Queen Elizabeth II's mother, Elizabeth Lyons-Bowles, the Queen Mum, took revolver training at the beginning of WWII. The reasoning was that both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle were considered not only bombing targets, but likely focal points in the case of any invasion, and that the royal family in particular would be targets. Her daughters both record that she maintained a practice schedule and took it seriously, and several times referred to the necessity of protecting her daughters. One article described her as being handy with a gun, but the later queen thought otherwise. She was proud that her mother did this as well as she could, but didn't believe she developed any particular skill. Yet remember what Chesterton said, that anything worth doing is worth doing badly, and this looks like it fits that advice. In a dire need, a thing has to be done and everyone does her best.
I thought this sounded a marvelous example, and quite unlike anything we would see today. I thought the royal family should be encouraged...
...and then I remembered Meghan, and thought perhaps I should just pipe down about all this.
It's a fun exercise for any of you who know enough about the personalities of this crew, to offer a guess as to how useful any of them might be if encouraged to shoot, or even carry. I don't know enough about them to offer an opinion. Would Camilla be formidable or worse than useless?
4 comments:
I wonder if the old description "drunk as a lord" (== the sarcastic "sober as a judge") still describes the lot? (WRT our own quasi-hereditary nobility and courtiers, Dad used to tell me that "Washington functions in an alcoholic haze.")
People repeat Heinlein's claim that "an armed society is a polite society", forgetting what happened in those "good old days" when alcohol was involved.
I recall seeing a link to an article on one of the gossipy red-top newspapers that claimed Diana referred to her sons as "the killer wales" in reference to the hunting (of grouse and deer) that they would be doing during their summer-term at Balmoral. Camilla is much more associated with "the hunt" (tracking & chasing foxes on horseback with dogs) than with shooting, but is also no stranger to grouse and pheasant shoots and photographs of her at shoots with her shotgun have been published.
Several male members of the family were RAF pilots (amongst other service), and so would have passed annual pistol qualification while serving as RAF pilots, for what that's worth.
(I kind of suspect that the one to have in my corner in extreme times is Princess Anne).
“People repeat Heinlein's claim that "an armed society is a polite society", forgetting…”
We have plenty of both arms and alcohol up here, and it seems to work out. Partly through politeness! Partly through degraded aim.
Douglas2 - I'm not sure about Anne at close quarters; Charles is rumored to have carried a Hi-Power for years.
But if you needed someone to lead a charge of the Household Cavalry, she's the pick.
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