Across the Univers[ity]: Her Majesty's A Pretty Nice Girl...

What a week! I know I promised to update more often but sleep has been winning that debate. But now, I can officially say that I’ve been to London to visit the Queen. Last Saturday I got to experience an old English tradition called “Trooping the Colour.” The custom of Trooping the Colour dates back to the time of Charles II in the 17^th Century when the Colours of a regiment were used as a rallying point in battle and were therefore trooped in front of the soldiers every day to make sure that every man could recognize those of his own regiment. This impressive display of pageantry is now held on the occasion of the Queen's official birthday. It takes place in June each year to celebrate the official Birthday of the Sovereign and is carried out by her personal troops, the Household Division, on Horse Guards Parade, with the Queen herself attending and taking the salute. One aspect that I was a little surprised by is that the Queen, Princes, and Royal family etcetera ride around the public roads surrounding Buckingham Palace in open carriages. That’s something you won’t often see of political leaders in America…for justifiable reasons nonetheless. Here are some shots of the ceremony. I was on the front row but still pretty far away.