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41.

After all the stress of asking Granny for permission to marry Meg, I thought I’d never have the

courage to ask her for anything else.

And yet I now dared to make another ask: Granny, please, may I, for my wedding, keep my

beard?

Not a small ask either. A beard was thought by some to be a clear violation¹ of protocol² and

long-standing norms, especially since I was getting married in my Army uniform. Beards were

forbidden in the British Army.

But I was no longer in the Army and I desperately³ wanted to hang on to something that had

become an effective check on my anxiety.

Illogical, but true. I’d grown the beard during my voyage to the South Pole, and I’d kept it

after returning home, and it helped, along with therapy, and meditation⁴, and a few other things, to

quell⁵ my nerves. I couldn’t explain it, though I did find articles describing the phenomenon.

Maybe it was Freudian — beard as security blanket. Maybe it was Jungian — beard as mask.

Whatever, it made me calmer, and I wanted to feel as calm as possible on the day of my wedding.

Also, my wife-to-be had never seen me without it. She loved my beard, she loved to grab it

and pull me in for a kiss. I didn’t want her coming down the aisle⁶ and seeing a total stranger.

I explained all this to Granny, and she said she understood. Plus, her own husband liked to

rock a bit of scruff now and then. Yes, she said, you may keep your beard. But then I explained it

to my brother and he…bristled?

Not the done thing, he said. Military, rules, so forth⁷.

I gave him a quick history lesson. I mentioned the many royals who’d been bearded and

uniformed. King Edward VII. King George V. Prince Albert. More recently, Prince Michael of

Kent.

Helpfully I referred him to Google Images.

Not the same, he said.

When I informed him that his opinion didn’t really matter, since I’d already gone to Granny

and got the green light, he became livid. He raised his voice.

You went to ask her!

Yes.

And what did Granny say?

She said keep the beard.

You put her in an uncomfortable position, Harold! She had no choice but to say yes.

No choice? She’s the Queen! If she didn’t want me to have a beard I think she can speak for

herself.

But Willy always thought Granny had a soft spot for me, that she indulged me while holding

him to an impossibly high standard. Because…Heir, Spare, etc. It irked him.

The argument went on, in person, on the phone, for more than a week. He wouldn’t let it go.

At one point he actually ordered me, as the Heir speaking to the Spare, to shave.

Are you serious?

I’m telling you, shave it off.

For the love of God, Willy, why does this matter so much to you?

Because I wasn’t allowed to keep my beard.

Ah—there it was. After he’d come back from an assignment with Special Forces, Willy was

sporting a full beard, and someone told him to be a good boy, run along and shave it. He hated the

idea of me enjoying a perk⁸ he’d been denied.

It also, I suspected, brought back bad memories of being told he couldn’t marry in the uniform

of his choice.

Then he confirmed my suspicion. He said it outright⁹: In one of our beard debates he

complained bitterly about my being allowed to marry in my Household Cavalry¹⁰ frock coat, which

he’d wanted to wear for his wedding.

He was being ridiculous, and I told him so. But he kept getting angrier and angrier.

Finally I told him flatly and defiantly¹¹ that his bearded brother was getting married soon, and he

could either get on board or not. The choice was up to him.

1 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

2 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

3 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

4 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

5 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

6 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

7 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

8 perk   

n.额外津贴；赏钱；小费；

参考例句：

• His perks include a car provided by the firm.他的额外津贴包括公司提供的一辆汽车。
• And the money is,of course,a perk.当然钱是额外津贴。

9 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

10 cavalry   

n.骑兵；轻装甲部队

参考例句：

• We were taken in flank by a troop of cavalry. 我们翼侧受到一队骑兵的袭击。
• The enemy cavalry rode our men down. 敌人的骑兵撞倒了我们的人。

11 defiantly   

adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地

参考例句：

• Braving snow and frost, the plum trees blossomed defiantly. 红梅傲雪凌霜开。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。 来自《简明英汉词典》