1914

The centenary, today, of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo.

Here's his gun:

We're about to enter years - years - of Great War commemoration. It certainly won't be over by Christmas. How, though, do we mark (say) the outbreak of the Battle of the Somme? What kind of event is appropriately solemn and momentous?

And what's planned for the centenary Armistice Day on 11 November 2018? And (this troubles me) what happens after that?

And what if (it's hardly beyond the realms of probability) a Senior Royal happens to die at some point in our four-year marathon remembrance? We'd all be plunged even deeper into mourning - on top of the commemorations. What then?