If you happen to be in the Windsor area on Friday, it’s advisable to wear sunglasses. As part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the Queen is hosting a lunch for sovereign monarchs, and the assorted tiaras, gems and diamonds the size of gulls’ eggs may cause major sun glare problems near Junction 6 of the M4.
It’s the biggest gathering of monarchs – outside royal weddings and funerals – for a decade. The last time there was such a big reunion was 2002: once for the funeral of the Queen Mother and, again that year, at the Queen’s Golden Jubilee dinner for European sovereign monarchs.
Those European monarchs – who are also Knights of the Garter – get together occasionally at Garter services but, still, never in such numbers as on Friday. The crowned heads of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Spain will be among those there, joined by Emperor Akihito of Japan, though the Palace does not publish guest lists in advance. And the full cast of our own Royal family will be on hand to greet them, from the Duchess of Cambridge to Princess Alexandra.
To those of us gawping from the outside world, it will appear a tremendously formal event, but for the participants, it will be strangely relaxing. The only person a monarch really feels comfortable with is another monarch – perhaps even more so than with a member of their own family. The order of precedence among the British Royal family is set in stone, so the Prince of Wales must bow to his mother. But the Queen is on even-stevens terms with her fellow monarchs; they share equal precedence, so there is no worrying about who curtseys to whom.
It helps, too, that while the European monarchs are on kissing terms, most of them are also kissing cousins. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, for example, is the great-great granddaughter of Queen Victoria, making her our Queen’s third cousin, as well as the Duke of Edinburgh’s third cousin. The Duke is even third cousin to the Queen herself, which may be proof of the limited dating opportunities in royal circles. Read on and comment » | Harry Mount | Tuesday, May 15, 2012
