Gay Historian Blasts Queen
Sees "Absence" of "Serious Education"
 
 

warhol_queen2-1.jpg
Those old queens sure can throw barbs. Homo historian David Starkey hypothesizes that Elizabeth II doesn't care about her predecessors because she's under educated.

He recounted [in the Guardian] an occasion where he showed Her Majesty around an exhibition he had curated about Elizabeth I at the National Maritime Museum in 2003, where he found her more-preoccupied with the late arrival of a her drink, a gin and Dubonnet than the works of art on display. He claims that her only comment was that one of the objects belonged to her

Dr Starkey said that reminded him of "a housewife" who had been left some possessions: "She'd looked after them, she'd put in place much better arrangements for their care, but again – I suppose it's this absence of any kind of, to be blunt, serious education."

Elizabeth also reportedly rebuffs comparisons between her and Elizabeth I who "was blessed with neither husband nor children, who ruled as a despot and was never able to leave her native shores.'" Perhaps Starkey didn't mean "absence of serious education," but rather meant "serious ambition".

 
Dec 27, 2007 · Link · 9 Responses
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Comments (9)

No. 1 · Meeg

Not an inaccurate description of the life of QE1.

Posted: Dec 27, 2007 at 5:13 pm
No. 2 · Qjersey

Kitty Kelly's royal family biography, from over 15 years ago, said the exact same thing. QE2 received no formal education, just instruction in the monarchy

Posted: Dec 27, 2007 at 5:21 pm
No. 3 · Chaq

I don't know why David Starkey is surprised. The Queen's behaviour is like that of any other patron at an exhibition launch: "where's my drink?". Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. The old poof and his prattling-on probably bored her senseless.

Posted: Dec 27, 2007 at 10:42 pm
No. 4 · Ian J UK

Just a bit in inter queen rivalry, David wants to be careful the 'old queens' had a habit of chopping the heads off their rivals.

Posted: Dec 28, 2007 at 4:08 am
No. 5 · kamasutrajones

Qjersey is right, as QE2 was formally instructed in the monarchy, but that's about it. Why? Because her mother, the Queen Mum, despite her outward appearance, was desperately power-hungry. Upon hearing that her brother-in-law, Eddie the 8th, was dating an American divorcee and therefore wouldn't be able to become king, the Queen Mum went fullstop on making herself into Queenlike material, along with her two daughters. She would NOT be upstaged by the more glamourous Wallis Simpson. Preserving the monarchy was only a cover for her ambition…

Posted: Dec 28, 2007 at 6:32 am
No. 6 · Davey

David Starkey is a good historian/popularizer. Like many academics, he's put off when he's not the star of the show, or when others do not flatter his superior intelligence. Her Majesty knows and appreciates her collections and the art entrusted to her care for future generations, and obviously has met and heard finer historians in her long reign talk about art. Sorry David, your unpleasantness and rudeness is legendary; the Queen's call for a drink the proper rebuke to your tender, swollen pride.

Posted: Dec 28, 2007 at 9:09 am
No. 7 · hells kitchen guy

The old lady goes to these events 24/7/365. What's she supposed to do, act fascinated by every corset and wig Liz I wore? The exhibit sounds like one of those historical borathons to me. Hell, I would have been desperate for some booze too. The old sod telling the story is only pissed because HRM wasn't fascinated by his attic collection.

Posted: Dec 28, 2007 at 9:32 am
No. 8 · chandler in lasvegas

I agree with hells kitchen guy. She has a hundred times more interesting stuff cluttering up the many basements and security rooms of her many homes that the arrogantly craptastic display to which she was subjected was validated by her very presence. Starky is lucky she didn't ask him to rub her feet while she was waiting for the cocktail. And you don't get any gayer than putting the emphasis on the need for a cocktail. You go Lilibet!

Posted: Dec 28, 2007 at 1:14 pm
No. 9 · angie Cox

Hooray for you guys ..The Queen ( and I am a republican) might not be the sparkiest kid in town but David Starkey is an elitest old fart.

Posted: Dec 30, 2007 at 1:50 pm
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