Coffee is cold

Author: Su Kui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: That morning was overcast; early spring in London, with sunny days far outnumbering cloudy ones. A light breeze mixed with drizzle, and the cup of coffee I had for breakfast wasn’t enough to ward off the chill. We drove to Windsor, and along the way, the scenery along the River Thames reminded me of the poetry of Wordsworth, the “Lake Poet”:
“Through the primroses
Green in the grass,
Lilac and the orchis
We saw them born.”
When it comes to Windsor, we inevitably think of the anecdotes of the Duke of Windsor. So, throughout the journey, we talked about him—the man who gave up his supreme status for a woman, who abdicated the throne for Wallis Simpson, who spoke of the pressures and constraints of the monarchy, who said that the extravagance of the royal family could not withstand the temptation of marital bliss, and who mentioned that the weight of the crown was perhaps too much for an ordinary person to bear.
By the time we arrived in Windsor, the drizzle had stopped, but the sky remained overcast. The wind felt freezing on my face. From far away, my friend spotted the flags fluttering in the breeze on the towers of the castle. “The Queen is here today!” he said. “The Queen?” he told me, “When the royal flag is flown on the towers, it means the Queen is in residence.” Today, Londoners often refer to the Queen as “the.”
Buy tickets. Security check. Everyone’s shoes had to be stepped on a carpet soaked in disinfectant—those days of fear over “mad cow disease” had not yet passed. Then, we entered Windsor Castle. It is said that the Queen has always loved living here. When Britain declared war on Germany, the young Princess Elizabeth was sent to Windsor Castle “to escape the war.” Today, this majestic and grand castle remains one of the royal residences and a favored retreat for the Queen. For a long time before her accession, the outside world knew very little about this beautiful princess. She often hid in Windsor Castle and disliked appearing in the public eye. Although her clothes were elegant and exquisite, her style was always very conservative. It was hard to tell whether this beautiful girl had ever experienced the pure, private, dreamlike joys of youth, just like other girls. Perhaps, in Windsor Castle, she left behind fleeting moments of teenage happiness, which is why she has always loved returning here after becoming Queen.
The fire at Windsor Castle in 1992 was undoubtedly the Queen’s greatest blow in that “year of disasters.” That year marked her fortieth anniversary of reign, but a series of “terrible events” ruined what should have been a joyous occasion—first, the “Fergie scandal,” the “Camilla scandal,” Anne’s princess’s divorce, and Charles and Diana’s separation. All of this brought disgrace upon the monarchy. Later, there was also the inexplicable fire at Windsor Castle. Who knows how a woman in the role of a queen managed to endure it all. Did she ever regret her accession forty years earlier? After all, as a woman, the crown is simply too heavy. When a woman reigns, what she loses may be far more important than what a man loses. But she had no choice.
In February 1952, her father, King George VI, passed away. The throne, which her “brother who loved beauty more than the throne” Edward VIII had abdicated, was naturally inherited by his eldest daughter, Elizabeth. The following year, the young Elizabeth was crowned Queen Elizabeth II. Now, she has reigned for over fifty years, having weathered war, plots, betrayals, disasters, and scandals within the monarchy, all while maintaining the dignity of the royal family with extraordinary grace. Like Windsor Castle, it stands tall after enduring the.