Summary

The short story “Jubilee” by Carys Davies begins with a man named Arthur Pritt apologizing to Queen Victoria for giving her a boring day. We learn that Arthur Pritt is the town alderman responsible for hosting and entertaining the Queen during her stay in Lancashire, as part of her jubilee. Pritt tells the Queen that he is sorry for not being able to offer her a better experience during her jubilee, as she must have been bored by seeing the same things over and over again. 

When the visit began earlier that day, Arthur greeted the Queen and expected to see her looking sad and grim. He imagined that the Queen must be grieving her husband, and wondered whether it is true that she still prepares his clothes for him each morning. Arthur thinks that he never laid out his ex-wife Alice’s clothes for her, even though he hopes that s...