Windsor Castle: Royal Guard playing theme from "Band of Brothers"

[hlthe2b]

awaiting the dufus' arrival.

That has me in tears.... Of course most won't "get it", certainly not Trump. The Queen on the other hand, most certainly will. No matter what one thinks of the monarchy, she epitomizes history and did her duty in WWII.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Spanky is keeping that old lady standing around for an awfully long time.

[C_U_L8R]

2. Where is the orange doofus.

How rude to be late and leave the queen standing there. What an asshole. So embarrassing.

[sdfernando]

4. You DO NOT leave the Queen waiting

It just isn’t done!

What a putrid ass he isn

[DemKittyNC]

3. Maybe Rump is waiting for

the Rosenstein announcement so see how much more shit he is in, lmao.

[virgogal]

5. What won't Trump "get"?

I get it,you get it,and you said the Queen gets it----so I assume most people will recognize it as a beautiful piece of music written for a show about WWII-----Kamen was a genius.

[braddy]

6. That doing her duty thing was a charade during the last 6 weeks of the war as the war with Germany

was over, she spent every night during that charade sleeping in Windsor castle.

During her 6 or 7 weeks of service she went in as a Lieutenant and rose to the rank of Captain.

[hlthe2b]

7. She's the only head of state to have served in WWII. This from our own military.com

who surely have no reason to "whitewash". I'm equivocal on the monarchy at best, but I do respect her for this (as well as her own Mother's decision to stay in London during the bombings). There may be plenty to criticize her for during her life, but this is surely not the one I'd pick.

https://www.military.com/undertheradar/2018/01/26/queen-elizabeth-iis-time-wwii-makes-her-most-hardcore-head-state.html

The British monarchy has a long tradition of military service, but there has only been one woman from the British royal family to ever serve in the Armed Forces, and she’s the only head of state to have served in World War II.

When WWII ravaged Europe, nearly everyone stood up to defend their homeland. Men, women, farmers, and businessmen did their duty alike. This includes then-Princess Elizabeth. Like her father, who served in WWI, she enlisted on her 18th birthday despite being in the line of succession for the throne and her father’s reluctance.

Princess Elizabeth enrolled in the Women’s Auxilary Territorial Service (ATS), similar to the American Women’s Army Corps, where many women actively served in highly valuable support roles. Responsibilities of the ATS included serving as radio operators, anti-aircraft gunners and spotlight operators, and, her occupation, as mechanics and drivers.

It wasn’t a lavish position, but despite the grit and grime, she didn’t symbolically change a single tire and call herself a mechanic. She took her duties very seriously and she was spectacular. She took great pride in her work and loved every moment of it. Collier’s Magazine wrote at the time that “one of her major joys was to get dirt under her nails and grease stains on her hands, and display these signs of labor to her friends.”

She learned to drive every vehicle she worked on, which includes the Tilly light truck and ambulances. On VE Day, The Princess Elizabeth slipped away with her sister to cheer with the crowds. The war was finally over and no one recognized the Princesses as they walked through the crowds incognito.

[rsdsharp]

8. I think it's more accurate to say she's the only "current" head of state to serve in WWII.

Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson all served in WWII, as did de Gaulle.

[hlthe2b]

9. as did GHWBush, but "current" is implied by the article where it appears.

[braddy]

10. Her 6 or 7 weeks after Germany was broken and her 3 week special Princess course that she took

those 6 weeks as she rose from Lieutenant to Captain was technically service during WWII, but she spent every one of those nights in her Windsor castle and that was it, she was never actually a mechanic as the myth goes, it was all a charade.


"She was enlisted as 230873 Second Subaltern Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the ATS, [March, 1945] and sent to train as a transport officer at Camberley. The course was three weeks and Princess Elizabeth did not associate too closely with her fellow trainees.

She lunched in the officers' mess and slept the night at Windsor.

Despite her kid-glove treatment, Princess Elizabeth greatly appreciated her spell in the ATS, believing it gave her a confidence she had previously lacked

The war in Europe was now drawing to a close and on May 8, 1945, the two princesses were allowed out of the Palace with their Guards officer friends to mingle with the crowds in the Mall and join in the shouts of "We want the King"

She was also, on her 16th birthday, appointed Colonel of the Grenadier Guards. The training battalion of the Grenadiers was stationed at Windsor Castle during the war as a close protection force and the young officers became the princesses' first escorts, whom they called their "flirts". They included Hugh Euston, the heir of the Duke of Grafton

[hlthe2b]

12. I see you provide no source but strongly suspect the same kind of sourcing we see for Obama birther

conspiracy.

Queen Elizabeth enlisted on her 18th birthday--the first date she COULD... April 21, 1944--NOT 1945.

So, your comments are exceedingly suspect. I don't intend to be trolled, if that is your intent. I don't care if you like QE or not. I'm not her "protector" either, but truth matters.

[braddy]

13. I've got the sources, for instance the one pointing out your false claim that she was enlisted in

1944. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1400207/She-has-weathered-crises-and-catastrophes-war-death-betrayal-and-personal-heartbreak.html

The Princess was not enlisted until the last minute in 1945 and at age 19, she never mastered or was fully trained in any military specialty, and she never left her castle for overnight.

[hlthe2b]

14. I provided sourcing. If it was early 1945 or late 1944, it makes not one iota of difference.

QE was the first female member of the Royal Family to join the Armed Services as a full-time active member and I fully credit her for that.

You provide your personal agenda and it appears to be a hateful one, indeed. Do you extend that disdain for all who voluntarily serve/served in the military?

[braddy]

16. It's is military history and accuracy, not a personal agenda. A personal agenda is turning the weeks

long charade into a false and enduring myth for the Monarchy.

[hlthe2b]

17. we aren't buying it.

I find it disturbing that you are so intent on maligning military service, not to mention the actions of the queen mother during the blitz.

Criticize her at will for her actions through her lifetime, criticize the principle of monarchy at will, but to malign her for actually serving and setting an example is beyond disgusting to me.

[braddy]

18. I'm not maligning military service, I am respecting it, we veterans prefer accuracy not nonsensical

BS, like thinking that she became a mechanic in 3 weeks and served in the Army while never leaving her castle, it was all a well photographed charade.

[hlthe2b]

19. Right... (NOT)

Again, WE ARE NOT BUYING IT. Take that crap elsewhere.


I've served. HAVE YOU?

[braddy]

21. We veterans prefer accuracy on military matters, not what amounts to a phony military record, that

also in this case corrupts WWII military history as it regards the English Monarchy.

[hlthe2b]

22. Can you deny she served? NO... so you are being disingenuous as hell.

Like I said, NO ONE is BUYING IT.

Including the "WE"

[braddy]

23. She spent a short time doing photo ops from her castle and never was actually under Army control and

trained in a specialty or deployed to any duty station. This was not real military service but the kind of thing that only Kings and Queens can fake in Monarchies.

Did you complain when Reagan's many years in the military were denigrated and mocked, or even denied entirely?

[Hekate]

11. Thank you for the accurate report

I really hate it when people go out of their way to denigrate the genuine efforts and achievements of others because of class resentment. It comes off as petty.

"Elizabeth Windsor" was a young teen during the war, and joined up over her father's objections when she turned 18. That's kind of cool in itself.

As for her officer's rank -- sorry, my fellow Americans, but Royals are expected to lead. A rather fancy officer's uniform comes with the crown for a reason.

I wonder if in another several decades anti-royalists will claim Prince Harry never served in Afghanistan, much less hit the 10 year mark in his service.

[cwydro]

15. She was the same age as my mother when the war ended.

Barely 18.

What would you have her do?

[braddy]

20. She was 19 when she started her enlistment and 19 when the war ended, do really think that the

Princess was a trained mechanic and driving trucks around the country for the Army?

[LisaM]

26. Do you think she could have driven trucks around the country for the Army?

She would have been nothing more than an assassination target for enemies, home and abroad. And it would have put other service members at risk. You can't have a high profile - and symbolic - person doing that, and it was a problem Prince Harry faced, too.

[braddy]

27. No I don't and she didn't, and she was never any of that, much less a trained mechanic, I'm glad

that you see that, she lived at home during the entire charade.

[LisaM]

29. Please don't put words in my mouth. I don't accept your framing.

And I don't, frankly, know why you are so hostile to her. I'm no fan of the former Queen Mother, but I think the whole family all approached their highly symbolic roles during World War II with grit and vigor. And I believe it helped morale.

[braddy]

30. I said you saw what you posted and I am not hostile to her but to the falsehood of her WWII service.

WWII has been over for generations Britain does not need to maintain a lie, and we Americans sure as hell don't need to.

[tavernier]

24. Her grandsons certainly took their military service seriously.

I believe she passed on good values to them.

[braddy]

28. Yes they did, and as far as Queens go she is great at her role.

[lpbk2713]

25. Trumpass doesn't belong within a mile of HRM.

He's so far out of his league it's not even funny.