Saturday, May 24, 2008

Gyanendra leaves the palace

In a sad development for monarchists, King Gyanendra has vacated the palace of his ancestors as Nepal continues to move toward the establishment of a republic. The Telegraph reports, almost happily, that the King's image is disappearing from souvenirs and currency, but admits that many ordinary Nepalis still support the institution of the monarchy. The Maoists now in control are unlikely to listen to them, much less to us monarchists in other countries who can only shake our heads in distress as Nepal follows that tragic path, which those of us too young to remember the 1979 Iranian revolution had previously observed only in history books, of consigning its monarchical heritage to oblivion.

1 comment:

J.K. Baltzersen said...

Personally, I'm not technically too young to remember the overthrow of the Persian Shah. I don't remember though.

I guess I was too young to pay attention. However, I do remember the American hostages, but that may very well be because a lot of people at the American overseas school I attended were concerned about that issue. I don't think they cared too much about the Shah.

On the other hand, the hostage crisis was a bit later -- and lasted more than a year.