Tea at Trianon: New Drum Horse

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Monday, June 26, 2023

New Drum Horse

Many of us were charmed by the drum horses at the Coronation. From Tatler:

The first mare to be made a Drum Horse in the Household Cavalry had a starring role in Trooping the Colour. Following two years of training, Juno officially passed out at the King’s Birthday Parade and took on the prestigious role which is assigned to one special horse. It saw her take on the rank of Major, and walk at the front and centre of the parade as she helped lead other horses down the Mall. Formerly named Willa Rose, Juno was officially renamed by the Queen at a ceremony at Clarence House earlier this week. There, the queen was greeted by the commanding officer of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Tom Armitage LG, who introduced her to the horse. Queen Camilla presented Juno with a headcollar featuring a brass name plaque, and spoke with soldiers from the regiment, hearing about the training process involved with a Drum Horse. The event ended with a photograph of the crowd, and Her Majesty was presented with a portrait of the horse, painted by artist Mandy Shepherd. (Read more.)

More on the Royal Family site, HERE. Pictures from Trooping of the Colour, HERE.