It was a busy week for royalty in Scandinavia. On Wednesday, TM King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway arrived across the Baltic in Poland for a three day visit, meeting with the First Family at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw. On Tuesday, HM Queen Silvia of Sweden was in New York City for a gala dinner for the World Childhood Foundation along with HRH Princess Madeleine and her American millionaire boyfriend Christopher O’Neill, who were properly hounded by the Swedish press of course. The next day the Swedish Queen was given a special tour of the Dublin Breast Center, an institution devoted to the physical and emotional treatment of breast cancer. And, on the other side of the world, Crown Prince Frederick and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark began their 6-day visit to the Republic of Korea.
The British put on the pomp and pageantry as only they can this week with the state opening of Parliament and HM the Queen’s speech from the House of Peers. However, to the great disappointment of this reactionary at least, it seems the LibDems got their way in making a more thorough gutting of the House of Lords a priority. Along with some legislation aimed at helping families the government (via the Queen) outlined plans to sweep away the last of the hereditary peers, reduce the size of the house and make aristocratic titles purely honorific with no claim to a seat in the upper house included. If Tony Blair mortally wounded the bicameral legislature in Britain, it seems the Clegg-Cameron combine is putting it out of its misery. Also this week The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visited Scotland and the Prince marked the anniversary of the BBC in Scotland by reading the weather on the local news. And, HRH Prince Harry was in Washington DC on Monday where he was presented with the Atlantic Council’s Distinguished Humanitarian Leadership Award by no less a figure than former Secretary of State Colin Powell in recognition of his work for British veterans and their families. Very well done indeed. The Prince said he felt unworthy of the honor but accepted it for himself and included Prince William in it as well and called on everyone to never forget those who have, “paid a terrible price and keep us safe and free”. Very good words.
Over in the Low Countries things have been busy too. The Prince of Orange got a tour of a new sewage plant (ah, the duties of royalty). In Belgium, TRH Crown Prince Philippe and Crown Princess Mathilde attended the 800th anniversary of the Flemish city of Turnhout while at Laeken HM King Albert II received the credentials of the ambassadors of Poland, Serbia and South Korea. Princess Astrid was busy as well, visiting a charitable center in Liege that aids the homeless and those dealing with money problems (presumably a lack thereof). On Thursday King Albert II met with the members of the European Council and his old first minister, current EU President Herman Van Rompuy. And, down in Luxembourg the Grand Duke and Duchess attended a conference on responsible investing while the freshly engaged Hereditary Grand Duke traveled to Canada on a business trip. Luxembourg is looking to partner with some Canadian businesses and possibly take notes on how Canada has fared so comparatively well in the current worldwide economic crisis.
Regarding the United Kingdom, the Lords reforms started in 1911, and only got worse. In the name of greater Democracy they simply want to abolish a system that obviously worked in the name of an ideology which has wrecked nothing but havoc around the world on the premise that its somehow better.
ReplyDeleteThe only good thing is that perhaps some of the useless Lords will get the boot who are Life Peers. Too many Labour appointees, and now even Tory Ones, need to be out of the House to really reasonably list.
Also, you know sooner or later they will want to abolish the crown, right?
ReplyDeleteI'm aware that it's a small point, but one which speaks to the beauty inherent in the little oddities of monarchy...the Prince of Wales didn't visit Scotland as His Royal Highness is universally known as the Duke of Rothesay north of the border.
ReplyDeleteYes that`s right, and on his father`s death Prince Charles (should) inherit the title, Duke of Edinburgh.
DeleteIt's already been decided that Prince Edward will inherit his father's title upon the Duke of Edinburgh's decease.
DeleteI doubt the proposed changes to the upper house will actually make it to the statute books, MM. "Conservative" members are furious at how much influence the Liberals have in the coalition government, and are already finding ways to block the proposals. The Liberal democrats are of course the illegitimate children of the Lloyd George liberals and can think of nothing else than constitutional "reform" and are a bigger threat to the British Monarchy than even the labour party.
ReplyDeleteDepending on what they do it might matter to the people of the UK but I'm pretty much past caring at this point. They can call that talking shop whatever they want but in my view it is certainly not the House of Lords and hasn't been since Blair butchered the thing.
DeleteOh I'd still care... if this "Reform" goes through it is one step clos to abolition for the Monarhcy in favoutr of a modern socialist Republic ala France. It's also oign to see theusual secularisation icnreases ( Ad yes I amw areof how Britain is already very Secular) and loss of morals and ethics, which invariably leads to a loss of economic performance.
ReplyDelete