“Mr Hall’s case was serious, he declared. He then announced gravely that he was the King of England. “My name is Hall,” he explained, “and I am the direct descendant of good King Hal, otherwise King Henry VIII. The man now occupying the throne of England is a usurper and I request you to order… Continue reading Uncle George Remembers IV
T Time
I’m on The Far Side of the World with Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin; it’s the tenth in the series and it looks as if it may not see me out of lockdown. A recurring trope, sorry that’s tautologous but my friend in Ukraine likes to expand her vocabulary and she may be unfamiliar with… Continue reading T Time
A Visit to the Cemetery
LRB
Uncle George Remembers III
“A mighty figure who kept very much in the background was the Deputy Earl Marshal, Lord FitzAlan who, as I have said, was deputy to his nephew the Duke of Norfolk, then a boy. Neither of them were members of the corporation of the College, but the Earl Marshal as such was its Supervisor from… Continue reading Uncle George Remembers III
Coronavirus Chronicle VII
Uncle George Remembers II
“You would probably have thought my colleagues at the College of Arms in 1922 a pretty rum lot, and perhaps they were, but they were for the most part surprisingly kind and helpful. Some of them were perhaps a trifle advanced in years, though at least one was youngish, and a few of the older… Continue reading Uncle George Remembers II
An Old Dog
Uncle George Remembers
Uncle George’s interview with Lord FitzAlan, the Deputy Earl Marshal, may seem somewhat informal, certainly he thought so. “That took place over 60 years ago and so I do not feel the least ashamed about it. Today things are different and to become a herald is not so easy. It is no longer just a… Continue reading Uncle George Remembers
An Assumption
London will be deprived of an Old Etonian mayor next year (Rory has pulled out) but we have an articulate and intelligent Prime Minister, a classicist, and an OE. Another OE, an even more intellectual member of the Establishment, has not minced his words. If you do mince them it is an anagram of sword… Continue reading An Assumption