First and foremost, it is the official position here at The Mad Monarchist that the legitimacy of the remaining reigning monarchs of the world is not to be called into question. Monarchies, in this day and age, are an endangered species and monarchists must remain ever vigilant to preserve those which remain. If any were to fall they would most certainly not be replaced by another dynasty or alternative member of the Royal Family but would be replaced by a republic. That cannot be allowed to happen. Now is not the time to argue over centuries-old conflicts or obscure genealogical charts. We no longer have that luxury. Now is the time to close ranks, stand shoulder to shoulder, man the battlements, flood the moat and pull up the drawbridge. Furthermore, any such disputes would be an exercise in futility since none of the reigning monarchs of the world have any serious pretender trying to overthrow them. The self-styled “monarchists” who do wish them replaced by another exist solely on the internet -they are not real people. The Duke of Bavaria, for example, has no wish or desire to replace HM Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom even if it were possible for him to do so.
In most cases, so much time has past that the basis of these arguments have absolutely no meaning in the modern world. In other words, for their arguments to even be considered, the entire mindset and way of thinking of society as a whole would have to change. Being a reactionary sort, The Mad Monarchist believes this would be much for the better, but it is certainly not about to happen and would not be magically brought about by changing the person on the throne in London or Madrid. In most cases there would first have to be the most fundamental and far-reaching religious revival in human history for these issues to even be considered by the public of today. As stated, The Mad Monarchist leans quite heavily toward the reactionary side of things and recognizes the great values, ideals and historical lessons of past monarchists such as the Jacobites in Britain or the Carlists in Spain. Had The Mad Monarchist lived in Britain in 1688 he would certainly have been a Jacobite and had he lived in Spain in 1833 he would certainly have been a Carlist. However, those contests were decided centuries ago, the Jacobite heir has no desire to be King of the U.K. and the Carlist heir is already King of Spain. So, we will talk about these groups, we will honor their memory and what they fought for but the validity of all currently remaining monarchs is absolute and will not be questioned.
On the subject of disputed successions in former monarchies and concerning non-reigning royals, The Mad Monarchist takes a generally “hands off” attitude of neutrality though not impartiality. Here, we support pan-monarchism and wish to unite rather than divide all those who favor traditional authority. As such, it is the policy of The Mad Monarchist not to take sides in dynastic disputes even though, in certain cases, he certainly has a candidate he considers the legitimate one. In other cases, however, The Mad Monarchist takes no official position because he really has no official position. For example, in the dispute over the Italian succession The Mad Monarchist takes no side because he can see reasons for and against each claimant. However, in the case of the disputed succession in France, The Mad Monarchist certainly sees one candidate as the proper legitimate choice. However, he will refrain from divisive arguments pushing that point of view because monarchists in France (as elsewhere) need to come together rather than fight among themselves. The Mad Monarchist also contends that any candidate, legitimist, Orleanist or even Bonaparte would be preferable to the current republican regime.
In a different but related field of confusion, although it would seem elementary to most people, The Mad Monarchist does not endorse the dissolution or break-up of any monarchy or any European country. There seem to be many people who wish for monarchies such as the Kingdom of Belgium, the Kingdom of Spain or the United Kingdom to break-up into smaller pieces. Obviously, The Mad Monarchist opposes any harm whatsoever coming to any monarchy in the world. On the other hand there are some monarchists who seem to want republics (or as we prefer, ‘former monarchies’) such as Germany or Italy to break up. The Mad Monarchist opposes this as well for the purely practical reason that it would set monarchists opposed to the national will and whenever people are forced to choose between their nation and anything else, historically they have always chosen their nation. Furthermore, again, the minorities who would actually favor breaking these countries up in these countries themselves are invariably republican. The last thing the world needs is more republics.
In countries, mainly non-European, where dynastic legitimacy is not as traditionally important The Mad Monarchist maintains the simple rule that the last reigning dynasty to hold power remains the legitimate heir to the throne in question until someone else comes along and restores the monarchy with a new one. This does not necessarily mean The Mad Monarchist favors each of these dynasties on their own merits (though he certainly does in many cases) but simply that the crown remains where it has fallen, with the fingerprints of the most recent owner, until someone else steps forward to pick it up. To cite some examples, this would refer to the Pahlavi dynasty of Iran, the Nguyen dynasty of Vietnam and the Qing dynasty of China. However, this applies only to those parts of the world where the cycle of dynastic changes existed. Bear that in mind. The Mad Monarchist takes a very dim view of trumped-up, self-proclaimed “royalty”. It may be possible that such a self-made monarch over time gains respect and acquires a sort of legitimacy and for that reason The Mad Monarchist will do his best to deal with the supporters of such in an understanding way. Just remember, he does not consider it ideal by any means. Of course, no set of rules can cover everything and now and then there have been exceptions due to exceptional circumstances with one or other of the guidelines mentioned on this page. For the “why” and “what for” of those specific cases, you will have to read about them as they have come up.
MM
