William to visit special forces

Clarence House announced that Prince William will spend time with special forces in the next stage of his military career.

Unsuccessful Royal Marriages of the Past

Tuesday, July 29, was the 27th anniversary of the ill-fated marriage of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer. As Neatorama irreverently points out, it was hardly the first royal marriage that sadly did not turn out so well.

Coronations 2008

Monarchists disheartened by events in Nepal can perhaps take some comfort in the fact that this year offers three royal coronations: in the French territory of Wallis (July 25), Tonga (August 1), and Bhutan (November 6), though it's unfortunate that in both of the latter two countries the coronations coincide with the emasculation of the monarchies, as both George Tupou V and Jigme Khesar Wangchuk surrender most of their remaining political powers.

The Search for the Missing King

Historians are puzzled by their inability to locate the head of a statue of King George III destroyed in the American Revolution.

The Romanov Blogosphere

Other blogs on last week's tragic anniversary:

Australians for Constitutional Monarchy
The New Liturgical Movement (lengthy discussion follows)
Tea at Trianon
The Western Confucian
Wilson Revolution Unplugged

Discovering the Tsar

A new exhibit gives Russians a chance to discover their country's glorious Imperial heritage, which was suppressed during the Soviet era.

More on Romanovs

Andrew Cusack has posted some beautiful photos of commemorations of the Romanov martyrdom anniversary in Russia. Gerald Warner reflects on the lingering impact of Nicholas II's legacy.

Romanovs Remembered

David Flint of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy marks the 90th anniversary of the tragic events of July 16-17, 1918.

More on Bastille Day

The great Gerald Warner weighs in on yesterday's "holiday." (Unfortunately, many of the comments demonstrate that Jacobinism is alive and well.)

July 14

As a monarchist, I've long been perturbed by the irony of sharing a birthday with Bastille Day. How dare the French celebrate their vile Revolution, which led to the deaths of so many innocent people and paved the way for Nazism and Communism, on my birthday! (Bruce Lewis and John Zmirak share similar thoughts.) As if the French abomination weren't bad enough, July 14 is also the anniversary of the overthrow and murder of King Faisal II of Iraq in 1958, which paved the way for...oh, never mind.

Fortunately, there are happier events associated with this date: the beginning of the Anglo-Catholic Oxford Movement in England with John Keble's famous "National Apostasy" sermon in 1833, and the birth of HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden in 1977, exactly one year before me.

(A Catholic Facebook friend informs me that this is also the traditional feast of St. Bonaventure.)

Somewhat encouragingly, the Los Angeles Times reports (H/T: RadicalRoyalist) that many French people today lack enthusiasm for Bastille Day--though not necessarily for the right reasons.

Maria Vladimirovna optimistic

The most widely recognized claimant to the Russian throne refuses to give up on the dream of monarchical restoration. Good for Her Imperial Highness! May all true Russians flock to her cause. It's wonderful to see a royal claimant actively promoting restoration, and HIH's points about the shameful anamoly of other Romanovs espousing republicanism are especially apt.