Kudos to Prince Philipp Kirill of Prussia, 43, the great-great-grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm II (and himself the father of six children ranging in age from 16 to 6) who if his parents' marriage were regarded as dynastic would be heir to the German and Prussian thrones, for taking advantage of the recent disgrace of the German president to advocate the restoration of the German monarchy, ensuring at the very least that the issue is raised in public discourse, even reaching the British and American media. As he points out, Germans after 93 years of various kinds of non-monarchical regimes remain interested in events such as royal weddings, including that of his cousin Prince Georg Friedrich last summer. Germans would do well to listen to Prince Philipp, if their politicians and their rigid republican constitution will ever let them. Below is my comment at The Local, answering the question posed by the headline "Should Germany bring back the royal family?":
Absolutely! The beauty and glamor of a royal restoration would be exactly what Germany needs to finally repudiate the disastrous 20th century. The destruction of the German and Austro-Hungarian monarchies in 1918 led to nothing but suffering. Now today Germans are stuck with a drab and corrupt presidency that inspires no one and recently has been a source only of embarrassment...yet they are obliged to pay not only for the new president but for all his predecessors! Fortunate countries like the United Kingdom have only one head of state to pay for--and she's still working, brilliantly. Monarchy can bring a nation together like no politician ever could--look at the worldwide joyous enthusiasm last year for royal weddings, which despite 93 years of official contempt for royalty (the one thing Nazis, Communists, and democratic republicans have in common) included even many Germans with their own Georg Friedrich and Sophie. Monarchy is not out of date--contemporary monarchies such as Britain's have fully embraced Facebook, YouTube, etc--and can be as relevant today as it ever was, perhaps even more valuable than ever before as a source of continuity and tradition in an often bewildering and frightening age. Long live the House of Hohenzollern and all Germany's ancient dynasties!
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