I knew that on Saturday morning, I would be glued to the TV so I could watch Prince Philip's funeral. At first, I wondered whether it was unseemly to use my royal commemorative teacup (made for Queen Elizabeth's coronation), but I had her on my mind, and that seemed the thing to do. And then I read that people across Britain would be having tea or visiting the pub in honor of the late prince, and I thought why not? So I grabbed some of these mini cranberry-orange scones from the store, and Alex and I watched the ceremony, which I thought was absolutely perfect. I loved how it honored his wishes, his naval experience, and his family. And I couldn't help thinking that even if you're the Queen (maybe especially if you're the Queen), it's still got to be devastating to lose a husband. I so admire the Queen and how she always seems to know how to handle both good times and bad.
And Philip … what a life! That new People Royals magazine has a nice article on him, and I wonder what it must have been like for him to be the queen's consort for all those years—and married for longer than some of us have been alive!
The magazine has a photo of him in 2003, shortly after he came to Newnan in 2000 to open the US division of Slumberland, the UK-based mattress company that was opening a plant in Newnan and whose owner was a friend. On Friday, I was the guest speaker at the local Rotary Club, which wanted me to talk about my books. While there, I ran into an old friend, a local businessman who was part of the group that got invited to a private dinner with the prince on the night before his visit to Newnan. Someone at his dinner table was dying to meet the prince, and my friend spoke up and said, "Well, we can make that happen." (He laughs now about the propriety of that, but I'm sure his heart was in the right place.) So when the prince headed to the back of the room and appeared to be headed his way, John caught the prince's eye and prepared to make the introduction, only to hear Prince Philip pause long enough to plainly (but not unkindly) say, "Actually, I was headed to the loo." Ha! It seems there are lots of great Prince Philip stories out there, and I was delighted to hear this one.
Later on Saturday, I drove down to Pine Mountain to meet some out-of-town friends who were there for a craft retreat. After lunch, we went shopping, and I bought some "Shortbread House of Edinburgh" shortbread fingers from a shop I visit whenever I'm in Pine Mountain, Sweet Home Antiques. The shortbread seemed a fitting (and delicious) tribute for us to try in honor of the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh, and while I was in the shop, I spotted a wonderful antique stationery box that was once a gift from another member of the royal family, Queen Victoria!
So this was a gift from Her Majesty Queen Victoria that somehow landed in my little corner of Georgia. Isn't this wonderful?
I also spotted this very large teapot that is like no other teapot I've seen before!
And if anyone collects miniature antique teapots, they sure had some lovely ones.
So seeing some fine English antiques was a fun end to a day that began on a somber note, but I'm glad I watched the service for Prince Philip, and I wish the Queen and the rest of the royal family well. Did any of you watch the funeral?
I hope to find a replay! Wonderfully written, and I love that tea and scones were part of your remembrance experience!
ReplyDeleteI did watch the funeral, and found it very beautiful and touching. The music was wonderful, and I particularly liked that Philip included a Russian hymn, as a bow to his Romanov relatives. The bagpipe lament was also very nice. You can find the official order of service, with all the music listed, on this BBC site:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56783425
That's really surprising that Prince Philip actually came to Newnan! And your visit to that antiques shop sounds especially interesting. That wooden stationery box that was a gift from Queen Victoria is something that I wouldn't mind having!
I was also glued to the TV on Saturday morning. Wish I had thought about having tea as you did, but was only thinking of having a hanky on hand. The service was lovely and simple, yet so dignified. During the procession to the chapel, the commentator pointed out that for the first and only time, the Queen was following Prince Philip, rather than the other way around. So poignant.
ReplyDeleteI never knew that he came to Newnan! (I do remember Prince Charles coming to Asheville.) Thanks for sharing your stories, and that gorgeous magazine, too! It's nice to know there are other "royal watchers" around!
I didn't watch it, I was on the go all day Saturday. But of course, I've seen clips of it, and I enjoyed your memories of Price Philip's visit to Newnan. You found some interesting things on your shopping trip, too. :-) Thanks for sharing them with us.
ReplyDeleteI watched. I had a few girlfriends come over and we had pastries, tea and mimosas.
ReplyDeleteWe watched the funeral for Prince Philip. Looking forward to our next issues of Majesty and Royalty magazines which we subscribe to.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn,Joan and Marion
I had to work, so had to watch YouTube videos instead, but have read an abundance of articles about the Prince on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteI also watched the broadcast of the beautiful funeral service. This is a lovely post.
ReplyDeleteYes, I watched it and thought it was well done also.
ReplyDeleteBTW I am hoping to be in your part of the world the end of October. If I do, tea would be lovely with you. I will keep you posted if I can get brave enough to travel.
Marilyn, please do keep me posted! If you'll be anywhere in the Atlanta/North Georgia area, I am very close and would dearly love to meet you for tea!
DeleteFound your blog on Pinterest, I enjoyed reading your Tea Time posts. Nice tribute to Prince Charles and the Queen. Thank you for sharing♡
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