h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just had an interesting conversation with the wife on this.

This came from watching a trailer on 'Churchill's (not so - my addition) secret'

That is - rather famously these days for me - during his last stint as Prime Minister he had several strokes and went 'ga ga' and rather than admitting it they establishment hid him away and wheeled him out as a waving puppet when needed. A bit like Brezhnev in the USSR, Yuri Andropov and possibly a few popes it seems it's common practice to not admit when your supreme leaders are infirm or unwell.

It occurred to us that whilst we constantly hear of illnesses afflicting the Duke of Edinburg, fish bones hurting the Queen Mother of old, Princess Margaret's illnesses etc - that we've never once heard of the Queen herself being ill...
She's 90 yet never been ill to our knowledge?

Hmmm.

Is this the same thing or is she just always hale?

I think she is hale. The Queen makes a lot of public appearances. The newspapers would know very quickly if she didn't turn up. So unless they've got a body double, that's one healthy old woman.

She claims to take long walks on a regular basis -- same as her mother.

She's had a couple of stints in hospital in recent years..

Wouldn't surprise me if there was a double but that's a good point.

Just idle speculation and silliness by us I expect...

she's a lizzard?

That too

How many women could get to that age without a few visits to hospitals? There are actresses who have gotten paid for portraying her.

The Queen's delegated many of the public appearances, now. William and Kate seem to be the chosen ones for the new generation. They even hosted the Obamas last week.

It would be interesting to see if anything materially changed if she died and Charles became king. I suspect he may be content to take a back seat, left to concentrate on his tree hugging and black spider letters.

She probably has a thorough MOT every year as well, so any incipient problems are addressed early on.

"I suspect [Charles] may be content to take a back seat"

You think? I disagree. Charles demonstrably sees himself taking an active role in the life of the nation. When he (finally) gets onto the throne that tendency is hardly likely to be toned down. If anything it will get much, much worse.

You think so? I think he's mellowed a bit, especially since they published all his leaked rants. But I wouldn't put it past him becoming a bit of an embarrassment in old age - like George III.

Or his own Dad.

An awful lot of trees need hugging. I would like to see Charles hug as many as he can.

I think Charles be a fine king..and he will give William time to bring up his family and prepare for the role of Monarch.

I give Charles credit for being a reasonable single dad after Diana died. He let his children grieve their mother's loss in [mostly] privacy. The press seems to have wanted them to be more public about it, but they were young teenagers who needed support.

I give him credit for being a decent human being..with a healthy interest in making the world a better place for all.

March 2013, in hospital with a stomach bug http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21649494
June 2015 routine check up http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32992330

Not much really, but she has all the right factors for a healthy life http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36076615

I give Charles credit for being, despite the best education money and privilege could buy, a dimwitted anti-scientific nutbar.

As Joe E Brown said at the end of "Some like it hot," nobody's perfect.