Читать книгу We’re British, Innit: An Irreverent A to Z of All Things British - Iain Aitch - Страница 34

The Queen (see Queen Elizabeth II) is notorious for being easily bored, so most mornings she gets up, puts on her ermine dressing gown and screams, ‘Won’t someone change this bloody guard, I am bored of looking at them now’. This distractedness is fortunate for tourists, who love to see the pomp and ceremony as different regiments and companies hand over the keys for Buckingham Palace amid a display that reflects the very best of British tradition. It is colourful, dramatic and rather baffling for all but those taking part. More baffling still is the retention of the mounted Queen’s Life Guard on Horse Guards. These mounted troops sit in place for most of the day, ready to save the Queen should she be involved in a swimming accident, despite there having been no swimming facilities in the immediate vicinity since the time of the reign of Queen Victoria (see queen victoria). On hot days the Queen has been known to feign distress in a small inflatable paddling pool, just to make sure that the Life Guard are paying attention.