Royal News Special Report: Digging Up Diana

This week, the royal news that grabbed the headlines more than any other was yet another of the tired, disgraceful conspiracy theories concerning the death of Princess Diana. Never letting a total lack of evidence get in the way of a good, traumatic story, the media ran with what should have been dismissed immediately as an obvious lie. Unfortunately, the media was given cover by the fact that the British police made a statement that they were looking into the matter. This allowed all of the scandal-hungry talking heads to blather on and on about it because, after all, if the police are taking it seriously then maybe there might be some truth to it. Spare me. Simply the source of the new “information” should have been enough to discount it from the outset. It all comes down to the in-laws of a former British soldier. During a rather messy divorce they suddenly remembered, all these many years after the fact, that this soldier once boasted that the death of Princess Diana had all been arranged and that the British special forces carried it out. Did he really say such a thing? Who knows? How drunk was he at the time if he had? Who knows? Yet, for some reason that escapes me the authorities said they would look into these obviously ridiculous allegations and that gave a green flag to the media to run wild with the story and bring up all the old conspiracy theories just for good measure.

I am sure everyone has heard at least some of these stories, one of the most popular themes being that Princess Diana was pregnant with Dodi Al-Fayed’s baby and that the Royal Family (sometimes HRH the Duke of Edinburgh is singled out) had Mi6 or the SAS kill her off to avoid a scandal. Yeah, because a scandal involving Diana would have been unthinkable. Unfortunately, this whole tidal wave of conspiracy theories was partly supported by Dodi’s father, Mohamed Al-Fayed who, as far as I am concerned, is scum of the lowest order. Fabulously wealthy scum, but scum nonetheless. He seems to be to be someone who was able to buy his way to the top of society but became bitter because he could never buy his way up to the level of the royals and so petulantly decided to wage his own propaganda war against the monarchy. The people who spread these wild stories or give them any time at all are deluded at best and treasonous at worst. Contrary to what many think, they are no real friends or admirers of Princess Diana either. They are doing her memory no favors and are besmirching the good name of both the Royal Family and the British armed forces in the process.

On that subject, let me say that I have not been a big fan of Princess Diana ever since she decided to go public with her marital problems. Before that, I had a favorable view of her. What she did was wrong and it does not matter to me in the least that the Prince of Wales was doing wrong as well or who did wrong first. I am certainly not saying the Prince was or is or should be free from all blame but what should have been a private, family trauma was made into a public scandal by Diana and that I do not approve of. What was going through her mind, no one can say. However, it allowed many people to use her situation as a way to further their own agendas and to attack the monarchy. I was further turned off by the long-running hero worship of Diana and the way so many seized on her as the one “pure” royal who was being mistreated by the “wicked” forces of the monarchy. She is not the only royal figure to have ever become the focus of such sentiments and, sadly, she will probably not be the last. In life and now in death Princess Diana is being used by unscrupulous people as a tool with which to attack the foundational institution of the United Kingdom and its commonwealths. Regardless of what these people may think, they are no true friends or admirers of the late Princess.

Having given my opinion of Diana, let me also say that I do not hold the anger against her that some others do. I was genuinely sad at her untimely death and I applaud her for the good work she did throughout her life. She made mistakes and did plenty that I disapprove of but it also cannot be denied that she also did a great deal of good for a great many people around the world. Those, however, who used and who continue to use her memory as a way of attacking the monarchy are doing Diana no favors. They certainly have not the slightest care or compassion for the only thing left of her in this world, namely her children. Imagine how completely horrible it must be to have tabloids and talking heads pattering on about the idea that your grandfather had your mother killed. It is unspeakably atrocious and even less than that, just the effort to draw divisions within the personal lives of Princes William and Harry between their mother and father, their mother and grandparents, all people they love as much as any other person loves their own parents and grandparents. These stupid, ignorant stories and allegations do no one any good, they only harm and hurt. The only people who benefit are those who manage to enrich themselves at the expense of the ignorant and gullible.

There should be no doubt about this. Princess Diana was killed primarily because she was traveling in a car being driven by a man who was dangerously intoxicated, more than three times over the legal limit. More than anything else, even more than the rightfully despised paparazzi (who certainly played a part), the tragedy was the fault of a drunk driver. It is sad, it is unfortunate, but it happens to people every day all over the world. That should be the end of it and I hope, I really, sincerely hope, that one day Princess Diana will be allowed to rest in peace and that her children will not have to keep being traumatized by these ridiculous and hateful tales from the media.

Favorite Royal Images: Still Causing Controversy

Diana, Princess of Wales

I do hope one day the mother of the future British monarch will be able to rest in peace. 

Unfortunately, that day has not yet come.

Favorite Royal Images: A Cambridge Cowgirl

No Servants for Wills

This story might get buried but I could not resist commenting on it because, as is not uncommon, my reaction seems to be very much the opposite of the majority. It recently made the news even in America that Prince William and his bride-to-be Kate Middleton will not be having servants in their little cottage of wedded bliss. Of course everyone they talked to on the street (and there’s nothing like the split-second opinions of the un-informed) thought it was a great idea that really sent the right message in these hard economic times. I, of course, thought it was a terrible idea. First, let me say at the outset that Prince William can do as he pleases and I am adamantly in favor of that. However, when I first heard the story I was skeptical and speculated that this may not be exactly “true” and was simply done as a public relations tactic. Perhaps at one little residence they would have no servants but overall no such prestigious royal couple could be without them -otherwise they would have no time to do anything other than keep house.

I also don’t like the idea of making any royal couple ‘more common’ if you get my meaning. I don’t want these gestures of humility to become fashionable. The Prince of Wales already had me somewhat worried on this front and Prince William is making me start to as well with the smaller, scaled-down wedding and the ‘no servants’ announcement. I don’t want royals to get caught up in a ‘race to the bottom’ to see who can appear the least royal. Aside from my problem with this attitude itself, I also oppose it because it is nearly impossible to reverse. An excellent example that I frequently go back to is when Pope Paul VI surrendered his papal tiara at the end of the Second Vatican Council as a way to symbolize the renunciation of earthly glory and a new spirit of humility for the papacy. That may sound all well and good but it has meant that, though possible, no pope since has had a coronation or worn a tiara. And who could blame them? After making such a display of renouncing it in the name of humility any pope that tried to restore it would be seen as vain or even arrogant. In the same way, any time a royal gives up a lavish wedding, coronation or some traditional show of reverence for the Crown it makes it all the harder for some future royal to do it the old fashioned way because they will not be seen as wanting a return to normalcy but rather would be seen as saying, “I want more” or “mine has to be better than that” -either way they don’t look good.

Finally, on the servant issue, it makes no sense to me specifically because of the economic hard times in the UK. After all, despite the obvious success of the class warfare mentality, servants at the royal palaces are not poor, put upon slaves or something. They are employees who receive a decent salary for their services as they would anywhere else. Why should the public react positively to the idea that the royals will not be providing as much employment as they otherwise might when so many people in Britain today do not have jobs? People seem to forget (or are often purposely encouraged to ignore) the fact that royals and aristocrats with their grand homes and large estates must employ a great many people to maintain these properties. If the people made sense they would cheer the royals hiring even more servants, giving more people jobs and putting more money back into the economy. That, of course, will not happen and I fear it is because that what is really behind this “no servants” announcement is a public relations effort trying to win over a public that is increasingly falling prey to the class warfare mentality, full of contempt for status, success and for anyone more fortunate than themselves. It is a mentality that does not bode well for the monarchy nor for any great civilization at all.

It Is Official!

Even in the staunchly republican United States every morning news show has gleefully reported the big news from Great Britain: HRH Prince William is officially engaged to marry longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton in London next year. Palace officials stated that Prince William proposed to Kate while on vacation in Kenya in October but informed only the Royal Family and of course Kate's family with whom the Prince is very close. The Prince also kept to tradition by asking Kate's father for his permission to marry his daughter. Prince William presented his beloved with his late mother Diana's engagement ring, in an effort, he said, to include her in this grand occasion. So far no further details have been released as to exact date and location but those answers have been promised to come "in due course". The Mad Monarchist joins all the loyal subjects of Great Britain and the Commonwealth realms in sending heartfelt congratulations to the young couple, the future King and Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland etc on the occasion of this happy event. May Prince William and the soon-to-be Princess Catherine have a lifetime of happiness together. God Save the Queen!

The Passing of a Princess

It was thirteen years ago today (rather hard to believe) that Lady Diana, Princess of Wales, left this mortal coil after a car wreck in Paris. I remember very well, I was laying on the living room floor watching 'Saturday Night Live' when the news broke in to say that Diana had been in a car wreck in Paris, shortly thereafter giving word that she had passed away. I was never a huge Diana "fan" though many in my family were and even in this remote area with no historical connection to Britain at all her passing was felt. She was not perfect by any means but she did do alot of good for alot of people. May she rest in peace.

Consort Profile: Maud of Wales

Queen Maud of Wales, the first Queen consort of the modern Kingdom of Norway, was born in London on November 26, 1869 to the Prince and Princess of Wales, later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of Great Britain. Through her mother, Princess Alexandra of Denmark, she already had connections with Scandinavia and in time should would play a central part in the affairs of that region of Europe. It was while she was attending engagements with her mother’s family in Denmark that she first met her cousin Prince Carl of Denmark, son of King Frederick VIII. A romance developed and on July 22, 1896 the two were married at Buckingham Palace before moving to Copenhagen though their only child, Prince Alexander (future King Olav V), was also born in Britain, in Norfolk, England, on July 2, 1903.

When Norway decided to end the personal union with the Kingdom of Sweden, which had existed since the Napoleonic era when Norway was given to Sweden as compensation for ceding of Finland to Russia, it was decided that the country would be a constitutional monarchy and the search began for a suitable candidate for the Norwegian throne. Of course, Prince Carl was ultimately chosen and part of why the Norwegian government thought him ideally suited for the role was Princess Maud. The connections with Denmark were very ancient but Princess Maud also brought the added bonus of ties with the powerful British Empire which could only benefit Norway. With the choice made and the separation from Sweden finalized Prince Carl became King Haakon VII of Norway and Princess Maud became the first Queen consort.

The couple arrived in their new country on November 25, 1905 and were crowned in Nidaros Cathedral the following summer. Queen Maud quickly became a popular favorite with the Norwegian people for her regal bearing, friendly smile and being ever dressed to perfection. Although today some might remember her more for her high style and fashion, she was actually much more but had a reserved and rather bashful nature that ensured much of her work was done out of the public eye. Behind closed doors she was a very warm and energetic person who was patron of a number of charitable causes such as establishing her own fund to help the victims of the First World War. Children and animals also received much of her attention.

Although her British connections had recommended her, Queen Maud made a determined effort after becoming Queen to be thoroughly Norwegian. She made an effort to learn the language, though it was very difficult for her and she never became fluent, learned to ski and saw to it that her son, now named Crown Prince Olav, was absolutely Norwegian and nothing else. Still, as is only natural, she tried to maintain some reminders of her English home in her new country as well. In her spare time she loved the outdoors and could often be found riding horses, walking her dogs and skiing. Her last public visit to England was to attend the coronation of her nephew King George VI in 1937.

The following year Queen Maud died while in London on November 20, 1938. She was taken back to Norway and buried in the Royal Mausoleum at Akershus Castle. The first monarchs of an imported royal family always have a difficult task and many are not ultimately successful but Queen Maud is a case of it working out very well. The monarchy is still going strong there and she set the standard for other royal consorts in Norway to follow. He ties to Great Britain were a comfort as Norway was entering the world stage as a newly independent country and the bonds survived her to be especially important during World War II when Norway faced its greatest crisis but could count on a close and cooperative partnership with Great Britain.

Prince William at His Best

Between being hounded by the media and Pink calling him a "redneck" for hunting, Prince William has not had an easy time of it as of late. However, last night he was in full form at the Sun Military Awards, hosted by The Sun newspaper at the Imperial War Museum. The event was held to honor the military veterans of the United Kingdom, many celebrities were on hand and Prince William was accompanied by his younger brother Prince Harry, himself a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. Prince William's speech was modern royalty at its finest and his paid tribute to the men and women who serve in uniform for their Queen and country. Prince William himself has trained with the army and navy and is currently training as a rescue helicopter pilot with the RAF. The Prince told his military comrades that it was, "a privilege and an honor" to wear the same uniform as so many other brave individuals. One of those present was a Royal Marine (Ben McBean) who lost an arm and a leg to a landmine in Afghanistan and returned home with Prince Harry. The royal "spare" referred to him as "a true hero".

Prince William said, "This country is blessed with its Armed Forces,” during his tribute address to the troops.

"These are not just words. It is the truth. Your unremitting pursuit of excellence, your humanity, your humility, your extraordinary self-discipline, your camaraderie – regardless of background – mark you out as amongst the very best in our society.

"Your loyalty to one another will mean the difference between life and death. The example you show us has penetrated the national psyche. It has drawn the British people together in an extraordinary way.

"The magnificent response up and down the country on Armistice Day this year bears powerful testimony to this. So I would say that, although you serve the country, you also show us the way."

Again, what more is there to say? It was Prince William at his finest last evening.

The Canadian Royal Visit

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have ended their trip to the Dominion of Canada and everyone seems to be using this as an excuse to take swipes at the monarchy. It is astounding to me; the United States gloats, the Canadian republicans sneer and even British malcontents retroactively proclaim that the whole purpose of the visit was to strengthen monarchist support so the 'Great White North' does not slip away when Charles takes the throne. The media reports that the visit attracted little attention after a conscious decision on their part not to cover it thoroughly -go figure. They did, however, make sure to point out every place along the war where anti-monarchy protestors were present to cause a delay or make a scene. To top it all off, I am told, upon the departure of the couple the CBC ran a news documentary on how the days of the monarchy in Canada were numbered.

This is all simply absurd. Charles and Camilla are not my favorite royal couple in the world but they do not deserve being the subjects of protest, nor should their be any doubt about the ability of Charles to be a decent 'King George VII'. The media, the educational system and etc in Canada, like most of the rest of the world, is dominated by the liberal elites. They see to it that Canadians are not taught about the importance of the monarchy and then proudly report that Canadians feel no connection to the Crown. They do no news stories on the monarchy, and when they do always refer to it as "British" rather than "Canadian" and then merely mention that the royals attract little interest. And, of course, any time the subject comes up the republican retinue is let out of their cages to pour scorn on the monarchy. Opposition is largely not allowed but when they do trot out the odd monarchist it is usually one so safely half-witted that their only argument is something along the lines of 'we should stay a monarchy because we've always been a monarchy'. Not exactly a rousing defense of the Canadian Crown.

Maybe it is coming from the place I do but I cannot fathom so many people being ignorant, indifferent or hostile to the very foundation of their government and their entire national history and culture. Of course this is the same Canada that a few decades back decided to scrap their national flag for a new design -something else I cannot comprehend, not that there is anything wrong with the modern Maple Leaf flag but there was nothing wrong with the Red Ensign either. I would also point out that Canada had at least two opportunities to become a republic in the past; during the American War for Independence and the War of 1812 and they certainly didn't seem very keen on the idea back then. I also cannot abide those who seem to think that becoming a republic will mean an end to hereditary privilege. Have these people never heard of the Kennedy dynasty, the Bush clan or the number of seats in the U.S. senate that have been held by the same family for generations?

Monarchists in Canada are putting up a fight, but if I could be so bold as to offer some advice they need to put aside their traditional Canadian politeness and point out that even the most successful republics are far from the utopia many seem to think (and give examples) and also point out that in most republics they would not be able to argue against their own form of government as they currently have the freedom to. It also seems particularly distasteful this soon after Armistice Day (or whatever you choose to call it) considering how many Canadians fought and died in the cause of King and Country. Turning your back on history will not change it or make it go away and there are many people living in republics around the world who would love the chance to enjoy the freedom, stability and prosperity that Canada has enjoyed as a constitutional monarchy.

Happy Birthday Harry!

HRH Prince Henry of Wales celebrates his 25th birthday today. He has had a bit of a controversial reputation over the years but his late mother warned us from day one that the "spare" was the wild one of the pair. I also give Prince Harry alot of credit for his military service. While politicians cast votes sending the sons and daughters of others off to war Prince Harry was one of those who went, put his backside in the line of fire and roughed it with everyone else while most of the offspring of the elites would have none of it. Say what you will about him the Prince has served in the hardest occupation in the world with no special treatment because his grandmother happens to be the Queen. The Mad Monarchist joins all the loyalists of Britain and the Commonwealth in wishing Prince Harry a happy birthday.