{"id":20669,"date":"2019-09-17T09:12:50","date_gmt":"2019-09-17T09:12:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.potentialplusuk.org\/?p=20669"},"modified":"2019-09-17T16:53:16","modified_gmt":"2019-09-17T16:53:16","slug":"kings-queens-time-machines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/potentialplusuk.org\/index.php\/2019\/09\/17\/kings-queens-time-machines\/","title":{"rendered":"Kings & Queens, Time Machines! by Kerensa L. (Aged 9)"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Every June, a day full of history and pageantry takes place at Windsor Castle – \u00a0a grand procession and chapel service celebrating the Knights of the Garter \u00a0– the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in the UK. \u00a0Hear all about the spectacular Garter Day from Young Reporter Kerensa.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\nI was very lucky to get a day off school to go to an inspiring experience \u2013 Garter Day 2019.<\/p>\n

If Garter Day were a film character, I think it would be one of the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty because it was so magical. Merryweather, perhaps, as the sky was the same dazzling blue as her gown.<\/p>\n

Garter Day is like a fairy tale as it is olde worlde central. Even more so, as it was inspired by Arthur and his famous knights of the Round Table, as its founder, Edward III, was fascinated by Arthur, and wanted one of these societies of his very own. In 1348, he found his chance.<\/p>\n

In 1328, Edward III was a teenager and seriously fed up with his mum. He, surely, should be running the country after his mum, Isabella of France, had used the King of France\u2019s (Isabella\u2019s Dad) army to force Edward\u2019s Dad, Edward II, to abdicate. Edward was technically king, but his mother was ruling the country. What was he to do? Well, of course, he had to overthrow Isabella. But he couldn\u2019t do it on his own. So, he got a group of friends around and they helped him take control.<\/p>\n

They snuck into Isabella\u2019s sleeping quarters and captured her and her boyfriend, Roger Mortimer, and Edward started to rule the country on his own. He heaped rewards on his friends, to thank them for helping him, including making them Knights of his dream organisation, when it was finally created 20 years later.<\/p>\n

Ever since, there have only been 24 Companion Knights of the Garter at one time, not including the Royal Knights, such as Princess Anne, who get given a place because of their blood relation to the Head of the Order, and Stranger Knights, monarchs from different countries.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”20688″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text]The 19th June, the day of the procession, was hot, except for the breeze wafting about the snapping flag up on the iconic Round Tower. I saw the Queen, two Kings and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, for whom I have made brownies at Brownies, when she came to open a new Guide Hut.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”20684″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”20676″ img_size=”large”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]Have you ever thought about going back in time? Garter Day is a bit like that. All the old-fashioned clothes were designed hundreds of years ago.<\/p>\n

And oh, the colours of the procession! The gold uniforms of the household cavalry marching band, with their thin black and red stripes contrasting with the yellow of the chapel behind. And the click-clack of the boots down the lower-ward path between the tremendously excited crowds.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_column_text]Those crowds included a Welsh Guard who, before he retired, used to be on duty at the Garter ceremony, and he was sitting next to me. He pointed out lots of things I\u2019d never have noticed. He showed me his Guard\u2019s blazer with the group of 5 buttons, which helped me realise that different regiments of guard have their buttons grouped in different ways.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”20682″ img_size=”large”][vc_single_image image=”20686″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”20674″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes”][vc_single_image image=”20680″ img_size=”large”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]My Granny\u2019s heroine, Mary Peters, a gold-medal winning Olympian, was invested in the Garter the day I was there. Her swishing dark-blue velvet mantle draped beneath her ecstatic face. It hovered just below her ankles, flexing with every bouncy step.<\/p>\n

She looked lovely with her snowy ostrich feather poking out of her Tudor cap, luxurious robe with its ornate chain and enamelled Garter-jewel recreating the scene of George on his horse fighting the dragon, matching cap and its great badge, embroidered in gold.<\/p>\n

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The badge has the words \u201cHoni Soit Qui Mal Y Pense\u201d (shame on him who thinks this evil), the Garter motto. The Garter\u2019s name and motto were inspired by a ballroom scene, where Edward was dancing with the wife of one of the Knights of the Garter, the Countess of Salisbury. Her blue garter fell down when she was dancing, but instead of laughing, he picked up her garter to help her and tied it round his own leg, chanting the French phrase.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The current Marquess of Salisbury was invested in the Garter by Queen Elizabeth II the day we were there. Just blink, and we\u2019re back in 1551, ruff-ly (get the joke?!) 500 years ago, and Elizabeth I is making William Cecil, the current Marquess of Salisbury\u2019s 12x great grandfather, Chancellor of the Garter!<\/p>\n

But the Salisbury title doesn\u2019t stop there. It goes all the way back to William Montagu, the very first Earl of Salisbury (husband of the lady with the garter) and also one of the very first Knights of the Garter, even though he wasn\u2019t in the same family.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”20698″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”20701″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The procession was brilliant. The highlight of my day was seeing a human pack of cards:<\/p>\n