When UK Royalty moves beyond that sort of thing it usually ends up in tears. Symbolism, ritual and subject for gossip is the proper function of British Royalty.

Hmm. From what I've looked at, it seems Princess Consort is where it's heading.

I don't discount symbolism or diplomatic presence; most of my English history comes from pre-Victoria, so my mind has all these Divine Right of King's spaces in it, and I feel a little sad for all the Kings and Queens afterwards.

I mean, YAY DEMOCRACY, but I'd get a little glum, looking at all my fabulous, albeit kinda whacko, ancestors and then looking at my crown and thinking "My great-great-great grandfather ruled the waves, and I get to open the stock exchange. Le sigh."

But thinking about it, the British monarchy is only lightly splashed with British blood now, no? Are they still Hanoverians? Hanoverites? Whatev.

Indeed, bt, that is ALWAYS the subtext. To be fair, my seniors (in general) were much better than my freshmen. But often, even with coaching and rubrics and examples, feedback was, shall we say, less than helpful.

I still loved them, though. Even when it was like cat-herding.

There's definitely a lot of German there. I forget the names of the family before they called themselves Windsor.

I'm a serious anti-monarchist, but I can't see the UK getting rid of the monarchy for at least a few generations. We're too fond of the status quo.

There's definitely a lot of German there. I forget the names of the family before they called themselves Windsor.

Saxe-Coburg-Goethe? t / high school history class half-remembered stuff

That sounds right.

Yeah, but as an English teacher you don't get to award yourself a new title for telling people how many times they said "um".

Dude, I teach public speaking and don't even get that. I are doin' it wrong.

Well, except for clapping of course. I applaud speakers anywhere else, I'm not going to be less courteous tosomeone who's trying to learn.

Yep. I require it in my class. We clap. We're clappers.

Saxe-Coburg-Goethe was Prince Albert's title, so Victoria was the last of the House of Hanover, Edward was the only S-C-G, and then we get the Windsors, with George changing the name to Windsor in WWI.

Damn, I miss the Tudors and Plantagenets.

ChiKat, they were all self-imposed titles, except for Lady Miss G.

Peter O'Toole is so classic that hardly anyone comments on the double phallus-y.

Consider the soon-to-be Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson, whose nickname was The Big Unit.

None more phallicsome!

((Seska))