.
 
Having said that, I like the uniform he was wearing today! Odd question, but I noticed Prince Michael and The Duke of Gloucester wearing uniforms; have they ever served or are they similar to Edward's ie. honorary appointments.

Prince Michael was in the army for 20 years. The Duke of Gloucester never served.
 
Both hold honorary appointments and never served.
While it is true Prince Richard didn't serve, Prince Michael very much did.
He graduated Sandhurst and saw active service in Germany, Cyprus and Hong King, before retiring from the Army in 1981, with the rank of Major. Her Majesty gave Prince Michael his first honouorary position more than a decade later; in 1994, Prince Michael was made Honorary Commodore (now Rear Admiral) of the Royal Naval Reserve.
 
Both hold honorary appointments and never served. Anne was also wearing a uniform today, one she technically did not "earn". Like her brother Edward, but people forget that because she is either Anne or they see that she is a woman. The armed forces are very difficult and you have to be a certain type of man to hold out, Edward unlike his brothers is a very different character.

Love the diamond jubilee fanfare and the anthem to the Queen btw, simply beautiful.

It really bothers me when people give Edward such stick for wearing a uniform, yet they never argue over Anne riding on horseback for Trooping the Colour, even though she never served. Edward did not even wear military wear for his marriage (which I thought was much more romantic), yet nothing is ever said over Anne wearing a uniform every year for Trooping the Colour. Edward is unlike his brothers in that he knew the army lifestyle was not for him, though I believe a lot of that was due to him being the youngest and the rules were much more lax for him. Always have been and likely always will be, right down to the fact he did not have to make his marriage a state occasion, nor did he have to marry the first woman he met.

Thank you for the information of the Duke of Gloucester. I was aware that his son had served, but was unsure of Richard himself.
 
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I don't disagree, Molly, but I just think that for male royals especially, a period of military service is now the least that the public expects from them. It's the clearest way to serve the nation, to be willing to spend several years in full time employment, often in uncomfortable and challenging surroundings getting yelled at by superiors. It also justifies the honorary appointments because it means you can look your fellow service personnel in the eyes and understand something of what they're going through.

I don't begrudge Edward a uniform, but if he chose to refuse to wear one because he hadn't earned it, I think a lot of people would respect him more.

With females it's different, although it probably shouldn't be. I think Anne has a reputation of being a tremendously hard working royal and that's what comes to mind when people see her.
 
The Kent brothers were not mentioned in the speech today but I am sure Her Majesty, the Duke and Prince Michael, are well used to this. Edward and Michael both graduated from Sandhurst and were professional soldiers for over 20 years with Prince Michael earning a U.N. peacekeeping medal for his work in Cypress following the Turkish invasion of the north which was not without considerable risk. Similarily their army careers were cut short in the 1970's as neither were allowed to serve in Northern Ireland which was an essential requirement in those days for promotion. Like most on this forum I have no problem with the Queen bestowing honorary military appointments on those who have actually served but people like the Duke of Gloucester and Prince Edward are totally ridiculous.
 
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The fly past was certainly a sight to behold. Definitely my favorite part of the festivities. I do love the expression on the face of the Countess of Wessex when she's looking at her mother-in-law and monarch. There's lots of reverence and respect, and one can see that these two ladies have a mutual affection for one another. I did love seeing the royals taking pictures of the events. It's always nice to have something like that in one's family photo albums. After all, one doesn't celebrate a Diamond Jubilee all that often.

The Queen of Swaziland definitely had us talking. Her sense of style is surely very...unique :ermm: :whistling:.
 
Wonderful tribute to HM. But I wonder what fashion magazines and designers the Queen of Swaziland is consulting for her Sesame Street Big Bird look????
 
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While it is true Prince Richard didn't serve, Prince Michael very much did.
He graduated Sandhurst and saw active service in Germany, Cyprus and Hong King, before retiring from the Army in 1981, with the rank of Major. Her Majesty gave Prince Michael his first honouorary position more than a decade later; in 1994, Prince Michael was made Honorary Commodore (now Rear Admiral) of the Royal Naval Reserve.

Information straight off his website perhaps? ;) My info came from wiki.
 
:previous:
Nice to see that someone was to represent Dutch RF at the parade :flowers:
Here is the picture from the blog
http://www.princeradublog.ro/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/64.jpg
:previous:
Not just Prince of Orange but also and Princess Maxima attend the military parade :)
Picture thanks to Prince Radu's Facebook page :flowers:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/576439_3265019945405_1256812021_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.ne...020945430_1264466066_49760296_116499674_n.jpg
 
The Duke of Kent was sitting behind Prince Philipp, how old is she ? We never see the Duchess of Kent anymore ?
 
Sashes :
Prince Philip , Princess Royal , the Dukes of York and Kent are the only wearing British highest decoration : the Order of the Garter.
Prince Edouard, Prince Michel of Kent, the Duke of Gloucester are wearing minor Orders ?
Princess Royal’s husband is wearing no sash ?
 
Information straight off his website perhaps? ;) My info came from wiki.
I didn't even know he had a website. :D
My information came from Wikipedia as well:
Educated at Sunningdale School and Eton College, Prince Michael entered the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, in January 1961, where he was commissioned into the 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own), in 1963. He saw service in Germany, Hong Kong, and Cyprus, where his squadron formed part of the UN peacekeeping force of 1971. Subsequent tours of duty, during a military career that spanned twenty years, included a number of appointments on the Defence Intelligence Staff. He retired from the Army, with the rank of Major, in 1981. In 1994, Prince Michael was made Honorary Commodore (now Honorary Rear Admiral) of the Royal Naval Reserve, and in 2002 he was made Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Benson. In 2009, he was appointed Honorary Regimental Colonel of theHonourable Artillery Company. He is also colonel-in-chief of the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment in Canada.

:previous:
Not just Prince of Orange but also and Princess Maxima attend the military parade :)
Picture thanks to Prince Radu's Facebook page :flowers:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/576439_3265019945405_1256812021_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.ne...020945430_1264466066_49760296_116499674_n.jpg

Thanks for the pictures, MagMil!
I had no idea the Princes of Orange attended the parade. Wonder how many other royals were there that we have no idea of.
 
Does anyone know why the Cambridges, Harry, and the York Princesses didn't attend the Parade? I'm especially curious about Harry since he is an active member of the military.
 
Does anyone know why the Cambridges, Harry, and the York Princesses didn't attend the Parade? I'm especially curious about Harry since he is an active member of the military.

It's possible that William and Harry were at work. They're going to need a bit of time off for the main Jubilee weekend, so maybe they have to get as many shifts in as possible before then?

I also think William and Kate are being quite careful in ensuring that their presence doesn't overshadow the Queen, which pretty much always happens when they're at a RF event. All the press were really talking about after the sovereigns' lunch was Kate.

There are plenty of events coming up where the whole family will be together.
 
The Romanian Royal Family at Diamond Jubilee Armed Forces Parade at Windsor:


Familia Regal
 
Does anyone know why the Cambridges, Harry, and the York Princesses didn't attend the Parade? I'm especially curious about Harry since he is an active member of the military.

I was also wondering regarding hte PoW and the DoC - all of the other children and spouses of HM have been present?
 
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Sashes :
Prince Philip , Princess Royal , the Dukes of York and Kent are the only wearing British highest decoration : the Order of the Garter.
Prince Edouard, Prince Michel of Kent, the Duke of Gloucester are wearing minor Orders ?
Princess Royal’s husband is wearing no sash ?

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, wears the Sash of the Order of the Garter, the Star of the Garter, the Star of the Royal Victorian Order, and the Star of the Order of St. Michael and St. George.

Prince Michael of Kent wears the Sash and Star of the Royal Victorian Order.

The Duke of Gloucester wears the Sash of the Order of the Garter, the Star of the Garter, the Star of the Royal Victorian Order, and the Star of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.

The Princess Royal's husband wears only the Star of a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. He does not wear a Sash because he has not been awarded the Knight Grand Cross.
 
Thanks mybags what a difference between the 2 Kent Brothers
The Duke of Kent wears the highest decorations such as the Prince of Wales ?
 
Thanks mybags what a difference between the 2 Kent Brothers
The Duke of Kent wears the highest decorations such as the Prince of Wales ?

Not entirely sure what you are asking but yes both the Duke of Kent and the Prince of Wales are Knights of the Garter. The Duke is also GCMG (and Grand Master of the order) and GCVO, but the PoW does not have those orders. The PoW is KT and GCB (and Grand Master of that order).
 
I was also wondering regarding hte PoW and the DoC - all of the other children and spouses of HM have been present?

I believe the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were on their way to Canada for the jubilee trip, that's why they were not there.
 
The fly past was certainly a sight to behold. Definitely my favorite part of the festivities. I do love the expression on the face of the Countess of Wessex when she's looking at her mother-in-law and monarch. There's lots of reverence and respect, and one can see that these two ladies have a mutual affection for one another. I did love seeing the royals taking pictures of the events. It's always nice to have something like that in one's family photo albums. After all, one doesn't celebrate a Diamond Jubilee all that often.

The Queen of Swaziland definitely had us talking. Her sense of style is surely very...unique :ermm: :whistling:.

I agree with you regarding Sophie and the Queen, loved those photos. Sophie's smile to the Queen was beautiful, she has such respect for her. Someone said that the reason Sophie gets on well with the Queen is because she respects her first as the Queen, then as a mother-in-law. The images remind me of when the Queen lifted Lady Louise's hat at the Windsor Horse Show. Such cute images. Sophie definitely got lucky having a daughter who looks just like the Queen!

After looking at more images I noticed what Queen Margrethe was wearing on her head and I feel she and Sophie bonded.

Satelite Dishes R Us
 
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