annus horribilis
Annus horribilis is a Latin phrase meaning "horrible year". It alludes to annus mirabilis meaning "year of wonders".
Queen Elizabeth II
Although cited by the Oxford English Dictionary as being in use as early as 1985, Queen Elizabeth II brought the phrase to prominence, in a speech to the Guildhall on 24 November 1992, marking the 40th anniversary of her Accession, in which she described the closing year as an "annus horribilis".
- "1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an Annus Horribilis."
The phrase may allude to John Dryden's poem "Annus Mirabilis" about the events of 1666. The Queen's "sympathetic correspondent" was later revealed to be her former Assistant Private Secretary, Sir Edward Ford.
- In March 1992, it was announced that the Queen's second son, the Duke of York, would separate from his wife Sarah. Later in the year, scandalous pictures of a topless Sarah being kissed by her friend, John Bryan, were published in the tabloids.
- In April, the Queen's daughter, the Princess Royal, divorced her husband Captain Mark Phillips.
- In November, just four days before the Guildhall speech, one of the Queen's homes, Windsor Castle, caught fire. The Castle was seriously damaged, and several priceless artifacts were lost. Originally, it was planned that the Government would pay the £40 million bill for repairs, but there was much public outcry against having the Government pay. Later, the Queen agreed to open up several royal residences to tourists, and used the funds raised thereby to pay for the repairs.
- In December, the Royal Family faced further difficulties when the separation of the Prince of Wales and his wife Diana was announced.
Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan, then United Nations Secretary-General, used the phrase in his year-end press conference on 21 December 2004, saying "There's no doubt that this has been a particularly difficult year, and I am relieved that this annus horribilis is coming to an end".[1] His remarks were widely interpreted[2] as alluding to persistent allegations of corruption in the UN's Iraq Oil-for-Food Programme. His remarks came before the deadliest event of the year, the Indian Ocean tsunami on December 26.
See also
References
- ^ New York, 21 December 2004 - Secretary-General's year-end press conference (unofficial transcript)
- ^ see for instance this article from the Associated Press
External links
- Royal.gov.uk - Transcript of The Queen's speech at Guildhall 24 November 1992
- 1913: Annus horribilis by Michael C. Tuggle of LewRockwell.com
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