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Royal Snap - Royalty in EuropeA royalty blog that looks at European royal families and their relationships with the people they serve. August 03 Wedding bellsLike Douglas MacArthur, I have returned.
With the gossip rags in an absolute tizzy about a possible engagement announcement of Prince William and Kate Middleton, let me mention that I said two years ago on this very site that William would take his sweet time in proposing to Miss Middleton. With his military "secondments" winding down, an announcement this fall with a wedding next year sounds very plausible. Let's see if I'm right!
Also, if we are going to start ringing wedding bells, let's not forget the bachelor nearly twice William's age, the 50-year-old Prince Albert of Monaco. Albert's longtime girlfriend, Charlene Wittstock, 30, has taken a more prominent place next to Albert at major events, including the recent Monaco Red Cross ball. I'm guessing the two will wed sometime in the next six months.
The Royal Family of Monaco at the Red Cross Ball February 03 The Dutch Queen Turns 70News of a monarch celebrating a 70th birthday would normally bring a warm smile to the face of many royal watchers. When Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands became a septuagenarian last week, however, many in the Netherlands wondered how long Beatrix would stay on the throne.
For more than 100 years, queens have reigned over the Dutch kingdom between Germany and the North Sea. Both Beatrix's mother, Juliana, and her grandmother, Wilhelmina, abdicated as they reached retirement age, but the present queen has not indicated if she will follow suit. Many in the Netherlands are wondering if she will wait until the 30th anniversary of her coronation in 2010 to make an announcement about her future. In any event, with the death of her husband, Prince Claus, in 2002 and the increasing visibility of her heir Prince Willem-Alexander in state affairs, the Dutch queen is probably making plans for the end of her reign.
Come to think of it, the Dutch tradition of abdication at retirement isn't such a bad idea. Although it's truly foreign to other crowned heads of state, Princess Juliana, as the former queen was known from the time of her abdication in 1980 until her death in 2004, enjoyed her golden years in relative peace. Given the past and current troubles of the Windsors in Britain, the Bourbons in Spain and the Saxe-Coburg-Gothas in Belgium, perhaps a change on the throne every thirty years or so might keep royal families more in touch with the people they serve.
January 24 The Media and the Inquest, along with a Flying PrinceAfter my winter hiatus (which means I've been too busy with work and at home), I'm happy to be blogging again. In reviewing the royal news for the last week, it struck me how caught up the British media is in the public inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Of course the tabloids are blowing things out of proportion, but the Times and the BBC devote much space and time to the issue as well. I hope that when the inquest is over, the media and the public finally let Diana rest in peace now more than a decade after her death.
On a hopefully unrelated note, is anyone else scared that Prince William is now flying solo with the Royal Air Force? Although I know his father earned his wings in the armed forces, I would rather see the spare (Harry) do the flying, rather than the heir. December 10 Problems in BelgiumAlbert II, the King of the Belgians, has a serious problem on his hands. It seems as though is country is unraveling.
Belgium's government fell nearly six months ago, but outgoing prime minister Guy Verhofstadt hasn't gone anywhere. Instead King Albert today asked him to form a government for six months to allow a more permanent government to be constituted. The crux of the issue is devolving power to the two main regions in Belgium, the Flemish north and the Walloonian south. No agreement among political leaders has been reached so far, so Verhofstadt remains in power.
And so we witnesses one of the powers the current constitutional monarchs in Europe have: to safeguard their nations and ensure that the democratic processes work as they should. In most cases, the kings and queens retain the right to appoint the prime minister and the government of the day. Usually, those decisions are made at the ballot box, but today the decision was Albert's alone. In his case, however, the current crisis represents a long-term problem. His country, which is home to the European Commission, is splitting right down the middle. It's a problem that has plagued Belgium for more than a century. Does it have its own identity, or is it half-French and half-Dutch?
For the sake of the Belgians, I hope the political parties, and the people, work together for the future. November 13 Acrimony in SantiagoLast week, King Juan Carlos of Spain took a very unkinglike tone with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez by telling Chavez to "shut up" as he interupted a speech by the Spanish prime minister. The incident happened near the end of a summit of Spanish and Portuguese-speaking nations in Santiago, Chile. Chavez, of course, is the popularly elected leader of Venezuela who relishes his role as one of the biggest royal pains to Washington in the Western Hemisphere, second only to his hero Fidel Castro of Cuba. Chavez also likes the limelight, and he doesn't hesitate to blurt out pointed comments for shock effect. His leftist policies have seen the nationalization of oil companies, and a Dec. 2 referendum in front of the Venezuelan electorate would give Chavez near-dictatorial powers.
It's not surprising that the Spanish king would tire of Chavez's antics quickly. It was Juan Carlos, after all, that safeguarded a free Spain in the face of a military coup attempt in the 1980s. What makes the exchange all the more interesting is that the king was trying to stop Chavez's tirade of his own leftist ally, Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. According to some newspaper accounts, the exchange could have been a result of Spain's impatience in the performances of South American economies, in which Spain is large investor.
In any event, Juan Carlos spoke for many heads of state -- and many people worldwide -- when he tried to silence the mouth of Caracas.
October 30 Blackmail and stuffFirst of all, I apologize for not blogging in more than a month. When you work in higher education, autumn is the busiest time of year and Royal Snap has suffered as a result.
What jolted me back into the blogosphere is the current royal sex scandal that is enveloping the western world. Apparently, two men have been arrested in London for trying to blackmail a relatively junior male member of the Windsor family by stating they had an aide on video describing a rather compromising situation with the royal. Cocaine is also involved, so the story goes from immoral to illegal.
I spent a good half-hour this morning finding out the name of the royal, and it's not who I thought it was. Due to a judge-imposed confidentiality agreement, the British media are barred from naming the subject. Many international news agencies are also reluctant to release the name, although several blogs and Web sites have done so openly. Although I'm happily living in the U.S. and not subject to the gag order, I'm not naming names for several reasons.
First, we have no idea whether the allegations are true, and we probably never will. If they're not, I feel deeply sorry for the man implicated. He has a wife and children and he has been publicly humiliated by criminals. If the allegations are true, I feel sorry for the royal family as well as the person in question. He did not ask to be the grandson of a king and he never had the option of living a private life, even if he gets no money from the British state. If he did something illegal, he should be brought up on charges, but at best the whole thing looks like hearsay.
At the end of the day, the family who represents the British state is dragged through the mud with the likes of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. It makes you wonder if the insatiable appetite of the paparazzi will end the British monarchy sooner rather than later. September 20 Love in the AirI have been careful not to spend too much time dwelling on rumors coming from the tabloids, but it seems as though Prince William and Kate Middleton have rekindled their romance. The pair has spent a few days together at a secluded location in the Seychelles, and now they seem to be heading off for a long weekend in Scotland. It could be that they both realize they are the ones for each other, and they're discussing the lifelong commitment of royal duties. I don't want to start ringing the wedding bells too soon, but it wouldn't surprise me if we had an engagement announcement within the next six to eight months. It just seems right and, at 25, both are in proper places in their lives. You heard it here first!
William's younger brother Harry seems to be enjoying the company of his girlfriend a bit more as well. Zimbabwean Chelsy Davy has recently started law school at Leeds University, which will enable her to spend more time with her beau in England.
September 07 Trouble in MadridA couple of weeks ago, the Times of London printed a story about the slipping popularity of the Spanish royal family. As is the case with most stories in the media, the reign of King Juan Carlos is better understood with a little historical context.
During the 1930s, Spain endured a bloody civil war in which the royal family was deposed, and Francisco Franco became the Spanish ruler. Upon Franco's death in 1975, his appointed successor as head of state, Juan Carlos, was also the heir to the Spanish throne. King Juan Carlos helped smooth the transition to a parliamentary form of government , and he assumed a proper role as a constitutional monarch. The constitution, however, was put to the test in 1981 when the Spanish military launched a coup attempt. The king took to the airwaves and helped quash the coup. For this, he has been venerated by the Spanish people.
Recently, however, politicians and media organizations have taken unprecedented shots at the lifestyle of the royal family, and Juan Carlos has been forced to be more accountable for the $8 million annual salary he receives from the state. Many in Madrid wonder if the Spanish monarchy will outlive Juan Carlos, or if Spain will join its Iberian neighbor Portugal in becoming a republic. American-educated Crown Prince Felipe has not engendered the same popularity his father has enjoyed.
My advice to Juan Carlos is to follow the Dutch model and gradually turn more of his responsibility over to his only son, perhaps even abdicating the throne within the next 10 years (before the king's 80th birthday). During the period of transition, Felipe should work hard to support important charity work at home and serve as a roving Spanish ambassador to raise the profile (and trade activity) of his country abroad. Britain's Prince Andrew, and the Duke of Kent before him, accomplished much by representing the British trade office around the globe.
As with all organizations, the Spanish crown must remain relevant to the people it serves.
Your comments are welcome at royalsnap@hotmail.com.
August 31 Quotes from The Service of Thanksgiving for Diana, Princess of WalesPrince Harry:
"Quite simply, (she was) the best mother in the world."
"She made us, and so many other people, happy. May this be the way she is remembered."
The Bishop of London:
"The more you go beyond yourself, the more you will become your true self."
"Let it end here. Let this service mark the point at which we let her rest in peace."
August 19 Diana's LegacyAs we move closer to the 10th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, many media are reflecting back on her style and grace. More than a few are also looking at how she changed the royal family -- perhaps more in death than in life. This week there's an article by Catherine Mayer in Time magazine about how Diana changed Britain. I have posted a link to the online version below. Perhaps the most poignant line in the story is where Robert Worcester, the founder of polling firm MORI, is quoted as saying that after Diana's death "the monarchy realized that it stands or falls on public opinion." It was a very important lesson to learn indeed. It's too bad that the death of the most popular former royal in history was the catalyst for change.
For me, Diana's legacy will be her commitment to her charities. I think I realized from an early age that the light of publicity can bring about positive change in society. The work for nonprofit organizations that Diana did, and other members of the Royal Family continue to do, can be an enormously powerful agent to improve lives around the world. As we remember Diana, let's redouble our personal efforts to make the world -- or at least our corner of it -- a better place. If you need guidance, there's a list of royal-affiliated charities at the lower left of this Web page.
Here's a link to the Time story I mentioned earlier: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1653460-1,00.html
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