First Published in “Daily Mirror”
Most Brits have loved their Royal family since they put them back on the throne in 1660 shortly after the death of the royals arch enemy, the Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell…who, in a 2002 BBC poll, was ironically voted one of the greatest ten Briton’s of all time. That couldn’t have gone down too well over the salmon and cucumber crust free sandwiches in Buckingham palace.
Many British homes stop everything on Christmas day to watch the Royal Christmas Message on television…a sort of “State of the Family” update where she reads a letter to “her loyal subjects”, a message that she records a few days earlier, and one of the few speeches she can make without government review.
Examples of the very recent distillation of aristocratic power in the UK? It was only fifteen years ago that Britain’s second political chamber, the House of Lords. was limited to a maximum of ninety-two of its 788 members as hereditary peers. Only in 2009 was a Supreme Court founded to assume some of the powers of the House of Lords.
Queen Elizabeth II, currently on the throne, has a strong sense of duty, a great belief in “The Firm”, (their nickname for the English royal family), and an acute awareness of how close they came to losing the Nation’s affection and trust with their callous reaction to Lady Diana’s untimely death. Indeed, the Prime Minister had to work hard to persuade her to come back to London from Balmoral, their Scottish Summer mobile home, to show empathy with the tragedy, despite the objections of her erstwhile husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Within a few days of returning, Queen Elizabeth realized that the nation’s heart was with Diana, and moved quickly to shore up her image with her subjects. Despite any criticism, Her Royal Highness, (HRH), has dutifully served as a great UK ambassador worldwide, and as the leader of the Church of England, officially known as “Defender of the Faith”.
The Queen’s eldest son Charles? Despite private tutoring and unlimited financial resources, he only squeezed out 2 A levels, a B and a C grade, before being accepted by Trinity College, Cambridge, when the general entry requirements were 3 A levels, all at grade A, and some at special levels. (An A level was advanced level high school studies for students prior to college).
To no one’s surprise our Charlie has not yet appeared on the BBC’s radio program “Brain of Britain”. His airs of superiority are inherited from his father, who is infamous for his many gaffes as in the 2000. Quote…”People think there is a rigid class system here, but Dukes have been known to marry chorus girls. Some have even married Americans.” Those of us who watch “Downton Abbey” are well aware that in reality American heiresses saved many aristocratic fortunes. The Earl of Grantham, from the same series, personifies Charlie and his father, strutting through his stately home during the 1914-18 war in full dress military uniform while hundreds of thousands of British boys were being gassed in the trenches of Ypres.. Royal charlatans all.
If anyone doubts whether Charlie has inherited the British royals love of horses one just has to look at what he married the second time. To many, even in Britain, the word buffoon should be reserved simply for Charlie. Such a pity the crown cannot pass through to William or Harry, both having inherited their mother’s sensitivity, honesty and modesty.
Will British Royalty survive?….that depends largely on the people, who are the most subservient and conditioned I have ever known, very accepting of their place in the hierarchy of British society. And I was born there myself. The culture, if only subconsciously, tolerates and is strangely proud of its aristocracy and royal family. They forget that a few greedy bullies formed armies and forcibly grabbed land and treasures for themselves, and then enacted laws enforced by their own policing and judges to prevent any further violence, and have retained their spoils until today.
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