Go, Go, Go Little Queenie!

Queen Elizabeth II wearing the diamond teardrop
brooch worn by her mum at King George VI's funeral 

At first glance, my latest blog's title might seem like an homage to the foot-tapping1959 rocker by Chuck Berry, "Little Queenie" - an American Rock & Roll classic that's been frequently covered by the likes of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles.

But given Donald Trump's chaotic and disastrous recent trip to Europe, it seems appropriate to give a shout-out to one of the world's most respected and longest-serving monarchs, England's Queen Elizabeth II, for what's being called her "Brooch Warfare" against Trump.

Now if you've watched the brilliant Netflix series "The Crown", a meticulously-researched account of the ascent of Queen Elizabeth II's ascent to the throne following the death of her father King George VI in 1952, you know that behind the stoic mask she usually wears in public, "Elizabeth R" (as she signs her name) is a very clever and calculating woman.

To me, one of the most fascinating aspects of Queen Elizabeth is her ability to balance her respect and adherence to the strict protocols that govern the public conduct of the members of the British royal family, with her own need to let her personal feelings be known in subtle ways.

Balancing what she thinks, using her position to weigh in on topics without looking like she's doing so, while following her constitutional duty in her fishbowl existence is tricky territory.

On one hand she's the head of the Commonwealth of the United Kingdom, the symbolic head of the British government, the head of a 1,200-year-old monarchy and matriarch of the House of Windsor - which stretches back over 180 years to her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria who ascended the throne back in 1837, ruling for 64 years during the Victorian Age until her death in 1901.

So (publicly at least) Queen Elizabeth II personifies tradition, and can't afford to be seen taking sides on domestic issues affecting the UK, or on broader issues that impact the global community - she has to remain impartial.

But on the other hand, she's still a flesh and blood human being with feelings, opinions and views on matters that are important to her.

A message about Trump's presidency?

So the slew of recent news articles about "royal watchers" (who closely follow the various jewels that the queen wears in public) claiming that she wore three different brooches as subtle statements of her personal feelings about Trump, struck me as pretty cool.

The tens of thousands of protesters who took to the streets of various cities in the UK during Trump's visit last week (including downtown London in front of the Parliament where the now-infamous blimp depicting Trump as a whining baby clutching a cell phone was flown) were on the same page as their queen.

While Her Majesty couldn't slip into the streets of London anonymously and join the protests (as she and her younger sister Princess Margaret once did as teenagers on Victory in Europe Day on May 8, 1945 to mark the end of WWII), she can wear jewels and she knows cameras capture her every move the moment she steps out in public.

As Aja Romano reported for Vox.com, the teardrop-shaped diamond brooch that Queen Elizabeth wore on the left side of the blue coat she wore while walking next to Trump reviewing British soldiers of the queen's Coldstream Guards, was originally worn by her mother Elizabeth I at the 1952  funeral of King George VI - the current queen's father.

Given the astonishing range of jewelry that she has at her disposal, and how meticulous she is about official events, it doesn't seem like coincidence that she chose that piece to wear when greeting Trump at Windsor Castle on Friday July 13th.

As a quick side note, it's also of interest to note that the queen didn't meet Trump at Buckingham Palace in London, the official "administrative" seat of the British monarchy where a wide range of important state functions and events are held.

Buckingham Palace is where the queen hosted (among others) former presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, both George Bushes, Bill Clinton, and of course that's where she and the royal family hosted the Obamas when they made an official state visit to London back in 2011.

Did the queen intentionally chose to meet the Trumps at Windsor Castle, located 25 miles outside of London and considered her favorite weekend retreat, for a quick "tea" instead of the kinds of lavish dinners the Obamas and previous U.S. presidents have enjoyed at Buckingham Palace?

Only she can tell, but it's interesting that Trump is the only American president in recent memory not to be officially welcomed at Buckingham Palace.

And there's nothing unintentional about this one-woman institution.

Queen Elizabeth II wearing the brooch
given to her by the Obamas in 2011

One of the brooches that the queen wore during Trump's visit was the antique piece shaped like a flower with green petals made of agate and a gold blossom that she received as a gift from the Obamas (pictured left).

Perhaps it was a sign that she (and the British people) long for the days when an American president was defined by class, civility, statesmanship and a respect for the British people and their institutions.

Unlike Trump, whose appearance alongside the queen (who he made wait outside in the sun for 15 minutes like the inconsiderate jackass he's shown himself to be) came after he publicly claimed the UK was in "turmoil" before departing for his European trip.

It's doubtful he endeared himself to people in the UK when he publicly criticized Prime Minster Theresa May's handling of the Brexit crisis either.

Whether Queen Elizabeth intentionally engaged in asymmetrical "brooch warfare" in an effort to publicly reveal her true feelings for the most universally despised president in American history, I don't know.

But I do believe in the old adage, there's no such thing as coincidence.

Despite having to hold her nose and meet with Trump publicly out of respect for the office of the presidency, Queen Elizabeth II managed to school Trump in the art of subtlety and civility - and in ways that totally went over his orange-hair covered head.

In a reflection of the warped alternative universe he seems to inhabit, Trump took to Twitter to announce his European trip a success, even though most politicians around the world (even Republicans in the U.S) labeled it a embarrassing disaster of epic proportions.

As the British Labour MP from Redcar, Anna Turley noted, "Trump is a racist and disrespects our nation. Why does he get to meet our Queen? And those Tories (conservatives) saying we should respect him simply because he is elected president - by that logic shouldn't he respect out prime minister and London's mayor?" 

Even though it's fair to say that Queen Elizabeth probably asked those same questions, just as she's done throughout her life, she put duty and country ahead of her own feelings.

And by donning some carefully selected pieces of jewelry, reminded Trump that she's hosted or met eleven different American presidents during her reign as queen, and she wasn't going to allow the institution she represents to be soiled by his toxic presence and pedestrian buffoonery.

Cheers to that - you go Queenie.