Queen Elizabeth’s death and King George III. The accession of Charles to the throne emphasized the highly ceremonial nature of the royal family. But some of these customs and traditions may surprise even those who consider themselves knowledgeable about the monarchy.
Check out some of the more unusual examples below.
Bees take notice
Despite widespread media and social media coverage of the queen’s death, a group of people needed to be “personally informed” of the queen’s death: her bees.
John Chapple has been a royal beekeeper for 15 years. On the grounds of Buckingham Palace and Clarence House (Charles’ official residence as the Prince of Wales) it has continued the centuries-old tradition of bringing the sad news to beehives.
In an interview with the British Daily Mail, Chapple explained that he also wanted the bees to be nice to the new king. The ritual is part of the superstition that bees can stop producing honey if they are not informed that the owner has changed.
“The deceased is the master or mistress of the hives, an important member of the family. And there is no one more important than the queen, right?” said the beekeeper.
“You steal every hive and you say, ‘The woman is dead, but don’t go. Your master will do you good.'”
Will the king have two birthdays too?
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King III. One of the many decisions Charles will make regarding grandeur is very personal: his birthday celebrations.
Queen Elizabeth had two birthdays: the late sovereign, born on April 21, was officially celebrated on the second Saturday of June in a parade known as the Troops of Color.
Because? April is generally a cool month for outdoor activities in the UK, with summer starting in June.
But the tradition is much older. It began with George II in 1748. It was he who decided to associate the anniversary celebrations with the existing ceremonial parade.
3. Will Charles continue the tradition? We don’t know yet, but it’s worth remembering that the new king was born in November, a month that is hardly known in the UK with sun and hot weather.
“My bet is that the new king will keep things as they are because he was born in an autumn month and Uniting Colors is a popular show,” royal historian Richard Fitzwilliams told the BBC.
However, another British tradition was announced in June 1953 by Queen Elizabeth II. Using Elizabeth’s coronation as an example, he recalls the unpredictability of the weather.
“The weather was horrible during the day,” he says. “Queens and kings cannot control the weather.”
Manpower instead of horses
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Since 1901, royal funerals in the United Kingdom have been marked by images of Royal Navy sailors using ropes conveniently placed on a gun carriage to pull the monarch’s coffin.
The option to use manpower instead of horsepower may seem confusing, but it’s a tradition that began in 1901 during Queen Victoria’s funeral. At that time, it was still common for horses to pull the chariot with the monarch’s coffin.
But the taunt had a terrible moment when the animals spiraled out of control.
“The horses did not react very well to an extremely cold day and it turned out that Queen Victoria’s coffin was almost on the verge of falling,” royal historian Kelly Swab told the BBC.
Victoria’s heir and the new monarch, King VII. By order of Edward, sailors attending the funeral entered the scene.
“There were dignitaries from all over the world and anything could have been a huge embarrassment.”
“Instead, a true tradition was born out of pure chaos,” adds Swab.
During the funeral of King George VI in 1952 – the last time such a solemn ceremony took place – 138 people were responsible for this function.
stick breaking tradition
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Among all the pomp and status expected at royal ceremonies, there is something few should have heard of.
Tradition provides for a designation for the Lord Chamberlain, a title given to the highest official in the Royal House, whose ceremonial duties include accompanying the monarch on his annual parliamentary visit.
To mark the end of his service to him, he must break his ceremonial white scepter over the tomb of the deceased monarch.
The current Lord Chamberlain is Andrew Parker, the former head of MI5, one of the British intelligence agencies. He took office in April 2021.
The ceremonial gesture dates back centuries.
It was last done 70 years ago, when the Earl of Clarendon broke his scepter over the tomb of the Queen’s father, George Sixth.
And, according to Richard Fitzwilliams, traditions like this give the UK monarchy a distinctive appeal.
“Thanks to such traditions, the British royal family is truly unique.”
– This text was published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-62899794.
source: Noticias
