Monarchy and Children

I just came across this lovely photo of HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan of Morocco (b 2003). 

One of the many shortcomings of republics is that children have no formal constitutional position. Republics are so boring and stupid that only (alleged) grown-ups have even the theoretical possibility of becoming head of state or any other office, excluding a sizable proportion of the population from any possible official representation.  This is blatant ageist Discrimination and must be eliminated...by the restoration of more hereditary monarchies, of course.

Of course, longer modern life expectancies make minor monarchs increasingly unlikely; Europe hasn't had one since nine-year-old Simeon II of Bulgaria was deposed in 1946.  Since 1995 (when Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden turned 18), probably for the first time in history, all European royal HEIRS have been adults.  But this will change on April 30 when Willem-Alexander becomes King of the Netherlands and his daughter Catharina-Amalia (b 2003) becomes heir to the Dutch throne.  Certainly royal children, like all children, are happier with both parents living, so the accession of a minor is almost always tinged with sadness, but young heirs can be an inspiring and appealing symbol of the future.

Monarchies, Republics, and the "Arab Spring"

Fareed Zakaria explains in the Washington Post why the kingdoms of Morocco and Jordan have handled recent tumult in the Middle East better than the republics of Egypt and Libya.  If only Egyptians and Libyans would listen, and restore their own monarchies!

Dictators Go, Monarchs Stay

I am not a fan of American neoconservative Democracy projects, but this article by former Bush administration security adviser Elliott Abrams nevertheless makes good points comparing monarchies to republics in the Middle East.

Arab Monarchies Survive as Republics Falter

Thanks to my brother William Harvey, violin and viola teacher at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, for calling my attention to this interesting New York Times discussion of The Staying Power of Arab Monarchies.  For a variety of reasons, the region's monarchies all appear likely to weather the "Arab Spring" unrest intact, while authoritarian republican regimes have fallen, with more potentially to follow.  What seems inescapable is the conclusion that within any particular cultural context, monarchies generally can offer their people more stability and hope than republics.

Afonso V at the Meadows

Tonight I took advantage of Thursday evening free admission to make my first visit (I'm sure I'll be back, hopefully next time with my fellow monarchist who comments here as "Flambeaux") to the new exhibition The Invention of Glory: Afonso V and the Pastrana Tapestries at Dallas's incomparable Meadows Museum. These magnificent lavish works of art, preserved since the 17th century at the Collegiate Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Pastrana in the Spanish province of Guadalajara, depict the 1471 conquest of Asilah and Tangier in Morocco by King Afonso V of Portugal (1432-1481) and his son Prince João (1455-1495), the future King João II, who was only 16 at the time.

As I walked into the room I was overwhelmed by the colorful richness of the four huge splendid tapestries, one on each wall, which fully convey the chivalrous glory of a European civilization that believed in itself and in loyalty to God and King. While the Flemish weavers apparently did not know what North African Islamic buildings looked like, otherwise the wealth of historical detail is impressive, and unusual at a time when tapestries normally depicted religious or mythological scenes rather than contemporary events. The vanished brilliance of the Portuguese Monarchy, with the King and his young Heir depicted as brave and heroic leaders, makes the past century of republicanism all the more pathetic by comparison, as I ventured to remark to a museum guide who observed that neighboring Spain certainly did well to restore its King. How anyone could view these tapestries and not long for Portugal to have a royal family again is beyond me. There are not many places in Dallas where a monarchist can feel at home, but the Meadows Museum is one of them. I highly recommend this exhibit, which is definitely worth seeing more than once, to any readers living near or able to visit the Dallas area before May 13 when it closes.

Middle East: Dictators fall, Monarchs endure

National Public Radio, not generally known as a bastion of monarchism, admits that in the Middle East, monarchies have weathered the "Arab Spring" wave of unrest significantly better than the region's authoritarian republics, and there are good reasons for that.

Super Royal Weekend

While I might not be blogging as much as I would otherwise due to being in Vail with the Dallas Symphony, this is quite a weekend for royal news. In Monaco, Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene exchanged vows in a glittering outdoor religious ceremony. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge continue to delight enthusiastic loyal crowds in Canada, despite a few noisy spoilsports in Montreal. And voters in Morocco endorsed King Mohammed VI's proposed constitutional reforms, according to which the King (though retaining more power than his European counterparts) will share the responsibilities of government with a prime minister. In three very different countries, royalty are proving abundantly this weekend that monarchy remains relevant and adaptable to the modern world.

The Other King's Speech

I'm not one to blindly cheer "democratization," but former Ambassador Marc Ginsberg's article "The King's Speech vs. The Dictator's Deceit" shows how Morocco's King Mohammed VI has shown himself to be far more adaptable and humane than Syria's President Assad as both leaders deal with the current wave of unrest in the Arab world.

Charles in Morocco

The Daily Telegraph is supposed to be a "conservative" paper, whatever that means. But that doesn't stop this article, which is supposed to be a report of the news and not an editorial, from casually labeling in the headline the late King Hassan II of Morocco (1929-1999) a "tyrant" and uncritically regurgitating Moroccan dissidents' view that it was inappropriate for the Prince of Wales to lay a wreath at his tomb during an official visit. The article's own examples of Hassan's alleged misdeeds (over the course of a mostly stable 38-year reign) sound positively mild by Middle Eastern or African standards.

Apparently in the myopic Democracy-worshiping worldview virtually dominant in the West today, any monarch who actually rules his country and has not been reduced to a ceremonial figurehead is ipso facto a "tyrant." Whatever one's opinion of King Hassan or the Moroccan monarchy, there is no excuse for such blatant bias masquerading as objective journalism. For Prince Charles to courteously pay his respects to his host's deceased father and predecessor while on a official visit (the purpose of which was presumably to improve diplomatic relations between Britain and Morocco) can hardly be considered controversial. But as the similar furor in Sweden a few years ago over King Carl XVI Gustaf's polite remarks to the Sultan of Brunei when visiting that country suggested, Monarchy's enemies are not really interested in diplomacy or courtesy.

Wealthy Asian Monarchs Outrank QEII

Forbes released its list of the world's richest royals, with Queen Elizabeth II (whose personal wealth has often been greatly exaggerated) ranked 12th.