Andrew Ritchie’s encounter with Princess Anne, related in a comment on Man in Taxi, leads me to speculate whether he met any other members of the Royal Family.
This conversation piece by Sergei Pavlenko depicts a scene on the steps of Old College, Sandhurst. Andrew as Commandant of the Royal Military Academy is congratulating Prince Harry at his Passing Out parade. Sergei’s impressionistic style makes it quite difficult to identify anybody but I think Andrew is standing to the right of the Prince of Wales, slightly obscuring the Duchess of Cornwall. No longer a cadet, he is wearing the uniform of a Major General – so no hard feelings from Princess Anne hampered his career; indeed he is the very model of a modern Major General.
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Snowdrops are what police in Moscow call bodies uncovered when the snow melts in Spring. I read this in a paperback thriller, so it must be true. The Physic Garden in Chelsea has been open for the last couple of weeks to show off their snowdrops. When it comes down to it they are just little white flowers, so when I saw a queue I didn’t go in and, as you can see, the snowdrops are crafty at hiding.
However, my walk along the Embankment led me past two Toms. First, Thomas More outside Chelsea Old Church.
The inscription reads “Sir Thomas More 1478 + 1535
Scholar Saint Statesman”. Chelsea Old Church explains his links to this part of London on their website.
Sir Thomas More settled in Chelsea in about 1520 and built himself a house there. It stood on the site of the present Beaufort Street, in spacious, formal grounds which stretched from the river, where his barge was moored to take him to Westminster or Hampton Court on state business, to the present King’s Road. No traces of the house remain, other than parts of the original orchard wall, which now border the gardens of the houses on the west side of Paultons Square.
Sir Thomas rebuilt one of the chapels in the Old Church when he moved to Chelsea and his association with the church was close and devout. He and his family worshipped there regularly.
After his beheading his body was buried at the Tower of London, in the chapel of St Peter ad Vincula in an unmarked grave. His head was fixed upon a pike over London Bridge, after a month his daughter rescued it.
Next, about 100 yards further on along the Embankment, Thomas Carlyle, (1795 – 1881); Scottish philosopher, satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher.
He lived nearby with his wife Jane, in Cheyne Row. Carlyle House, is open as a museum belonging to the National Trust. Its opening hours are exiguous so I have not been there yet.
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The list of countries at the end of yesterday’s post are ranked by their sessions on this website. Yes, I’m also suspicious that the Chinese visitors’ intentions may be dishonourable.