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Diane: I was raised in those traditions. My mom is from Northern Ireland, and my Dad is from England. I loved the Beatles. I just loved everything British. It’s just a cooler culture because it’s so condensed. They seem to have a richer history in terms of music, especially in the 60s, when everybody was looking at England. But also, my Dad was in the War, so we’ve always had that relationship with them. There’s a meme that goes around the Internet that says anything said with a British accent is sexy, I mean there’s something to be said for that accent too.Do you get a lot of flak for having a store in Quebec?
We’re the only shop that is exclusively British; even all our signs are in English we’re almost arrogant about it at this point.Quebec’s relationship with the British is a bit different. The rest of Canada is pretty strong with the Commonwealth, but in Quebec there are some tender points. I think their beef is not with Britain. I have so many French-Canadian customers that are absolute anglophiles—they adore England, they are mad for the Queen, they love everything Royal.

I think the Royal Engagement launched a kind of renewed interest in the Monarchy, and that’s when I saw a big spike in new people coming in, because they wanted to know more about the Engagement. Then they got married and then there was the Jubilee, now the baby. So every year there has been something going on in England that has had a kind of significance globally.
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Because they are the voice of the people, all of their work, they generate a lot of income for England, and they do a lot of good. I know a lot of people don’t see that, they just see the life of privilege and assume that they are just takers. Anyone that’s grown up with the Royals knows that’s not what you see. What you see is they are always out there plugging some charity or another, and that’s their job.But do we need to give them so much attention?
Will and Kate, something about them has captured a lot of people’s imaginations. They’re just such a nice couple. I think Kanye West and Kim Kardashian get a lot more attention than they do, but nobody complains about it. I find it so much more offensive when Kanye and Kardashian are in the news, I mean what are they doing for me?Diane is throwing a Royal baby shower at Bramble House this Saturday. Be there in time for tea!Joel likes tea. Tweet him: @JoelBalsamVICE cares about the #RoyalBaby:We Went Along to the Royal Baby Party at St Mary’s Hospital
