Dear Prince William:
I have misplaced my invitation to the Royal Wedding at Westminster Abbey on April 29th. Will you please resend? I think Catherine Middleton is quite a catch, and I’m looking forward to meeting her. We have a non-stop flight to London from Raleigh-Durham International, so I’ll have no difficulty getting there on time.
I’m sure you know that my city, Raleigh, NC, is named for one of Queen Elizabeth’s favorite courtiers…Sir Walter Raleigh. (Check your family tree for the low-down.) Prenuptial, you should consider one of his famous quotes: “If she undervalue me, What care I how fair she be?” Good to know.
By the way, did you know that there is already a Prince William Lane in our suburb of Cary? You should be very proud. And we have other examples of Anglophilism in the form of street names here. We have Prince Albert and Queen Elizabeth in Cary…and Prince George, Princess Ann, and Queen Ann in Raleigh. Cary also has a Duchess, the only one of those in the area. And when it comes to Kings, we have Charles, George, William, Richard, Henry…and Lawrence. I have my doubts about the latter. Parliament Place and Buckingham Way are both in Cary. King Arthur Trail, Queen Guenevere [sic] Trail, and Sir Lancelot Drive lend a royal air to nearby Garner, NC…also home of the famous Toot-N-Tell Restaurant. (I should take you and Catherine there someday.)
We’re also proud of our Wimbledon neighborhood, a name inspired by that famous British tennis tournament that I know you’ve attended. (Yes, the neighborhood has tennis courts.) Here we have McEnroe Court, Rosewall Lane, Conners Circle, Lendl Way, and Martina Court. (I’ve always been a little wary of McEnroe Court for fear of being chased down it by a bevy of rancorous homeowners armed with tennis racquets, colorful language and 50-pound sacks of lawn fertilizer.)
So much for my newsy note. I’m looking forward to seeing you and Catherine soon and hope you visit me here later in the year. It’s clear to me that we have much in common.
Cordially,
Tom Gongaware
I loved reading this post Tom! Very creative!
April 26th, 2011 at 11:27 am
I didn't get an invite either. Pretty disapoointing but I think it was an oversight. So I will enjoy watching with the million of us in the same situation.
April 26th, 2011 at 7:01 pm
Tom,NOW I know why I couldn't find you or Phyliss in the crowd ! Tremendously enjoyed the creative and informative post.All the BEST! Bob
May 3rd, 2011 at 10:40 am
Sorry you missed me, Bob. I was sitting right next to Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE (a great rocker back in the day), but was hidden by Princess Eugenie's hat!
May 4th, 2011 at 7:56 pm