Happy Birthday to HRH The Prince of Wales

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Camilla Parker Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall, King George VI of the United Kingdom, Lady Diana Spencer, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh, Princess of Wales, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Charles, Prince of Wales (Charles Philip Arthur George; born November 14, 1948) is the heir apparent to the British throne as the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II. He has been Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay since 1952, and he is the oldest and longest-serving heir apparent in British history. He is also the longest-serving Prince of Wales, having held that title since 1958.

Charles was born at Buckingham Palace as the first grandchild of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. He was educated at Cheam and Gordonstoun schools, which his father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, had attended as a child. Charles also spent a year at the Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Cambridge, Charles served in the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy from 1971 to 1976. In 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer, and they had two sons: Prince William (b. 1982) and Prince Harry (b. 1984). In 1996, the couple divorced following well-publicised extramarital affairs by both parties.

Diana died as the result of a car crash in Paris the following year. In 2005, Charles married long-time partner Camilla Parker Bowles.

As Prince of Wales, Charles undertakes official duties on behalf of the Queen and the Commonwealth realms. Charles founded The Prince’s Trust in 1976, sponsors The Prince’s Charities, and is a patron, president, and a member of over 400 other charities and organisations. As an environmentalist, he raises awareness of organic farming and climate change, which has earned him awards and recognition from environmental groups.

His support for alternative medicine, including homeopathy, has been criticised by many in the medical community, and his views on the role of architecture in society and the conservation of historic buildings have received considerable attention from British architects and design critics. Since 1993, Charles has worked on the creation of Poundbury, an experimental new town based on his preferences. He is also an author and co-author of a number of books.

Her Majesty, The Queen wears the George IV State Diadem at the Opening of Parliament.

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Today, October 14, 2019, Her Majesty the Queen wore the George IV State Diadem for the State Opening of Parliament instead of the Imperial State Crown. Her Majesty was accompanied by HRH The Prince of Wales since HRH The Duke of Edinburgh has retired from public life. HRH The Duchess of Cornwall was seated nearby. The Imperial State Crown was seated on a stand near Her Majesty and carried in the procession.

The George IV State Diadem, officially the Diamond Diadem, is a crown that was made in 1820 for King George IV. The diadem is worn by Queen Regnants and Queen Consorts in procession to coronations and State Openings of Parliament. It has been featured in paintings and on stamps and currency. It can be seen in the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace.

George IV commissioned Rundell & Bridge to make the diadem in 1820 at a cost of £8,216. The fee included a hire charge of £800 for the diamonds but there is no evidence they were ever returned to the jewellers. George IV wore the diadem over his velvet cap of maintenance in the procession to his coronation at Westminster Abbey.

It has been worn by every queen and queen consort from Queen Adelaide, the wife of William IV, onwards. The diadem was reset with jewels from the royal collection for Queen Victoria. Queen Elizabeth II wore the diadem in the procession to her coronation in 1953, and she also wears it in the procession to and from the annual State Opening of Parliament. Queen Elizabeth II Wore the diadem for the State Opening of Parliament on October 14, 2019. When not in use, the diadem is on display in the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace.

Impatient Charles?

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2012. Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Diamond Jubilee, Duchess of Cornwall, Elizabeth II, England, George IV, Kings and Queens of England, kings and queens of the United Kingdom, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II, United Kingdom of Great Britain, William IV of the United Kingdom

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o306/WmHohenzollern/441px-Prince_Charles_2012.jpg

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-charles/9700402/Prince-Charles-Im-running-out-of-time.html

Yesterday it was reported in the news that the Prince of Wales is impatient waiting for the throne. In an interview about two years ago he spoke about not wanting to think about being King because it meant the loss of his mother. His latest comments seem to indicate that he is a bit impatient waiting for the throne and that the older he gets he many never be king.

I think that is understandable. He is the hier to the British throne that has waited the longest to be king. Although he is not the longest serving Prince of Wales. King Edward VII waited for 59 years to be King. Edward VII had been Prince of Wales since he was one month old and he served in that capacity until he begame king at the age of 59. Charles, on the other hand, is now 64 and didn’t become Prince of Wales until he was 10 which means he has been Prince of Wales for 54 years, 5 years shy of Edward VII, making him the second longest serving Prince of Wales. He has been hier to the throne since his mother succeeded in 1952 and as hier to the throne for 60 years he has been waiting one year longer than han his great-great grandfather, Edward VII.

King William IV became king at the age of 64, succeeding his brother, King George IV, in 1830. If Charles should outlive his mother he will be the oldest monarch to mount the British throne. Many British monarchs did not even live to see their 60s, Charles’s grandfather, King George VI, died at the age of 56 after a reign of 16 years.

I have great admiration for both Her Majesty the Queen and HRH the Prince of Wales. I would hate to see the Queen pass away. She had been the role model of a great Constitutional monarch. I do not support abdication within the British monarchy and although I think Chalres will make an excellent king and I do want to see him enjoy that role…he just needs to find a little more patience.

Happy Birthday! HRH The Prince of Wales

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Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Elizabeth II, Kings and Queens of England, kings and queens of the United Kingdom, Prince Charles, Prince William, Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth II, the prince of Wales

Today I would like to feature the current Prince of Wales, Prince Charles…again. I will not re-post the older feature on the Prince of Wales, I will repeat some of my words but I will also add to them.

Today HRH turns 64 years old!

In the United States when people reach their 60s they are usually planning their retirement…if they can afford it. The Prince of Wales, However, is still waiting to star his main job…King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is difficult to talk about the prince of Wales taking on the role of king when you know another person has to die in order for him to assume that role. I have great respect for both of them and would love to see Her Majesty continue her reign. Yet, I also have mixed feelings to be honest. I would also like to see Charles assume the role for which birth has placed on his shoulders while he is still healthy and young enough to enjoy the role and make his name in the great panoply of British rulers.

I have always had great respect and admiration for the Prince of Wales. When I began studying and following royalty the Prince of Wales had just turned 30. He was described as a man of action and always on the go. He was into sports and his service in the military had him doing some amazing things from being a helicopter pilot and captain of his own ship. He also came across as very intelligent and articulate. I have come to learn that not everyone shared this admiration. Following his life for 34 years has allowed me to see some great changes in him. He seems more comfortable with himself than he was when younger. I think that comfort translates into being more at ease with people. He has had a long public career and I think he has found his niche in life while waiting for the crown.

This next paragraph is from my earlier writings out the Prince of Wales.

My final thought about the Prince of Wales is what style of kingship will he have? Will he stay the course and walk in the model that his mother portrayed? I do not know. Tuesday I mentioned that the Prince of Wales will make changes when he is king but I wonder what those changes will be? He has been outspoken and generally the monarch does keep neutral quite about issues, so will he continue the path of neutrality or will it be difficult for him to adjust to staying above the fray on specific issues? He does have a very warm and compassionate persona and while his mother also can display that quality there is also a sense of distance even aloofness wit the queen. Is that a trait that the monarch needs in order to retain that regal sense of mystery the crown allegedly has? Or will his more personal style be a breath of fresh air in the modern age?

I actually believe his friendly and personal style will help the monarchy move into the 21st century. What I am about to say is not criticism toward Her Majesty, it is more of an observation. I see Elizabeth II as one of the last of the Victorians. The influence of Queen Victoria was still being felt while Her Majesty was in her formative years. She was born 25 years after the great queen and raised by family members that lived and knew Queen Victoria. Although the queen herself has become more personable within the last 20 years or so, I think Charles, and then William afterward, will demonstrate the quality to a more pronounced degree.

I don’t think the reverence for monarchy will be, or has been, diminished in the light of this new open and personal style of monarchy. For what keeps the mystery and reverence there for the monarchy is a sense of class. Not the social class type of distinction where one class is seen as “better” than the other, but the type of class that displays maturity, dignity and respect. In that way the prince of Wales is a very classy guy! I wish him a happy birthday and many more healthy and happy days ahead for him.

 

 

The British System: Why the husband of a Queen is not a King.

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Duchess of Cornwall, Kings and Queens of England, kings and queens of Scotland, kings and queens of the United Kingdom, Leters Patent 1917, Prince Harry, Princess Dinana, The Duchess of Cambridge, The Duke of Cambridge, titles

The British system is familiar to most people and in that system there is a clear demarcation between royalty and the nobility. The person in whom sovereignty is vested is a King if a male and a Queen if a female. Although a queen invested in sovereignty is a Queen Regnant and a queen that is the wife of a King is a Queen Consort but both are generally just called the Queen. The husband of a Queen Regnant does not generally adopt the title King Consort.

There are a couple of exceptions though. Felipe II of Spain (Philip) was King of England as the wife of Queen Mary I, England’s first Queen Regnant. The Act of legislation passed by Parliament for the marriage of Queen Mary to Philip of Spain, stated that Philip was to enjoy Mary I’s titles for as long as their marriage should last. All official documents, including Acts of Parliament, were dated with both their names and Parliament was to be called under the joint authority of the couple. However, Philip is not generally listed among the Kings and Queens of England and is treated more as a consort than a sovereign. As I said in another blog post it will be interesting to see if another King Philip of the United Kingdom were to reign in England would he be called Philip II? Queen Elizabeth I never married so this issue did not arise.

The next Queen Regnant, Marry II, is a different situation. She was married to her cousin, Prince Willem III of Orange, Stadholder of the Netherlands. He held a claim to the throne but only after his wife, her sister, Anne, and their brother Prince James, The Prince of Wales, son of the deposed King James II – VII of England and Scotland, whom -Willem helped depose. With King James II-VII having fled the country in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Parliament declared the throne vacant. The infant Prince of Wales was not acceptable due to his Catholicism so his eldest Protestant daughter, Mary, was the legal heir. Mary refused to rule without her husband therefore Parliament offered the throne and sovereignty to both Willem and Mary who became William III- II and Mary II of England and Scotland. Unlike the situation with Mary I and Felipe II of Spain, William held sovereignty even after Mary’s death in 1694and therefore was king in his own right. Anne, the next in line, relinquished her place in the succession in favor of her brother-in-law. William III died in 1702 and Anne became the next Queen Regnant.

Anne was married to Prince George of Denmark & Norway and was made a Peer of the Realm with the title Duke of Cumberland. Queen Anne died in 1714 and the crown passed to the German House of Hanover. The issue of the title of the husband of a Queen Regnant would not arise until 1840 when Queen Victoria married.

Queen Victoria’s desperately wanted her husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the title of King Consort but Parliament would not have it. Prince Albert refused a peerage title but was granted the title Prince Consort in 1857. By granting the title Prince Consort his status did not really change so I have always questioned the significance of this title.

Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark was made a peer the day before his marriage to Princess Elizabeth by his soon to be father-in-law, George VI, who created him HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich. He had been born a Prince of Greece and Denmark and although he renounced his Greek and Danish titles and became Lt. Philip Mountbatten, the press still incorrectly referred to him as Prince Philip. He did not officially become a Prince again until 1957 when Her Majesty created her husband Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

 

The Man who will be King.

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Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Elizabeth II, Kings and Queens of England, kings and queens of the United Kingdom, Prince Charles, Prince William, Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth II

During the Diamond Jubilee festivities I cam across an argument that I have seen on the internet before, namely, that when Her Majesty dies the crown should go to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge rather than the next in line, Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales. This generally has me rolling my eyes and shaking my head with a mixture of laughter and annoyance. I find the majority of those who entertain this wish are Americans. Although there are some British subjects who also entertain this idea the majority of people that understand the monarchy do not want to see this happen.

I do understand the popularity of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. First of all Prince William is the son of the very popular Diana, Princess of Wales whose fairytale marriage ended in divorce and she died much too young in a tragic car accident. Secondly, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are a young and attractive couple and in the US we have a culture that worships youth. At 63 The Prince of Wales just doesn’t have the youth appeal that his son has.

When I began following royalty in the late 70s the Prince of Wales was a young man of action. He was in the military and also active in sports. He also was very cultured, articulate and intelligent and I found much to admire and respect in him. Problems came with his marriage to the then Lady Diana Spencer. With hindsight we all now know that what began as a modern day fairytale not only ended sadly but probably never should have happened in the first place. The couple were ill suited for one another. Prince Charles was unable to let go of the woman he truly loved and this was a huge source of problems in their marriage. At some point in the marriage Diana also strayed.

The affair between Charles and the woman who is now his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is the main reason many want the crown to skip a generation. I can understand and empathize with their dislike and anger toward Charles. I went through that for a time period myself. In time I was able to move on and what helped me was seeing his actions during Diana’s funeral and how he really became a hands on Dad to the boys after her death. The the men do have a close familial relationship and that has also helped me regain my respect for him.

As I have come to learn about the Duchess of Cornwall I have come to see that she is well suited to the Prince of Wales. From what I understand is that she is also very kind and has a very warm personality and her popularity is growing in the UK as people have come to experience her testify that she really is a remarkable woman in her own right.

The main reason Charles will someday be king is the fact that the succession to the monarchy is established in centuries old laws and the Queen does not have a say in these laws. Although the monarchy needs the support of the people to survive the succession cannot be just set aside based on personal whims.

When the time comes Charles does have large shoes to fill. His mother has been an an exemplary monarch and the Prince of Wales would be wise to adhere to as much as her style as he possibly can. However, the Prince of Wales will develop his own style when he becomes king and seeing that he can be a personable and caring individuals as well as an intelligent man who, like his mother, has dedicated his life to the service of his country, Charles will indeed make a fine king when his time comes.

Diamond Jubilee Thanks Giving Service

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Here are a couple of photos from the conclusion of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. 

Church service at St Paul’s Cathedral. Her Majesty is wearing a brooch that is worn infrequently. The brooch, know affectionately as “Granny’s Chips,” contain stones 3 & 4 of the Cullinan diamond. The larger stones, 1 & 2, are also part of the Crown Jewels and are fitted into the scepter and imperial state crown respectively.

On the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the serve. The absence of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh is sadly noted. I wish him a speedy and thorough recovery. Her Majesty is supported by her two eventual successors, HRH The Prince of Wales (the future King Charles III) and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (the future King William V and Queen Catherine).

Although here in the United States we still have last night’s concert to watch, today’s ceremonies end the official Diamond Jubilee celebration.

I completely enjoy the pomp and pageantry that surrounds the British monarchy and I have been very caught up in the emotions of the events. These are rare historic events. Jubilees do not come very often and this is only the second Diamond Jubilee in British History. The first was in 1897 when Queen Elizabeth II’s great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee.

With millions celebrating and cheering in Britain and around the world the support for the monarchy is high at this moment and any rumblings and complaints from the Republicans (those who want the monarchy abolished) have been drowned out by the cheers. I am grateful that I lived to see these events and pray that Her Majesty continues in good health and may she continue to reign for a long long time. Who knows? If Her Majesty has the long life her mother had she will easily reach 96 years of age ten years from now and will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, 70 years on the throne!