Obama Fumbles Toast To Queen

Queen Elizabeth Sees The Internet

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The Future Queen Of England

When Kate Middleton marries Prince William, she'll become the first commoner to marry into the British royal family since the 1600s. I wonder if gay America will get up at 5am to watch this wedding, like we all did in 1981 for Princess Diana. The boys across the hall from me in Orlando actually had a party, complete with mimosas and tiaras for all.

CORRECTION: Above I should have specified that Middleton will be the first commoner since the 1600s to marry an heir to the throne, which is very different than what I wrote. My apologies.

Kate Middleton will be the first commoner to marry an heir presumptive to the throne in more than 350 years, since Anne Hyde wed the Duke of York, later James II, in 1660. Even so, Hyde was the daughter of Charles II's lord chancellor and chief adviser, the future Earl of Clarendon – rather than, as 28-year-old Middleton is, the offspring of a couple who have made a fortune providing bags for children's parties. Among Middleton's ancestors are Northumbrian miners and Kent builders' labourers. Her mother, Carole, was formerly a British Airways flight attendant – hence the snobbish jibes of some royal hangers-on about "doors to manual" – and her father, Michael, also once worked for BA as a dispatcher, making sure flights left on time and with the correct cargo. The couple met while working for BA and started their married life in a flat in Slough, just across the river from the future in-laws.

Queen Lays Wreath At Ground Zero

After her address at the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, Queen Elizabeth II endured the record-breaking heat to lay a wreath at Ground Zero. The New York Times gushes:

The small, white-haired monarch, wearing a flowered suit and white gloves, and with an elegant silk hat on her head, stepped out of her car just past 5:10 p.m., in the still-pulsating heat that had reached 103 degrees in Central Park, a whisper of wind riffling the air. Scores of camera-ready onlookers teetered on the perimeter of the rebuilding site, keen to catch sight of her. Not a bead of sweat on her face, Elizabeth inched her way past an honor guard, before being welcomed by Govs. David A. Paterson of New York and Christopher J. Christie of New Jersey and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Sarah, one of Mr. Christie’s children, handed the queen a bouquet.

Mayor Bloomberg reminded the Queen that New York City is named after her "first cousin, ten times removed." The Queen concluded her visit by cutting the ribbon at British Garden, a memorial to the 67 Brits killed on 9/11, the second-highest toll after Americans.

Queen Elizabeth To Become First British Monarch To Visit Ireland In 90 Years

Queen Elizabeth II will visit Ireland next year, making her the first British monarch to step foot on the island since it became independent in 1921.

Confirmation that the event, long discussed between London and Dublin, will take place next year has come from Ireland’s prime minister, Brian Cowen. It is time for “normal courtesies” to be observed between friendly states, explained Cowen, after discussions with his British counterpart David Cameron in London on June 23. Queen Elizabeth’s visit will mark a normalization of relations between the two countries after a century of strife and discord. The last British monarch to come to this part of the Emerald Isle was King George V, who arrived as part of his coronation celebrations in 1911. A decade later the War of Independence forced the departure of British Crown forces. The bitterness of that conflict, plus the forced partition of the island, Ireland’s neutrality during World War II and the use of the British army in the Troubles in Northern Ireland, strained relations for most of the 20th century.

Sinn Fein plans to protest the visit over Britain's continued "occupation" of Northern Ireland.