I rarely post on these threads, but I am an avid reader! In the absence of much in the way of frocks, I thought I’d post about a couple of things.
I’ve read the Angela Kelly book, but the Kindle version, so the pictures don’t show up very well. I felt her writing style was rather gushing, which is a pity because her job is complex and exacting, especially the overseas visits. It was fascinating to read that there are stashes of fabrics, some of them acquired years or decades ago. I’d love to have a rummage through those.
But I did learn one thing I didn’t know: when the Queen opens Parliament, there is a “hostage” taken from the Houses of Parliament to Buckingham Palace. That’s usually (always?) the Vice Chamberlain of the Household: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice-Chamberlain_of_the_Household. But it’s very civilised – the individual is made comfortable, with tea and biscuits, and can watch the ceremony on TV.
The other thing is about the Air Ambulance. I do like watching those documentaries. But I’ve never seen an episode which involved Prince William. Or maybe I just have, this evening. There was one bit that showed the East Anglian helimed. In an Air Ambulance, it’s obvious who the pilot is, not just because they’re sitting in the driving seat, but because of their epaulettes. In that segment, though, there were two people in the front, both wearing pilot’s epaulettes. The most challenging aspect of being a helimed pilot is landing in difficult situations. No doubt William would have experienced that during his time with the RAF search & rescue, but would have required some refresher sessions with an assistant pilot. I couldn’t do the rewind/forward sequence well enough to see if it was him flying. It would be good to eventually see something of his work as a helimed pilot.