My algorithm has been evil all week. All I’m seeing are fights between Americans and Europeans over air-conditioning. The Great AC Debate has been raging because much of Europe is experiencing yet another historic heat wave. France just experienced their hottest day on record. Spain and Italy are melting away. Tens of thousands of people will likely die of heat stroke, as they do every year in Europe. In England, it’s reaching 40 degrees Celsius (over 100 degrees Fahrenheit) in the afternoons. In the UK and Europe, the lack of AC in private and public spaces has become a massive public health issue. And yet Europeans still have enough (sweaty) energy to yell at gauche, air-conditioned Americans when we suggest “buying a window-mounted AC unit” or “investing in AC in all public spaces.”
Well, the UK is still trying to come up with other, non-AC solutions for their now-annual heat waves. Keeping a stiff upper lip and blaming Meghan Markle isn’t cutting it. England and Wales are shutting down their schools this week. And now King Charles has canceled the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace. The last thing tourists need to see is a bunch of grown men in giant bearskin hats passed out in 100-degree heat in front of the palace.
It is so hot in Britain that the traditional Changing of the Guard ceremonies at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle have been suspended for the rest of the week.
The decision is a rare move from The Household Division, which oversees the ceremonial duties of the British Army and comes during one of the busiest seasons for British tourism – with many spectators flocking to royal residences to witness the historic military handover.
The United Kingdom is under an extreme high-temperature warning, with the national weather service warning that temperatures could reach higher than 39° C (102.2° F). A red alert is rare and the warning from the national weather service cites a risk to life for even healthy individuals.
“Due to the forecasted excessive temperatures expected this week across the country the daily Ceremonial Operations will be slightly changed to take the hot weather into account,” The Household Division said in a statement, adding that there would be no ceremonial guard changes at Windsor Castle or Buckingham Palace on Wednesday or Thursday.
The United Kingdom’s maximum June temperature record is expected to be broken this week, according to the Met Office, and authorities say the soaring temperatures could significantly impact health and public transport networks.
So it might not have been the king who canceled it, but I hope he at least approved of this. There really is no reason for it to continue. I know it’s a tourist thing, but for the love of God. Charles doesn’t even live at BP! He’s barely there!
Speaking of, the photos I’m including in this post are from Wednesday – Charles hosted a London Climate Action Week reception at St. James’s Palace. A military man, “retired Vice Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt, Master of the Household,” was tasked with hovering behind Charles while holding a small electric fan and aiming it at the king alone. This is how BEYONCE does it, by the way. She has a fan guy too, only her fan is a lot bigger. It’s insane that Charles and all of these men turned up in suits and ties. In heat waves, it should be “business shorts and polos.” According to the Mail, Charles’ staff did set up other fans around the room and a nurse was on stand-by in case anyone passed out in SJP, which does not have even one air-conditioned room.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
