Come on… that crosses the line. You expect these people to show their emotions in public? That’s not what being a Royal is about. I particularly think Princes William and Harry were inspirational in their lack of displayed emotion whilst processing to the funeral of their late mother.
Anyhow, my father-in-law gets a Christmas card from Prince Charles every year and it’s signed simply “from Charles, William and Harry”. Now that’s emotion for you…
The trial of Charles I is an appalling precedent if you’re looking to establish the state of English law today. It was a show trial arranged to justify the execution of the King in the public eye during the course of what was effectively a violent revolution. The Crown cannot be tried in court and the commission which was established for the trial was set up by an “Act of Parliament” which had only been passed by the House of Commons and hence was not valid.
The Queen is regularly consulted about the content of legislation, but most of the consultation takes place in private meetings with the Prime Minister, the contents of which are only ever disclosed under the 30-year rule and sometimes never disclosed at all. There was some suggestion that the Thatcher government backed down from the proposed privatisation of the Post Office because the Queen disapproved.
Parliament requires the Queen’s Consent even to consider certain types of legislation — bills that affect the Queen’s interest personally.
As for what would happen if she actually murdered somebody with her own hands, my guess is that Parliament would make some kind of special provision for the trial, but a top London QC would get her off on the basis that the bloody crown found at the scene didn’t fit. She would then be free to spend the rest of her life hunting down the real killers.
Actually, from what I’ve heard, the Queen’s pretty okay in private. A friend of mine’s family was
on staff for the palace, and from what she said, they seem like a normal family in private…as normal as can be.
I just read about the guy coming into Buckingham Palace and trying to talk to the Queen in the middle of the night. What struck me about it was that the same thing almost happened to the last Reigning Queen-Victoria. A boy came into Buckingham, he was a poor illiterate urchin they called Boy Jones, (about 17, I believe), and he found Victoria’s rooms when he heard the baby Princess Royal crying. I believe Prince Albert had him sent out to see…because he was a harmless boy, but nevertheless, they didn’t need him hanging around. That’s what lead the family to purchase and design Osbourne House, so they’d have their own private residence.
Lilibet, however, said she was mostly concerned with what would’ve happened if Prince Philip had been around…after all, we all know Philip isn’t the most tactful of blokes now, is he?