Queen Elizabeth’s ‘Touching’ Gift to ‘Naughty Boy’ Godson
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Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, recently opened up about having Queen Elizabeth for a godmother
On his podcast, Spencer spoke of his baptism at Westminster Abbey
He also revealed that the Queen once gifted him a tiny radio which he snuck under his pillow at boarding school
Can you imagine having Queen Elizabeth as your godmother?
Naturally, if the role of godparent still meant "taking legal ownership of a child if their parents die," having an incredibly busy monarch as your intended guardian might not be the best choice. But according to the Church of England now, the role of a godparent is simply to "encourage their godchild to grow in faith and commit to helping them understand how to live their life in a Christian way."
So what does that ultimately mean? Well, in the case of Queen Elizabeth's 30 godchildren, it reportedly means some pretty nice presents, even if you've been "naughty," as one Yahoo article describes one particular godchild to be.
Note: Alright, we're gonna get hung up on this "naughty" business for a bit here. I can feel it. England's a weird place, where "He's a naughty boy" can mean either "He nicked an Aero from a Tesco once" or "He's got 15 bodies buried under his shed." So rest assured, the man we're discussing today is far more in the Dickensian-style naughtiness than the penny dreadful mold. I mean, at least as far as we know right now, anyway.
The "naughty" godchild in question? Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, brother of the late Princess Diana.
On an episode of Charles' podcast, Rabbit Hole Detectives, Spencer spoke of the late Queen in reference to his baptism at Westminster Abbey:
"I'm reluctant to say this because it sounds like a massive boast but it's nothing to do with me but I was actually christened in Westminster Abbey. Not because of me or my family, but because the Queen was kind enough to stand as one of my godparents and it was convenient for her."
When a cohost asked if Spencer ever got a "birthday card" from the Queen, Spencer revealed a gift she give him that his cohost dubbed "thoughtful," and with it shared the anecdote for which Spencer was, as mentioned before, deemed "naughty":
"Yes, and the best present ever got from her was when I was at boarding school and it was quite a tough boarding school. I got from her a very small radio that looked like a book, so I could sneak into my dormitory and listen to under my pillow, to radio Luxembourg."
So...there's that. Charles Spencer, "naughty boy", snuck a radio from his godmother, the Queen, under his pillow to listen to broadcasts from Luxembourg.
England is a silly place.
Tip: For those interested to learn more about the rich and complex world of British godparenthood and the quest to select the proper guardian, we recommend the gripping UK drama film Spice World.
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