RE: [Leica] OT: Windsors Use Leicas!

["Kotsinadelis, Peter (Peter)" <peterk@lucent.com>]

Marc,

Prince Philip was Greek.  Trust me, with a last name like mine I should
know.

Peter K

- -----Original Message-----
From: Marc James Small [mailto:msmall@roanoke.infi.net]
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 1999 2:27 PM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us; leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: RE: [Leica] OT: Windsors Use Leicas!


At 04:45 PM 11/9/1999 -0000, B. D. Colen wrote:
>But I guess
>I get at least partial credit for a) knowing that "Windor" was a
>nom-de-Brit, b) and knowing that at some point the "British"royals wanted
to
>"hide" their ties to Germany. As to Philip, doesn't being part of the Greek
>royal family come close to being Greek? :-)

The British Royal House never sought to "hide" their ties to Germany:
these were most well known at the time.  They simply wished to de-emphasize
them, as was the case with many immigrants to the US who shortened their
names to fit our relaxed naming conventions.

As to Phillip, no, being a member of the Greek Royal House does not
necessarily mean you are "Greek".  James VI of Scotland had never even been
to Great Britain when he inherited the title, nor had George I when he
followed suit a century later.

The concept of monarchy is vastly different from that of an elected head of
state.  A monarch IS the nation -- Louis XIV's "l'etat c'est moi" and all
that.  Elizabeth IS the UK.  When she and the US President are at a state
banquet, the distinction is high-lighted.  When the band plays the US
national anthem, the President rises, as his nation, not him personally, is
honoured.  When they play "God Save the Queen", everyone BUT Elizabeth
rises, as the accolade is a personal one to her.  She IS the UK, and
Canada, and so forth.

Marc

msmall@roanoke.infi.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!