This is a strange confession for an American to make, but I am a royalist.
Not in my country, no, absolutely not. I am glad to be a citizen and not a subject.
However, I have come to understand why King George III was concerned for the United States and how we would fare without a monarch.
I think he understood something about the human condition.
We are hard-wired for a monarch. It is in our brains to need a leader. That is how humans survived and formed civilizations. Every gregarious species has a leader. It makes communal living possible.
Under a monarchy, that leader transcends generations and is an anchor for the community. A proper monarch is groomed from childhood to understand the responsibility they have to their people.
America has no monarchy. Except that we do. We have created de facto monarchs. My parents’ generation had the Kennedys. My generation had the Clintons.
Then there are the celebrities who are “American royalty.”
That is why I have such a burning hatred for Meghan Markle. Her idea of a royal was the American concept. A life of luxury where the media and pop culture hangs on your every word. You have no actual responsibility except to promote your brand. The Kardashians are the exemplars of this model of American royalty. AOC is their political equivalent.
Markle wanted to be rich and famous and covered in glamour, and then to do some environmental activism and Woke proselytizing to soothe her soul. The idea of having to be quiet and reserved and a paragon of English culture was antithetical to what her idea of royalty was.
Queen Elizabeth II was the quintessence of royalty. She was the standard for Great Britain for 70 years.
Perhaps, as King George III suspected, we are in a way poorer that we lack a monarch because our de facto celebrity monarchs are of such poor quality. Our “American royalty” do not have the sense of responsability or temperament of Queen Elizabeth II and promote a culture of selfish virtue signaling.
It is honestly sad to me to see the American idea of a royal take root over there as that is corrosive to society.
Although I do not want a monarch, I do understand why a proper monarch, even as a figurehead, makes sense to society as a cultural anchor.
My hope for the British is that with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, they do not lose what is left of the virtues of their culture and collapse.
“My hope for the British is that with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, they do not lose what is left of the virtues of their culture and collapse.”
Good luck with that, all you have to do is look at the cretin that just made it too king. He will drive Great Britain into history and the world will be a much worse place. The Queen dying signed, sealed and delivered the end of England.
Sir Pterry had Ideas on the subject of monarchy, expressed via the thoughts of Sam Vimes. (Other thoughts, of a more positive nature, turn up in some of the Lancre stories.)
Observing human behavior, it appears to me that both monarchy and religion are things that people, as a whole, need in their lives. I’ve noted for many election cycles now that no one runs for POTUS; most of the candidates are running for King, with the occasional one running for God-Emperor.
The decline of the Republic and the decline of conventional religion might just be connected, though I’m too foggy-brained just now to follow up on this thought.
Astute observations. Very astute, and very accurate.
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There will not be another Queen Elizabeth II. That was a woman that knew where her duty was, and performed it with a steadfast hand.
I was reminded of how the British Public, mainly the news media, demanded that the Queen snub President Trump and the First Lady, and she ignore all of it. She received the President with grace and duty, and showed honor to the USA in the process.
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I do not see King Charles doing the same. I am sure he will do what he needs to do, but it will be a lot more awkward.
This:
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2022/09/10/neil-oliver-pays-tribute-to-queen-elizabeth-ii-the-river-of-time-she-bridged-is-extraordinary/
Neil Oliver hits the nail on the head. It is not really about bowing to the throne, but it is about the continuity. Very well said.