The Saturday briefing
Is there anything you’re yearning to know? Send your questions, on any subject, to the contacts given below, and we will do our best to answer them...
Q During the Coronation, why did Prince Edward’s children, James and Louise, appear on the balcony? What are the rules? Mrs J Dunford, Wirral, Merseyside
A There was much speculation over who would make the cut, and how it would fit in with the King’s vision of a slimmed down monarchy, with reports of working senior royals only.
But although it was scaled back, with no cousins of cousins, that didn’t apply on the day, with page boys also waving to the crowds.
The faces of James, the 15-yearold new Earl ofWessex and Lady Louise, 19, who is studying at St Andrew’s, were not going to be a major distraction, and it was an acknowledgment of the day-today support of their parents Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
There is no set list of attendees for balcony appearances, and the group changes with each occasion. Although one rule you can rely on is “no ring, no bring”, with no boyfriends or girlfriends allowed.
QueenVictoria was the first to utilise the balcony, greeting subjects during the opening celebrations of the Great Exhibition in 1851. Since 1902, every new monarch has appeared there on Coronation days.
The balcony is one of the more modern additions to Buckingham Palace, suggested by Prince Albert, and giving Queen Victoria more space to entertain.
King George VI introduced the custom of the RAF flypast at the end of Trooping the Colour, and that is when the balcony has been at its busiest.
Q Rapper’s Delight by The Sugarhill Gang is said to be the first rap record. But 10 years earlier John Lennon released Give Peace A Chance – isn’t that Lennon rapping? Kevin O’Connor, Hateley Heath,West Bromwich,West Mids A Rapper’s Delight is widely regarded as the first hit rap single, reaching number three in the UK in 1979 and the US top spot. Simply put, rap is spoken language, featuring rhythm, rhyme and flow, over a beat. Originally known as “disco rap”, it became popular at parties in New York during the 70s, where DJs such as Kool Herc switched between funk records on two turntables, mixing the drum-solo sections, and extending the instrumental segments without vocals, known as breaks. MCs would later rap over the top. As the genre spread, the words “rap” and “hip-hop” became inter -changeable. But you could trace the roots of rap back to centuries ago, when the griots of West Africa told rhythmic stories about their past over the beat of a drum.
As for recorded rap, Cassius Clay released a spoken-word comedy album in 1963. I Am The Greatest came out six months before Clay became world champion and changed his name to MuhammadAli.You could also count The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron as early rap, as they performed poetry using a similar style in the early 70s.
But if “rap” is spoken words performed over a DJ’s breaks, then Lennon’s vocalisation is perhaps best considered to be half-sung, half-chanted. Q Why do we call outdoor meals picnics?
AThe word is thought to come from the French pique-nique meaning to nibble at a small amount.We have trend-setting Parisians to thank, who back in the 17th century started holding indoor feasts, where each guest would bring their own dish.
In 1801, some 200 wealthy Francophiles set up the Pic Nic Society in London’s Tottenham Street, with each member required to bring their own dish to share – as well as six bottles of wine.
The action slowly moved to the middle-classes, who went al fresco, influenced by the Romantic Movement, and it soon became a classic part of the British summer.
In Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management, first published in 1861, her picnic menu included “a joint of cold roast beef, a joint of cold boiled beef, two ribs of lamb, two shoulders of lamb, four roast fowls, two roast ducks, one ham, one tongue, two veal and ham pies, two pigeon pies, six medium sized lobsters, one piece of collared calves head”.
According to TripAdvisor data, Hyde Park, London, has topped a list of popular picnic spots, followed by St Fagans in Cardiff, St James’ Park, London, and Wollaton Park in Nottingham.
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