I have had a rocky relationship with royalty although I must admit it doesn’t seem to have troubled them!
It started when I was a little boy of 8 when my cousin Hugh Bardon and I stood on 41st Avenue to watch King George and Queen Elizabeth whiz by so fast that had I sneezed I would have missed it. Naturally I took this as a personal snub. So did Hugh.
But I came to admire the King and Queen in World War II as they had a substantial impact on morale.
In all events, I love the British pageantry – no one else has their professionalism – and think the system is a good one compared to any other. Presumably the alternatives would be the Prime Minister as Head of State which would be impossible under a parliamentary system or an elected president which would mean politicizing the office. My personal choice would be to have the Chief Justice of Canada but it’s highly unlikely she would have the time for all the ceremonial stuff.
What brought this on?
A couple of days ago, when on the groceries brigade and was checking out I saw the usual tabloids. I saw a story that said that Prince Charles and Camilla were splitting and she was getting 300,000 quid.
Then I saw Prince William and Kate in Canada and came up with this thought: suppose Chuck and Camilla are on the rocks, a horrified Queen might well have decided that he simply cannot be King. He would put the Crown in a worse position that at Edward’s Abdication in 1936. Might she have gone to the Prime Minister and, in private to Commonwealth countries that still have her as Head of State, said Charles will renounce his right of succession, then I shall retire in favour of William and Kate?
That would be a hugely popular move and would return its lustre to what Prince Phillip calls “the family firm”.
The faults of dull and uncharming Prince Charles hardly compare with those of Nazi sympathiser Edward VIII, the Traitor-King. You can be sure the junior British Royals do not lust after the top job and are happy to allow Charles the crown while they pursue youthful pleasures. They will still have plenty of opportunity to participate in activities of the family firm.
A monarchy by nature would have a long written history and one wonders what ghost writings of long lost kings and queens would mean to a young person of royal status….wills, testaments and promissory notes of huge sums and titles. These titles and notes should be occupied and or held by bright young minds, perhaps they can bring some sanity to our world. I would not relish the task.
M