Royal We: Difference between revisions

[[File:queen-wii.jpg|link=Visual Pun|frame|[[Wii]] ''[[The House of Windsor|are]]'' [[Queen Vicky|amused]].]]

 

 

 

 

 

When royalty speak on behalf of their office (at least in Western systems) they tend to use the [[Royal We]] or ''Pluralis Maiestatis''. This was most famously used by Queen "We are not amused" Victoria, who believed herself to be the avatar for the British Empire. This happens in fiction as well. A good way to show when the monarch in question has had enough and demands obedience is to have them switch to this form of address. Another way is to use this comedically, have a monarch use this in informal contexts or have people confuse the majestic plural for the regular one. ("Where are the rest of them?")

* M. Bison in the ''[[Street Fighter]]'' movie. "We have decided to grant her a private audience."

* Referenced in ''[[The Big Lebowski]]'', when The Dude talked to the title character. Although, this is more because of a slip of the tongue (he was to deliver ransom money [[Come Alone|alone]]) and him trying and barely able to backpedal over his mistake.

'''The Dude:''' ''I!'' The [[Royal We]]! You know, the editorial... }}

* ''[[The Last Emperor]]''

* In the Cinderella film musical ''The Slipper and the Rose'', as part of his song "Why can't I be two people?", the Prince argues that since it is natural for royals to use the plural, he should have the right to be more than one person.

* Used in ''[[Casanova (film)|Casanova]]'' by the non-royal (but equally well-known) Casanova when he's with his manservant Lupo. Amusingly, Lupo uses it, as well.

* In ''[[The Ten Commandments]]'', Seti I uses both forms in one line, when addressing the King of Ethiopia and his sister: "Our son has dealt wisely with you, Ethiopia."

* Played straight and averted in the Soviet comedy ''[[Ivan Vasilievich]]'', where [[Ivan the Terrible]] ends up in modern-day (when the movie came out) Moscow. While he mostly speaks normally, he does, occasionally, use the royal "We", such as in the scene where he's interrogated by the cops. When asked for his last name, he replies "We are Rurikids" (i.e. of the Rurik dynasty).

* A clever use in ''[[Robin Hood (TV series)|Robin Hood]]'': To make the point that the Robin Hood legend wasn't just about him, Robin had the gang reciting "We are Robin Hood!" When they go to the Holy Land and meet [[Richard the Lion Heart|King Richard]], he asks them to represent him when they get back to England. "You are Richard. And ''we'' are Robin Hood."

* In ''[[Yes Minister]]'', Humphrey invokes this to rub in that the Minister has made a bad decision because he wanted to sound important. The Minister has been assigned an awful role, one which Humphrey would have advised him against taking, but he jumped at it because the holder would be described as a "supremo". When he decides that he doesn't want it anymore:

'''Sir Humphrey:''' Do you mean "we" plural or do Supremos now use the royal pronoun? }}

* ''[[Lexx]]'': Upon settling into her role, Pope Genevieve I ''only'' refers to herself in the majestic plural.

* Nudge used it in ''Hey, Dad..!'', when he became convinced that he was long-lost royalty.

'''Martin:''' Well, don't do it on the carpet! }}

* Used for comedic effect in the ''Blackadder'' Christmas special.

'''Baldrick:''' What, all three of you? }}

* Some of the Tok'ra in ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'' use this, as the symbiote shares the body of the host.

** Played straight with the Goa'uld Hathor, who uses it in the royal sense. An interesting [[One-Liner]] by O'Neill before killing Hathor.

'''Jack O'Neill:''' We would just like you to go away! }}

* Used in the ''[[Shining Time Station]]'' finale "Queen for a Day." Some crooks uncoupled the Queen's private car from an American railtour and left her stranded in the countryside - leaving the locals baffled as to where the other people are whom this poor old lady keeps mentioning.

* When Alexander VI becomes pope in ''[[The Borgias]]'' he lampshades the fact he'll now be using the royal "we". For the rest of the series he's consistent: acting as pope, he always uses "we". When privately conniving, it's "I". When he wants to have the last word with people he's privately conniving with, he switches to "we" again.

* Spoofed in ''[[Angel]]'' with a case of [[Demonic Possession]].

'''Cordelia:''' Okay, so he's pretentious. }}

 

* The Baronet in ''[[Quest for Glory]] I'' talks like this when he thanks you for breaking the enchantment that {{spoiler|turned him into a bear}} and returning him to normal. He's portrayed as being rather pompous.

* {{spoiler|Wiseman}} from ''[[Baten Kaitos]]: Origins'' speaks like this.

'''{{spoiler|Wiseman:}}''' They ARE happy. They may not understand it now, [[For Your Own Good|but the day will come when they thank us.]] }}

** It might be entirely possible, however, that he could be referring to the {{spoiler|magnus contained within him}}.

* The Administrator from ''[[Echo Chamber]]'' never refers to himself in the first person, though he does appear to speak for an entire wiki... so...[[Voice of the Legion|possibly justified]]?

** He also expects other tropers to refer to themselves in the [[This Troper|third person]].

* ''[[Bastard Operator From Hell]]'' sometimes uses "[http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/14/bofh_2006_episode_23/ the Bastard 'we']".