Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for August 10, 2022

Paging Viscount St.-Austell-in-the-Moor-Biggleswade-Brixham: Buckingham Palace on line three!

You know, sometimes even the high and mighty really don’t have to like some things, but if they don’t, they would be wise to keep it to themselves. …meaning no tweeting. …okay?

This strip, and even more this story arc, puts the spotlight on the problem with the British monarchy. Before the age of mass communication, and even more, moving, talking images, a portrait of a monarch was all that was needed to portray them to the rabble.

Who is “that girl” here?

I guess this must be about the erstwhile princess Diana, though the comment about her not having a title is puzzling: she was “Lady” Diana before she met Chas. While she no doubt had to surrender the title of ‘princess,’ she presumably retained the title she came in with.

I wonder if that jack@$$ would think like that if he saw the movie THE QUEEN.

Does Zonk really like being part of those stuffed shirts with their powdered wigs??

The Queen ended up knighting that pudgy little gnome in 1998.

It seems that the strip was trying too hard to exaggerate the cultural cluelessness that the Royal staff could not recognize Elton John, who was firmly established as a major pop music star for decades before Diane’s funeral. After all, his Oscar for his song in The Lion King, one of the biggest films of all time, was just a few years ago at that point.

Zonker can find a kindred spirit in King Edward(the one who died in 1911).

From what I’ve heard,there was a Royal Guy who knew how to party!!

Ally Babble for President

This is why he’s called Zonker…

Ah, he is a lord, so

She was a lucky, young woman of beauty and grace who abruptly disappeared “like a candle [flame] in the wind”.

Elton John has hungry lions for friends

I’d be mortified if Elton John sang at my memorial. I’m hoping to outlive him. We’ll see.

Diana always had a noble title. From birth she was The Honourable Diana Frances Spencer. When her father, Viscount Althorp, inherited the Earldom and became Earl Spencer, she became Lady Diana Spencer. After she married Charles, she was styled Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales.

always liked elton john but was blown away by his work on Lion king!

Sir Elton would probably say that today’s rerun is filled with “rude, vile pigs.”

I remember that “Who on earth was that pudgy little gnome” from the first time it ran because wow what a punch of a line at the time.