Red carpet

The man who invented the red carpet needed his head examined. ~ Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

A red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has in recent decades been extended to use by VIPs and celebrities at formal events. The world's longest red carpet measures 6,358.6 m (20,861.55 ft; 3.95 mi) and was exposed and used in the streets of the city of Almería, Spain. Such a feat served the city of southern Spain to get into The Guinness Book of Records.

Quotes

• Now, dearest husband, come, step from your chariot. But do not set to earth, my lord, the conquering foot That trod down Troy. Servants, do as you have been bidden; Make haste, carpet his way with crimson tapestries, Spread silk before your master’s feet; Justice herself Shall lead him to a home he never hoped to see.
  • Phillip Vellacott, The Oresteian Trilogy, Penguin 1973 (Google Books)
• There are two words I hate and despise and don’t want to hear: red carpet and iconic.
  • Caroline, Princess of Hanover, as quoted in "An Interview with Her Royal Highness Caroline, Princess of Hanover", AnotherMag

• The man who invented the red carpet needed his head examined.
  • Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as quoted in The Reality of Monarchy (1970), by Andrew Duncan

External links

• Encyclopedic article on Red carpet on Wikipedia