The Queen of Tonga

Reading of the death of the King of Tonga made me think about the visit of Salote, Queen of Tonga, for our Queen's coronation. It emptied down for Coronation Day, and all the dignitaries and heads of state were hiding under the hoods of their carriages.

All except 6' 3", 20 stone Salote, Queen of Tonga. Tongan custom forbids you to cover your head in the presence of a higher ranking person so out of deference to the Queen of England she sat grinning in the pouring rain, waving to the crowd and winning everyone's heart.

They wrote poems for her. My favourite is this: Linger longer, Queen of Tonga,
Linger longer wiv us.
Longer while the English summer
Gives us all the shivvas.
While the summer east winds blow
And shake our English livvas.

The Time article (click on the link) tells how she won British hearts wherever she went. It only hints at how she unified her country and brought education, peace and prosperity (she reigned from 1918). http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,889722,00.html

I think she is an example to us of the benefit of simply going for it. Posted by Picasa

Comments

Anonymous said…
Yes, I well remember Queen Salote at the Coronation, it was chucking it down pretty well all over the country but she smiled and waved, as it says, without any covering. Apart from the ceremony, (it looked as though Archbishop Ramsey was about to brain her with the crown), Richard Dimbleby's commentary, the small nine inch television screen which took five minutes or so to warm up and the fact that I eventually got bored to tears by much outside the Abbey, I really do remember that magnificent lady. (Didn't the Queen and her sister look beautiful and wasn't the Queen Mum gracious as well?)

I was only a very young lad then, honest!

However, I take it from your posting Alan, that Queen Salote's successor has died, I wasn't aware 'til then.
2:28 pm
Anonymous said…
I've just realised, that was Archbishop Runcie, not Ramsay, wasn't it? It must be very severe senility when I can't remember what happened fifty-four years ago. Forgetting what happened ten minutes ago or why I came upstairs (and having to go back downstairs in order to work it out), is acceptable, but not what happened in my youth. Now I'm beginning to worry!
10:26 pm
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