It’s A Prince!

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Elizabeth II, Kings and Queens of England, kings and queens of Scotland, kings and queens of the United Kingdom, Prince George of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Queen Elizabeth II, Succession Crown Bill, The Duchess of Cambridge, The Duke of Cambridge, The Princess of Wales

It’s a Prince! HRH The Duchess of Cambridge has safely delivered a boy! Congratulations!

The new Prince is 5th in line to the throne. Because of the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 this new Prince will not supplant Princess Charlotte in the line of succession. This is the first occasion in the history of the British monarchy that a new Prince did not replace his sister in the order of succession.

Here is a short list of those in the line of succession as it is today.

Her Majesty, the Queen.

1. HRH The Prince of Wales
2. HRH The Duke of Cambridge
3. HRH Prince George of Cambridge
4. HRH Princess Charlotte of Cambridge
5. HRH Baby Boy of Cambridge
6. HRH Prince Henry of Wales
7. HRH The Duke of York
8. HRH Princess Beatrice of York
9. HRH Princess Eugenie of York
10. HRH The Earl of Wessex

Any guess to what the name might be? Write in the comments section.

Diana, Princess of Wales: A Perspective

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Buckingham Palace, Camilla Parker Bowles, Diana Spencer, Duke of Cambridge, Duke of Edinburgh, Elizabeth II, Kings and Queens of England, kings and queens of Scotland, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, the prince of Wales, The Princess of Wales

I was on a Facebook page that was dedicated to English royalty. The page displayed pictures of HRH The Prince of Wales with HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. I was surprised to read the hate toward the Duchess in the name of Diana, Princess of Wales. There are still some die-hard Diana fans who can be very rigid and venomous in their attacks on The Duchess of Cornwall. The responses surprised me because I thought this type of behavior was in the past. Apparently it is not. Today I wanted to write about Diana, Princess of Wales, a person I seldom write about, and see if I can put some things into perspective.

I understand that many people are royalty watchers, or interested in the British monarchy, because of Diana, Princess of Wales. The wedding of Lady Diana Spencer to HRH The Prince of Wales back in 1981 was the doorway into their fascination with not only the British Monarchy, but Diana herself. I have observed that it is these people who are often most vocal in their praises of Diana and their criticisms of The Duchess of Cornwall. Then there are those, like myself, who were interested in British royalty prior to the royal wedding. This group tends to follow the royal family for other motives. I state this as fact with no judgment implied.

I actually did, and do, admire Diana, Princess of Wales. However, I do not do it at the expense of The Duchess of Cornwall and I also recognize that Diana brought both positive and negative changes to the royal family. Those are the things that i want to write about today.

I think Diana brought a breath of fresh air into the royal family. Her warmth and kindness and willing to be open was a message to the rest of the royal family that they too need to be more down to earth and show their warmth. I think they have followed suit and I think that is one of the biggest influences that Diana brought. I also think she was a wonderful Mom. She did work very hard to give her two boys as normal a life possible given the circumstances of their lives. This was not only beneficial to the boys, it also helped to modernize the royal family and bring it closer to the people.

Although the royal family has been a patron of charities for many many years, Diana brought a style to her charity work that again emphasized her down to earth spirit and care for other people. In a day when AIDS was a frightening unknown entity and people with AIDS were demonized and shunned the attitude that Diana had toward people with this affliction helped to not only reduce the stigma it helped educate people and brought them out of ignorance.

When any marriage ends both parties often share responsibility. There is rarely a one-sided relationship. I really do not wish to rehash what went on in their marriage and who is to blame. First of all I wasn’t there so anything I do know might not be an accurate.

I think my major point in all of this is about moving on. In August of 2013 it will be 16 years since Diana passed away. The problem seems to be that many have not yet moved on and are stuck in some type of anger phases toward the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. I do think it is time to move on, to celebrate and always honor the life of Diana, Princess of Wales and to also recognize that the Duchess of Cornwall is also a very good person that has brought many good qualities and hard work to the royal family. I do think it is time to move on, to forgive and accept what is and has come to be.

HRH The Prince of Wales

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Buckingham Palace, Diamond Jubilee, England, Kings and Queens of England, kings and queens of the United Kingdom, Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth II, the prince of Wales, The Princess of Wales

HRH The Prince of Wales

Today I would like to feature the current Prince of Wales, Prince Charles. He has held the title since 1958 when he was 10 although he was not formally invested in the title until 1969 when he was 21. His great-great grandfather, Edward VII, held the title the longest, 59 years. Edward was 59 when he became king while Charles, who will be 64 next month, is the oldest to still retain that title.

 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. The Prince of Wales reputation has gone up and down over the years. He is an environmentalist and I remember the flack he received for talking to plants. What surprised me about the fall out from that was talking to plants had seem to be such a common idea here in the States and it didn’t sound strange to me at all.

 The Prince of Wales has been an outspoken individual and when you speak you mind in any public or even private manner there will be people to disagree with you, sometimes that disagreement will be quite vocal. The Prince has had a passion for keeping cherished old buildings from the destruction block and has also railed against the monstrosities that pass for modern architecture. However, the thing that has caused the most controversy was the affair with his now current wife and treatment of his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. I must admit even my respect for his was weakened during this time. What saved it was the fact that it takes two to have a bad relationship and both parties had apart in the demise of the relationship. That doesn’t make his behavior acceptable it just places it in a proper context for me.

 I think the way he has conducted himself since that time, especially in his treatment of his sons, William and Harry, has helped him on his path of public redemption. His work and tributes toward his mother during this Diamond Jubilee year have also helped in that process. The Prince of Wales may not be the man of action that he once was but I still find him to be a kind and gentle man who dose display a great deal of warmth to those that he serves with his charities. Although he is heir to one of Europe oldest monarchies there does not seem to be an arrogant snobby attitude within him. Quite the contrary, he does come across and a down to earth individual with a sense of humor and an ability to put people at ease. Make no mistake a bout though, he is a Prince and also comes across with a sense of dignity, class and very cultured. These are all traits I admire and hope to emulate.

 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?

 

Royals as Celebrities

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Diana Princess of Wales, King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, The Princess of Wales, TMZ

Diana, Princess of Wales was one of the most photographed woman in the world, if not the most photographed woman in the world. I think Diana did a lot of good for the royal family…and some bad things too. I am not here to rehash any of those old arguments of if she was good or not for the Royal Family. The thirst for anything about Diana was part of the continual growth of an American culture that has become more obsessed with fame and celebrities over the last 20 years. With 24 hour news channels and half hour magazine shows like TMZ, Entertainment Tonight, Inside Addition and Access Hollywood the need for celebrity associated gossip and information is at an all time high.

Personally, I dislike how royalty has become nothing more than fodder for these gossip shows and magazines. It cheapens the concept of monarchy. While these people are in the public eye and do have a sense of “celebrity” or fame surrounding them, they are not in the same category as the celebrities who are famous for being a musician, actor, TV personality or other methods of fame. People can become famous or infamous for a verity of reasons, from being the first person to walk on the moon or a pilot that successfully navigates a plane crash where everyone survives. It seems like there is not much of a difference in the mind of media consumers between a celebrity or a public figure. Sadly, they are not treated differently in the media either.

I wonder if this has always been the case? I am sure through history royal personages were well known. Has the press always treated them the way they are treated today? I do not think so. In the past, earlier in the 20th century, the press was more respectful of the Royal Family. Also, the world was “bigger” in the past in that news was not the instant entity that it is now. When a news story breaks it is available, for the most part, anywhere there is freedom of the press. For example, in the mid 1930s, when the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, was courting Mrs. Wallis Simpson the American press did have stories about the relationship but the British press, who evidently did know about the relationship, were able to keep the story out of the news for a period of time.

It does raise the question how much does the public have a right to know about the royal family? I think of this years problems for King Juan Carlos of Spain. He came under criticism for his elephant hunting trip in Botswana. Given Spain’s hard economic climate where unemployment at 23% taking vacation that cost $57,850 in American dollars this was rightly reported and understandable why the Spanish people should be upset. The fact that the king was with his mistress, was that something right to report? Maybe in a day an age where politicians and public servants such as the king of Spain need to be above reproach things like this do need to be made public. I think the days of a king or a prince having a mistress on the side and keeping that hush hush is over.

So, in the days of 24/7 media and since royals are now treated as any other celebrity there are both positive and negative repercussions for this situation. I do not like the fact that they are treated as any old celebrity, yet at the same time it can keep them cognizant that as public servants they do need the consent of the public and therefore need to carry themselves with dignity even if the press does not treat them with the dignity that comes with the office.

Happy Birthday HRH The Duchess of Cornwall

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Buckingham Palace, Elizabeth II, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, Kings and Queens of England, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, The Princess of Wales

Today is the birthday of HRH The Duchess of Cornwall The Princess of Wales!

Happy Birthday prince William, Duke of Cambridge!

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Buckingham Palace, Elizabeth II, HRH The Prince of Wales, Kings and Queens of England, kings and queens of the United Kingdom, Lady Diana Spencer, Prince Charles, Prince William, The Duchess of Cambridge, The Duke of Cambridge, The Princess of Wales

Today HRH The Duke of Cambridge turns 30! Happy birthday! I began following royalty and studying European history in 1978. The Marriage of The Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer was the first royal wedding I witnessed and I waited with excited anticipation when it was announced the Princess of Wales was pregnant. I was very curious to know what the name would be. If it was going to be a boy then he would be a future king and royal watchers love to guess the names of future royals. It turned out to be a boy and I was very pleased they chose the name William for it is also my first name. Also today he comes into the financial inheritance left to him buy his mother. It is reportage to amount to $16 million. Buckingham Palace reports that The Duke of Cambridge will celebrate his birthday with his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge and a few close friends. 

I think William has grown into a fine young man and with his new bride the future of the monarchy is in secure and capable hands.