Our Queen, the Duke

From a brace of mallards to a placid cow, Matthew Dennison examines the unusual connections between Jersey and the Royal Family

- Matthew Dennison

EVEN in black-and-white photographs, the sun is shining. It is June 1949, four years after British forces liberated the Channel Islands from German occupation, and the heir to the throne, Princess Elizabeth, is opening the development of homes built for veterans at Grève d'Azette in Jersey. A little girl, Sheila Le Breuilly, has been chosen to present a bouquet of yellow roses to the princess. She wears ribbons in her hair and executes a well-practiced curtsey.

Fast forward to 2001. Since 1952, Princess Elizabeth has been Elizabeth II; she has returned to Jersey, a dependency of the British crown. On this occasion, it is not yellow roses that the monarch receives, but a brace of mallards, imported from nearby France, as the species is protected in Jersey.

Yellow roses, you may think, are preferable to dead ducks, but the latter constitute a highly symbolic offering, a reminder of the homage that, centuries ago, the island's ruler expected from Jersey's lords of the manor. The island's links to the Crown pre-date many aspects of the UK's royal heritage.

The Channel Islands were part of the Duchy of Normandy before William the Conqueror successfully invaded England in 1066 and, in Jersey, islanders have been known to joke that, in 1066, they were on the winning side at the Battle of Hastings. In this sunny island granted self-governing status by King John more than 800 years ago, the gift of mallard, presented on a silver salver, acknowledges the authority of the current 'Duke'-for the past 70 years, Her Majesty The Queen.