Here are the answers for the “A Curtsy for the Queen” Quiz.
A reminder: “T” is for “Truth”, “F” is for “Bald-Faced Lie” or “TF” is for “Half-Truth”.
1) T: It’s true that, during World War II, Elizabeth joined the women’s division of the British Army, and trained to be a mechanic for Army vehicles.
2) T: It’s true that Ryan Parry, a British tabloid reporter, went undercover in Buckingham Palace, hired as a royal footman. It’s also true that the Daily Mirror reporter’s photos revealed that the Queen keeps cereal in Tupperware and has a rubber duck in her bathtub.
Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan (also known for being a judge on “America’s Got Talent”) defended Parry, stating that he did the Crown a service by revealing a security breach at Buckingham Palace.
3) T: It’s true that the Queen’s real birthday is on April 21, but she officially celebrates her birthday on either the first, second, or third Saturday in June, depending on the weather.
The Queen’s (or King’s) Official Birthday is a public holiday in Britain established by King Edward VII and marked by a parade ceremony known as “Trooping the Colour.” June celebrations of the Sovereign’s birthday were chosen for fair weather considerations only. For example, the current Queen’s father, King George VI was born in December, not a fine time to hold a public parade in London.
4) T: It’s true that, according to an ancient statute, Queen Elizabeth II “owns” the sturgeons, whales, and dolphins in the waters surrounding the U.K. These are also known as the “Fishes Royal.”
5) TF: This anecdote is both true and false. It’s true that, in 1982, an intruder scaled the walls and broke into Buckingham Palace, successfully dodging Palace security and having an amiable chat with the Queen in her bedroom. It’s also true that the Queen maintained a cool head and triggered an alarm after the intruder asked for a cigarette.
It’s false that the intruder, an unemployed man named Michael Fagan, was dressed like Batman. However, in 2004, a political protester dressed like Batman did manage to scale up the Buckingham Palace wall, sitting on a window ledge for five hours before he was brought down by police in a cherrypicker.
6) TF: This anecdote is both true and false. It’s true that, before marrying Elizabeth, Philip abandoned his prior titles, converted from Greek Orthodox to Anglican, and became a naturalized British citizen. It’s also true that he was born on the Greek isle of Corfu, and that many of Philip’s German relatives were not invited to the wedding because of their prior Nazi sympathies.
It’s false that The Duke of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII, wasn’t invited to the Royal Wedding because of alleged Nazi sympathies, even though he had been Hitler’s guest before the war. He wasn’t invited because of his controversial marriage to Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee. Ill health was the “official” reason given for him not attending the wedding.
SOURCES:
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page4833.asp
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4820.asp
“The Most Private Celeb”, William Underhill, Newsweek, URL: (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12407440/site/newsweek/)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/9/newsid_2498000/2498731.stm
http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Prince_Philip,_Duke_of_Edinburgh
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,132247,00.html
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001882494
http://www.thedukeofyork.org/output/Page4817.asp
