Royal Visit to the USA

[Bigkahuna]

OK the bets are on now! How many out there think the Prince will show up in a Kilt???? How many think he won't????? AND........ If he does wear a Kilt, what Tartan will it be????

[Chas]

I could be wrong, but as far as I know the Earl of Wessex has only ever worn the Balmoral (restricted) tartan.

Regards

Chas

[JSFMACLJR]

I could be wrong, but as far as I know the Earl of Wessex has only ever worn the Balmoral (restricted) tartan.

Regards

Chas

Well, he did wear a kilt of Royal Stuart to his sister's wedding, at which he was a page.

[Chas]

Well, he did wear a kilt of Royal Stuart to his sister's wedding, at which he was a page.

Sorry, my fault. I meant as an adult. Unlike his brother, the Duke of Rothsay, who has many kilts, I would not be surprised if the Earl of Wessex only had one kilt.

Regards

Chas

[Lallans]

I could be wrong, but as far as I know the Earl of Wessex has only ever worn the Balmoral (restricted) tartan.

Regards

Chas

I suspect that many people over here in the Americas don't know how strong the mystique of the Balmoral tartan is in some circles. This was brought home to me in a personal way when I was visiting an Ontario kiltmaker whose mother had been a hand weaver of the Balmoral tartan for the Royal Family. The kiltmaker told me tales about how no one not of royal blood was even supposed to own a piece and, I think once convinced I was not an agent for MI5 , brought out a swatch to show me in the same way that a medieval owner of a forbidden piece of a holy relic might have shown it to an admirer. I was NOT invited to touch the swatch by the way.

[Bigkahuna]

It's good to be the Earl!!

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

When, in the fullness of time, HRH Prince Philip is laid to rest, Prince Edward will become the next Duke of Edinburgh, at which time he will undoubtedly take a more active interest in all things Scottish. Including, no doubt, trout fishing.

[O'Callaghan]

Not sure how I missed this thread. I'm almost tempted to make the trek from Maryland to the Carolinas. Almost, but perhaps not quite.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Awards are not only available through the Scouts. I did mine through the Air Training Corps, which is a youth organisation that is part of the RAF. I think the Civil Air Patrol that you have here in the US may be somewhat similar, although I have no personal experience of the CAP.

We did our 'expedition' for the Gold Award in the Derbyshire Peaks, and got caught in a blizzard, even though it was Easter. We weren't carrying the required number of tents. Our CO cheated by carrying most of our tents in his car, when they were supposed to be carried by us. If your highnesses happen to be reading this, it wasn't our idea to put most of the tents in the car!

So, when the blizzard came down, we couldn't shelter as we were supposed to have done, as we only had a single 2-man tent between a dozen of us, and had to keep walking, using a compass for dead reckoning, as we couldn't see where we were going atall. Mind you, when actually faced with the prospect of erecting a tent in a blizzard, the idea seems hopeless anyway.

ETA: Not only that, but it's all bogs every few feet, which tend to suck you down, and when you can't see for the snow it's easy to step in one, which some did, so we had to pull them out.

We cut across to a road (eventually) and got a ride in the back of an open lorry (truck). I reckon I had hypothermia, and I certainly wasn't the only one, but the two eldest lads didn't seem to be as badly affected as the rest of us, and it was them who did the compass readings and the map reading. I don't think my mind stayed clear enough in that cold to do much but follow them out of there, so I'm not sure where I would have been without them.

ETA: It occurred to me that some will ask why we weren't dressed warmly enough, but it was a sunny spring day until it started snowing and the wind came up.

I received my Gold Award from Prince Phillip himself at Buckingham Palace. However, I think nowadays they are presented in local ceremonies by the Lord Lieutenant of the particular county (someone whose entire job appears to be performing ceremonies, and who dresses something like a police chief!).

I have told the following story in another thread, and probably other places too, but I can't resist it. When you go to Buckingham Palace as a guest you can bring a camera, but you can only take pictures when you are in the inner courtyard, where you are still out of doors, but you can't be seen by the public who are outside the gates. As a teenager, oh so long ago, I took my mother with me to the palace as my '***', i.e. the invitation allowed be to bring one other person. We had to enter by a side entrance, but we had to exit through the main gates in the front.

So, I walked out first, while mum dawdled behind on purpose, and then I was able to snap a picture of her standing on the parade ground in front of the palace through the open main gates, with no railings in between. A moment later, a coach ('tour bus' in American) full of Japanese tourists rolled up at the kerb, and they all jumped out and took pictures of my mum standing in front of Buckingham Palace! We still jest that they thought she was the Queen, LOL!

I would be half inclined to go to the games, as I doubt that there would be many other attendees at any US event who could wear the Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Award. OTOH, the likelihood of finding some way to meet Prince Edward would seem to be pretty slim.

As for the anti-royalty comments, I can understand, but as Jock says, there are different ways to express things. I can see the sense in abolishing the monarchy, even, but the present royals mean well, and do a lot of actual good, such as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme itself.

Although I'm a Londoner originally, I'm Irish on my mother's side, and I do mean Irish of the Southern, Catholic, Gaelic variety (otherwise I'd hardly be posting under this user name), so I can even genuinely sympathise with some anti-British comments, provided they come from groups that were actually oppressed by the British, such as the Irish, and unless they are directed at me personally!

[Bing]

When, in the fullness of time, HRH Prince Philip is laid to rest, Prince Edward will become the next Duke of Edinburgh, at which time he will undoubtedly take a more active interest in all things Scottish. Including, no doubt, trout fishing.

Although that is currently the announced plan, it is not by any means a given.

Prince Charles, as Prince Philip's eldest son, will inherit the title. When Charles becomes King the title Edinburgh will merge in the Crown. It will be up to Charles or his heir William to issue Letters Patent to create a second Duke of Edinburgh for Edward. The alternative is that Charles refuses and Edinburgh becomes one of the subsidiary titles of the Heir Apparent.

[McClef]

Yes, as like all Duchies, the title goes to the eldest male heir and Edward is lower in line of succession to the title than Charles and also Andrew and also of their male descendants.

It would not be a second creation of the title if it merged into the Crown when Charles becomes King but at least a fourth creation of the title if it were then to be bestowed upon Edward.

There are other, available, currently extinct Royal Duchies which could also be revived such as the Duchy of Clarence.

However given the fame and respect that the Duke of Edinburgh awards have achieved it is likely that this title would be the one that would be preserved before any other.