Mean Betty Salutes Queen Elizabeth, Ultimate Wedding Crasher
If Meanie were going to have her wedding crashed, she can think of no better crasher than the one and only Queen Elizabeth II!
-Mean Betty
Meanie spends an awful lot of time lambasting this D-list celebrity or that high-profile train wreck—and really, who can blame her? Between the shameless exploits of the Kardashian family and Paris Hilton’s desperate attempts to hang onto what little fame she has left, the celebrity sphere is so chock-full of joke fodder that Meanie just can’t help herself. But for once, Meanie would like to take a moment to salute someone instead of skewering her on her razor-sharp pen. This lovely lady recently pulled off a stunt that deserves not a mocking, sharply-written retort, but rather a toast, a clink, and a hearty round of applause. Meanie is talking, of course, about Queen Elizabeth, Ultimate Wedding Crasher. Brava! Brava, Meanie says!
Here, kittens, is what happened as told by British paper the Manchester Evening News: Sweethearts Frances and John Canning were all set to tie the knot. Where had they chosen to do so? Why, what better place would there be for a good Mancunian couple to take the plunge than at the Manchester Town Hall? The Victorian-era, neo-gothic municipal building in Manchester, UK is both gorgeous and the home of several local government departments, so of course it would be the perfect place to go for a civil wedding like Frances and John’s. They called up the Town Hall, booked a time for their ceremony, and that was that—or so they thought.
Imagine the couple’s surprise when they received a phone call from the Town Hall’s staff a short time before their wedding informing them that they would be sharing the venue that day with (and Meanie quotes) “an important VIP.” What VIP, you ask? Why, none other than the Queen! You see, kittens, Queen Elizabeth was set to enjoy a three-course banquet at the Town Hall as part of her Diamond Jubilee visit to Manchester and Salford on the very same day that Frances and John were scheduled to be married. Naturally, upon discovering the identity of this very special VIP, Frances and John took the opportunity to pen a cheerful little note, inviting the Queen to attend their party. They did not, however, expect a response. The Queen IS rather a busy lady, after all.
But kittens! Guess what happened next? The soon-to-be-happily-married couple received a reply from Buckingham Palace thanking them for the invitation! But it doesn’t stop there, either—guess what happened next?
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Well, perhaps Meanie will let Frances tell you for herself: “When we had our ceremony,” the bride said, “the staff asked us to wait for a moment in the corridor and just a few minutes later the Queen arrived.” That’s right, kittens: The Queen put in an appearance at Frances and John’s wedding to wish the happy couple all the best in their new life together! Continued dear Frances, “She knew both our names and apparently we had been especially added to her rota.” How wonderful!
As for the groom? He described the moment when Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, and their dignitaries lined up to congratulate the newlyweds as “like a dream”: “The Queen asked how we were feeling,” John said, “and congratulated us. Prince Philip was asking where in Italy we were going for our honeymoon. They had clearly been briefed about what we were doing.”
Nor did the Queen only devote her time to the happy couple; wedding guest Hayley Fitzpatrick recounted, “We didn’t know where to look. All of a sudden the Queen and Prince Philip were there in front of us. I was so surprised I knocked something over—she looked at me and asked if I was okay.” Meanie can’t blame Hayley; for all the time Meanie has spent rubbing elbows with the Hollywood elite, she most likely would have knocked something over in flabbergasted surprise had she unexpectedly met the Queen, too. Meanie just imagine Her Grace gently inquiring “Goodness, dear, are you quite all right?” while perhaps offering a nice hot cup of tea to help calm Hayley’s nerves. Here, have a biscuit, dear. The chocolate ones are lovely.
Is this not the most delightful thing you have ever heard, kittens? While in the middle of her own celebration—60 years on the throne is certainly something!—the Queen took a moment to congratulate a pair of normal, everyday people on their celebration. That is what a good public figure does. She does not flash her panties at the press. She does not give “gifts” that are clearly intended to serve herself instead of the gift’s receiver. She thinks of others in a purely selfless fashion, and conducts herself accordingly with kindness, care, and grace.
Of course, Meanie realizes that there is a slight difference between being the Queen of England and being the Queen of the Tabloids; while the monarchy is largely ceremonial these days, they ARE still political figures, not players in the entertainment industry. But Meanie still believes that there are lessons we can all take away from this example, namely that if the Queen can trouble herself to do something nice for a couple of complete strangers, so can everyone else, whether they’re as famous as Lindsay Lohan or as normal as your next door cubicle neighbor at the office. Meanie can only hope to be as classy when she reaches her 85th year—or even now! For class is truly timeless, is it not?
Queen Elizabeth? Mean Betty salutes you and your endless supply of elegance! May we all be as thoughtful as you, and also as mindful of the reach of the Paparazzi’s camera lenses.
(How on earth do they manage to snap all of those upskirt photographs, anyway? Anyone?)
XO,
Mean Betty