[Ravensfort] Investitures

HerrDetlef herrdetlef at gmail.com
Fri Oct 29 06:50:03 PDT 2010


Okay, so on one of my excursions to Half Price Books, I ran across a gem
titled "The Queen and Her Court: A Guide to the British Monarchy Today."
Published by Scribner's Sons in 1981, it treats a subject that is definitely
not period (Her Majesty is only eighty-four years old), but I found some
bits and pieces relatively interesting. Since Her Majesty's Court is the
only one of its kind in mundania that continues to hold investitures (among
other things that we do in our SCA royal and baronial courts), I thought we
might gain some insights from what is found in this book. Here is a short
paragraph on the roughly 14 investiture ceremonies that take place
throughout the year.

Enjoy!
Detlef

Packard, Jerrold M. THE QUEEN AND HER COURT: A GUIDE TO THE BRITISH MONARCHY
TODAY. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1981. 152.

"On about 14 occasions each year, a great crush of automobiles backs up on
the Mall, all heading straight for Buckingham Palace where the Queen awaits,
sword at the ready, prepared to hold another semiannual investiture. Most of
the recippients have been announced in the New Year's and Birthday (hers's,
not their's) honors lists (Detlef sez: ha ha! Good ol' Jerry has just busted
himself as an American!). The recipients, almost all with their allotted two
guests in the audience, are lined up according to the grade they're about to
receive. On cue, each solemnly marches up to the Queen, who either dubs the
luckier ones as knights or dames, or pins medals on the great majority who
are receiving the lesser honors. The Queen doesn't actually say anything on
the lines of
I dub the Sir Such and Such' or 'Arise, Dame This or That.' She merely taps
the new knight or dame forst on the right, then on the left, shoulder. All
receive a word or two of greeting from their monarch; aides are stationed
close by to shunt off those who become overly talkative or, more likely, are
frozen with fear. Most of those newly honored will treasure every second of
the occasion for the rest of their lives."



-- 
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
--Micah 6:8
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