Cerberus

Charles has had plenty of time to decide what name he was going to use. He didn't need to spend any longer chewing over it. Still, I know a lot of people were expecting George VII - partly as a tribute to the grandfather he never really knew.

Yes, I think we all knew that. Maybe this wasn't the time to mention it though. Canada is free to leave the Commonwealth any time it wants.

When George VI died, England were playing a Test match in India. Today, they're playing South Africa at the Oval (still waiting to start, in fact). In 1952 the rest day was brought forward out of respect. Nowadays there isn't a rest day, but I suspect play would be suspended tomorrow if she goes in the next few hours. Incidentally, England lost that match to India, for the first time. One of the England players said later - "the Indians were very generous to us. They said we lost because we were all upset that the King had died."

Interesting thread. I was reading comments on the BBC site earlier and someone was saying that the airports are still rammed with people going on holiday, shops are busy and they don't know anyone personally affected by this. I suspect that the full ramifications haven't kicked in for many people yet and we might not see those airports quite so busy in a couple of months. I'm sure I can afford to ride the storm too. I live on my own, no mortgage and my bills have always been low - my last direct debit payment (to British Gas) was £63 - for gas and electric. I know that will be £100+ next month, but with a four-figure bank balance it's hardly my biggest worry. But I know people who, even now, are counting down the days 'til payday. For them, I'm not sure that switching lights off will make much difference. Other than increasing my direct debit to the Trussell Trust I'm not sure what I can do ... but I'm sure there will be some hard, sad stories to come in the next few months.

Played just one match in 1948, didn't bat or bowl, it's unlikely anyone alive even remembers her playing. I suspect one reason why Wisden has never carried a 'Births and Deaths' list for women Test cricketers (when its women's records section is generally pretty thorough) is that so many marry, change their names, and disappear off the radar, especially so for those who played before the 1970s. Male cricketers are affiliated to counties, states or domestic sides and often maintain close ties to the game long into retirement. The only Test players whose deaths aren't recorded are a couple of early South Africans and, more famously, an Indian batsman of the 1930s - Cota Ramaswami, who deliberately disappeared into obscurity in old age.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have Britain's first 40 - at Heathrow Airport, often the hottest part of the country. However, planes have not as yet started dropping out of the sky.

As a UK citizen, I imagine she would be eligible for transfer to a British prison in due course - along with the normal UK rule of 50% remission, and minus time served, I guess she could be out in 2031.

My nearest pub is a mile away and I'm not walking down there on a Saturday night just to see what's going on. Probably going to be heaving anyway. I'll stick with the TV and the Jamesons for tonight I think.

Exactly the same here. Seen a few houses with bunting out, but that's it. My cul de sac may have had a street party in 1977 but not now as it's choc full of cars and vans all the time. I have a job to unload shopping on a Tuesday morning. I have come to the conclusion that most of the British public is simply indifferent to the monarchy - we tolerate them, maybe admire them, but on the whole we don't celebrate them either, and we're not going to campaign to get rid of them. We just go with the status quo.

The tendency for jubilees to be staged in the summer months also applies to coronations of course. Recently the monarchs have obligingly died at the beginning of the year allowing 15 months or so to plan for the coronation the following year (George VI was simply given the date originally allotted to his brother). But Charles is screwed if the Queen goes in say, November. It would only allow a few months for his coronation to be organised - you'd think it would have to be August at the latest. No way would he wait until the following year.

Using the Royal wee there, are we? "That's a long way to go in the middle of the night!" (Eric Morecambe, I think)

Not surprising at all, but if the speech is written by officials at No. 10, and delivered by the Prince of Wales, in what sense is it 'the Queen's Speech?' For all we know, she hasn't even read it.

Thought it was always after the long summer recess? You live and learn.

I'm beginning to wonder how she will manage with the state opening of Parliament which is what, late October? Some way off yet. If she can get by with a stick all well and good but I can't imagine her agreeing to be wheeled into the House. This is one of her biggest gigs of the year, so if Charles has to stand in for her we'll effectively have the beginning of a regency.

Swords of a Thousand Men, no less.

Might also have featured on the cricket thread: played against Allan Border's Australians ... https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/andy-goram-25220

I see this sort of thing all the time on social media. I can't understand why anyone thinks William would be complicit in any scheme to deny his own father his birthright. What people want has bugger all to do with anything. Even if 95 per cent wanted William, Charles will still be next.

Fair enough, but don't recall that applied to people in the main list before. Guess it must be a policy change as it was always one of two ways that they had their thread bumped - they'd either got a year older, or died.

Seems we all missed his 98th birthday yesterday. I thought I posted then but I must have been signed out, or summat.

I must be one of the biggest cricket fans on this site, and I'd literally never heard of this guy. Slightly puzzled at the above reactions. Initially I confused him with the Bangladesh quick bowler Rubel Hossain, but 39 would put him far too old. Sad news anyway though.

She was also married to Rex Harrison, and Aitken's cousin Peter - so didn't have a great deal of diversity in her four married names. She and Jonathan Aitken had a two year affair in the 1970s before he dated Carol Thatcher.

Netherlands coach - and former Aussie and Hong Kong one-day international - in a coma in a British hospital. https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/netherlands-coach-ryan-campbell-in-coma-following-heart-attack-1311426

I think people tend to be more familiar with the character's name than the actor's, though. Just as people will often recognise a song without knowing the name of the artist.

I see Roger Corman is 96 today. The director of fabulous 1960s films based on Edgar Allen Poe stories such as The Pit & the Pendulum and The Masque of the Red Death - a very deathlist-y name, surely? Definitely one to bear in mind if he's still around at the end of the year.