The Queen and the Orphan

In December 2010, in what proved to be one of my most popular blog posts, I wrote that "children are natural monarchists."  Here's one of them.

King Oyo, 17

HM Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, crowned King of Toro at the age of three in 1995, is now nearing his majority and the subject of an interesting CNN profile. While Toro's association with Libyan dictator Qadaffi (who overthrew King Idris in 1969) is regrettable, otherwise the world's youngest monarch (though not a sovereign one since Toro is part of the Republic of Uganda) displays an admirable maturity and sense of duty. I have always valued the way hereditary monarchy allows for the possibility of rulers (even if purely nominal when minors) younger than any republic would permit, and King Oyo would seem to be proof that this is not so foolish a thing as it presumably seems to republicans.

Royalist Riot in Uganda

Police loyal to the republic and supporters of the traditional King of Buganda clashed violently in Uganda. While riots like this are perhaps not particularly constructive, I can't help wishing that monarchists in Europe demonstrated a little more militancy. There must be some sort of middle ground...

King Henry Wako Muloki (1921-2008)

Uganda officially buried the traditional King of Busoga, who died last week at 87.