The Royal Representative

Archive for the ‘Monarchy/Republic’ Category

Britain should get rid of the monarchy, says the United Nations. The UN Human Rights Council said the UK must “consider holding a referendum on the desirability or otherwise of a written constitution, preferably republican”. [Telegraph]

Apparently, it was the Sri Lankan envoy who raised concerns over the British monarchy. Sri Lanka is part of the Human Rights Council along with Saudi Arabia and Cuba.

Saudi Arabia and Cuba. Since when did either of them have the right to ignore their own human rights records and jump on the backs of the British, telling them what to do? Not only that, but the UN itself was involved with the oil for food scandal.

This is just another example of outside forces trying to dictate what the British do in their own country. If it isn’t the European Union, it’s the UN. No one will be satisfied until Britain is destroyed, turned into a republic where nothing is remotely recognizable. Enjoy your jolly nice tea and Queen now, they sneer. That’ll all soon be a part of history.

Well, I for one am NOT going to stand for that. Leave your comments here.

Sorry if I did not appear today for the chat. Meebo, which signs me in to Yahoo and AOL at the same time, was giving me problems. However, I want to thank everyone who came to chat yesterday and I hope we can resume our live discussions on Monday (June 30th).

I will be on Yahoo! Messenger for live question and answer sessions about royalty. Share your thoughts, ask questions, or debate about the monarchy. Starting tomorrow afternoon!

DAILY @ 2:00 pm Eastern Standard Time
(7:00 pm for UK)

Princess Alexia of Greece had her youngest child, Amelia, baptized on the island of Lanzarote. The ceremony was witnessed by dozens of family members.

Guests included Amelia’s maternal grandparents, the former King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece and other royals.

Princess Alexia and her husband, architect Carlos Morales Quintana, married in London in July 1999. They live on Lanzarote in a house Quintana designed specifically for his family.

The Economist.com has conducted a poll in both Britain and America to see how our views are similar - and different.

The Economist’s article “Anglo-Saxon Attitudes” asks if our two countries are really that similar in viewpoint, and whether Britain may be more similar to a country like France, for example.

For the full poll data, click here:
http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/FullPollData.pdf

From The Nepali Times:

Recent opinion polls (‘Pre-poll poll, #386) indicate that, despite everything, as much as half the people in the country are in favour of a symbolic monarchy in Nepal. The only problem is what to do with the present king, who even staunch monarchists like Surya Bahadur Thapa can’t stomach. Mindful of this, the PM proposed that the crown be taken out of Gyanendra’s hands, passed over his son Paras (who due to his own antics is also not deemed king material) and go directly to his grandson, seven-year-old prince His Baby Majesty Hridayendra. But it looks like even going back to Birendra’s bloodline and declaring a baby queen would not be accepted now.

I have never heard of “His/Her Baby Majesty” as a title before! I wonder if there is a precedent for this in other nations, or if it is unique to Nepal?

The world’s last Hindu monarchy may fall. The king himself is possibly responsible. What’s a monarchist to do?

Coming up on RoyaltyNow!, I discuss the April issue of Majesty and the problems facing the Shah dynasty of Nepal. Look for it in the coming week.

For 240 years, Nepal has been a monarchy. For the last few years it has been headed by the unpopular King Gyanendra, who took over the reigns of monarch when his brother, King Birendra, was murdered in cold blood.

Birendra’s son, Crown Prince Dipendra, shot up a room full of his relatives, including his mother the queen, his cousins, aunts, and even his own siblings. King Birendra was shot first and fell to the floor in a heap. Then the crazed Prince Dipendra (who was thought to be drunk and on drugs at the time) turned the gun on himself, leaving Dipendra braindead but alive. He lingered in hospital two days before he finally died. He was The 2 Day King.

The country that lay at the foot of the mighty Mount Everest was thrown into upheaval. Nepal had found their monarchy a source of strength and stability for their country, and the death of the king and nine members of the royal family had sent the people into a state of shock. Then the violence erupted. The public was outraged and extremely suspicious of King Birendra’s brother, Gyanendra, who was suspected of a plot to place himself on the throne.

Were their suspicions far off the mark? 

The late King Tribhuvan of Nepal faced a coup when the Ranas, described as extended royal family, tried to put his grandson Gyanendra on the throne in 1950. They succeeded, but for only about a year until Tribhuvan was reinstated. The general populace did not accept the new king Gyanendra then, and they were opposed to him  in June 2001. With King Birendra fatally shot and his successor also dead, however, they did not have much choice as to who their sovereign would be.

 Will a republic be better? Should they find a different King within the family?

I have a thought-provoking question for all of you.

We all know how clever, witty, and beautiful Princess Margaret was, but her behavior was sometimes known to be frightfully horrendous. People commented that the late Princess was brilliant but bratty, the result of being given all she wanted her entire life. The Queen Mother, whom Margaret most resembled in personality and interest, was probably no help.

The late Queen Elizabeth would wave her hand as if to say, “What can one do?” when confronted with her little princess’ lack of discretion and demands. The Queen seemed to enjoy her daughter’s outgoing nature and talent for entertaining, and would overlook her imperiousness. Her Majesty’s eldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth, was heading down the same path of entitlement.

One story finds ‘Lilibet’ taking offense at being called a “little lady” by a kindly gentleman. Drawing herself up to full height, she says haughtily, “I am not a little lady, I’m Princess Elizabeth.”

Queen Mary quickly intervenes. “She is not a lady yet, but hopes to be one day.”

This stern admonishment from ‘Granny’, among others, set the path of the future queen on an entirely different road from her younger sister Margaret. Queen Mary knew that Elizabeth would one day head the monarchy and decided that she would establish in her granddaughter manners and a devotion to the country.

Today, Queen Elizabeth II is legendary for her cool, calm demeanor and her adherence to protocol. I feel that Queen Mary’s influence may have saved Elizabeth from having a similar fate to that of Princess Margaret. It’s true that the Princesses were not that similar in temperament, and perhaps Elizabeth would not have been that much like Margaret, but with a life full of having whatever you want, it could spoil anyone… even the Queen.

I say Queen Mary drove Elizabeth’s future to a brighter direction, and the Queen Mum let Margaret do what she wanted and in the end it cost the Princess dearly. What do you think?

I had to laugh when I saw Gareth Robson in Part 2. He’s from Republic.org.uk. Gareth was so adamant in his dislike of the monarchy and his explanation was so absolutely hilarious, that I had to post something about it. Don’t mistake my mirth for a dismissal of the facts though.

“If you talk to any of the Americans in the Mall - there’s loads of them - they all say the same thing: ‘Oh Gee, we love your Queen’, but if you ask them, ‘Would you like to take her back with you?’ they always say, ‘No, no thanks! We’re happy the way we are, but we just think she’s great, she belongs over there with you quaint folks.’

That’s the crunch point for me. We’re not quaint folks, we’re not a quaint country, Britain is an incredibly impressive country, but held back by the nonsense from the past that we’ve allowed to dominate our cultural face that we present to the world. It’s ridiculous.”

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Mark Steyn talks about multiculturalism in Britain, and the world in general. A very interesting discussion. Please view and leave your comments here.

Mark Steyn on Multiculturalism