Monday, April 4, 2011
Royal Weddings in the Digital Age
This month's upcoming royal wedding, the first of a future British sovereign to occur in the age of the internet, crosses several new frontiers in media coverage. Monarchists are sometimes accused of wanting to simply "turn back the clock" or "live in the past." To the contrary, I think few monarchists do not welcome the opportunities presented by such new media as Facebook or iTunes. But surely one of the most frustrating aspects of the decline of monarchy throughout the world in the modern era is precisely the fact that so many great monarchies tragically were never given the chance to coexist with contemporary communications technology, which they surely could have used with great effectiveness. It is not so much "The Past" in which I and other monarchists wish to live, but rather an altered version of modernity in which other ancient monarchies such as those of France, Russia, or Austria-Hungary could join the House of Windsor in making their own glittering ceremonies accessible to the world.
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2 comments:
I completely agree with you about the modern media. Recently, I was watching a very touching new documentary on Leopold III of Belgium, narrated by his daughter Princess Esmeralda. It made me wish once again (as I often do) that there were similar images and footage of various figures from past centuries, who lived before the arrival of such technology. Wouldn't it be something, for instance, if there were documentaries about Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, narrated by their daughter Marie-Thérèse?
I think the Digital Age has opened new opportunities for monarchies and monarchists. It also helps in bringing monarchists together and finding new ways to promote the cause and ideals.
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