The Eaton Diary of London 2001
To
round off our lightning tour of London inspired by the Woods’ visit, I joined
them at Buckingham Palace for the famous Changing of the Guard. We followed the
advice of Tuesday’s tour guide and arrived an hour early and took up a prime
position on the steps opposite the central gates of the Palace. It was
fascinating just watching the assembling crowd. People were finding all sorts of
vantage points to witness and photograph this ceremony whose main fascination
seems to be that they still bother to do it so religiously. I found myself
enjoying the sense of anticipation, but had to wonder why all the fuss. That was
until a sudden stirring was heard throughout the growing crowd. The presence of
Royalty made all the difference. A convoy of regal vehicles passed quickly
across in front of the Palace, and the left hand gates opened promptly to allow
the Queen’s vehicle to exit. We were thrilled to have this unexpected glimpse
of Her Majesty in bright yellow spring colours as she made her way for what I
later discovered was the distribution of the Royal Maundy at Westminster Abbey.
...But
back to all the fuss at the Palace gates. Seeing the Queen seemed to give us
renewed enthusiasm for what was to follow. Tired and aching feet were forgotten
and the crowd was now in festive mood. Being school holidays, parents were
helping children find special vantage points. We couldn't help but notice an amiable
Texan tourist go to extraordinary lengths to get a good video of the ceremony. He set
himself up on the wall by the lion statues. He even agreed to
keep an eye on Deane’s suitcases that were parked nearby, such was his
community spirit. Momentarily, however, a rather officious man in what looked
like nothing more than a sports jacket, walked briskly through the crowd,
barking rather terse commands “Off the wall!” There being no signs or other
indications about being on or off the wall, our friendly but assertive Texan
simply responded with what seemed to be a perfectly reasonable question, “Who
are you?” The would-be
security man seemed unable to deal with this affront to his real or imagined
authority and he moved on.
Meanwhile mounted police were parading up and down in front of us
chatting to the crowd with friendly smiles. Before long one noticed the group up
on the wall, and with the same friendly manner but with the authority of his
office and uniform, said those same words, “Off the wall!” The response this
time was quite different. As one, everyone jumped down from their vantage
points.
It was just a question of authority. I think I feel some sermons coming on with
titles like “Who are you?” (Text:
Acts 19:15 "...but who are you?") or “A Question of Authority” or “Off
the Wall!”
In the distance we could hear the sounds of bands warming up and sensed that the real action was about to commence. In due course the historic drama unfolded before us with all its colour and splendour. I felt pleased that they did all go through the motions for yet another crowd of tourists to see how it used to be done, but I must confess, if it hadn’t been for Queen's unexpected appearance, and the music accompanying the occasion, I would have had some doubts about the spectacle. For me, it confirmed that:
1.
Music can
turn a ceremony into a celebration
2. The Presence of Royalty can change the throng's mood from idle curiosity to joyful participation
3.
A man in authority
can be no respecter of the persons under it, but a man under it, will only
respect a person clearly in authority.
© Copyright 2001 H Grant Eaton Contact: granteaton@usa.net