Favorite Royal Images: A Prince of Wales

HRH the Prince of Wales

future King Edward VIII

future Duke of Windsor

and just for fun...

Prince Edward the Native American

Prince Edward the samurai

and Prince Edward the Indian soldier

Royal News Roundup

This is going to be a Euro-centric news summary this week because that is where most of the ‘action’ has been. Starting in the south, with the Kingdom of Spain, the Prince and Princess of the Asturias visited the Spanish Pavilion at Anuga Fair this week, later the ridiculously gorgeous Princess Letizia opened a new vocational training course in Santander. Meanwhile, the legal attack-dogs continued to hound HRH the Infanta Cristina but later in the week some common sense prevailed when the state prosecutor said that there was “No element in the case” to charge the Infanta. With all the troubles the Spanish royals have been forced to endure lately, the ‘golden couple’ of the country, the Prince and Princess of the Asturias, have been working extra hard in an effort to improve the public image of the monarchy and bring people together. That was also certainly the case on Columbus Day, which is the National Day of Spain, when the Prince of Asturias (presiding over things in the absence of the recovering king) called for Spanish unity in the face of the many difficulties the kingdom is currently enduring. Of course, we wish him all the success in the world in making that a reality and in strengthening the position of the monarchy. ¡Arriba España! Also on the southern front, HRH Princess Caroline of Hanover, HSH Princess Stephanie of Monaco and Andrea and (a heavily pregnant) Charlotte Casiraghi attended the AMADE Mondiale Association’s 50th anniversary gala dinner last Thursday at the Hotel Hermitage. Charlotte stole most of the attention but, despite being in the family way, it seems her chosen man is not ready to make an honest woman out of her, Gad Elmaleh recently telling the Washington Post that the two are not engaged. Meanwhile, the Sovereign Prince was passing the Olympic torch in Russia to President Vladimir Putin and Princess Charlene took time out to get back in the pool to teach some Moscow children how to swim.

Moving northward to the Low Countries, on Friday in Luxembourg retired Grand Duke Jean along with Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Princess Stephanie attended a special concert by the Paris Orchestra at the Philarmonie in honor of the late Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte. Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte was the wife of Grand Duke Jean, the daughter of King Leopold III of the Belgians and mother Princess Marie Astrid, Grand Duke of Henri, Prince Jean, Princess Margaretha Prince Guillaume. In the Kingdom of Belgium there was not much ‘major’ news. A story came out on VTM that in the 60’s when the marriage of (then) Prince Albert and Princess Paola was on the rocks, HM King Baudouin had their phone calls monitored in order to keep certain people from contacting them and hopefully save their marriage. When the couple decided to make amends and stay together, no one was happier than King Baudouin who knew his younger brother would be succeeding him. In more light-hearted news, Queen Mathilde turned heads in Liege when she wore a very bright, fuzzy yellow coat and skirt that caused many people to have memories of the Sesame Street character “Big Bird”. However, everyone seemed to agree that the lovely Belgian queen made it look good. In the neighboring Kingdom of The Netherlands, most of the royal talk was on events yet to come. The new King and Queen of The Netherlands will soon be going on a round of foreign visits and will also be visiting the Dutch islands in the Caribbean. It is also being discussed whether or not, while they are in the neighborhood, they might pop in on Colombia and Venezuela. I suppose Royal Dutch Shell would have reason to take an interest in oil-rich Venezuela but, a word of warning to the royal couple, if you go there, you might want to bring along your own supply of toilette paper -just to be on the safe side.

On the British Isles, we actually begin in Australia where Prince Harry visited the HQ of the Australian SAS (special forces) during his quick trip ‘Down Under’, lamenting that his military duties did not permit a longer visit. At Buckingham Palace Prince William hosted (and participated in) a football match (that’s soccer for the American readers) between two of Britain’s oldest amateur teams, joking with the players about having a game on his grandmother’s lawn saying, “One warning, though: if anyone breaks a window, you can answer to her.” Also this week, the grand old Duke of Edinburgh was back on the job, visiting a retirement home where he was older than many of the residents. Prince Philip spotted a little girl sitting on a beach ball a group had been kicking around in an ’activity class’ and asked, “Do you get bonus points if you knock her off?” which caused a round of laughter, even from the tot’s great-grandmother Florence Crisp (hmmm, a royalist relative?). The Duke was also cracking a few jokes at the 500th awards presentation ceremony for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. With all the humorless leftists and politically correct authoritarians in control of things, it sometimes seems that Prince Philip is the last man in Britain with a sense of humor (or humour). The Countess of Wessex was in top form for an official visit to South Africa and Prince Harry managed a few words in Arabic while attending a fundraiser for Sentabale in Dubai. HM the Queen presided over the launch of the Commonwealth baron ceremony with a message from the Queen that was placed in the baton to be carried to the Commonwealth Games which will be read by the Queen, to all the athletes, at Glasgow’s Celtic Park on July 23. The baton was carried to Buckingham Palace for the start of the relay by Scottish cycling star Sir Chris Hoy. HM the Queen also expressed her concern this week at an MBE ceremony that children may be giving up books in favor of technology. The Queen made the remarks to author Joanne Harris who received the MBE (that is Member of the Order of the British Empire) for ‘services to literature’.

Finally, on the Scandinavian front, the royals of the Kingdom of Denmark have been turning heads. Pretty Princess Marie was sporting a new ‘do’ at the opening of a new internet portal for Danish schools. Meanwhile, Crown Prince Frederik went on a bicycle tour of Vilnius while on an official visit to Lithuania, today one of the Baltic republics, formerly part of the Russian Empire and even more formerly a Grand Duchy that was ‘married’ to the Kingdom of Poland. It was also announced that in the near future Crown Prince Frederik will be visiting the State of Israel. And, not let the youngsters get all the headlines, HM the Queen and her Prince consort attended a special exhibition in which both read some poetry. The exhibit features painting by the Queen herself and poetry and some sculptures done by the Prince. Denmark -home of ‘renaissance royalty’. News was a bit thin on the ground for Norway this week. Crown Princess Mette-Marit has gone on sick leave over a neck prolapse for the next two weeks and possibly longer. We wish her a full and speedy recovery. Meanwhile, HM the King gave his speech from the throne, outlining the goals of the outgoing government though everyone understands most will not be implemented. In the neighboring Kingdom of Sweden, Princess Madeleine and Crown Prince Victoria teamed up for some “retail therapy” in the elite shops of New York City, before the Crown Princess went on to visit the United Nations. At home, HM the King met with the leaders of the Swedish Order of St John (Protestant) and Order of Malta (Catholic) before joining with the Queen to welcome an official state visit from Portugal. On the other side of the world, Prince Carl Philip was in the “Land of the Morning Calm”, the Republic of Korea (that is the south of course) with the Prince telling the Koreans about how Sweden had improved road safety in the hopes that South Korea will be able to do the same. He also met with Swedish and Korean business leaders in the country, took in some artistic and cultural type stuff before zooming back to Sweden to visit some Rural Economy and Agricultural Societies. Sounds like fun.

Monarch Profile: Sultan Musa Ghiatuddin Riayat Shah of Selangor

The story of the seventh Sultan of the Malaysian state of Selangor can read slightly differently depending on who is telling the story. This is mostly because of the circumstances surrounding his coming to the throne during World War II and there are some aspects of his life story that are similar to that of Sultan Ali Shah of Terengganu. Both were removed from their place in the line of succession by British colonial officials and both were subsequently placed on the throne of their respective states by the occupying forces of the Empire of Japan. Likewise, both were deposed after the war by the British as being “illegitimate” but in reality it was simply because they cooperated with the Japanese and were seen as “traitors” to the colonial rule of Great Britain. That being said, there were other royals who had friendly relations with Japan and Great Britain as well but in those cases there was either no grounds for their removal that could possibly be found or there were simply no better options for the British to work with. It also happens that, in the case of the Sultan of Selangor as well as the Sultan of Terengganu, the charge of their being “illegitimate” is completely absurd. Each was the legitimate heir who should have come to the throne and, regardless of motivation, in each case it was Britain that violated the royal succession and Japan that set it right again.

Almarhum Sultan Musa Ghiatuddin Riayat Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Sir Aladeddin Sulaiman Shah was born Tengku Musa Eddin in 1893 in Jugra, Selangor. He was the eldest son (keep that in mind) of Sultan Alaeddin by his consort Tengku Ampuan Maharum binti Raja Muda Tunku Dziauddin of the royal house of Kedah. He was given the usual private education and had a relatively normal upbringing for his time and place. When he was 27-years old he succeeded his great-great uncle as the Raja Muda of Selangor in 1920 (in western terms, he officially became crown prince and heir to the throne). A bright and well respected young man at this stage, there were no objections when his father appointed him to represent him on the State Council which the British colonial officials had established in the Malaysian states. However, not long after entering the world of politics, complaints began to surface against the Crown Prince on the part of the British Resident Theodore Samuel Adams. This leading British official suddenly decided that Crown Prince Musa was unworthy of his position and accused him of being wasteful, a gambler and leading an immoral lifestyle. These were, as a matter of fact, the same sort of accusations made against the heir to the throne of Terengganu by British officials and it is certainly no coincidence that, as in that case, Crown Prince Musa was refusing to simply follow British orders and the real “crime” he was guilty of was simply having a mind of his own.

In any event, Malaysia was under British control and so when the British Resident complained about Crown Prince Musa and demanded that he be stripped of his rank as heir to the throne this was done. On July 20, 1936 Crown Prince Musa Eddin was deposed as crown prince and replaced by his half-brother Tengku Alam Shah. The Sultan himself did not just go along willingly with this change, arguing that Musa Eddin was the son he wanted to succeed him as his mother had been of royal birth while the mother of Alam Shah was a commoner and thus, according to long established Malay tradition, the total royal was to take precedence over the half-royal (so to speak). The Sultan took the issue all the way to the Secretary of State for the Colonies in London, about as high up the colonial bureaucracy one could go in the British Empire, but it was all to no avail. Prince Musa Eddin was given a lesser royal and most thought the issue would be forgotten. In 1938 Sultan Alaeddin passed away and Tengku Alam Shah succeeded him as the Sultan of Selangor with the blessings of Great Britain. Ironically enough, it was Prince Musa Eddin who presided over his coronation ceremony on January 26, 1939 at Istana Mahkota Puri in Klang which must have been an awkward moment. However, to his credit, Prince Musa Eddin performed his royal, enthroning his younger half-brother with no hint of any bitterness or ill-will toward him.

Japanese troops in the Malaysian capital

That might have been the end of any significant public life for Prince Musa Eddin but for the outbreak of World War II in East Asia. In December of 1941 the first elements of the Japanese Imperial Army crossed into Malaysia and made short work of the unprepared British colonial forces. By early 1942 the Japanese troops under General Tomoyuki Yamashita had driven the British out of Malaysia and captured the strategic fortress-city of Singapore. The entire area came under military rule due to the war situation and Colonel Fujiyama of the Japanese Imperial Army was made military governor of Selangor. The colonel invited the Sultan to Kuala Lumpur to discuss with his superior, Major General Minaki, his outspoken support for the British war effort. The Sultan claimed he had only been following the wishes of the British Resident but, whether this was true or not, it was happily discovered that he should not have been made sultan in the first place. In November of 1943, on Japanese orders, Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah surrendered his symbols of office to his elder half brother who officially became Sultan Musa Ghiatuddin Riayat Shah of Selangor. During his subsequent (albeit rather brief) reign there was peace and amity between the Malaysians and Japanese in Selangor. Sultan Musa had attained the position his father had always meant for him to have. Unfortunately for him, it would not last.

Everyone knows the subsequent history of the end of World War II in the Pacific area. The United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, the Soviets invaded Manchuria and the Japanese agreed to an unconditional surrender. The Dutch, French and British colonial regimes in Southeast Asia began to be reestablished and when the British returned to Malaysia there was no doubt that the Sultan of Selangor had to go. His accession to the throne was deemed illegitimate and he was promptly deposed by the colonial authorities, handing the throne back again to his younger half-brother. The former Sultan Musa Eddin was then exiled to the Australian territory of the Cocos Keeling Islands where he spent most of the rest of his life. In 1955 he was allowed to return to his homeland after falling seriously ill and he died only a few months later. His half-brother later served as the King of all Malaysia (and was the one who ended the state of emergency in 1960) and his eldest son is the Sultan of Selangor to this day, having also served as King of Malaysia from 1999-2001.

Consort Profile: Queen Suriyothai of Siam

One of, if not the, most famous royal consorts in Thai history is undoubtedly Queen Suriyothai of Siam from the Ayutthaya period of Thai history. Her fame is certainly well deserved and derives from her wisdom, her courage and her devotion to both her country and her family. In the person of Sri Suriyothai the Kingdom of Thailand has a warrior-queen to match the Trung sisters of Vietnam, Isabella of Castile, Eleanor of Aquitaine or Boudica of the Celts. Sri Suriyothai displayed prudent judgment and compassion balanced with an ability to make hard decisions in hard times on the political front and, when the greatest crisis of war came, she was not afraid to strap on her armor, mount her war elephant and go charging into battle. A stupa reliquary was built for her after her death and to this day she remains one of the greatest heroines in Thai history. In 2001 she even became the star of her own biographical film, “The Legend of Suriyothai” which was the most expensive Thai film ever made up to that time and partly funded by HM Queen Sirikit. Her story is certainly one made to order for anyone enthralled by drama, intrigue, romance and the clash of arms as well as by figures truly worthy of admiration.

Pimolrat Pisolyabutr as Suriyothai

No documentation of the early years of Queen Suriyothai have survived to the present day. In fact, only a few lines concerning her ultimate fate at the climax of her life have been handed down to us. Exactly where or when she was born is unknown. Because of this lack of hard facts, there has been the freedom for numerous legends to grow up around this iconic royal consort. One of the most popular is that she was of minor royal rank who, despite loving another prince, was married to the future King Maha Chakkraphat. Such a story may or may not be true but, if so, it certainly underlines the immense sense of duty Queen Suriyothai felt to be so devoted to a husband who was not her first choice and who she never completely loved. If it is not true, the later events of her life would seem to provide concrete evidence of just how deeply connected she felt to her royal husband. It is also supposed, and evidence would seem to support this, that Queen Suriyothai was a very strong and independent-minded woman. Given what we do know about her, this fits perfectly with the image of her character. She was a woman who was firm in her opinions, adept at seeing to the heart of matters, strong in her convictions and sense of duty as well as being immensely courageous.

To put Queen Suriyothai in a bit of context, throughout much of this period the Kingdom of Siam or Kingdom of Ayutthaya (as it is sometimes called, after its capital city) was the dominant power in Southeast Asia. At its peak, the kings of Ayutthaya ruled over all of what is today Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, parts of southern China, northern Malaysia and a considerable slice of eastern Burma. In Vietnam the Le Dynasty was about to give way to the Mac Dynasty and was in a great deal of turmoil which left the Kingdom of Burma as the primary rival in the region to Ayutthaya. In the early 1500’s the Toungoo Dynasty was starting a period of success and expansion that would create a Burmese empire stretching across Southeast Asia. Conquest was the order of the day and Burma was rapidly becoming the most militarily powerful force in the region. The story of Queen Suriyothai also fits in quite well with other military heroines of Southeast Asia such as Trieu Au and the Trung Sisters of Vietnam who gained fame for leading wars of liberation against the occupying forces of Imperial China. Southeast Asia was somewhat distinct in this way in that there was a tradition of strong female leaders, often fighting alongside of or to avenge their husbands, it did not upset the existing Confucian social structure but was enough to bring about a change in the way strong women figures were viewed in comparison to other regions.

Maha Chakkraphat

Sri Suriyothai showed her strength early on, before her husband came to the throne, probably saving his life. It was a chaotic time for Siam with Ayutthaya riddled with intrigue and conspiracy. Prince Thianracha (as King Maha Chakkraphat was known before taking the throne) was the uncle of the young King Yodfa. His mother, Queen Sudachan, was the real power in the country as regent and it is widely believed that she had her own son killed in order to put her lover on the throne, King Khun Worawongsathirat. Prince Thianracha was named co-regent but Sri Suriyothai suspected danger and that the Queen was setting him up to be killed as well. So, to save the true royal line, she persuaded her husband to enter a Buddhist monastery where no assassin could touch him. A palace coup by leading nobles later brought down the usurper and made Prince Thianracha the heir to the throne. When he ascended the throne as King Maha Chakkraphat, Queen Suriyothai was beside him, a woman who had always given good advice and who had probably saved his life. All of this also illustrates why Siam was in a weakened position, a position which all but invited attack by the powerful forces of a unifying Burma.

It was early in the reign of King Maha Chakkraphat in 1548 that Siam was attacked by King Tabinshwehti of Burma. This ambitious young monarch had been constantly at war since 1534 and had a long succession of victories behind him when he turned his attention toward Siam. With a large army, veteran commanders and many modern weapons purchased from Portuguese merchants, King Tabinshwehti commanded what was probably the most fearsome armed force of the time and he had little trouble sweeping aside the small Siamese garrisons that guarded the border. Upon learning of the threat, King Maha Chakkraphat ordered his forces to rally at Suphanburi, west of Ayutthaya to organize and prepare to meet the enemy. In the meantime, King Tabinshwehti and his Burmese army moved inexorably forward. The fortified city of Kanchanaburi was found unoccupied and as the Burmese marched east they easily captured the villages of Ban Thuan, Kaphan Tru and Chorakhe Sam Phan.

Queen Suriyothai in combat

To speed his conquest, the King of Burma divided his army into three columns led by the future Burmese King Bayinnaung, the Viceroy of Prome and the Governor of Bassein. The city of Uthong fell followed by the villages of Don Rakhang and Nong Sarai. Finally the Burmese reached Suphanburi where the Siamese troops offered fierce and determined resistance. However, they were hopelessly outmatched and were finally forced to retreat towards Ayutthaya. The King of Burma pursued them and closed in on the capital city, encamping his army north of Ayutthaya on the Lumpli plain. The King of Siam gathered his forces and rode out to meet the enemy in what was to be, not exactly a full scale battle, but more of a probing action. Taking his sons with him, Queen Suriyothai was not going to be kept from the side of her husband. With her daughter, the two disguised themselves in male clothes and armor and, mounted on a war elephant of their own, rode with the army into the battle. The Burmese force was the column of the Viceroy of Prome and, as was custom, the Viceroy and the King of Siam charged out in front of their armies on their war elephants to fight each other in single combat.

The two men clashed but, at a critical point, the elephant of King Maha Chakkraphat panicked and bolted from the fray. The Viceroy gave chase with the King an easy target on the back of a frightened, stampeding elephant. Queen Suriyothai spotted the danger and heroically raced to the rescue. Charging her animal in between the two opposing commanders, she warded off the blow that would likely have killed her husband. However, the Burmese spear fell on her instead, cutting her shoulder and chest open. Not long after, the heroic queen died, having sacrificed herself to save the life of her King and husband. The King was able to rally his forces and fight off the Burmese long enough for an orderly withdrawal back to Ayutthaya. He would eventually die still fighting to take Siam back from Burmese control. Queen Suriyothai, however, would go down in history as one of the greatest heroes in the history of the Kingdom of Thailand for her courage, determination and self-sacrifice. Her husband built the first monument in her honor, a stupa and today there is a memorial park near the old capital of Ayutthaya featuring a large statue of the courageous Queen on her war elephant, charging into battle to save the life of the King. Her story and example provided inspiration for generations afterward and no doubt will continue to do so as long as it is told.

Monarch (sort of) Profile: Nguyen Duc Duc

This profile was a rather difficult one to decide to do for the simple reason that the monarch known as Duc Duc was hardly a monarch at all. Amongst the illustrious sovereigns of the Nguyen Dynasty who reigned over Vietnam, his name is not always included as an official emperor. Even his name, Duc Duc, says something about his status as, obviously, he was never given a reigning name or era name as other emperors are commonly known by. However, despite being nominal Emperor of the Great South for a mere three days, Nguyen Duc Duc is often listed amongst the ranks of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors (whether he should be or not) and it is important to understand his story as it gives one a greater insight into the wider history of the last dynasty to reign over Vietnam during the critical period of turmoil and confusion following the death of the great but tragic Emperor Tu Duc. Given that, it is worth taking the time to become familiar with the story of the “3-day king” Duc Duc. He ended up being more significant to history than one would at first assume.

Tomb of Duc Duc

The future fifth Nguyen emperor (if one chooses to count him) was born Nguyen-Phuc Ung Ai sometime in 1852. He was the son of Prince Kien Thoai Vuong, the fourth brother of Emperor Tu Duc. When he was seventeen years old, in keeping with custom, he was renamed Prince Nguyen-Phuc Ung Chan. Under other circumstances his life would have probably been rather uneventful, however, he became much more important due to the fact that Emperor Tu Duc, because of a childhood affliction with smallpox, was unable to have children. In order to secure the succession Emperor Tu Duc decided to adopt the offspring he could not have on his own. However, to be on the safe side, he adopted three of his nephews rather than just one. This secured the succession but also proved to be less than ideal in the long-run. The three he chose were the future emperors Kien Phuc, Dong Khanh and, of course, Duc Duc. Most of the last 60 years of the Nguyen reign over Vietnam would be dominated by the family lines of two of these young princes and, as such, there was some tension between the rival branches of the family. Because of this, the history of Duc Duc can be somewhat confusing with two very different versions being told, one by the allies of his line and the other by its opponents. Obviously, one would portray him in a positive light and the other in a negative light.

According to the pro-Duc Duc line faction, Emperor Tu Duc had always intended for Duc Duc to be the one who immediately succeeded him on the Golden Dragon Throne. Others would dispute this but, just to further complicate matters, Emperor Tu Duc had also chosen three regents to oversee things after he was gone while his nephews were too young to rule. These were Tran Tien Thanh, Nguyen Van Tuong and Ton That Thuyet; who would go on to play a large role in Vietnamese history, particularly Tuong and Thuyet. Others, not of the pro-Duc Duc camp, hold that rather than the elder Duc Duc it was the youngest of the three, Kien Phuc, portrayed as the more upright and virtuous of the youths, whom Tu Duc wished to succeed him. The factions of the other two candidates have left behind accounts which portray Tu Duc as being troubled by the character and untraditional behavior of Duc Duc. Whereas the venerable monarch surrounded himself with priests and scholarly mandarins, Duc Duc, the other factions claim, too often associated with the likes of gamblers, singers, actors and other such entertainers.

Altar to Duc Duc

Today, these people would be considered celebrities but, in those days, such “celebrities” were seen as being not far above prostitutes and charlatans on the social ladder and not at all the sort of people that proper ladies or gentlemen were to associate with. Nonetheless, we are told that certain highly influential ladies at court, and there were certainly plenty of those behind the walls of the “Dai Noi” (Great Within) in those days, preferred Duc Duc to be emperor. Supposedly, the will of Emperor Tu Duc named Kien Phuc as his preferred successor but these ladies; the powerful Empress-Dowager Tu Du and the consorts Trang Y and Hoc Phi threw their support behind Duc Duc when Emperor Tu Duc died in July of 1883.

For reasons that later became clear (such as an illicit relationship between the lady Hoc Phi and the regent Nguyen Van Tuong) the three regents decided to go ahead with the enthronement of Duc Duc as Emperor of Vietnam. Here, again, we have a bit of history that is disputed which is that, prior to his “coronation” Duc Duc requested that the lines designating Kien Phuc was heir to the throne be struck from the will of Emperor Tu Duc. Loyalists of the line of Duc Duc usually claim that this never happened as Duc Duc was the intended heir to begin with. However, this is the story told by those hostile to Duc Duc and, so it goes, the regents agreed for the sake of stability and unity in the country. However, when Emperor Duc Duc arrived for his formal enthronement with his retinue of unfashionable friends the regent Ton That Thuyet in particular was outraged and publicly read aloud the original will of the late emperor naming Kien Phuc as heir to the throne. Not surprisingly, chaos broke out and the ceremony was suspended pending an investigation into this controversy over the legitimate succession.

Tomb of Duc Duc

The supporters of Duc Duc tell quite a different story, however. According to them, and later revelations suggest that this may well have been the case, Duc Duc was quite upright and was only opposed by the regents because he had discovered their corruption as well as the affair between Tuong and Hoc Phi. In effect, they feared he would put a stop to their gathering of wealth and power if he actually became emperor and so they arranged a battery of false accusations to stop him. Nguyen Duc Duc was only nominally the emperor from July 19 to July 21, 1883 and as his enthronement ceremony was never finished, this is why he is often excluded from lists of the Nguyen dynasty emperors. The idea that he discovered the crimes of the corrupt regents and was kept from the throne for that reason is reinforced by the fact that he was immediately imprisoned, promptly declared guilty of a ridiculously deplorable list of charges and left to die in a slow and excruciating manner out of all proportion to the alleged crimes, even if he had been guilty. The “3-day king” ultimately died, probably from starvation, on October 6, 1883. He was hastily buried, unclothed, in an improper grave. When the loyal and upright mandarin Phan Dinh Phung protested against such outrageous treatment for a member of the dynasty he was banished by regent Thuyet.

However, Duc Duc was not completely forgotten. In 1889 his son came to the throne as Emperor Thanh Thai and early on he began construction of a formal imperial tomb for his late father which, though deteriorated, remains to this day. Emperor Thanh Thai and his son, Emperor Duy Tan, both were deposed by the French before their reigns came to a natural end so when Thanh Thai died his remains were laid to rest in the tomb he had built for his father Duc Duc. The grandson of the “3-day king” was first buried overseas but his remains were eventually allowed by the communist authorities to be returned to Vietnam for a former burial and he was, likewise, laid to rest in the tomb of his grandfather Duc Duc.

Favorite Royal Images: The Last Burmese Queen

HM Queen Supayalat of Burma

A very...formidable woman, the wife (and half-sister) of the last native King of Burma

Royal News Roundup

Starting, for a change, in the British Isles, HRH the Prince of Wales visited a new cancer research facility in Scotland, great, but for some reason some papers thought it necessary to point out that he was wearing a kilt. Is this news? He was in Scotland, his grandmother was Scottish, he does have Scottish titles and I would not have thought it newsworthy to point out that he was wearing a kilt. In Scotland. Would these people be shocked to know that the Prince of Wales has often worn a kilt even when in England? Sorry, but the fact that this was actually pointed out got to me. Better news is that Prince Philip (one of my heroes) is back on the job again and in good health. Three cheers for him, he’s one of the best things about Britain today. The Duchess of York said something unimportant, HM the Queen opened an emergency care center (or centre) in Aberdeen (wasn’t that where Scotty was from?), the Princess Royal adopted an orphan -horse, the Duke of York is being criticized for stopping in New York to have dinner with his daughter Princess Eugenie (I mean, the very idea!) but the really big news was happening far from British shores in the Land Down Under where Prince Harry arrived for an official visit. When the Australians get together with their royals, greatness always ensues. Crowds flocked to see the Prince in Sidney at an International Fleet Review and there are many more events planned for the days ahead.

Meanwhile on the continent, the rain in Spain fell mainly on the republican protestors in the street calling for an end to the monarchy -proving once again that God is a monarchist. While recovering in the hospital His Catholic Majesty had the treat of a visit from two of his adorable granddaughters Infantas Leonor and Sofia. The cute factor must have done the trick as not long after the King was released after this latest hip surgery. As usual there was lots of glamour and dazzle for the Princely Family of Monaco this week but the big event was an official visit by Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene to the Russian Federation. The Sovereign Prince met with President Vladimir Putin and the couple both met with the Russian Patriarch to talk about closer cultural relations between the biggest country in the world and one of the smallest. In the Netherlands it was announced that if, God forbid, anything should happen to King Willem-Alexander, royal business will be conducted by the capable Queen Maxima as regent. Good to be prepared I suppose. The Dutch King and Queen also visited Norway, warmly welcomed by the King and Queen there and in Belgium King Philippe is set to have a new coin commemorating his accession. Also, after the shameful display in Antwerp we talked about last time, the new King and Queen of the Belgians were given a rousing welcome in Namur. Good to see.

On the far northern front, the Queen and Crown Princess of Sweden attended the General Synod of the Church of Sweden (which is Lutheran) this week and the Queen also teamed up with her younger daughter Princess Madeleine for a World Childhood Meeting. Crown Princess Victoria became patron of the Pink Ribbon campaign (that’s cancer for those having trouble keeping up with all the ribbon campaigns) and Prince Carl Philip opened a race track for the disabled. The Crown Princess also visited the United Nations in New York and Prince Daniel visited the Swedish Companies Registration Office (and you know that was an action-packed event!). The King and Queen of Norway, as mentioned, were showing proper Norwegian hospitality to the Dutch King and Queen and in the Kingdom of Denmark the princesses Mary and Marie (it must get confusing) attended the opening of the Danish parliament. In the Middle East last week there was nothing too earth shattering, most stories seemed to involve accusations and legal cases that I have not the patience to go into detailing.

Over in the Far East, HM the Sultan of Brunei visited the remote United state and former Kingdom of Hawaii though it was unclear if the (possibly) richest monarch in the world was there for business or pleasure. Moving to the Kingdom of Thailand a political activist, the founder of the royalist “yellow shirt” movement that helped oust the corrupt PM Thaksin Shinawatra (leader of the “red shirts”) from power was put in jail for insulting the King. Odd for such a pro-monarchy man but this is an odd case as the remarks that landed him in trouble were actually those of his primary political opponent whom he was quoting in a speech. The Red Shirt activist being quoted was earlier sentenced to 15-years for the original comments. The next day a woman was sentenced to 5 years for insulting remarks posted on a website some years ago (the case has had its ups and downs between then and now), however, on Friday an activist of the Red Siam group was released from prison after serving 5 years of a 12 and a half year sentence for insulting the monarchy thanks to a royal pardon from the King himself. The real news is that this is always the only news. Of all the countries in all the world with speech restrictions, I swear the media around the world is just obsessed with the fact that you can get in trouble in Thailand for saying nasty things about the King. I am rather tired of hearing about it. And, finally, in the Land of the Rising Sun, signs are going up around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo urging joggers to display better manners (they have been getting a reputation for rudeness -at least by Japanese standards as it is a very polite country) and in a touching occasion, Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress attended the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Japanese Disabled Veterans Association. His Majesty made some short remarks and I am sure there was hardly ever an audience that listened more intently or appreciated such words more than these men who have sacrificed so much out of loyalty to the Emperor. God bless them.

Story of Monarchy: Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein, as the modern, sovereign, micro-state we know today, is relatively young. However, the overall history of Liechtenstein goes back quite a distance in time. The name of Liechtenstein is owed to its Princely Family which, in turn, came from one of their primary residences; Castle Liechtenstein in Lower Austria. Even today, the property of the Princely Family in Austria is many times larger than the tiny principality they reign over as a sovereign state. For centuries they were rather minor players in the rough and tumble world of German politics. In time though, they eventually became vassals and close advisors to the Hapsburg emperors of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. The family was awarded princely status and despite still paying homage to feudal overlords the Princes of Liechtenstein managed to qualify for a seat in the Imperial Diet. In 1712 HSH Prince Johann Adam Andreas of Liechtenstein purchased the county of Vaduz from the Hohenems and it was this land which, owing no fealty to any overlord under the Emperor, qualified the Princes of Liechtenstein for their place in the Imperial Diet. Today, Vaduz is the capital of Liechtenstein and the primary residence of the Princely Family though this is a quite recent situation.

On January 23, 1719 the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI declared the counties of Vaduz and Schellenberg to be a principality under the name of Liechtenstein and made Prince Anton Florian von Liechtenstein and all his successors Princes of the Holy Roman Empire. Today, the Princes of Liechtenstein are mostly known as leaders who are more like businessmen, however, in the past, they had great fame as soldiers in the armies of the German Holy Roman Emperors. Prince Anton Florian served in the War of the Spanish Succession, as did his son Prince Joseph Johann Adam who fought the French under the great Marlborough and who, after the war, became Imperial Privy Counselor in Vienna. In the War of the Austrian Succession, HSH Prince Joseph Wenzel I proved himself to be one of the most competent Austrian commanders of the war. In 1749 at the battle of Piacenza is northern Italy, HSH Prince Joseph Wenzel I of Liechtenstein led the Austrian forces to a great victory over the French and Spanish with future Prince Franz Joseph I also taking part. He revamped the Austrian artillery at his own expense and was later made commander-in-chief of Hungary.

Another of the most accomplished military leaders of the House of Liechtenstein was Prince Johann I Joseph who earned an illustrious reputation, mostly as a general of cavalry, in the service of the Austrian Emperor throughout the wars with Revolutionary France and the Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte. He concluded the Peace of Pressburg with the French Emperor, distinguished himself in battle after battle and even held temporary command of all the Austrian forces after the resignation of the famous Archduke Charles. Unfortunately, he had to resign in 1810 after arranging the Peace of Schoenbrunn which the Austrians claimed was too generous toward the French. Perhaps diplomacy was not his strong point but he was a very capable ruler and an absolute brilliant battlefield commander. It was also during this period that the Principality of Liechtenstein officially became a sovereign state when, after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire (which had become mostly theoretical by that point anyway) Liechtenstein joined the French-backed Confederation of the Rhine in 1806 as a grouping of the German states that would be under French influence rather than Austrian. The Congress of Vienna reaffirmed the independence of the tiny principality and Liechtenstein later joined the German Confederation which was a grouping of the German states with the Emperor of Austria as president.

Prince Johann I was also the one who gave Liechtenstein her first constitution though it still reserved final authority for the Sovereign Prince. In 1818 Prince Aloys (one of the fourteen children of Prince Johann I and the future Sovereign Prince Aloys II) became the first member of the House of Liechtenstein to actually visit the Principality of Liechtenstein. No Sovereign Prince would set foot in the principality until he returned in with that rank in 1842. Today this would seem rather odd but it was not considered so significant at the time. To compare with the fellow micro-state of the Principality of Monaco, although the Grimaldi family had taken Monaco from the Genoese and maintained a residence there over the centuries, the Princes of Monaco usually resided mostly on their estates in France or at the court in Versailles. It was really not until the reign of Prince Rainier III that the Prince of Monaco resided in the principality more often than not. The most significant thing about these years for Liechtenstein was not the presence or absence of the Prince in Vaduz but rather the declining power of the Austrian Empire. In 1862 a new constitution gave Liechtenstein her first representative government and in 1868, after the break-up of the German Confederation (making way for the creation of the German Empire under Prussian rather than Austrian leadership) the Principality of Liechtenstein was becoming rather nervous about the future.

Realizing that Austria might be able to play the part of ‘big brother’ to little Liechtenstein, after the German Confederation broke up the Prince of Liechtenstein decided to declare permanent neutrality in the hope that everyone else would just leave them alone. To show that he was purely trusting on international goodwill, the Prince disbanded the Liechtenstein army -exactly eighty soldiers. Fortunately, during this time stable leadership was provided by HSH Prince Johann II the Good who reigned longer than any other monarch in European history after the dazzling King Louis XIV of France. He instituted land reforms, political reforms, enacted a new constitution that granted more rights and greater public participation in the political process and he did his best to keep the country on stable financial ground. That, however, proved to be a nearly hopeless struggle. Liechtenstein was, of course, neutral in World War I but the economic stranglehold placed on Austria-Hungary by the Allied nations effected Liechtenstein as well (which was, of course, quite unfair). The suffering in Austria-Hungary (and Germany) was immense so just imagine how much worse things were in Liechtenstein, a country that amounted to nothing more than a small valley with a few villages of mostly subsistence farmers.

World War I and the collapse of the monarchy in Austria-Hungary left little Liechtenstein isolated and extremely impoverished. The situation was nothing less than dire. Thankfully, under the slogan of “solidarity” neighboring Switzerland came to the rescue, effectively taking over for Austria in watching over Liechtenstein. In 1919 the Prince of Liechtenstein signed a treaty with Switzerland which pledged the Swiss to look after Liechtenstein and her interests on the diplomatic front and later Switzerland and Liechtenstein were joined in a customs union with Liechtenstein adopting the Swiss franc as their currency. Liechtenstein could relax a little and start to recover with her Swiss ‘big brother’ making sure no one picked on her. This is why, for example, if one goes to Liechtenstein today it is Swiss customs officials who handle entry and why Liechtenstein has no official passport entry stamp (though you can get your passport stamped at the tourism office if you ask for it as a souvenir). Prince Johann II died in 1929 and was succeeded by Prince Franz I who abdicated in 1938 which meant the throne was inherited by Prince Franz Joseph II who was the first Prince of Liechtenstein for permanently reside in the principality.

This was also a dangerous time for Liechtenstein, though few outsiders realize it today. The Prince was particularly alarmed by the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany. With the Nazis endeavoring to join all German-speaking populations to their “Third Reich” it was only natural that Liechtenstein should be concerned. There was also a small but vocal faction of Nazi sympathizers in Liechtenstein that wished for this to happen and who singled out Prince Franz I for particular ridicule due to his marriage to a Viennese woman who happened to be Jewish. Naturally for Nazis they tended to blame every problem in Liechtenstein on the influence of this Jewess and they would hold pro-Nazi ceremonies, carrying torches and lighting swastikas at night. The loyalists of Liechtenstein responded with their own demonstrations in support of the monarchy, matching the Nazis by lighting fires on the hillsides in the shape of a crown. Happily, throughout World War II, Nazi Germany respected the neutrality of Liechtenstein and the principality survived the Nazi era in Europe relatively unscathed, though, again, they suffered like Switzerland and Sweden simply by proximity.

Unfortunately, the Princely Family itself was not so fortunate as they came under undue retaliation seemingly for no greater “crime” than speaking German. What is worse is that they were effectively robbed by both sides with hatred against them on the Allied side for being German and hatred against them from the Germans for being anti-Nazi. After the war and the communist takeover of Eastern Europe, Liechtenstein family property was confiscated by Poland and Czechoslovakia on the grounds of it being “German”. Part of this may also have been retaliation on the part of the Russian Soviets since the Prince of Liechtenstein granted safe haven in his tiny country for about five hundred survivors of the anti-Soviet First Russian National Army that had fought alongside the Germans against Stalin. These were eventually given asylum in Argentina, far from their homeland but they were certainly better off than those who found their way into the hands of some of the Allies, like Britain, who turned them over to the Soviets who had most of them massacred or left them to a slow and miserable death in the prisons of Siberia. World War II had, again, left Liechtenstein in an impoverished state and the Princely Family was forced to start selling off art treasures acquired over the centuries to make ends meet.

The fact that this was possible was owed in large part to Prince Franz Joseph I who reigned from 1772 to 1781 who appreciated the value of the growing art collection of the family. However, it was under Franz Joseph II and especially Prince Hans Adam II that the worry of an impoverished principality became a thing of the past. The Princes of Liechtenstein knew their tiny country could produce very little and without outside investment their people would always be one step away from financial disaster. So, the Prince enacted laws which respected privacy and property, cut taxes drastically and cut regulations such as on banks which made the tiny principality one of the best places in the world to do business. The neighbors may have grumbled about Liechtenstein being a tax haven and having banking regulations that amounted to ’ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies’ but the fact is that the country prospered as never before and Liechtenstein still remains one of the wealthiest countries in the world. To put it simply, thanks to the good sense of her princes, Liechtenstein doesn’t have to worry about money anymore; which is quite a blessing for a country that not so very long ago was reduced to ruinous penury.

In recent years, under Prince Hans Adam II, Liechtenstein has become known for its thriving economy, moral principles (it is an officially Catholic monarchy and the laws reflect that) and near absolute monarchy where the Sovereign Prince still has final say in all matters. The result has caused people around the world to take notice with some attention coming from surprising quarters; such as the number of American libertarians who have such praise for an officially Catholic near absolute monarchy in central Europe. Prince Hans Adam II has even taken up writing, authoring a book about his ideas on a free economy in an effort to spread the success of Liechtenstein around the world.

My Favorite Swedish Kings (House of Vasa to 1720)

I - King Sigismund: King Sigismund I of Sweden and Sigismund III of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was elected King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1587 and is probably better known for his rule over those lands than Sweden. Born to parents being held prisoner by the Protestant King Eric XIV, Sigismund was raised in the old religion and would go on to become one of the great Catholic champions of Europe. Inheriting the claim of his father to the Swedish throne, regaining control of Sweden was a lifelong goal for him. Promising to respect the Lutheran Church there he was finally crowned King of Sweden in 1594. A strong supporter of the Catholic (Counter) Reformation, this made many Swedes nervous, especially as he supported the Jesuit order and stamped out heresy in Poland. He fought Russia, his troops even taking Moscow for a time and he worked to strengthen the monarchy and made Poland the dominant power in eastern Europe. He was a man of great principles, strength and determination, a devout man but never a fanatical one who managed to make himself master of north and east Europe.

II - King Gustavus Adolphus: Contrary to Sigismund I, Gustavus Adolphus was a devout Lutheran and became known as the Protestant champion of Europe for his part in the devastating Thirty Years War in Germany. Undoubtedly one of the greatest kings in Swedish history, Gustav II Adolph came to the throne in 1611 and soon established himself as one of the greatest military minds in history. He was the first to integrate infantry, cavalry and artillery on the battlefield and became known as the “Father of Modern Warfare”. He also took care to have a disciplined and virtuous army which, the facts speak for themselves, made the Swedish army an even more effective force on the battlefield. He won control of the Baltic from Poland and made Sweden the dominant power in northern Europe. More a general than a statesman, knew his own limitations and appointed talented men to oversee the government while he fought the wars. A brilliant commander, known as the “Lion of the North” it was the French who brought him in to stave off a Hapsburg victory in the Thirty Years War and though he died in the field, there is little doubt the Catholic forces would have been victorious were it not for the genius of Gustavus Adolphus.

III - Queen Christina: The daughter of Gustavus Adolphus, Queen Christina succeeded to the Swedish throne in 1632 as “King” which was just as well as her father had raised her as a boy anyway. A great deal of nonsense and, frankly, slander has been written about Queen Christina, however, there was a great deal to admire about her. She was extremely intelligent, curious, had a real thirst for knowledge and was not afraid to go her own way and do what she thought was right. She is most famous, ironically enough for the daughter of the savior of Protestantism in Europe, for abdicating the Swedish throne in order to follow her convictions and convert to Catholicism, which she did in 1654. Her conversion was one of the head more than the heart and she took great care in preparing for the abdication so that the transfer of power would go smoothly. She was a woman of courage, consideration and strong opinions. It was also during her reign that Sweden became a colonial empire, establishing (with Finland) an enclave in North America centered on Fort Christina.

IV - King Charles XII: Probably my favorite Swedish king, Charles XII came to the throne in 1697 and, in time, would become known as “the Last Viking”. Like Gustavus Adolphus before him, King Charles XII would go down in history as one of the great warrior kings of all time and one of the most influential military commanders ever. In many ways he was the embodiment of the dictum of the great Frederick, “l’audace, l’audace, toujours l’audace”. Most of his reign was dominated by the Great Northern War when Denmark, Norway, Poland, Lithuania, Saxony and Russia all decided to gang up on Sweden only to have King Charles XII put a royal Swedish smack-down on the lot of them. He not only held them off, but struck back and won victory upon victory until only the Russians were left standing. Thinking sooner was better than later, this King of Sweden looked over at the Russian Empire of Peter the Great and said to himself, “I think I can take’em!” He didn’t of course, but it was courage and audacity such as has seldom ever been seen. Sadly, but appropriately enough, he too died in the field while on campaign.

V - King Gustav III: Coming to the throne in 1771, I dislike the “Enlightened” tastes of this monarch but greatly admire the “despot” in him. After some period of hardship, he restored Sweden as a militarily significant power even though his efforts to expand Swedish territory came to nothing. Still, he was a strong monarch with a clear mind toward a well-ordered society. In something of a ‘royal coup’ he took over the government and restored the absolute monarchy in Sweden. Far from bringing about backward stagnation, King Gustav III ordered religious toleration, economic freedom and abolished torture and capital punishment -hardly what most would think of as the actions of a royal autocrat. He did, however, put a muzzle on the media which was probably for the best anyway. Given some of his ideas, many at the time amongst the crowned heads of Europe might have thought him to be some sort of radical progressive, however, the best thing about Gustav III was that he was a monarchists’ monarch. Shocked and infuriated by the French Revolution, he tried to form an alliance of monarchies to wipe out revolutionary republicanism at the outset; nip it in the bud you might say. Sadly, he was assassinated in a plot by parliament to regain power but, God bless him, he lingered just long enough to thwart them.

Mad Rant: Yes I Do!

I am constantly amazed at how oblivious to obvious facts an average human being can be. I am constantly astounded at the number of people (not a majority to be sure, but a steady stream nonetheless) who come to the weblog or Facebook page titled “The Mad Monarchist” only to then feign outrage to find support for monarchy. Yes, it happens. Sometimes, just to make these really hilarious, these people do not even claim to be in the wrong place. These are the “I’m a monarchist, but…” people who never cease to be a source of amusement and frustration at their ridiculous questions. I want to scream at the computer screen, “YES I DO! Before you even ask, the answer is YES, I really do think that, I really do support -insert name of monarchy or monarch here- and yes I really do oppose -insert name of republic here- for all the reasons I have given!” I wonder if regular readers would believe how often yours truly has been confronted with this scenario. Do republicans have to endure this sort of thing? Somehow, I doubt it. Somehow, I doubt that websites that are Jacobin, socialist or Marxist in nature have people showing up saying, “I’m for liberty, equality and fraternity all the way but, Louis XIV was awesome wasn’t he?” I would be willing to bet no one has ever gone to the website of some group like the Sons or Daughters of the American Revolution and said, “I’m for General Washington and Yankee Doodle all the way but, you don’t really think King George was that bad do you?” Yet, for some reason, I seem to attract these people.

Why this is the case, I will never know. I take a look around here and consider that I have made the extent of my absolute belief in monarchy abundantly clear. Do they not see the prominently featured mascot or read the very prominent quotations from this rather mad monarchist at the top and bottom of every page? Do they think I put them there but do not really agree with them? Well, I do! And that is one of the most tiresome lines: “You don’t really believe that do you?” or “You don’t really agree with that do you?” Yes. I do. This exchange has happened far more often that I would prefer. Yes, I do think the Ottoman Empire was superior to modern-day Turkey. Yes, I do think Russia was better off under the Tsar than anything that has come since 1917. Yes, I do think China was a better place under the imperial dynasties than is the case with either of the Chinese republics existing today. Yes, I *really* do. I really do think Tibet was better off when the Dalai Lama was in charge, I really do think that Maximilian was the best leader Mexico has ever had and, yes, I really do think that there was not one, single, solitary good thing that came from the French Revolution. So, to anyone reading this site for the first time, before you even ask, yes I do, I really do, don’t waste your time and mine.

I am a (mad) monarchist. I am a monarchist by principle and believe in monarchy in general as the right form of government. It is not even so pertinent to me that I believe monarchy is “better” in as much as I believe it to be “right” whether it is better or not. For example, even if one could point to a monarchy in which the people had to live very modest lives compared to a republic in which they live much more comfortably, I would still say the monarchy is better because it is not the duty of the sovereign or state to make your life easier (in my view) and because even in the poor monarchy as opposed to the prosperous republic, things are in the proper order. It is a little hard for me to put into words but the land is in harmony with Heaven, things are as they should be, as both God and nature intended. It is also a fact that my measuring rods for judging what constitutes success or failure are not the same as those used by most, thoroughly modern, people. The willingness of the State to pay people not to work, to require facilities for transvestites or the availability of free birth control pills are not my standards for what constitutes “greatness” or a government truly serving the needs of the people.

Just as amazing to me is the “shock” (real or feigned, who can tell?) expressed by those when, in any conflict between a monarchy and a republic -I side with the monarchy. Astounding; isn’t it? I do not know how much more clear I can make this. I am a monarchist. I view monarchy as an absolute good, as the ideal way for things to be ordered. It is the polar opposite of those (and there are many) who say, “Well, the French Revolution was rather messy and the Reign of Terror was pretty horrible but, hey, at least they got rid of the monarchy so things were improving.” To these people, republicanism is an absolute good in and of itself. Regardless of all else, anything that gets rid of monarchy and advances republicanism they view as a good thing whereas yours truly believes that monarchism is an absolute good and regardless of all else, anything that gets rid of a republic and advances monarchy is a good thing. As I have stated before, I categorize revolutions as being comparatively better or worse depending on how the monarchy in question or monarchy in general was affected by it. So, while I regret Mexico breaking away from Spain, the Spanish King remained on his throne and was succeeded, in Mexico, by another monarch (albeit briefly), I do not view this as anywhere near as bad as, say, the French Revolution which saw the monarchy abolished and the Royal Family murdered. I view the Russian Revolution or the 1911 Revolution in China as being worse than the “Glorious Revolution” in Great Britain or even the American Revolution in which a monarch lost territory but did not lose his throne or his life.

In the same way that most republicans view monarchy as inherently bad, even if it is an extremely successful monarchy or even if the monarch has virtually no power at all, I view republics as inherently bad no matter how good their economy is or seems to be, no matter how licentious they allow their populations to be. Even under the best of circumstances, any republic, by its very nature, suffers in my view from lacking a monarch, lacking that vital link to history, tradition and religion. Even in those republics and under such non-royal leaders that I view as being comparatively better than others (Franco’s Spain, Salazar’s Portugal or Moreno’s Ecuador), I would still view a monarchy as being better and consider their lack of a monarch to be their primary detriment. I would support them as being superior to other republican alternatives but always as incomplete in their success until the monarchy was fully restored. I do not want to see any monarch lose their throne and especially these days when republicanism is so rampant, I view any loss of a monarchy as critical no matter how unpopular it may be. There have been and certainly still are monarchs and monarchies I consider less than perfect, but I still would never, ever want to see them torn down and replaced with another republic. And, yes, before you even ask, that includes monarchies like Brunei, Saudi Arabia and Swaziland. These are all criticized for being absolute monarchies and, yes, I support them all rather than any republic. In the same way, even the most nominal, ceremonial monarchies (Sweden being the usual example), I still support as well as preferable to an outright republic. Why? Because, to quote Tran Cao Van, “The sky is still there! So is the earth and the dynasty!”

Finally, just as I will support any legitimate monarch, on principle, so too will I oppose any illegitimate republican poser no matter how “cool” people in certain circles may think they are. I have been disgusted by the number of people, again claiming to be “monarchists”, who have actually voiced not only grudging support but praise and admiration for republican leaders such as the late Hugo Chavez in Venezuela or, more recently, Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Recently there have also been people, from what I have seen so far mostly self-hating types who love anyone who makes America look bad (which the American government can do just fine on its own thank you) who have adopted Vladimir Putin as their new poster boy. There are certainly things I applaud Putin on, there are even issues in which I think he is in the right and my own country is in the wrong -he may be the best republican leader Russia has ever had, however, the Russia of Putin is not the Russia of the Romanovs and I will not, so long as I draw breath, settle for anything less than that. It also does not help that no post-Soviet Russian government has totally denounced the USSR and, indeed, seems intent on continuing many of the same policies of the Soviets, particularly when it comes to foreign relations. The biggest change on that front, Russia being in drawn in ever closer to the embrace of Communist China, is not a good thing (for Russia or anyone else besides the CCP).

The post-Soviet regime in Russia, and certainly that of Vladimir Putin, may be a great improvement over the USSR but, like the bandit government that sits in Peking and calls itself the People’s Republic of China, it is an illegitimate government that has no right to continue usurping the lawful authority of the legitimate sovereign. I cannot be sure how much of this comes down to plain and simple trolling when you boil it down or if some well meaning people are simply taking their eyes off the prize but just because some world leader defies popular trends or defies the United Nations, it does not make them automatically good and I say that as someone who opposes most popular trends and at this point positively despises the UN. Yet, I see this quite regularly. I saw similar support for Saddam Hussein in Iraq, mostly I think by people who just hated America or George W. Bush so much that they just turned their brain off to the fact that the regime of Saddam Hussein is simply a republican successor state of a gang of regicidal maniacs who slaughtered their King and their whole Royal Family. How on earth anyone claiming to be a monarchist could ever voice support for such an individual, I will never know. Oppose the war and march with Code Pink if you feel like it but Saddam Hussein was a bad guy whose entire regime was illegitimate from start to finish. The same sentiments were displayed again concerning Colonel Gaddafi. I can understand foreigners not wanting their countries to be involved in Libya and I can understand concern that a Libya without Gaddafi in charge might not be an improvement but this was a man who came to power by overthrowing his monarch, King Idris -not the sort of man this monarchist could ever support or feel any sympathy for.

Finally, since the issue has come up since I started writing this rant, allow me to make mention of the recently discussed issue of territorial disputes. These can be touchy since, for nationalistic reasons, regardless of their government, many people can be moved to great oratorical passion over the odd stretch of sand, barren ice fields or uninhabited rocks in the middle of the ocean. I am perfectly accepting of that given that I view nationalism as preferable to internationalism which I think there is far too much of these days. Personally, the most painful of these are the spats between two monarchies such as Great Britain and Spain or Thailand and Cambodia. However, again, I have been just a bit baffled at those who seem surprised that, in a dispute between a republic and a monarchy, this avowed and adamant monarchist would take the side of the monarchy in the dispute. Now, just to be clear, in each such case I have looked into, the monarchy was happily in the right and quite obviously so in my opinion, however, I again wonder if similar surprise or outrage would be expressed at an avowed communist siding with East Germany rather than West Germany or the Soviet Union rather than the United States. Somehow, I doubt it. It can be rather tedious for my frayed nerves but let me state, once again, very clearly, for the public record: I support monarchs over republican usurpers in any and all cases, I support any average monarchy over any average republic, even in the case of my own country there has never been one war waged against a monarchy I felt was justified or necessary and I hold monarchy in itself to be an absolute good. And I don’t think that should be shocking as I am … The Mad Monarchist.

A Brief Suggestion Concerning the Pontiff

Recently, His Holiness Pope Francis caused a bit of a stir by a few of the things he said, especially in conjunction with some other things he has said. From my perspective, I have never known any religious leader who has had so many people rush to "explain" his every utterance. The language never seemed particularly obscure to me and yet, it seems everything Pope Francis says requires a horde of 'talking heads' and e-people to relate to everyone 'what he really meant' by this or that. The latest stir came about because of an interview in which the Pope said, "We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible. The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time." This, combined with words about finding a "new balance" between the pastoral ministry and enforcing doctrine caused some people to jump to the conclusion that the Catholics were throwing out the rule book and others, on the other end of the political spectrum usually, to think that the Pope means to purposely de-emphasize these issues in favor of his obviously favorite position and cause of being humble and helping the poor.

My brief suggestion, to the Pope or anyone upset that others are upset by this new "tone" is simple. The reason why Catholics (and other Christians) seem to go on so much about abortion, gay marriage and birth control is because modern society at large is telling people that these are all not wrong but are all, in fact, very good things; rights that are beneficial. No one is going around saying that we should not be taking care of the poor. In fact, in modern times, there seems to be no shortage of supporters for that cause (yet the poor remain -isn't that strange, it's almost like hand-outs don't help or something, but I know that can't be correct). In the old days, the Church was the only source of charity for widows, orphans, the sick and the disabled. Today the government funded welfare state takes care of all of that or at least purports to and, frankly, the Catholic Church has been a pretty big supporter of the government taking that job. It does not surprise me in the least that some people might slack off on helping the poor when everyone has been taught to believe that such is the duty of the government and all you have to do is vote for social justice and pay your taxes. And that's all I'm going to say on the matter. If it seems some Christians focus too much on abortion and gay marriage rather than helping the poor, I would suggest it is because it often seems the whole world is trying to say abortion and gay marriage are okay. No one is saying helping the poor is bad. That's all.

Favorite Royal Images: Nile Princess

HRH Princess Faiza of Egypt

Royal News Roundup

We begin this week in the Far East where Their Imperial Highnesses the Crown Prince and Crown Princess visited disaster evacuees in Fukushima. Red China has recently expressed environmental and public health concerns over the defunct nuclear plant in Fukushima, you know, the Red China that has air you can see and rivers full of dead pigs -yeah, they’re concerned Japan may be hurting the environment. In news that really isn’t news, last Monday HM King Norodom Sihamoni appointed Prime Minister Hun Sen to another five-year term in office after opening the national parliament to a fairly sparse crowd. Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party was the only group of lawmakers in attendance as the opposition boycotted the opening on the grounds that Hun Sen winning every election since the invading Vietnamese first put him in power smells a bit of fraud. The Cambodia National Rescue Party led by Sam Rainsy called it the “one-party parliament” and asserted that it does not represent the Cambodian people as a whole. Also some sad news in southeast Asia as on September 16, 2013 Dona Martina Kinena Ximenes da Silva, daughter of the late King of Sikka in Indonesia passed away. She was married to the Raja of Larantuka, Raja Don Lorenzo III, enthroned in 1941 and a center of Catholicism in Indonesia. She was thus the last Queen from the era when the royals held official status in Indonesia. She will be missed.

On the near eastern front, the Ottoman Empire made the news last week as researchers in Hungary, searching for the tomb of the celebrated Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent found the remains of an entire town near the village of Turbek. In events of more recent concern, analysts are saying that the Emirate of Qatar is losing influence these days after the abdication of their monarch on June 25 and with Saudi Arabia emerging as the primary backer of the anti-Assad forces in Syria. The Paris-based Observatory of Arab Countries marks the ousting of the Islamic Brotherhood from power in Egypt by the military as the start of the decline in influence for oil-rich Qatar. The state, known for its Al-Jazeera television network and considerable support for the Muslim Brotherhood helped bring down Gaddafi in Libya and has been supporting the rebels in Syria only to see that not everyone is buying what the Brotherhood is selling and the Saudis taking on a bigger role in Syria. However, Qatar still supports Islamist movements in many areas, including Syria, where the current government of republican Turkey is also assisting in the support for Islamist rebels against the Ba’athist dictatorship. And, over at the United Nations, King Abdullah II of Jordan has asked for more foreign assistance in handling the crisis being caused by the huge numbers of Syrian refugees seeking safety in the peace and stability of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The King told the General Assembly, “…I say here and now that my people cannot be asked to shoulder the burden of what is a regional and global challenge”. Outside the UN, rather than the King, it was his glamorous Queen Rania who attracted the attention of photographers. Later, at the Clinton Global Initiative, the style Queen of Jordan presented an award for leadership to Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani teenager shot by the Taliban militia for promoting the idea of education for girls in New York City (that is, the award was given in NYC, no one was shot there for trying to educate girls -with the public education system in NYC neither girls or boys are educated).

In Africa there has been a bit of royal news making the headlines. In the Kingdom of Swaziland, the last absolute monarchy in Africa, a pro-democracy activist won a seat in the national parliament for the first time despite an African Union mission complaining that certain political parties were barred from participation. Jan Sithole, president of the Swaziland Democratic Party won a seat and said that others of his party did as well but he refused to name names. Their participation was criticized by some who wished for pro-democracy groups to boycott the process entirely. As it stands now the King appoints two-thirds of the upper house as well as the prime minister. Others are elected from amongst candidates chosen by hand-picked chiefs loyal to the King -something the pro-democracy crowd is not happy about. Also, not far away, in the neighboring Kingdom of Lesotho, Britain’s Prince Harry has teamed up with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help herd boys in that small country. And, at the other end of the continent, journalist Ali Anouzla was arrested in the Kingdom of Morocco on the charge of defending and inciting terrorism after posting a link to an Al-Qaeda video on his news website. The free press people are complaining but, really, an Al-Qaeda video; what was he thinking?

In Europe, moving from south to north, HM the King of Spain kept busy with official duties in the days running up to another hip surgery. It comes at a bad time as the Royal Palace has been trying to improve the public image of the King by highlighting how hard he works, his many engagements and obligations only to have to keep postponing things because of medical problems, all the while trying to tramp down speculations about the King abdicating in favor of HRH the Prince of Asturias. In any event, the Royal Family rallied around the monarch to support him in this difficult time and, fortunately, the surgery seemed to go well with the King reportedly “stable, comfortable and in good spirits”. The hospital manager called the monarch’s recovery, “highly satisfactory”. We wish His Catholic Majesty a swift recovery and for many more productive years on the Spanish throne. Farther up the Mediterranean in Monaco, the Princely couple were absent having lots to do at the UN. Prince Albert II called for reinforcing the UN’s emergency relief office and Princess Charlene was welcomed to the Big Apple by First Lady Michelle Obama. Closer to home the newlyweds Andrea and Tatiana Casiraghi made their first post-nuptial public appearance last week.

The Low Countries were a mix of good and bad news this week. First, the good news, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg gained a new royal with the wedding of Prince Felix and Claire Lademacher, now Princess Claire, at the Basilique Sainte Marie-Madeleine. A very happy and handsome couple, we send our congratulations and wish them all the best and a lifetime of wedded bliss. Less pleasant was the not surprising but still infuriating display of treason mixed with plain rudeness by republicans in the neighboring Kingdom of Belgium. It was to be expected that there would be problems when the new King Philip and Queen Mathilde, as part of their tour of the provinces, visited the notoriously rowdy city of Antwerp in Flanders. Several hundred loyal people showed up to cheer and display proper, warm Flemish hospitality but just as many traitors showed up to boo and heckle the new King and Queen, among other things shouting, “Death to Belgium”. What refined, civilized people republicans are. All other “joyous entries” have been just that, Antwerp has the dubious dishonor of being the only city to display such vile behavior to the new King and Queen. Finally, in the Kingdom of The Netherlands, some unfortunate news as well. Princess Beatrix (the royal formerly known as Queen) had a fall at home and broke her cheekbone, requiring surgery. The 75-year old former monarch was operated on Sunday. We wish her a speedy recovery.

Forging ahead, things were busy but not necessarily earth-shattering for the Scandinavian royals recently. The Crown Princess of Norway was talking about AIDS in New York at the Clinton Global Initiative, Queen Sonja teamed up with the Duchess of Cornwall to tour a cancer center in Scotland and King Harald V had an area on the eastern part of the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard named “King Harald V Land” in his honor. The Norwegian King and Queen are also being urged to call off a trip to the Republic of Turkey because of the record of that country when it comes to the media and freedom of the press. Currently Turkey has more journalists in prison than any other country. Across the border in Sweden, the King said goodbye to the ambassadors from Japan and the bandit government in Peking and opened a new tourism office in Stockholm. Prince Daniel visited Lund with Prince Daniel’s Fellowship and down in Denmark, a special story was done by “The Australian Women’s Weekly” called “A day in the life of Crown Princess Mary”. She’s still a pretty big deal in her native land (Down Under) and she’s pretty big in Denmark too of course; biggest thing in Denmark since Reptilicus (maybe).

Finally we finish up with the royals of the British Isles (and apologies, I did not plan on this being the longest royal news report ever) where little Prince George of Cambridge got his passport for his upcoming trip to Australia, commemorative coins released for his christening and his Duke and Duchess mom and dad got a new “married” coat of arms approved by HM the Queen. The Richard III Society has withdrawn funds pledged for the late King’s tomb beside they thought the design was terrible and a petition for a parliamentary debate on where to bury the Yorkist king failed to garner anywhere near the 100,000 signatures necessary. There just never seems to be any good news related to King Richard III. We were though very pleased to hear that the Duke of Edinburgh was back at the barbeque in Balmoral (hurrah for Prince Philip!) but we were much less impressed to see uncouth busy-bodies lashing out at the Earl of Wessex simply for wearing a necktie that included scenes of the great, glorious and beautiful traditional Spanish sport of bullfighting. Meanwhile the Duke of York visited the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and met with the chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Sinh Hung on strengthening economic ties between Vietnam and Great Britain. The Prince of Wales has kept very busy, among other things by promoting environmentally friendly cabinets. I don’t really have anything to say about that one.