Right.... Bunny was born in Australia, to an English father (my son) and a Swedish/Russian mother (my daughter in law).
As for his grandparents, I am as English as you can get (even though I've lived three quarters of my life in France), and Lady Magnon is English/Swedish; leaning towards English. On his other side they are Swedish and Russian (as stated above).
Bunny's great grandparents (on our side) were mostly English. Lady Magnon's father even being a senior English diplomat (with an MBE, no less), although her mother was 100% Swedish.
Bunny's father (my son) was born in France, but has always held an English passport.
As he was born in Oz, Bunny has Australian citizenship, but with the family's proposed move back to Europe they quite naturally wanted an English passport for him, but it has been turned down.
Being slightly perplexed, they phoned Sweden to ask if he could have a Swedish passport; they said 'yes, no problem'.
Have I missed something here, or are those nice people at the UK passport office playing silly buggers? OK, he was born in Australia, but in my eyes Bunny's as English as James bloody Bond!
A truly cosmopolitan child.
ReplyDeletePerhaps we should have called him 'Cosmo'.
DeleteHow weird!
ReplyDeleteDidn't know that being born in Australia automatically gave you Australian citizenship? I'm told that qualifying for a British passport now depends on your mother holding a British passport so perhaps that's the reason.( it used to depend on your father )
ReplyDeleteMaybe 'citizenship' is the wrong word; but he does have an Aussie passport.
DeleteThey rejected Bunny's application in order to reduce their workload.
ReplyDeleteThey'll go on strike if they read that!
DeleteThey're about to be closed down anyway.
DeleteWill we all be 'chipped' in future?
DeleteThat is a bit odd. I've have read here and there some strange stories about the British Passport Office, which seems to have become a law unto itself. Bunny's hat is extraordinarily stylish! It looks as if he is wearing a very small pair of tights on his head.
ReplyDeleteWearing tights as hats is all the rage in Oz.
DeleteYeah sure...silly bugga:)
DeleteAwww, Bunny is a child of the world. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful baby he is!
I've just been talking to him on Skype; he's looking good.
DeleteDon't get me started, I've only just got up and I want to try to get a nice day in. I'm totally fed up with stupid rules.
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet little baby though.
Briony
x
The UK Passport Office is run by a private company, as are most of the other highly national government organisations. I am sure they would be open to a financial incentive.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the Summer, they created a backlog of applications and made an extra £120,000,000 from people who paid to have their applications fast-tracked so they could take a two-week break this year.
So, maybe someone's palm needs to be greased?
DeleteAnd, as I said above, now they are to be closed down.
DeleteBet you can't wait to meet Bunny and give him a cuddle.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be a few months yet, but yes... we can't wait.
DeleteI totally don't mean this to be insulting, but you are clearly an English (not necessarily British) nationalist and quite proud of that. How come you don't want to live on your home soil? I think I missed an important Cro-ism somewhere! :)
ReplyDeleteSouthern France suits my life-style more than the UK. Apart from which, a similar life-style in the UK would cost me a fortune!
Deletep.s. Why did you think I might be insulted by your question? It seems a perfectly normal question to me!
DeleteWell, it seemed normal to me too but I've occasionally insulted people unintentionally asking what I think is a normal question so thought I'd head it off at the pass! :). Perfectly reasonable answer too, not that it was any of my business! :). Can't wait to see pictures of Bunny growing up in the tobacco barn.
DeleteOur daughter was born in Germany when my husband was in the Army and all they cared about was his nationality.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time I had an English friend, married to an American soldier, who went home to England to have her baby so it could be a British citizen and they told her no, the baby was American even though it was born in England.
That's odd. It seems to change all the time.
DeleteI am very jealous, Bunny is quite adorable, very cute and huggable.
ReplyDeleteWith dual nationalities the rules can be difficult to understand. Being American, I was able to obtain American citizenship for both of my sons who were born here. They both have American passports and can live in the U.S. if they chose. However, unless they live in the US, they cannot obtain American citizenship for their children -- because they were not born there. So perhaps, since your son was not born in the UK, he is subject to the same restriction.
ReplyDeleteA precious child indeed.
ReplyDeleteOurs not to reason why Cro, but whatever passport he travels on he us utterly and completely gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteHe's adorable...who could refuse that little bundle a passport.
ReplyDeleteThat is odd. Well, when Bunny becomes someone famous whom the world adores, we'll see if Old Blighty will want to grant him the red passport.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely. Coincidently the first pic I received from the parents of my very new great-niece showed her in an identical outfit. Her name? Bonnie.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Bonnie and Bunny should meet.
DeleteWhat a wonderful, beautiful and lovely photo.
ReplyDeleteI adore the name Bunny. But I assume his other name will do better out and about.
cheers, parsnip