What’s a chap got to do?
Arguably, there’s a certain in-built irony even in the themes that statistically most concern Rust contributors upon a regular basis.
The Conservative and Unionist Party (or ‘Tories’) basically appeals to those – generally the older generations – who, under the guise of pretending to embrace all modern fashions, traits and developments (because they’re inevitable), venture to suggest that doing so by discarding and/or destroying what currently exists isn’t necessarily the right way to go.
In which context, there’s a periodic publication called The Chap which I occasionally see on the WH Smith shelves, apparently celebrating the heyday of the traditional English gentleman circa 1930 to 1960.
There are people whose weekend hobbies include ‘re-enacting’ the 17th Century English Civil War, driving around in vintage cars, or 1950s Teddy Boy clothes, or almost point in history and circumstance you’d care to imagine: don’t ask any of them why they do it, they just do.
It’s not that they would necessarily prefer to live in the eras they are championing – for most of them their passion is just a hobby interest.
I posted quite recently on the Royal Family’s clever or lucky reinvention of itself during the 20th Century – depending upon whether one regards it as simply a case of ‘moving with the times’ or as a cynical (not to say desperate) attempt to remain relevant and thus preserve their privileged position.
One could take the view that the last quarter of the 20th Century was ‘squeaky bum time’ for the Royal Family.
Once Princess Margaret had gone off the rails and become the first ‘popular culture’ celebrity, mixing with artists, writers, lounge lizards, actors and even rock stars and petty criminals, it seemed dangerously close to a downward slope with an uncertain outcome. Affairs, divorces, behaving like idiots: ‘The Firm’ was becoming a soap opera, more a hive of publicity-seeking wannabees than a remote, restrained, above-it-all monarchy as some courtiers felt it should remain in order to survive.
Currently we’re marking the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana, a somewhat awkward milestone for some just as Prince Charles and Camilla are celebrating the latter’s 70th birthday as part of the process of rehabilitating her reputation in furtherance of Charles’ desire to have her become Queen one day.
I didn’t see the recent ‘documentary/interview’ with Princes William and Harry about their mother on ITV.
On the face of it – basing these comments only upon the trailers I saw and the opinions of ‘royal commentators’ aired in the media – it was a loving effort by two still-grieving sons to pay appropriate tribute to their mother and ensure her reputation and memory is not lost as time passes.
At the same time, one can imagine the potential consternation it caused to those in the ‘Prince Charles camp’ – who have been relying upon the same passage of time to weaken the public’s devotion to Princess Diana and hopefully supplant that one day with a new one in favour of ‘Queen Camilla’.
From their viewpoint, of course, raking up the past like this isn’t helpful at all.
To recap – three related issues, then:
Firstly, (the view of some) in a general sense the desirability of preserving the best of the past – let’s call it ‘not throwing the baby out with the bathwater – whilst accepting that progress, evolution and technology is ever-advancing.
Secondly, (from the Royal Family’s point of view) the understandable need and desire of Princes William and Harry to keep alive the memory and legacy of their mother.
Thirdly, the ongoing efforts of the Royal Family to preserve as much as they can of their privileged position whilst simultaneously adapting sufficiently to remain relevant enough to justify their existence.
All of the above is just a prelude to a recommendation from me today.
The television series I am most enjoying at the moment is Channel Four’s The Windsors, the parody soap opera created and written by Bert Tyler-Moore and George Jeffrie and starring Harry Enfield and Haydn Gwynee (as Charles and Camilla), Hugh Skinner (Wills), Richard Goulding (Harry), Louise Ford (Kate Middleton), Morgana Robinson (Pippa) and Vikki Pepperdine (Princess Ann).
It’s now in its second series (and sadly drawing to its end) but has now really hit its straps. It is so outrageous, bizarre, daring – the script so funny – that, as far as this viewer is concerned, it can virtually do no wrong. Having said that, I could see how the Royal Family personages thus depicted as terminally absurd, vacuous and thick might take big offence.
Either that, or (I’d like to think) they all sit in front of their TVs every time a new episode comes on and laugh their heads off at their own and each other’s characterisations.
For a glimpse of what I mean see here, a short trailer for the new series, courtesy of YouTube – THE WINDSORS
