July 31, 2004

           Really, nothing happened in the world today. Except a royal wedding. No, not the big shots, but something I can identify with--the surplus English daughter. I ran afoul of that same situation in my teens. I did not know that there were not enough earls and barons to go around. It's a classic example of supply and demand. If you're English and have a daughter, dump her quickly.

           So let's look to see who Lady Davina Windsor, issue of the Duke of Gloucester, was able to haul to the alter. The old duke by the way is cousin of the Queen and grandson of Geo. V, a famous battleship. Davina married the son of a sheep shearer, albeit, a champion one.
           He is full-blood Maori, locally known by the Brits as a "wog". They met on a "surfing vacation" in Indonesia. He is a carpenter from East Cape, the furthest north-western tip of New Zealand, where the unemployment rate is 66%. The papers will only say he has a son from a "previous relationship" which we can presume falls somewhat short of marriage.
           "Other than the bride's immediate family, no members of the royal family attended".
           What's my interest in the matter? Two-fold. First, my rule that you never marry a woman with a cuter younger sister. And two, the younger sister. These gals, are, in my opinion, the best looking of the Royals. Lady Rose Gilman, b.1980, was the one I wanted, instead she married a real estate agent. I can dream, can't I? Her occupation is listed as "23rd in Line of Succession to the British throne", which certainly beats what I've dated lately. Namely a hairdresser and a filing clerk. Yes, Ken, but both of mine were female.

PS East Cape was a conquered area. The British moved in 18,000 troops and heavy artillery to blast 4,000 Maoris out of their villages in 1860. The unknown New Zealand Land Wars. The Maoris were protesting the forced sale of their land to sheep farmers. No, I'm not missing any of the irony here.