Jesse forwarded me some of the emails he’s been getting. The readers here are apparently some of the smartest and most cultured in the world. Ian explains
Just in case you were wondering – the spring onion on Prince Charles’ lapel in the pic you posted today is probably to mark St David’s Day. St David is the patron saint of Wales and the leek is the national symbol of Wales (Wikipedia says because same St David used it to mark his soldiers in battle). So I assume substituting a spring onion is just a more manageable way of showing allegiance. While there is a logic to Charlie affixing some greenery to his lapel, it still looks pretty silly, especially when a daffodil is an acceptable alternative.
Pretty disappointing, especially since I just went out and bought a radish for Jesse and bamboo for me (to represent my Asian heritage).
On the upside, I’m now going to wear a leek on St. David’s Day, just so I can say my jacket has “leek lapels.”
