RIP Benedict XVI (1927-2022)

His Holiness Benedict XVI (née Joseph Ratzinger), who reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and Sovereign of the State of Vatican City from 2005 to 2013, has died at 95, nearly four months after Queen Elizabeth II.

I particularly appreciated his love of classical music and concern for liturgical Beauty, without which in general I confess that it’s unlikely Christianity ever would have appealed to me. He cared, and understood. Aesthetics Matter. A highlight of his pontificate was his September 2010 visit to the United Kingdom. His delight at the Anglican choral tradition at Westminster Abbey was evident, and his pontifical mass at Westminster Cathedral was a musical feast of Byrd and Bruckner. 🇬🇧

Many commentaries will probably not mention that as a young man in 1951 he was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Michael von Faulhaber (1869-1952), a Bavarian monarchist who had also conducted the funeral of King Ludwig III (1845-1921) thirty years earlier and never abandoned his belief in the Monarchy. As the former Fr. Ratzinger was the last living priest ordained by Cardinal von Faulhaber, his death breaks a last living link with the Kingdom of Bavaria.

The undoing of his greatest accomplishment, the 2007 liberalisation of the Latin Mass, by his successor is a terrible tragedy.

I wish he hadn’t abdicated. But perhaps that’s not for us in this world to ever understand. May he rest in peace.

Our Gloriana

Here is an eloquent reflection on the death of Queen Elizabeth II, "Our Gloriana," by Bishop Anthony Burton (Rector of Church of the Incarnation 2008-22, who baptized me there in 2009).

[Edit: and here is one from a Catholic friend at Georgetown University: The Queen's Jesuit Values.]

Australian Monarchists and their Queen

Congratulations to my friend, Australian composer and monarchist Alexander Voltz, on this excellent and emotional article on the experiences and reflections of Australian monarchists. (Warning: a disturbing passage from a vile student "newspaper" is quoted.) Other young Australian monarchists are quoted in this article, which also quotes republicans.

A new poll indicates that about 60% of Australians favour keeping the Monarchy, up from previous levels. 

Dallas Episcopalians remember the Queen

The Dallas Morning News reports on Tuesday's Choral Evensong in thanksgiving for Queen Elizabeth II at St. Matthew's Cathedral, in which I sang (music of Vaughan Williams, Stanford, and Parry). I am quoted in the article. Needless to say I don't endorse every comment of the homilist. But it was a lovely event and I'm glad it's been publicized.

Bye NYT

This is not a decision I made lightly. I thought about it for a few days. And I don't regret buying the historic Sept. 9 front page which is a significant historical document. But I've cancelled my electronic subscription to the New York Times. I'm fed up with their relentless anti-British bias and negative coverage of the United Kingdom. That stupid article (whose author I'm now ashamed to have met in 2012; I had thought she was better than that) blaming the Queen for "colonialism" within hours of her death was the last straw. And Anglophobia is hardly their only pernicious agenda; a good monarchist friend of mine also has strong objections to their Ethiopia coverage. The sad thing is that they still have plenty of good articles and I'm sure there will be some I wish I could read. But if you knew a substance were 90% ice cream and 10% poison would you eat it? I'm not going to give one more cent to an enemy of my favourite country. God Save the King.

More articles on this topic:

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-new-york-times-royal-derangement-syndrome

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2022/09/14/ignore-liberal-sneers-real-americans-will-embrace-king-charles/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/09/10/new-york-times-hatred-britain-has-gone-far/

https://reaction.life/why-the-worlds-worst-newspaper-hates-britain-so-much-nyt-new-york-times/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-11220673/Is-New-York-Times-launching-deranged-attacks-Britain-Queen-make-money-China.html

On Mourning the Queen as an American Monarchist

Probably my greatest weakness as a Christian is that while this should not be construed as ingratitude for the positive aspects of my real life I’ve never been able to overcome a certain theoretical resentment at having been born American rather than British, which prevents me from ever feeling quite as docile to God’s will as we’re apparently supposed to, as indeed the late Queen herself was. Indeed, my whole way of being Christian as an Episcopalian is so deeply intertwined with Anglophilia and the Monarchy (which for an Anglican in England would be nothing abnormal) that I don’t know how to separate the two. It’s all sort of the same thing for me, which I suppose is why I tend to see “British” republicans as utterly evil enemies of God, akin to the monstrous orcs in Lord of the Rings, rather than as simply people I disagree with.

As lovely as last night’s Evensong [in thanksgiving for the life of Queen Elizabeth II at St. Matthew's Cathedral] mostly was, there were still a few lines in the homily that made me wince, as did the fact that even on this most inherently royalist of occasions the officiant still sang “State” rather than “King” during the (Smith) Responses. Even many Americans sincerely paying tribute to the Queen feel obliged to include some sort of republican disclaimer, which I never like, because I wholeheartedly believe that “our” way is wrong and theirs is right. I suppose a certain such discomfort is inevitable as long as I live here, and I don’t seem to be moving. But with all my heart I reject 1776 and all its works. God Save the King.

The Queen and the Cello

I am deeply honoured that my own video of "God Save the Queen" (as it then was) from a few years ago has been included in this article "Queen Elizabeth II and the Cello."

Regrets

I know it’s normal to be sad now. But honestly, I also feel just a little bit ashamed. God gave me 44 years—or, even if only adulthood is considered, 26–to make sure that by the time this happened, I would be living there and (if so for at least six years) could have sworn allegiance to her. 🇬🇧 But I didn’t do that. I did, at least, finally try in 2016 with the Philharmonia, so don’t feel quite as bad as I would if I’d never even tried. But only once, and a little late.

In 1999-2000, when I was getting ready to graduate from Indiana University and wondering what to do next, I went as far as requesting and receiving brochures from the Royal Academy and Royal College of Music in London. But at 21, never having even visited the UK, I wasn’t sure how moving to London and so forth would work, didn’t know anyone there or anything about living there, and didn’t seriously pursue it. New York—not that there was anything wrong with Juilliard!—though still a change was so much easier. And then one thing led to another, and I stayed here, admittedly with much to be grateful for on this side of the pond.

And now over the next few days thousands of people, most of whom in their daily lives are probably not nearly as obsessed with the Monarchy as I am, are standing in unprecedented queues in London to pay their respects, because they’re decent patriotic people, and I won’t be there. I can explain why, I have my reasons, my job, my financial concerns, but still they feel like they might be excuses.

I wish I could have met her just once. Even as one of those lucky people in the front of the crowd behind a barrier for a walkabout. Better yet, actually presented. After all, many people did, over the years, in moments they will never forget. I did see her in person on three occasions, her Golden Jubilee in 2002, her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 (pictured), and Garter Day in 2015. I'm glad that I wrote her a few times and always received a nice reply from the Palace.

But a comforting thought is that if God knows how much I loved her and what she stood for, she does now too.

The Queen is dead. Long live the King.

As you have no doubt learned by now, HM Queen Elizabeth II died today. Words cannot adequately express the grief felt by me and millions of others for the loss of this iconic figure. It is hard to imagine a world without her. And yet the Monarchy endures. God Save the King.

Costumes and Poverty

I feel sorry for those Internet Users whose automatic reaction to articles and photos like this depicting the glamour of the Old World royalty and nobility is “bUt tHeRe weRe poOr peOple.” Can’t you just enjoy the beauty and art of the pictures? Yes, there were poor people in Tsarist Russia in 1903 who could not go to fancy costume balls, though the Imperial Family ceaselessly undertook charitable endeavours. So what? There were and are also poor people in the USA. Jesus said, “the poor you will always have with you.” Does that mean that there should be no art, no beauty, no glitter, no jewels, no symphony concerts or operas, no luxury anywhere? It’s not as of getting rid of the monarchy 14 years later ushered in a better era for the Russian people; rather the reverse. What about those who earned money designing and making the fancy costumes? The musicians who played in the court orchestra? Would it have been better for them to be destitute too? A world without things like glittering costume balls would be an uglier and sadder place. You could say, it’s just stupid Facebook comments, but the problem is this kind of attitude (which long predates Facebook) has had devastating consequences in the real world since 1789, resulting not in greater happiness or prosperity but in incalculable death and destruction.

That said, enjoy the pictures.

Brahms in Mexico

I am pleased to present this video of my June 16 performance of the Brahms "Double" concerto with my brother, violinist William Harvey, with José Luis Castillo and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco at the Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara, Mexico! The Teatro Degollado was built in 1866 during the reign of Emperor Maximilian. June 16 was the eve of our parents' 50th anniversary; the concerts were dedicated to them.

A speech at the UN

It is my general policy not to comment on the younger son of HRH the Prince of Wales or his wife. However I have to say that to read of someone who was born into the Royal Family moaning to the United Nations about a "global assault on democracy and freedom" as if "democracy" is self-evidently A Good Thing We Should All Cherish is depressing (though in this case not surprising) to me. As republicans in the UK will no doubt be quick to point out, he owes his wealth and fame entirely to the remnants of a system that in principle, despite the de facto supremacy of Parliament since 1688, remains profoundly non-democratic (which of course I unapologetically embrace). Democracy has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that this individual, unlike most people, gets to address the UN. As far as I know he has never won an election, or even voted in one.

Furthermore, I respect the fact that I have friends on both sides of the abortion debate (on which I myself refuse to ever publicly weigh in), but surely anyone with any understanding of constitutional monarchy can agree that it is not an issue on which a member of the royal family (which he still technically is) should be taking a divisive stand against the beliefs of large numbers of people, particularly in the USA but also including some devout members of the Church of which his grandmother is the Supreme Governor. I am not obviously not royal, but in this case I wish he would learn to emulate my official impartiality!

However, I also detested Meghan McCain's contemptuous knee-jerk Americanist response, in which she described the majority of Americans as "monarchy-hating." Indifferent, sure, but I would hope not hating. "Hating" takes a lot of energy, which I honestly don't think most Americans invest in opposing the British Monarchy.

You can Google the relevant articles if you need to; I'm not posting links.

The Atlantic on Europe's non-reigning royals

I have mixed feelings about The Atlantic's new article on Europe's non-reigning royalty, focusing on Prince Leka of Albania and Archduke Karl of Austria, but it's worth reading. I for one will never give up on the dream of Restoration.

Shen Yun

Finally surrendering to its famously ubiquitous advertising, I saw Shen Yun on Saturday afternoon. I knew that the Chinese Communist regime is against them, and vice versa, and that was enough for me to be, at the very least, curious. I loved it. The dancing was some of the most spectacular I've ever seen, and an instrumental erhu soloist was impressive too. An animated electronic backdrop makes it look as if dancers are moving in between the real stage and the fantastical worlds and eras depicted on the screen. I've seen live theater and I've seen animated movies, but I've never seen them put together quite like that. Everything is beautiful and colorful, except for when evil communist characters (quite rightly depicted as dark and sinister) appear.

Most of all I found it wonderfully refreshing to see a production that unlike too many contemporary Western opera, ballet, or theater productions was not trying to "deconstruct" or "update" anything, simply an unapologetically lavish, beautiful, and proud celebration of an ancient traditional homogenous and monarchical culture: "China Before Communism." (Why can't we have more shows that do that with European culture?) While I don't necessarily agree with all of the Falun Gong (I learned that its adherents apparently prefer the name "Falun Dafa") movement's ideas, I certainly do agree with its anti-communist ones. My only criticism would be that, accustomed to ballets in which the plot is explained in detail in the program, I wasn't always sure exactly what was being pantomimed in a few of the numbers. But everything is so gorgeous to look at, with so much elegant athleticism, that that didn’t matter much. If you've ever wondered what all that advertising is about, I highly recommend Shen Yun. 

The Real French Choice

As France for some reason prepares for yet another presidential election, let's remember what the only real choice is. (I don't take Bonapartism very seriously, but I have a few monarchist friends who lean that way, and I do respect Prince Jean-Christophe and his genealogically splendid marriage.) 

This would be a fantastic graphic if only the numbers were correct. But it is inconsistent to count Louis XIX (1775-1844) (who might have nominally reigned for a few minutes in 1830 and was the senior Bourbon from 1836) and Louis XVII (1785-1795) (who never reigned at all but thanks to the subsequent restoration of his uncle Louis XVIII is universally counted) but not the de jure monarchs of the Orléans and Bonaparte lines. Jean should be Jean IV, in honour of his great-grandfather Jean Duke of Guise (1874-1940), who would have been "Jean III" from 1926. Meanwhile Napoleon would be Napoleon VII. ["Napoleon IV" was the Prince Imperial (1856-1879), followed by "Napoleon V" Victor (1862-1926), followed by the present pretender's grandfather "Napoleon VI" Louis (1914-1997).] I wish I knew how to do things like that.

From George II to Paul I, 1947

While this is unlikely to draw as much attention even for monarchists as the centennial of the death of the last Emperor of Austria, today is also the 75th anniversary of the death of King George II of Greece (1890-1947) and (since he was childless and divorced) the accession of his younger brother King Paul I (1901-1964). King George had had a turbulent reign (1922-24 & 1935-47), exiled first by the First Republic and then again by World War II. ("In my profession one must keep one's suitcase packed," he joked.) Reports of his death at 56 were initially thought by some to be a morbid April Fools' joke, but no, just like a very different sovereign of a very different monarchy 25 years earlier, he really did die on April 1. King Paul turned out to be the only one of the seven modern Greek kings whose reign (1947-64) began with the death of his predecessor and continued without interruption until his own death. Here is my "updated" chart of European monarchies 75 years ago, with George's and Paul's beleaguered nephew King Michael (1921-2017) still hanging on for a few months in Romania as the Iron Curtain was descending. 

King George II (1890-1947)

King Paul I (1901-1964)

Remembering Bl Karl

Today I attended a mass in honour of the centennial of the death of Emperor Bl. Karl (1887-1922) at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church in Flower Mound, Texas. The brand new church is one of the most attractive new churches I've seen, with expansion of the sanctuary and a new Casavant pipe organ yet to come. The celebrant was Fr. Allan Hawkins, originally from England, who had corresponded with Bl. Karl's son & heir Archduke Otto (1912-2011) for decades. It was Fr. Hawkins who in 2010 invited me to give a talk on sacred music at St. Mary the Virgin Catholic Church in Arlington, of which he was then the pastor. Not having expected until he invited me to be able to attend any events commemorating this centennial, I was very glad to be able to attend this mass, which concluded with appropriate English words to Haydn's immortal Kaiserhymne, the Habsburg imperial anthem.

Blessed Karl, pray for us!

Centennial of the Death of Bl Karl

One hundred years ago today, the holy Emperor Karl I of Austria-Hungary (1887-1922), died at only 34 in exile in Madeira. A true royal saint of modern times, he had done his best in his brief reign (1916-18) with the challenging situation he inherited and did everything he could to end the horrors of the Great War and serve his people, but treacherous and ignorant men thwarted and betrayed him. Emperor Bl. Karl, pray for us and for the restoration of the Habsburg Monarchy!

Prince William and the Commonwealth

Upon the conclusion of his and the Duchess's tour of Belize, Jamaica, and Bahamas, HRH the Duke of Cambridge issued an unprecedented statement obliquely acknowledging that he may never be Head of the Commonwealth, or King of any of those countries:

Foreign tours are an opportunity to reflect. You learn so much. What is on the minds of Prime Ministers. The hopes and ambitions of school children. The day-to-day challenges faced by families and communities.

I know that this tour has brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future. In Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas, that future is for the people to decide upon. But we have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with communities in all three countries, understanding more about the issues that matter most to them.

Catherine and I are committed to service. For us that's not telling people what to do. It is about serving and supporting them in whatever way they think best, by using the platform we are lucky to have.

It is why tours such as this reaffirm our desire to serve the people of the Commonwealth and to listen to communities around the world. Who the Commonwealth chooses to lead its family in the future isn't what is on my mind. What matters to us is the potential the Commonwealth family has to create a better future for the people who form it, and our commitment to serve and support as best we can.

Under the circumstances it's hard to see how HRH could have said anything very different; indeed, there was never any hard evidence for the ubiquitous media assertion that the main purpose of the tour was to discourage those three countries from imitating Barbados and breaking with the Crown. But let's remember that the point of the Crown is not the glory of the Royal Family but the well-being of the people it serves, and so while it may be true that Prince William himself would not be particularly distressed by a reduction in the number of his future Realms, those who live there who do believe in the Monarchy and have looked forward to having him as their King one day would be. So would all monarchists and believers in the essential Royal dimension of the Commonwealth throughout the world, including me. I know that I for one would cease to have any interest in the Commonwealth were this aspect of it to be sacrificed in favour of yet another bland platitudinous international organisation stripped of any central role for the Crown.

I do specifically regret the use of the word "foreign," which seems to me to concede to republicans their mistaken premise that the Monarchy is "foreign" to countries like Belize, Jamaica, or Barbados. In fact since independence the Crown is theirs as well; the Queen transcends such narrow concepts as single nationality and legally belongs equally to all 15 of her remaining Realms. It would have been better to describe the recent tour as "international." As the grandson and heir of the Queen of Jamaica, Prince William cannot truly be considered a "foreigner" in Jamaica. (He and Catherine certainly did not look like "foreigners" when participating in local dances!)

While Peter Hitchens tends to be more negative than I am about the contemporary royals' concessions to modernity (and incidentally I also have a bit of a soft spot for Rishi Sunak since I met him in 2015), I basically agree with him here:

The British Monarchy will not save itself by sucking up to its enemies, or by making penitent speeches about slavery.

Barbados has dumped the Crown and Jamaica is going the same way.

Left-wing radicals aren't that bothered by slavery in general, though it is a useful whip with which to scourge what is left of the old British establishment.

Always remember that the biggest slave empire of all time was created by Soviet Communism in its Gulag camps.

And there is a good argument for saying that modern China does the same thing, especially to the persecuted Uighur people, in its vast network of cruel prisons.

Haydn quartet online

I rarely use this blog to promote my own performances as a cellist. However, since I'm currently taking a break from Facebook and feel the need to post about this somewhere, I'll make an exception today. Tonight with three of my Dallas Symphony colleagues I will be performing Haydn's monumental string quartet "The Seven Last Words of Christ" at Birchman Baptist Church in Fort Worth, a project of Crescendo. A short Instagram preview from last Friday's dress rehearsal for the first concert at my own church is available here. I mention it here regardless of whether any readers can attend in person, because the performance is available to watch and listen online on Facebook. Please tune in!

Dreher on the Spanish Civil War

While only indirectly related to monarchism, this new blog post by Rod Dreher on the Spanish Civil War, one of the most widely misunderstood topics in modern history, is worth reading.

Royal Wedding in Colombia

Yesterday, HSH Prince Josef-Emmanuel of Liechtenstein, 32, nephew of both the Prince of Liechtenstein and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, married Colombian socialite Maria Claudia Echeverria Súarez in her hometown of Cartagena. Many European royals attended the wedding, including the Bonapartist pretender to the French throne and his wife.

The Royal Tour and the Media

Anyone casually following the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge's tour of the Caribbean (Belize, Jamaica, Bahamas) might understandably get a little confused. If one looks only at photographs and videos, one sees images of successful visits in which people in all three countries are clearly thrilled to see and greet the glamorous and impeccably gracious royal couple, who for the time being remain, under current constitutions, their future King and Queen. But if one looks at social media and commentary, one is told that the tour has been a "failure," dominated by republicanism and protests against colonialism. A thoughtful post at my friend The Royal Watcher's blog delves into the mysterious discrepancy.

Wilhelm I 225

 Today is the 225th birthday of German Emperor Wilhelm I (1797-1888).

Queen Luise (1776-1810) with her sons, later Wilhelm I and Friedrich Wilhelm IV (1795-1861)

Emperor Wilhelm I

Four generations of Hohenzollerns in 1882

The Russia We Have Lost

Peter Hitchens, staunchly anti-Bolshevik although perhaps not as Tsarist as I am, is at his elegiac best here mourning the loss of the kind of Russia he had hoped would be reborn after the fall of Communism, a dream now perhaps shattered forever by Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Sofiyskaya Street, Moscow, early 1900s

The Monuments Man and the Princess: More Articles

Back in May 2017 I blogged about this then-recent article (October 2016) on the unique story of American Monuments Man Clyde Harris (1918-1958), whose grave in Amarillo I later visited (June 2019), and Princess Cecilie of Prussia (1917-1975). It seems I am not the only one who finds this subject fascinating as new articles have continued to appear online: on January 18, 2021 (coincidentally the 150th anniversary of the German Empire) at Medium and on May 12, 2021 at Amarillo's Mix 94.1.

My photo of Clyde Harris's grave, Llano Cemetery, Amarillo, TX, June 26, 2019

Empress Teresa Cristina 200

Today has been the bicentennial of the birth in Naples of Princess Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies (1822-1889), Empress (consort) of Brazil as the wife of Emperor Dom Pedro II (1825-1891), known as "the Mother of the Brazilians."

I visited her tomb at Petrópolis Cathedral in May 2019.

My photo of the imperial tombs at Petrópolis Cathedral, May 30, 2019

Micaela, Countess of Paris (1938-2022)

HRH the Dowager Countess of Paris, née Micaela Cousiño, second wife of the late Count [regarded by many royalists as King Henri VII of France (1933-2019)], has died at the age of 83. May she rest in peace.

Grand Duchess Elizabeth at Saint Thomas Church

I've been listening to the webcasts of New York's Saint Thomas Church for over 15 years, attending in person as often as possible between 2007 and 2019. I am pleased that today's Solemn Evensong, which you can watch and hear online, features a sermon on Grand Duchess St. Elizabeth of Russia (1864-1918), one of Westminster Abbey's ten Modern Martyrs, by Mo. Susan Hill of NYC's Church of the Holy Apostles. This sermon is part of Saint Thomas's Lenten series, "'A Grain of Wheat': Martyrs of Our Time." Mo. Hill skillfully links Elizabeth's holy life to the needs of our contemporary world.

Daughter of Grand Duke Louis IV of Hesse (1837-1892) and Queen Victoria's daughter Princess Alice of the United Kingdom (1843-1878), Elizabeth was considered one of the most beautiful princesses of her generation. In 1884, having rejected other suitors including the future Kaiser Wilhelm II, she married Grand Duke Sergei of Russia (1857-1905), at which occasion her younger sister Princess Alix (1872-1918) first met her future husband, Sergei's nephew who later became Tsar Nicholas II (1868-1918). Not required by Russian law to convert to Orthodoxy since her husband was not in direct line to the throne, she nevertheless did so voluntarily several years later. After her husband's assassination in 1905, she renounced her glittering royal lifestyle for one of heroic service to the poor of Moscow as a nun. She had little political influence on her sister or on subsequent events in Russia, but the Revolution showed her no mercy. In July 1918, the day after the more famous Ekaterinburg murders, she and her companion Sister Barbara and several other members of the imperial family (including Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, a brother of the subject of my previous post) were murdered by the Bolsheviks in Alapayevsk, a location (now a monastery) which I visited in 2018 several days before the centennial. She was canonized in 1981 by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad and in 1992 by the Moscow Patriarchate. 

I have no doubt that current events in her adopted homeland would grieve her deeply, but she would do what she always did and try to help those in need as much as she could.

Centennial of the death of Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna

One hundred years ago today, Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1860-1922), died in Cannes at the age of 61. She was the daughter of Nicholas I's youngest son Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich (1832-1909) and his wife Cecilie (Sophie) of Baden (1839-1891). A vivacious and colourful personality, the Grand Duchess had never been happy in Mecklenburg (despite the obvious beauty of Schwerin Castle) or in her marriage to Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III (1851-1897), spent as much time as she could in southern France, and caused a scandal when she gave birth to a child several years after his death. (Her Wikipedia article used to be unusually long and thorough for a relatively obscure royal, but it has apparently been shortened due to copyright infringement.) She and her husband had three children, all of whom married well: Alexandrine (1879-1952) became Queen of Denmark as the wife of King Christian X (grandparents of the present Queen); Friedrich Franz IV (1882-1945), the last Grand Duke, married Princess Alexandra of Hanover; Cecilie (1886-1954) became Crown Princess of Germany as the wife of Crown Prince Wilhelm, and would have become Empress eventually if the German monarchy had survived. Kaiser Wilhelm II was initially hostile to his son's union with Cecilie as he had a low opinion of her mother, but eventually came to accept the match, which proved popular with the public though privately unhappy.  Here Anastasia is pictured with her three legitimate children. While unlike her more famous cousin of the same name she did survive the Revolution, being already out of Russia, her brothers were not so lucky: three of them, Grand Dukes Nicholas (1859-1919), George (1863-1919), and Serge (1869-1918) were murdered by the Bolsheviks. May they all rest in peace.

Prince William under fire

There is a fake online controversy being stirred up about some innocent remarks by Prince William at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London. HRH said, “For our generation, it’s very alien to see this in Europe. We are all behind you.” But misleading media reports suggested that he added that wars like this were more typical of Asia and Africa, even though there is no video evidence that he said anything about other continents. So of course Twitter explodes with self-righteous condemnations of "racism" and mocking the prince's alleged ignorance, given that of course historically there have been many conflicts in Europe. But this is stupid. It is a fact that there has not been a large-scale invasion of one European country by another anywhere in Europe since 1945. So yes, for Europeans of William's generation, and even of his parents' generation, what is happening now in Ukraine is "alien." People on Twitter need to get a life and stop hunting for "racism" where it doesn't exist. And shame on those journalists who, perhaps deliberately, put words in the Duke's mouth and altered the meaning of his comments, shortly before he and the Duchess are due to visit the Caribbean.

Update: Hannah Furness sets the record straight in the Telegraph.

New pages on Frederik IX & Ingrid 1935 wedding group photo

Today, inspired by a photo downloaded from Wikipedia, I added two new pages to my website about the 1935 wedding of King Frederik IX of Denmark (1899-1972), whose 50th death anniversary was January 14, and Princess Ingrid of Sweden (1910-2000), parents of the present Queen Margrethe II (as well as Princess Benedikte and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece). Here is the rather splendid photo of all the guests, with identifications and links to their Wikipedia articles, so that viewers can learn a bit about almost every person depicted, and here is a chart of European monarchies at the time. (I recommend viewing the former page on a computer, with the browser extended to full screen; otherwise it is unlikely to display properly.) 

I find it fascinating to contemplate how many stories and how much history a photograph like this represents. In 1935, the old continental European empires were already gone; yet unlike today, many people, royals and commoners, still lived who had been formed by the pre-1914 monarchical Old Order and remembered it well. Modernism (especially in its forms of Communism, Fascism, and Nazism) was already frighteningly ascendant, and yet more vestiges of tradition remained than do today; a unique juxtaposition in history. Countries still monarchical in 1935 that no longer are included Italy, Ireland, Iceland, Bulgaria, Hungary (albeit without a King), Albania, Romania, and Yugoslavia. (The Spanish monarchy had only recently fallen and the Greek one would be restored later that year.)

The Atlantic on MBS

The Atlantic has a substantial new article on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. Without editorializing I am sharing it for my readers. It has already been criticized in the Washington Post for being too flattering, though in fact the article contains plenty that is negative. Author Graeme Wood responds to the implication that journalists should not interview autocrats here.