My wife is a much greater fan of British royalty than I’ll ever be. She’s studied and retained much of their history and knows the order of succession to a fair magnitude. As far as my superficial interest is concerned, if they’re not frequently mentioned in entertainment headlines, they’re not in line for the throne. Whenever we see Oscar-nominated movies about British kings and queens, she explains their history and context anew every time with the patience of a saint. Of all the responsibilities and skills we’ve divided between the two of us in our blissful marriage, Knowledge of European History is firmly in her bailiwick, just as Slightly Advanced Math is in mine.

I knew nothing about Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee until I learned how it would interfere with this week’s release schedule for British comic shops. As usual, my shoddy post-school method of learning about history brings me new awareness of my surroundings from unexpected sources. I knew she’s been queen longer than I’ve been alive, but I had no idea her reign is about to enter its seventh smash decade.

Today we had company over for a few hours, with tentative plans to watch a movie. I thought to pop in something vaguely on-topic, but we don’t have The Queen. I went with the closest possible film on hand — The King’s Speech, the story of how her father Colin Firth learns about leadership and friendship from Captain Barbossa after Dumbledore passes away and Firth’s older brother Memento Guy abdicates the throne for the sake of true lust. Or something like that.

Elizabeth and her sister appear in just a few key scenes. From ages eight to thirteen, Elizabeth and her sister Margaret, who I’m told was also eventually well-known, are among those few subjects who demonstrate patience with their king, fully understand his impediment, and respond to him with love and encouragement anyway. This positive reinforcement is in direct contrast to the hundreds of other characters and extras, whose expressions of awkwardness and discomfort would fit right into a typical episode of The Office (either version). Having never been under the Queen’s rule, I’m not in a position to draw any parallels, whether genuine or ironic, between that portrayal and her reign to date. I tend to think the filmmakers were aiming for utmost respect.

As tributes to HRH go, I could’ve gone with much worse. I also have the entire Naked Gun trilogy on hand. Those cameos by her convincing, put-upon stand-in may not have sent the right message this weekend.

So, happy Diamond Jubilee, then!