Return of the Kings?

An unusually optimistic article on the future of Monarchy from a mainstream source. Let's hope the answer is Yes! Bravo Ed West!

Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia (1924-2016)

As I was preoccupied last weekend with a New England trip, I neglected to post about Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia (1924-2016), who died last Thursday. I've been following royalty for so long that I remember when his mother Princess Olga (1903-1997), sister of Britain's previous Duchess of Kent and a famous beauty in her youth, was still alive. His father Prince Paul (1893-1976), a patron of the arts and friend of author Robert K. Massie to whose "Nicholas & Alexandra" I owe so much, was Regent for the young King Peter II from 1934 to 1941. Prince Alexander now finally joins his younger brother Prince Nicholas (1928-1954) who was tragically killed in a car crash. He was buried yesterday in Oplenac. May he rest in peace.

Belle Époque Rulers

I've added a new page to my website that collects four assemblies (three posters and one actual photograph) of rulers of the "Belle Époque" (1871-1914), one of my favourite periods in history (in spite of the fact that France was already lost to republicanism), at four different dates: 1896 (below), 1903-05, 1908, and 1910. These are beautiful mementos of what in many ways was a better time, when most of Europe though rapidly modernizing still rightly accepted Monarchy as the norm.

Remembering Peter II

Today is the 90th anniversary of the birth of the tragic King Peter II of Yugoslavia (1923-1970). Coming to the throne at the tender age of eleven (upon the assassination of his father King Alexander by Croatian fascists) under the regency of his cousin Prince Paul (1893-1976), he briefly assumed power at 17 in 1941 to end the Axis alliance before being exiled by the Nazi invasion. Churchill assured him that he would have his throne back after the war, and the young king addressed the House of Commons to great acclaim, but he was betrayed by the Western Allies who shamefully aided Tito's Communists instead of the loyal Mihailovich's Chetnik royalists. The monarchy was accordingly abolished in 1945 and King Peter never saw his homeland again.

Unable to accept this, his marriage to the beautiful Princess Alexandra of Greece (1921-1993) failed and he sank into depression and alcoholism, dying of cirrhosis of the liver at 47 in Denver, Colorado. He was originally buried in Libertyville, Illinois, and until this year was the only King buried in the continental United States, but in January 2013 his remains were repatriated to Belgrade where he now finally lies in the land of his ancestors which was cruelly denied to him for most of his sad life. It was via reading his memoir "A King's Heritage" many years ago that I first began to question the standard "Good War" narrative of World War II. To me he will always be the boy king shown in this picture. May he rest in peace and may Serbia mitigate the injustice of 1945 by restoring his son Alexander to the throne.

Serbia's Alexander II looks ahead

Of Europe's would-be kings, Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia (son of King Peter II of Yugoslavia who as this Telegraph article to its credit admits was betrayed by Churchill during World War II) may have the best chance at restoration. The recent reburials in Belgrade of his parents, grandmother, and uncle highlighted the strong interest in the royal family that persists in Serbia.  Long live King Alexander II!

Large minority of Serbians back monarchy

An encouraging new poll shows 39% of Serbians in favour of restoring the monarchy. While monarchists still have some work to do, this is not at all a bad showing and can be built on. If the tables were turned and 39% of a current monarchy's population favoured a republic, the media cries for change would be deafening.

Peter II comes home

The remains of the tragic King Peter II of Yugoslavia (1923-1970), hitherto the only king buried in the United States (Libertyville, IL), have been returned to his native Serbia. Ascending the throne at the age of eleven upon the assassination by Croatian fascists of his father Alexander I, he was exiled by the Nazi invasion at 17, only to be betrayed by the Western Allies as they helped Stalin take over half of Europe, with Churchill aiding Tito's Communists despite having promised the young exiled King he would have his throne back after the war. King Peter never accepted the loss of his kingdom and drank himself to an early death in Denver, Colorado. R.I.P.

Return of the Kings

I'm back in the United States after a uniquely memorable trip to the United Kingdom (my sixth) during which I enthusiastically celebrated the Queen's Diamond Jubilee with great views of every event, met a number of fellow royalists I had previously known only via the internet, attended a fascinating conference on the history of the monarchy at Kensington Palace, went on a Tudor history tour focusing on Executed Queens (Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Jane Grey, and Mary Stuart), celebrated the Queen's official birthday (Trooping The Colour), and generally had a wonderful time.  I'm not sure what else to add here to what I posted on June 5, which was undoubtedly the highlight.  Another valuable aspect of this trip was the opportunity to attend a variety of religious services at some of the leading Anglican and Roman Catholic churches of London and Cambridge, all of them integrating beautiful music into the liturgy, my list of which is online here.

Meanwhile, looking beyond Britain, my friend Charles Coulombe offers this excellent article "Return of the Kings" on the future of monarchy in Europe. The success of the Diamond Jubilee, with millions in London and throughout the UK and the world joining in the celebrations, demonstrated that the popularity of the British monarchy is as secure as it has ever been.  Why shouldn't the inhabitants of those currently republican countries which once enjoyed splendid royal traditions of their own  be inspired to restore their monarchies, providing them with opportunities for the incomparable joy and unity this month's glorious events gave to Britain?

 (The four men who should be ruling the Balkans: King Simeon II of Bulgaria, Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia, King Michael of Romania, King Constantine II of Greece)

Archduke Otto's legacy debated

This summer at Chronicles, Serbian Orthodox paleoconservative Srdja Trifkovic wrote a venomous obituary of Otto von Habsburg (for whom respect in the former Empire remains high):
http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/2011/07/18/otto-von-habsburgs-ambiguous-legacy/

to which Roman Catholic Habsburg loyalist James Bogle (who I suspect is the blogger behind Roman Christendom) responded:
http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/2011/07/28/archduke-otto-responding-to-dr-trifkovic/

Trifkovic responded to the response:
http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/2011/07/29/otto-von-habsburg-the-facts/

and Bogle responded to the response to the response:
http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/2011/08/01/archduke-otto%E2%80%94the-smears/

Readers (some more knowledgeable than others) weighed in as well. Obviously as a generally pro-Habsburg monarchist I'm closer to Bogle's (whose lovely biography of Otto's parents Karl & Zita A Heart for Europe I own) point of view, but am not entirely sure what I think of the whole Austrian/Serbian/Muslim question. Catholic/Orthodox divisions are perhaps particularly painful for those of us who would like to see Christians and monarchists united. Not that Trifkovic is a monarchist at all; indeed, it is partly because of right-wingers like him who do not seem to regard the fall of monarchies as particularly regrettable and do not demonstrate any respect for royalty that I no longer subscribe to Chronicles (despite having enjoyed its summer schools as mentioned in the previous post) and no longer identify with the paleoconservative "Right," even if it does remain preferable to neoconservatism.

Encouraging Signs?

Restorationist monarchists don't often have cause for optimism (especially when even generally popular and stable existing monarchies like Sweden's are currently having a rough time). Yet recent articles report growing support for restoration of monarchies in both Serbia and Libya. Could one or both of these nations enjoy the Return of the King in the not too distant future? Let's hope so; a restoration anywhere in the second decade of the 21st century would do wonders for the monarchist cause worldwide, proving that monarchy does not belong only to the past but also to the future, and even providing cause for hope that this century might be an improvement upon its horrid predecessor.

Serbians Want Monarchy

A recent poll shows that 64% of Serbians favour a restoration of constitutional monarchy under Crown Prince Alexander.  Yet none of Serbia's major political parties officially back such a restoration.  Something is wrong here.  Why is it that the media (including internationally) are constantly attentive to the views of dissenting republican minorities in constitutional monarchies such as the United Kingdom, while a majority backing restoration in a republic receives comparatively little coverage?  Perhaps it doesn't fit the "progressive" interpretation of history.  Let's hope that Serbian monarchists can overcome whatever obstacles remain in the way of implementing the Serbian people's noble and righteous goal of royal restoration and formally add HM King Alexander II (actually I think he should be Alexander III, in a posthumous conciliatory gesture towards the rival Obrenovich dynasty) to the ranks of Europe's reigning monarchs!  Ten is not enough!

Monarchy: Solution for Serbia

Monarchists advocating restorations of long-defunct monarchies are sometimes accused of not being in touch with reality. But the Balkans.com Business News site, which does not look like it wallows in sentiment or fantasy, offers a refreshing pragmatic and practical argument in favor of constitutional monarchy for Serbia. Long live King Alexander II!

Balkan Kings

Thanks to Radical Royalist for this report (including the photograph shown here) on a recent gathering of the four rightful sovereigns of the leading Balkan countries and their families. King Simeon II of Bulgaria, Crown Prince Alexander (II) of Serbia [Yugoslavia], King Michael I of Romania, and King Constantine II of Greece were together to celebrate the 25th wedding anniversary of Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine. As far as I'm concerned, the alleged "Fall" of Communism in Eastern Europe is a sham and a fraud as long as these four men are denied their rightful thrones. If only they and not common politicians were ruling the Balkans!

What next for Gyanendra?

Deposed monarchs of the past have explored a number of options, the BBC helpfully informs us, as King Gyanendra is formally evicted from the palace.