Don’t pass out in a dead faint yet. It’s not what you think. The Queen is lying in state in London and her actual memorial service will be Monday. Joe and Jill Biden are travelling overseas for the occasion. The memorial service we speak of here is the one in Washington, D.C. at the National Cathedral next Wednesday. Times Of London:

There was no room for Trump nor any of the five living former US presidents, at Westminster Abbey but they are to be offered places at the invitation-only event in the US capital.

The Queen’s Colour Squadron, a special unit of the Royal Air Force, will form an honour guard at the cathedral — which the Queen visited four times during her reign.

President Biden, 79, and the first lady Jill Biden, 71, will travel to London for the Westminster Abbey service on Monday with other world leaders.

It is not yet known whether any of the living former presidents will be able to attend the service in the US although Jimmy Carter, who will turn 98 next month, may be too frail to travel to the capital from his home in Georgia.

I’m sure Trump will spin this into something more than it is. That is his tendency to do. I can hear it now, “Liz left instructions for me to personally be invited to her funeral, because she always liked me best, but I said, naw, I got a better idea. How about we all stay home and have our own funeral service? Maybe we can bar-b-que.”

You think this is cynical? Watch.

[Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/ALAMY]

Help keep the site running, consider supporting.

33 COMMENTS

  1. WHEN WILL WE BE RID OF THIS POS TRUMP?? HE’S LIKE A DISEASE WE CAN’T GET RID OF! I’M SO SICK OF HIM, I CAN’T STAND TO SEE OR HEAR HIS DISGUSTING VOICE!!! :/ :/

    88
    • You’re preaching to the choir. I can’t agree more. What I wonder about is the inevitable day when he dies, is he going to have a big fancy Washington funeral? Because I may have to hang blackout curtains and sleep through that.

      47
      • I remember reading when Reagan died that the presidents are given a list of everything they can choose for their memorials shortly after they are inaugurated. Reagan picked them all (or maybe Nancy did) and the various events lasted a week! There were more commemorative events than any other presidents in my lifetime. I have no doubt TFG will do the same and even add a few new ones.

        18
        • Oh, Jesus. Well, that will be Trump’s final circus. God knows when it will happen. I guess there’s nothing we can do. Thanks for the heads up. OTOH, if he ends up incarcerated, I wonder if that won’t have an effect on the “respects” paid to him at the time of his death?

          29
  2. We are a nation who threw off the chains on the British monarchy hundreds of years ago. Please tell me why we give a happy rat’s ass about this anachronistic bullshit? Has ANYONE thought about the damage smaller nations than ours are dealing with because of British (and others) colonialism?

    14
    3
    • I was thinking of writing a piece on Britain’s colonialism, which most recently has wreaked havoc in Africa. For reasons I don’t understand, the Monarchy is some kind of fairy tale magic. It’s another world and it fascinates people. Don’t ask me. I observe it, but I do not understand it.

      19
      • People are more shallow and stupid than we like to believe. Reagan & Bush committed treason and neither thanks to Barr were held responsible. The British monarchy is awash in blood and look at the ceremony.

        11
        4
      • I’m sorry but Africa’s history before the colonial era was hardly some model of humanity and kindness to others. Liberia, for instance, was never a true colony–it was created by Black Americans (including freed slaves) and guess what happened when they arrived in the area? They subjugated the natives living in the area and created a class system in which the immigrants were the top tier and the natives were at the bottom.
        And, on the topic of slavery, AFRICANS were as much responsible for the slave trade as any European was. Africans practiced slavery (even after the Western “slavers” had abolished slavery and banned the trade). Most slaves in Africa were prisoners of war who were rounded up and forced into slavery. The Europeans simply provided a financial incentive for more conflict between tribes so that the winners could make money by selling the losers (but, again, even if the Europeans hadn’t been there, the institution would’ve gone on and millions of Africans would’ve likely died since there’s only so many slaves that can be managed).
        The Rwandan genocide happened PARTLY because of colonialism but, by the same token, the Tutsi people had ruled over the Hutu people for generations before the first European set foot in the area (and it was rarely a case of simple political control–it was more akin to slavery).
        And, one other thing: What form of government do you think the African natives practiced before the colonials? MONARCHY. You know that popular “Nigerian prince” email scam? Well, guess what? There are LEGITIMATE Nigerian princes; it’s a part of Nigerian political culture. They don’t have power at a national level, but they wield vast power at the local level (and, most often, the monarchy is generational within a single family).
        I really wish people would stop this absurd fantasy that Africa was some sort of happy, egalitarian set of societies and that colonialism set the continent on the road to ruin. Yes, there was exploitation of the natives (none, however, was worse than the Congo Free State, deemed the personal royal property of the King of Belgium) but, following independence from Portugal, Angola fell into civil war between factions that had fought for independence, but on their own terms, for well over a decade. After the white-ruled government of Rhodesia yielded power to the Black majority, the new country of Zimbabwe decided to confiscate lands owned by whites and turn it over to Blacks (many of whom had absolutely NO knowledge of how to run the farms so the country fell into famines for well over a decade) and then there was tribal strife–the Matabele people feared the Shona were taking full power which led to a massacre of Matablele civilians.
        Many African leaders following the end of the colonial era were dictators, both right-wing and left-wing. They largely established one-party states in which little to no opposition was allowed with most of them having been leaders of the colonial-era independence movements or members of the post-independence military.
        And much could be said of Asia’s colonial period. But, was European colonial rule really any worse than when, say, the Mongols overran vast territories in Southwest and Central Asia establishing empires and kingdoms ruling over subject peoples who didn’t share a history with their conquerors? That illustrious Taj Mahal is effectively the product of a colonial mindset (Shah Jahan was a Mughal leader, a Muslim who ruled over many more Hindu and Buddhist subjects than Muslims). And, on the subject of India, Mohandas Gandhi wasn’t assassinated by a pro-European/pro-colonial individual; he was assassinated by a Hindu nationalist who felt that Gandhi was too accommodating of Muslims. And a hell of a lot of India’s current problems are the result of Hindu nationalism and male privilege–which have little to do with “European colonialism.”
        Oh. Let’s also not forget the current anti-LGBTQ attitudes so prevalent in African and Asian countries (and the Caribbean countries) that had been under British control. All of them like to pretend that homosexuality was a “Western creation”–that their pre-colonial societies had no such “aberrant behaviors” but it was Britain that introduced most of these countries’ anti-LGBTQ laws since “sodomy” was made a crime in the UK in the late 19th century; the act was criminalized throughout the British empire. While the UK has smartly overturned that law, most of its African, Asian and Caribbean former colonies retain the laws and, um, believe it or not but Britain’s insistence on trying to undo that unfortunate history has been behind “republican” movements in the remaining countries that recognize the British monarch.

        10
        1
        • And for the last few HUNDRED years, the British monarchy has been constitutional only, with the monarch having no real power in deciding policy.
          Policy was decided and dictated by the elected parliament, the monarch’s role is to assent to policy put before them.

          So it’s British colonialism that’s the problem? Compare former British colonies with French ones, (Haiti, Algeria?), or Portuguese, (Angola, East Timor), or Dutch, (Indonesia, South Africa), or Belgium, (Congo and Rwanda) ; with The USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand.

          And of course there are America’s colonial adventures in the Phillippines and CIA interference in South America, let alone the vast wholesale theft and breached treaties with native Americans and the whole issue of slavery, continuing in The USA for a hundred years after it was banned in the rest of the British Empire.

          Let he who is blameless, cast the first stone.

          12
          • Nobody worshipped the Queen as the Head of a Colonial Empire of POWER, they just saw her as the token ‘leader’ of UK(and any ‘colony’ still OK with that) who had the job of trying to keep the fighting factions in order & stop any revolutionary ideas. They loved her because she had ‘always been there’ in their lives & represented something comforting & solid at the top of ‘the pile’ that is society. If she had made any decrees of taking over , the reactions would have come from every level of society
            except those in collusion with such an effort ! So this ‘Royalty’ business only works as long as they keep to the current rules – hence the new King having to say he will not get into politics ! He has been told what the limits of his power are !

        • So I guess what you’re saying is humans aren’t perfect which is very true. It needs to be noted however that natives fucking themselves is a bit different than others coming from other countries to fuck you. You’re still getting fucked but when it’s by your own it just feels better.

      • Celebrity worship is nothing new even in the U.S. Often, people widely admired by the public and that have gotten outsized attention turn out to not be/have been worthy of it. One can credibly argue that some athlete, or entertainer or even some business executive (Lee Iacoca, the dude who’s name now escaped me that ran G.E., Warren Buffet to some degree although he tries to avoid the spotlight) merits all the adoration. A very small few have done something other than play their sport, write/sing songs, act etc. that have had true merit but they are few and it’s the “fun” stuff people know and like that has mattered. But at least they (celebrities) for the most part had earned some distinction in their fields, but we moved past that into the whole “famous for being famous” which always gave me WTF? reactions. What did Paris Hilton do other than be born into a hugely wealthy family who’s name comes to mind when you think of hotels? Nothing. Same with Kim and the other Karassians. If not for the O.J. trial most people would never have known who her DAD was! Look, it’s not the first instance of some lame ass person globbing onto the family name to get a bit of the spotlight now and then. But let’s face it, celebrity culture and worship is deeply embedded in our own country just as it is in most others.

        And yes, sometimes that celebrity worship extends to people from other countries, hence the fascination with lots of folks here with the British Royal family. It’s not like throughout history they haven’t had their own dirtbags and scandals but for the most part in recent centuries, and especially once the actual governing was turned over to elected folks even with the scandals they have maintained a certain level of respectability in polite society. It’s not like she was without faults, or didn’t make mistakes sometimes but for the most part Queen Elizebeth “ruled” with a strong measure of grace and class.

        So if honchos in our country or others wish to hold a memorial once the official Royal stuff is over I’ll yawn and move on to more important things and I do in fact have real, important shit going down next week. Ok, I’ll admit that Trump dropping turds on the event will be entertaining, the asshole won’t be able to help himself but humorous satire is a strange thing.

    • I a monarchist in even the slightest way (hint: I live in West Belfast, referred to as ‘bandit country’ by the British Army when the Troubles were in full swing) but the memorial service is almost certainly to be mainly for the ex-pats who live in that area and they simply invited ex-presidents, et al.

  3. To the anti-monarchy folks, if the service is not DIRECTLY affecting you or your lives, what the f*** is the harm in there being a memorial service in the US?

    I mean, I don’t give a rat’s ass about Christianity or any religious crap about Christmas but that sure as hell doesn’t mean I won’t take the day off for it that my employer offers. I’m also lucky that my job is government-related so when a former President dies, I get a day off for it–no matter who the former president is. When Reagan died, I took off a day (paid leave, for the record) even though I thought Reagan was an evil being. And when Trump dies, and the day’s offered, I’ll take that day as well, no matter how vile a being Trump is.

    The memorial for the Queen does me no harm, so what do I care? And again, none of you should care one bit. Maybe if you live in DC and the service causes traffic snarls, then you have a right to be pissed. Other than that, you’re just being shitty creatures (I won’t dignify you as “human beings”).

    6
    2
      • I am not missing ANY point, PJ. Other countries routinely honor OUR “Presidents.” Hell, LONDON has a statue of George Washington in Trafalgar Square. You know, Washington? The general who led American colonial forces in their quest for independence from England? There’s a memorial dedicated to John Kennedy at Runnymede (also known for its memorial for the Magna Carta) and Queen Elizabeth dedicated the memorial herself (along with the former First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy). And Kennedy also has a memorial in London (formerly on Marylebone Road but now in the lobby of the International Students House). Reagan has statues in Hungary and Poland, Lincoln has a statue in Mexico. And Rutherford B Hayes actually has a whole department (the equivalent of a state) named for him in Paraguay (the department is called “Presidente Hayes” and its capital is “Villa Hayes”–also named for him; “Hayes” is pronounced as though it were a Spanish word/name so it sounds like “ah-yes”).
        But again, as I noted, if it doesn’t have any DIRECT impact on YOUR life, why the hell do you care?
        All of you whiny little anti-monarchists on this issue sound just like the forced-birthers insisting on protecting a bunch of cells that are barely larger than a bell pepper or a sweet potato (that’s roughly 20 weeks; at the 6-week “heartbeat bill” period, the size is about that of a lentil) with absolutely no regard for the woman who’s forced to keep that thing until it pops from her vagina.

    • What does it harm? It legitimizes all the harm done by the british and they did a great deal. More to the point, how many of these ex-pats, etc. actually live in D.C.? They would have to travel there for a useless bit of nonsense and do we need to explain the concept of carbon footprint to you as well? It’s fucking stupid for a country that fought wars to get out from under the british thumb to memorialize one of the british monarchs.

      The bigger obscenity is this: this queen and now her son, etc. get paid british tax dollars just to be monarchs without any power whatsoever. They own most of great britain but still get 30 M pounds every fucking year because they happened to be born in the right family. That is fucked up. You can say “well, it isn’t your taxes” but it still sends a message that is very wrong and if we as a planet do not correct this nonsense, we are fucked. Think about it for a minute–Charles and Camilla get millions of pounds (as do will and kate and kiddies) for playing at being royals. And that is all it is: playing.

      I’m afraid the “shitty creatures” here are those pompous bags of toe jam getting everything and more but contributing nothing at all. I honestly do not care how you dignify me but I do wish you’d be a little more honest to yourself. They are anachronistic leaches much like every other oligarch on the planet and as such, really need to be removed. Not just those blowhards in england but that would be a good place to start.

      • And if you’re so fucking outraged at the institution, go move to the UK and do something to effect change.
        But, while you’re at it, maybe you should direct some of that outrage at the authoritarian leaders who are not monarchs (at least by title). Hungary’s Orban, for instance. Or Russia’s Putin. Or China’s leaders. Or the Taliban. You know. Folks who actually HAVE power to do pretty much whatever THEY want to do and impose THEIR will on their people. At least Elizabeth II (and now Charles III) are merely figureheads whose “political” output is dictated to them by their Prime Ministers–unlike the others I mentioned who basically say, “Jump” and their citizens simply respond “How high?”

      • I will agree, the Brits did a lot of nasty things to people and nations (including my country), but perhaps you should consider
        Coup d’etat in Hawai’i overthrowing the monarchy, led by US ‘businessmen’ and backed by US Marines
        Coup d’etat in Texas by US settlers because the Mexican government was abolishing slavery
        Invasion of California, and seizure of Arizona and New Mexico to fulflill the US quest for ‘Manifest Destiny’
        Seizure of North and South Dakota in greach of treaty because gold was discovered in Sioux national territory
        Seizure of Puerto Rico from Spain (because the USS Maine’s boiler blew up and the Spanish were blamed for that)
        CIA involvement in the coup that overthrew the elected government of Chile and installed a right wing military dictatorship
        The invasion of a British Commonwealth nation (Grenada) because they had Cuban workers helping build a new airport
        The wife of a CIA spook based in England gets whipped out fast and given ‘diplomatic immunity’ after she killed someone in a road accident

  4. When I hear something of the ongoing dumpster fire at Mar a Lago, the wordd that always come to mind are from another time and for another reason, but there they are. “Will no one ride me of this meddlesome priest?” (Henry II about Thomas Becket)
    Though I don’t advocate the actions that followed that eent, I surely have reached the end of any emergency patience I ever may have invoked.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

The maximum upload file size: 128 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video, document, spreadsheet, interactive, text, archive, code, other. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here