Not Another History Podcast
We are Cindy and Katie, and every two weeks we bring you a random theme and offer several of our favorite historical events loosely based on that theme. We are basically just living out our old lady fantasies of rocking on the front porch together, drinking, and gossiping about people who are already dead. Music: The Life of a Divorced Bumblebee by Josef Bel Habib (www.epidemicsound.com). Design: canva.com
Not Another History Podcast
7 Swans a Swimming
In honor of the holiday season, we are re-releasing our 12 Days of Christmas special! For the next 12 days, we will re-release one episode a day, each one with our own spin on the classic holiday theme, "The 12 Days of Christmas."
Katie shares some of the privileges that the Queen has.
all right. On the seventh day of christmas, my true love gave to me seven swans. A swimming that was beautiful katie thank you, I'm. I have an album coming out with Tony Bennett. You're going to love it. So, cindy, I do have to issue a bit of a correction. If you think back to the podcast, where we were talking about Queen Elizabeth your favorite Queen Elizabeth, obviously, as I recall we were talking about Queen. Elizabeth, your favorite.
Speaker 2:Queen Elizabeth, obviously, as I recall we were talking about how she reigns over dolphins and swans, correct?
Speaker 1:So while it is true that she does lay claim, or she can lay claim, to all the swans in the United Kingdom, she only exercises that right over the swans on a certain stretch of the Thames River and some tributaries.
Speaker 2:Oh, what does she got against the other swans?
Speaker 1:I guess she's like you know what I have so much? I've got like $6 million worth of Land Rovers. I've got the largest uncut diamond in the world, which is true um. Do I really need all the swans? Just some of this, all, just some of them. I don't want to get greedy. Who does?
Speaker 1:She's so magnanimous to leave the rest for the rest of us, except for us filthy colonists, but that's another story. So she, she, lays claim to those swans, and would you also know that on a yearly basis, they count how many swans there are? There's like a yearly swan roundup, and they count, they're caught, they're ringed and then they're set free. And there's someone who has the official title of the Queen's Swan Warden. That's an official job. That's so elegant, I know. And so this got me thinking about other ridiculous royal laws or laws and rules that are kind of associated with the monarchy. And, as you had mentioned, she also lays claim to all of the, the dolphins in the waters, and it only extends for actually five kilometers, which is about three miles, um and the, the, the?
Speaker 2:um waters outside the united kingdom so so like porpoises can like swim in, be like I'm part of the realm. I'm not part of the realm. Watch me. Ruled by a queen, not ruled by a queen. Exactly, international waters, exactly.
Speaker 1:And it's not just dolphins and porpoises, but it's also sturgeons and whales, and she also lays claim to any of them that are caught in the waters five kilometers out or that wash up on the beach. Those are all legally hers.
Speaker 2:You mean the carcasses that wash up? Yes, Mine.
Speaker 1:Yes, those are hers, and this law actually dates from 1324. That's how long that this has been in place. Not that she, you know, takes advantage of it, but it does exist. Should you know, a beautiful beached minke whale wash up. That's hers. Dibs. Most interesting law, kind of surrounding the crown, is that it is protected by sovereign immunity. Do you any inkling on what that might mean for the queen?
Speaker 2:That means she can take things, bring them back to her country and be like I'm immune, Like you can't do anything about it.
Speaker 1:Kind of so she can. She can literally commit any crime and not be prosecuted.
Speaker 2:Oh, we're not talking about just whale carcasses anymore. No, no, no. Oh, I mean in general in all of England. Oh, we're not talking about just whale carcasses anymore. No, no, no, oh, I mean in general In all of England. Oh, any kind of immunity?
Speaker 1:So sovereign immunity, because the sovereign is considered the quote unquote font of justice and from which all laws are created and laws flow. The person who represents that can't. It would look bad if she ever got, you know, convicted of a felony.
Speaker 2:Swiping a sweater from Target, but it's not Target.
Speaker 1:Primark.
Speaker 2:Yes, swiping a sweater from Primark.
Speaker 1:Exactly. She can steal all the ugly Christmas sweaters that she wants. She will not be prosecuted. She could murder, literally murder someone, and she could theoretically avoid prosecution. And not only is she exempt from any kind of criminal charges, but also any kind of civil charges, and she cannot be compelled to give evidence in court. And that's according to a 1911 court ruling. I don't know if you're aware of this scandal, George V, her grandfather, was accused of bigamy and he had to defend himself in court to say no, I'm not a bigamist.
Speaker 2:Interesting, and so that's when they came up with the law.
Speaker 1:No, that was just like a legal precedence to support the law, to say like you really don't have to give evidence in court, you don't, you know, you can't be civilly sued or criminally prosecuted in any which way. Interesting. So since then, I mean as far as we know, the queen hasn't committed any crimes. But would you? I can't imagine that going to all of these grocery store openings, openings, or like visiting schools she hasn't been tempted to just like steal a granola bar, make her feel, still feel alive. I'm the queen, I can take this, this is mine, and her sovereign immunity also extends to the portions of the Commonwealth. So she can literally go to Australia, strangle a koala and she will not be prosecuted.
Speaker 2:Now wait a minute. But she can only do that within her own realm, so to speak. Yes, does she have any immunity if she were to come to, let's say, america and strangle a koala bear at a zoo here?
Speaker 1:She would technically have diplomatic immunity. But again, from what I've read, it's not a good look and the British government would have to do something about it. It would probably, depending on the seriousness of the crime, they may withdraw that immunity, but I feel like it'd have to be something pretty darn serious for Queen Elizabeth to be abandoned by the government of the United Kingdom.
Speaker 2:I think that's also also the part of being Queen Elizabeth is that she can walk around in her matching hat and dress and shoes and be like you all realize I could murder you all right now, but I choose not to. I think her power comes from not exercising the power you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's like Lord of the Rings and Frodo he has the one ring. He could use it, but he chooses not to. So the queen is literally the embodiment of that she has all the power, but she chooses not to. She's the greatest hero of our generation.
Speaker 2:Which begs the question though who is her Samwise Gamgee Katie, her corgi, her corgi, her corgi, her corgi? I think she only has one left.
Speaker 1:No, I think she got another one, but it's like a mix. It's a mix Like a mutt yeah, I think so. They're like the Tom Bombadils, like they hang around for a little bit but then, after like five pages of them just singing, you're like.
Speaker 2:Tom Bombadil. He's a character in Lord of the Rings. He's a character in Lord of the Rings. Which Lord of the Rings movie did you see? You're one of those who read the books, didn't you? Katie? The book, who actually reads the books, katie?
Speaker 1:you say that with such judgment in your voice, I feel like our friendship is over, cindy.
Speaker 2:No, no, that's wonderful.
Speaker 1:I'm very happy for you.
Speaker 2:I feel judged and attacked right now, and all your extra time and your ability to translate.
Speaker 1:And all your extra time that you have on your hands to read that stupid book. Well, that's fascinating, and so that is the story of Queen Elizabeth's sovereign immunity and her iron grip on the population of swans throughout the UK.
Speaker 2:Her white gloved grip.
Speaker 1:Yes, velvet glove over steel fist. She's not going to give those swans up. I'll give you most of them, but not the ones on the Thames and related tributaries.
Speaker 2:It's good to be the queen, thank you.