Even the Queen has dollface moments

Poor dog is shocked... it didn't know dinosaurs still walked on earth.

She really looks like the old widowed Queen now.

(just an observation - not a criticism)

I wish I had a dorgi.

I like hearing her speak. Her accent fascinates me. I read once that she had to have elocution lessons when she began appearing in public because the public couldn't understand her rarified accent.

What kind of dog is that?

Not her usual Corgi, that's for sure.

She looks ancient here. I'm sure the government is white knuckling it all the way through this expensive ceremony making sure she doesn't croak before it's over. Age is natural and her time will come, but man do I not envy her position right now. At least she gets to stay stimulated by her job.

R5, it's a dachshund/corgi mix.

Does anyone ever notice when seeing these short clips of the palaces or castle that the rooms always look very cluttered, outdated, too much random furniture pieces about? Sometimes they look outright shabby

Coming up on the 70th anniversary of George VI's death (6 Feb). He died aged 56. His daugher could live 40 years longer than that.

r8 this is the palace after it was toned down from the Victorian era. BP and Windsor have so many victorian touches that play off so gaudy. Actually it's even more gaudy than some Baroque palaces I've seen. Like the Victorians were going for that gilded fake opulence. BP's rooms must have been designed by a 19th Century Candy Spelling. Just horrible all around.

That aside, it really annoys me that the Queen's grandchildren don't spend much time in BP. I'd love to just wander around there seeing every single room in the palace. But the family doesn't seem even a bit curious about the draft old pile of bricks.

Banquet hall, hideous.

A formal exit would be backwards, OP. You don’t show the Queen your behind.

The ceilings are uniquly hideous. Yet so many English country houses have impeccable balance and style. King Edward VII spent too much damn time abroad in hotels. He took the worst aspects and applied it to his BP upgrades. Hence the white, gold, and red. Madness.

R12 The whole combination is hideous. Have interior designers or anyone with any taste been on a 200-year-long nationwide strike? (I will not even begin to criticize the outfit of the lady standing left to the queen. Her footwear is only one degree away from socks and sandals.)

[quote]Does anyone ever notice when seeing these short clips of the palaces or castle that the rooms always look very cluttered, outdated, too much random furniture pieces about? Sometimes they look outright shabby

They did an expose of the private apartments at Buckingham Palace and yes they did look a bit shabby and dated. Americans don't get that. British upper classes in general don't like everything new and crisp. Same with their clothes and cars.

[quote]A formal exit would be backwards, OP. You don’t show the Queen your behind.

Of course you're absolutely right.

What's that horrid painting of the Queen on the right? Sent in by a fan?

Thanks for the explanations on the decor and condition of the palaces/castles. Since Buckingham Palace is the official residence, seems like there would be an effort to modernize things. Not necessarily for the Royal Family but because it represents their people and country. Perhaps even a public/private partnership foundation established to remodel the entire place over the next 20 years, maybe creating a new modern form of royal formality or grandeur. Of course, if they lose their shit over there over the idiot Prime Minister having drinks and cake at his house during COVID, they'd definitely revolt over something like that.

I think that dog may be her last dog - and she said it wasn't right at her age to have any more - or did the story go that someone gave her a new one anyway. Maybe it's that dog.

I wonder who toilet trains her dogs? Surely she doesn't. Shoving it into the gardens to take a piss first thing every morning. Picking up their shit in a doggie bag.

I think they'll do a major reno of BP after the Queen dies and it will become a museum open to the public and sometimes used on state occasions. Charles is unlikely to leave Clarence House, his beloved home of many years, at this point in his life.

It won’t be a stretch to turn Buck House into a museum. From all that I’ve read the whole family has hated it, going back generations.

The BRF has never liked Buckingham Palace. Even the first monarch to live there, Queen Victoria, hated it.

[quote] think they'll do a major reno of BP after the Queen dies and it will become a museum open to the public and sometimes used on state occasions.

That would be fantastic

If they opened the doors to the Queen's apartments it would be like Anne Frank's house - there will be queues to look in and see forever.

& those fantastic gardens in the middle of London could become a public park.

It is gaudy @R12

[quote]The BRF has never liked Buckingham Palace. Even the first monarch to live there, Queen Victoria, hated it.

Yet the queen was horrified when it was suggested she should vacate.

It is an incredible power house - this vast palace in the middle of the city. They'd lose status by dropping it.

Kensington Palace is also VERY impressive.

Clarence House is very low key down a side street.

Yes, R24 - The Mall is a side street.

The stupidity on these threads is astounding.

[quote]Yes, [R24] - The Mall is a side street.

Mary honey , the entrance is down a side street - only the back looks onto the mall.

I've actually been inside.

It is very low key.

[quote]The stupidity on these threads is astounding

fuck off, quite frankly.

[quote] I like hearing her speak. Her accent fascinates me. I read once that she had to have elocution lessons when she began appearing in public because the public couldn't understand her rarified accent.

I know this is an anonymous posting site, but even still, aren’t you embarrassed to have posted that, R4?

No prob R26

You got me wrong I couldn't be more down to earth. Second time you've fired a blank.

[quote] "Does anyone ever notice when seeing these short clips of the palaces or castle that the rooms always look very cluttered, outdated, too much random furniture pieces about? Sometimes they look outright shabby"

Have you seen photos of Princess Anne's private living quarters, R8? It just looks like it smells, and that visitors would probably come out covered in dust, pet dander and hair (does she have dogs or cats?).

Yikes. I forgot to post the link.

Charles & Camilla's place on the other hand looks rather chic and contemporary

She’s lost a lot of weight since her health scare. Maybe they should have planned the Jubilee celebration for a little closer to the anniversary, given her age…

Tatler took shots at Kate Middleton for not wanting to live in the traditional upper crust style full of cluttered rooms, mantels piled with bric a brac, and old furniture, saying she had hotel taste (as an insult). bibleofbritishtaste is a good Instagram account to follow for a view into the traditional style.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

The legs of this armchair have certainly seen better days. Are the Corgys chewing on them?

I don't think BP is that awful. It's pretty much what I would expect of a palace.

The public parts of the White House are that kind of shabby - and the hallways near the West Wing are even crappier looking. I’m guessing Buckingham Palace has a rodent problem just like the WH does.

R18, the press reported that Andrew bought his mother two new dogs after Philip died, presumably as a way of keeping in her good books.

Andrew bought the Queen a puppy but it died unexpectedly just a few months old, so he bought her another one.

r32 I have to hand it to Charles, he has good taste. No matter what people may think of him personally, we have to admit that his Highgrove garden's are amazing. Who wouldn't want to have tea outside before wandering in that tranquility.

Here is a virtual tour.

His decorating style can be a tad bland and unimaginative. So I supposed his strong suit is exteriors.

R14, that's true of old money in the US as well.

I wonder why she now has those mutts? - that is what they are - let's be honest. Maybe regular Corgis are too much of a handful for the old gurl.

When she retires does she become Queen Mother?

Yes, I guess so.

Neither breed cleans its ass.

They're worse than your slightly retarded cousin Beth Anne -scooting around on the carpet, eyes growing large whenever they see sculptured or shag....

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

[quote] Neither breed cleans its ass.

The dogs or the BRF?

Giving the Prince of Wales Windsor Castle is rather interesting. My main question is what becomes of Clarence House? Will William and Kate make that their London residence? Is this the new normal or just happening because Charles is already old as shit?

[quote] Thanks for the explanations on the decor and condition of the palaces/castles. Since Buckingham Palace is the official residence, seems like there would be an effort to modernize things. Not necessarily for the Royal Family but because it represents their people and country. Perhaps even a public/private partnership foundation established to remodel the entire place over the next 20 years, maybe creating a new modern form of royal formality or grandeur. Of course, if they lose their shit over there over the idiot Prime Minister having drinks and cake at his house during COVID, they'd definitely revolt over something like that.

Buckingham Palace is undergoing a full renovation at the moment, aimed at renewing the electrics which were last updated in the 1950s. The full cost is estimated at between £350 and £400 million, and will take nearly a decade. The renovations are one of the reasons why The Queen hasn’t been residing there over the past few years. All of the Royals have moved out.

The palace is a bit gaudy by modern standards but it is fairly reflective of the age it was built in: a mixture of the rococo style which British aristocracy still believed to be in fashion, and the much more restrained Georgian style. It’s a palace though -not a hotel - so I doubt any renovation will mess with the colour scheme.

The same arguments are occurring about the renovations of Westminster (cost estimated at £1 billion). Some have argued for an up-to-date chamber, with electronic voting and sufficient seating for all MPs, but I bet they don’t get it. Even the bombing of The House of Commons during WW2 didn’t lead to modernisation. The place was rebuilt along the original lines.

[quote]All of the Royals have moved out.

Wonder where Anne has gone.

Remember when she moved into that block of flats (apartment building) in Victoria? That lasted about a week. She LOATHED it and it was back to Buck House PRONTO.

OMG - the flat was HORRID.

It’s puzzling to me why we’re getting this stream of news about things that will happen once the Queen has died, during what should be a celebration of her life, not Charles’s real estate decisions.

Why the heck did Anne even move into such a palace? Was St. James Palace going under renovations? Buckingham Palace has tons of rooms. Who in their right mind would choose a sad apartment over a wing in Buckingham Palace? Rent free, mind you!

[quote] He took the worst aspects and applied it to his BP upgrades. Hence the white, gold, and red. Madness.

I know I'm out of current fashion but I love that room and such a combination, unless you over do the gold like Trump.

I love that their private quarters seems to be cluttered and normal.

R55 I'd say that Anne has earned her rent free status, unlike some others.

[quote] When she retires does she become Queen Mother?

Retire?

HM will never retire, she will cease to be Queen when she passes from this mortal coil. The abdication was a major family trauma during her formative years, she will never do the one thing I'm sure her family instilled in her not to do. Also, it is well known that she takes her position as a Christian and Defender of the Faith very seriously. To her, her coronation vows are binding. They are between herself, her subjects, and her God. Why would she want to violate her vows, this close to death?

Also, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, was a Dowager Queen, which is what you call a widowed Queen Consort. She chose to be styled as The Queen Mother because just being called Queen Elizabeth, as she was entitled, would have caused confusion with her daughter. There is no style or title for a former Queen regent because there has never been one. Also, the style Queen Mother would not be appropriate for all people who could be in a same or similar circumstance. If Camilla outlives Charles, she wouldn't be known as the Queen Mother, because while she would be a Queen she would not be the monarch's mother. If Diana had lived she would be William's mother, but not a Queen.