Charlie Fenton > Recent Status Updates

“If you give me all the OxyContin I can stand, I feel taken care of, and when I’m taken care of, I can take care of everybody else and look outward and be in service to someone. But without medication, I feel that I would just sputter away into a sea of nothingness. This, of course, means it’s pretty much impossible for me to be useful or in service in a relationship’

‘At this council, nine lesser claimants were heard and dismissed, leaving only two primary claimants to the throne: Laenor Velaryon, son of Princess Rhaenys - who was the eldest daughter of Jaehaerys's eldest son, Aemon - and Prince Viserys, eldest son of Baelon the Brave and Princess Alyssa. Each had their merits, for primogeniture favored Laenor, while proximity favored Viserys’

“If you’ve seen as many patients in psychiatric wards as I have, you can say it very easily," he said. "Come on, now! Possession by demons? Okay, listen: Let’s assume it’s a fact and that it sometimes happens. But your daughter doesn’t say she’s a demon; she insists she’s the Devil himself, and that’s the same thing as saying you’re Napoleon Bonaparte!”

‘he looked up at Karras and said, "That reminds me. The entrance examination to be a policeman? When I took it, one question on the test was ‘What are rabies and what would you do for them?’ and someone answered, ‘Rabies are Jewish priests and I would do anything that I possibly could for them.’" Kinderman raised up a hand and said, "Honest! It happened! Swear to God!”’

‘his eyes showed shock as they shifted to a point in the room behind Chris, and abruptly he sobered. "Well, now, I think we have a visitor, Mrs. MacNeil," he cautioned, motioning with his head.
Chris turned. And gasped on seeing Regan in her nightgown urinating gushingly onto the rug as, staring up fixedly at the astronaut, she intoned with dead eyes and in a lifeless voice, "You’re going to die up there."’

‘Beginning on the day after Regan’s birthday—and following Howard’s failure to call—she had noticed a sudden and dramatic change in her daughter’s behavior and disposition. Insomnia. Quarrelsome. Fits of temper. Kicked things. Threw things. Screamed. Wouldn’t eat. In addition, her energy seemed abnormal. She was constantly moving, touching, turning; tapping; running and jumping about.‘

‘When Cabinet minister, Sir Stafford Cripps, came to dine, he asked for an omelette, which made a big dent in their ration of one egg a week. Knowing that they would have to go without, the princesses scowled and made faces behind his back as he tucked into what would have been their meal.’

‘Long ago, on Elizabeth's 21st birthday, she promised to devote her life to her people. She kept that promise. Even when she reached 90, this strong, determined queen didn't stop working - or smiling!’

‘the Valyrian custom to marry within the family, thus preserving the royal bloodlines. Yet this was not a custom native to Westeros, and was viewed as an abomination by the Faith. The Dragon and his sisters had been accepted without comment, and the issue had not arisen when Prince Aenys was wed in 22 AC to Alyssa Velaryon, the daughter of the king’s master of ships and lord admiral; though she was a Targaryen’

‘It had long been the custom amongst the dragonlords of Valyria to wed brother to sister, to keep the bloodlines pure, but Aegon took both his sisters to bride. By tradition, he was expected to wed only his older sister, Visenya; the inclusion of Rhaenys as a second wife was unusual, though not without precedent. It was said by some that Aegon wed Visenya out of duty and Rhaenys out of desire.’

‘As a toddler, Elizabeth learnt that she needed to act with grace, bow and curtsy to adults, and never lose her composure or act too familiarly towards anyone. Everything in her rigidly controlled life was run like clockwork, from breakfast at 7.30 a.m. to bedtime at 7.15 p.m. sharp. In short, she began life as a sheltered, privileged child, drilled in the need for self-discipline’

Audiobook version, not on here

‘For the first time Buckingham Palace was opened to the paying public, with the proceeds helping to fund the restoration of Windsor Castle after the fire, which the Queen had had to finance herself. The new Royal Collection Department was formed to administer these arrangements and to invest the proceeds (£38 million per year) into the maintenance of the Collection. No subsidy of any kind is required for this’

‘This was a tense moment for her. A huge crowd was still gathered at the gates. But the dominant mood was of relief that the Queen had returned home. It was not an occasion for loud cheers but the mood of the moment was caught by a lady who handed the Queen a flower. When the Queen promised to put the flower with the others left in honour of Diana, the lady replied: ‘Ma’am, this is for you.’’

‘The new Queen and her husband walked in the garden in deep conversation. Although she had been devoted to her father, the Queen did not break down or show any strong emotion. She apologized to those around her for spoiling the rest of their visit to Kenya. The discretion and self-containment shown in those few hours of silent grief have set the tone for the whole of her reign.’

‘One of the first experiences of the new baby was to be introduced to her grandfather, George V. This proved a great success; the old King had been stern and sometimes harsh to his own children, but to the new arrival he soon unbent. She came to call him ‘Grandpa England’, and to the amazement of his courtiers he played games with her on the nursery floor and waved to her from the balcony of Buckingham Palace

‘It was characteristic of all his work - his public duties and his private interests - that he did nothing half-heartedly. He set an example to us all by approaching life as an adventure and, as the pages of this book amply demonstrate, he made a positive mark upon the world, leaving it a much better place.’

‘Sir David Attenborough said of Prince Philip in 2021, he was right there at the beginning at a time when conservation didn't mean much to many people'. Prince Philip became involved with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) at an early stage in its development. In 1961 ornithologist and conservationist Peter Scott was working to set up an international charity to prevent further extinctions’

‘attending charity events business meetings and factory visits, as well as accompanying Princess Elizabeth on a very successful visit to Paris. He was noted as a good speaker and his charm and friendliness proved an asset at such occasions. A journalist from the London Evening Standard reported, 'The more I hear Prince Philip speak in public, the more impressed I am by his ability’.’

‘In a speech to mark their Golden Wedding anniversary in 1997, Her Majesty spoke fondly of her consort: 'he is someone who doesn't take easily to compliments but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know.’

‘In 2016, The Queen spoke about the importance of honouring people from all walks of life: 'to be inspirational you don't have to save lives or win medals. I often draw strength from meeting ordinary people doing extraordinary things: volunteers, carers, community organisers and good neighbours; unsung heroes whose quiet dedication makes them special.'’

‘Designed by Norman Hartnell (1901-79), the dress is encrusted with seed pearls and crystals to create a glittering lattice-work effect. The exquisite embroidery in gold and silver thread and pastel-coloured silks incorporates garlands of flowers emblematic of the nations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Over this, The Queen wore a long mantle of crimson velvet, known as the Robe of State’

‘It was his eyes above all else that I remember most during that first meeting, for they were alive with love and unrequited passion. In that moment, I knew that I meant the world to Henry and that he would turn his kingdom upside down to have me as his own. I also understood how unjustly Anne had been condemned for causing all that would later happen—the break from Rome and the Reformation.’

The King and Queen gave their daughter a brooch to celebrate the new arrival, in the form of a jewel-encrusted basket of flowers. Princess Elizabeth chose to wear that brooch for this official portrait, taken by Cecil Beaton
(1904-80) a month after the birth. Swaddled in the lace of the cradle, which frames the radiantly lit face of Princess Elizabeth, Prince Charles looks out towards us as if aware of his destiny.

‘Many priceless volumes left the Chatsworth Library during the twentieth century, a result of inherited debts and the considerable death duties following the early death of the tenth
Duke in 1950. Over one hundred books, many of them printed before 1500, went to the British Library to join their collection of incunabula (the name given to early printed books).‘

‘Harry’s animosity toward the press has been growing, and although his combat details aren’t leaked this time around, he’s uneasy with the on-base interviews—the last of which is cut short by an urgent call to duty. Harry, still on film, is seen tearing off his microphone and racing to join his troops when the call comes.’

‘It’s all his mother’s doing, of course. As is the cake she’s gotten him for his birthday … in the shape of an enormous pair of breasts.
“What on earth is this?” is royal chef Darren McGrady’s reaction as he stands, baffled, in front of the refrigerator.’

‘On occasion, she’s even snuck out from KP in the evenings to secretly put coats and clothing in rubbish bins where homeless people could find them. “They are human beings like us,” Diana says. “They have [a] right to clothing and to be warm. It’s an obligation of the welfare state.”’

‘Charles and Diana will wed at St. Paul’s Cathedral, the highest point in the City of London. Holding a royal wedding anywhere but Westminster Abbey breaks centuries of tradition—but it was here at St. Paul’s that a previous Prince of Wales, Tudor prince Arthur, married Catherine of Aragon in 1501. The date was November 14—Prince Charles’s birthday.’

Advertised as a biography, but already it reads more like a novel. To be honest, that doesn’t bug me, as we have enough biographies on Diana, and I have noticed that whatever the obligatory time is we are meant to wait seems to have lifted, as fiction from her point of view has started to come out more recently.