#queensday

Happy Queens Day!

Weather is perfect for Corea’s celebrations. There’s the sun! 

All entrances and exits to the palace are tightly guarded 

Biometrics capture is in place. So if anyone is even thinking of trying anything, better not

This also makes it convenient for you to return to the palace fast during the week-long festivities

Breathalyzers are also there. You can’t visit the queen if you’re drunk

Food and drink--non-alcoholic-- are provided at the palace. Even drinking stations are there for hydration

Don’t bring much other than yourself and your camera, really 

It’s basically a huge party-- and this author knows the king and queen can afford it, using their own money, unlike some royal families I can but won’t name

Attire is smart casual. You want to be able to comfortably enjoy the palace grounds under the September sun, but you also don’t want to be too disheveled in case you meet the king and queen, do you? 

For the guests’ own safety, the gate would turn you away if you’re not wearing comfortable footwear (So take a cue from the queen and ditch the heels, ladies. Who are you trying to impress anyway, the king? He’s taken!)

The Royal Public Affairs Office released an official palace greeting this morning, along with gorgeous portraits of the queen. 

To quote: 

Their Majesties and the Gwangyeongjon Palace wish the citizens of Corea a Happy Queens Day. 

The Royal Public Affairs Office is pleased to release the following portraits of Her Majesty the Queen. 

It’s the first Queens Day in thirty years that Corea has a queen. 

And such a beloved queen.

She is so beautiful. This author is quite in love with her. Happy Queens Day, Your Majesty!

And here’s the first juicy tidbit of Queens Day: the King made a cake for the queen. 

It looks like a very simple but quite beautifully done strawberry shortcake.  

I loved the cake and the queen’s adorable face, but there was another photo in the Royal Public Affairs Office packet that, well, made this author go to the powder room and scream, yes. 

Apparently, the Royal Public Affairs Office had secretly invited Corea News photographer correspondent Di Elle and she was given leave to take this portrait of the king and queen. 

I’m crying! Di Elle has more photos, but says she will give them to me at the right time. That’s absolutely fine! I will be happily surprised along with everyone else then! Thank you, @di-elle! You are marvelous! I’m still crying!

Happy Queens Day, darlings! Stay tuned for more updates. 

I’M GOING TO THE PALACE! 

And don’t they think I’m getting distracted from getting the scoop on the announcement we’ve all been waiting for-- I’ll keep my eyes and ears open, readers! Stay tuned! 

It’s Queen’s Day!  All Hail the Queen! 

Q is for Qin Lan

I didn’t do this on purpose, but after I wrote it, I realized it was oddly appropriate for this weekend.

48. “I don’t want tobe alone right now.”

The first thing Han had noticed was her hair. Unless therewas some sort of special ceremony planned for that day, Leia always wore herhair in the same style on base: tightly braided and pinned up in a circle at the back ofher head. It was as much a part of her uniform as her actual clothing.

But today, her hair was in an intricate updo atop herhead—nothing impractical or particularly out of place, but significantlyfancier than her usual style. It was pretty, Han had to admit, but it lookedlike the kind of thing that would take forever to arrange.

Not that he thought that much about hair, of course.

“Morning, Your Highness,” he greeted as she came by with theduty roster. “Hair looks nice.”

She looked pleased. “Thank you,” she said.

He knew better, but he couldn’t resist. “Y’know, you didn’thave to get all fancy just to impress me,” he teased, giving her a little wink.“I mean, people will talk.”

Comments like this, of course, were the reason people werealready talking, but Leia seemed to take it in stride. “Don’t worry,” she said,still smiling, but a little subdued. “It’s not for you.”

If you are not Corean or not invited to the Queens Day, I really quite feel bad

This is a splendid, world-class festival. 

The crowd control was such that no one is a sad loser. If you can no longer enter the palace grounds, the entirety of Busan is open for you 

The palace had funded all small businesses to offer free food and drink to everyone

I was stunned when we drove toward the palace and saw booths and decorations in the streets

Games, food, merchandise, they were all here in Busan, not just inside the palace

No wonder people love Queens Day! 

Can you imagine all the extra sales businesses are making because of the free food? It’s wonderful for the economy! 

This author was very fortunate in having been invited to the palace, so my team and I did manage to enter the grounds. 

It was decorated in thousands of hypoallergenic flowers-- flowers that are simply pretty, not scented and likely to give you a headache in those massive numbers. Bougainvillea, hydrangea, asters, sunflowers, carnations, snapdragons, hyacinths… and dozens of other flowers this author can’t name.

There were game booths and tents of entertainment for kids and adults. And tucked here and there were booths, kiosks or tables groaning under food and drinks. You can walk around and never have to go hungry or thirsty! 

Not much happened in the morning. The juicy bits didn’t happen until the evening. I did see Park In-young. The gorgeous Park In-Young! 

This author wonders if the Royal Guard was aware of this outrageous level of beauty hiding right under their noses in those sleek suits and regulation bun.  

Some of the Royal Guard are apparently incognito, blending in with the crowd. You really really don’t want to try anything during Queens Day. 

Seeing Park In-young in civilian clothes clued me in that the king and queen haven’t made an appearance yet. 

I didn’t really expect them because it was still early morning. And the last time we were in the palace, we were told the queen starts her day in the afternoons now. Wink wink. 

But afternoon came and went and there was no reported royal presence. 

Finally, at a quarter past seven, deafening cheers alerted everyone in the ten-mile radius that the king and queen had arrived. 

Contrary to what this author was expecting, the queen wasn’t in her usual casual outfit. No, Her Majesty wore a gorgeous Bottega Veneta silk. It’s in the well-known, well-loved hibiscus line. 

We don’t have a better photo because it was extremely hard to take this photo amongst the jostling crowd. Shame. We’ll bring a tripod next time. 

The queen went to the stage for her ten-minute Q&A with the people, and the king removed his coat and sat stage-right, away from the spotlight in his usual chair. 

Because of the late hour, the crowd was mostly adults. And they were mostly ahjummas who had no compunction asking why the king and queen were late, and were they canoodling in the palace and forgot everyone outside waiting to meet them? 

To the crowd’s delight, the queen blushed and the king became a rather dorky giggling mess. 

Pink-cheeked from the teasing ahjummas

The king just giggling unabashedly 

The queen still blushing, looking at the king’s fit of giggles

Oh where was Mr Jang Mi-reuk when you needed him to dish? 

The Q&A was a waste because the ten minutes was spent on this teasing, while the crowd went wild at the king and queen not talking but confirming that there had been newlywed shenanigans going on. 

The ahjummas ate it up. And I think the Royal Guard was flustered too, either because of the rather lewd mood of the crowd or some other reason, this author can only speculate. 

They didn’t extend the king and queen’s appearance despite the zero Q&A actually happening. 

The king and queen bid everyone a good night-- they were too eager to do it, my gods, the ahjummas and I just exchanged knowing looks-- and said they hoped we would enjoy dining alfresco on the palace grounds. 

Oh we would. They’d given us so much more than real dinner. They gave us cake with that blushing and giggling and running away back to their private residence. 

Ahhh young love. 

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