Constitutional monarchy is an idea that I have perhaps always wondered about. Yet growing up with a Queen, for some reason vicariously living through her glamour and values seemed not unlike have a distant relative, who was minted and liked to tell the world that it was good for everyone, that it was only possible with a man. that despite being the wealthiest and most powerful person in the world, that her family were disrespectful, ungrateful and spoilt adults. Whilst she worked tirelessly for the country, communities. My respect and admiration for her was met in equal measure with distaste for how the wider family behaved. The undoubted priviledge her position provided them, seemed to the outsider to allow them special permissions to behave in ways that I feel sure on a personal level must have been incredibly difficult.
When Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed died in a tunnel, I realised that the constitutional monarchy was more about the Church of Engand than one may think it is. The underlying tones of suggestion that he was perhaps not a good church of england christian. That to be a female, attractive, talented and confident meant death. It appeared to me to be a medieval spectacle or perhaps a faux Roman arena of warning women and people of differing faith groups in England that your death in lurid technicolour filmed and shared is acceptable. That wealth and faith outside of the church of england must serve its interests or die. This was a very difficult concept for me to accept. That the husband could fuck whomever he liked have affairs, yet the mother was to die horrifically without any protection filmed for the pleasure of a institution of men.
Then as time passed the children. Prince Harry who felt that on some level dressing as a Nazi was an acceptable expression of his freedom. Failing to see that his priviledged position meant that he was effectively condoning and making light of the slaughter, the biggest genocide in the history of the world. I wondered that a young man could become so wayward, so ill judged and insensitive to the country. That his Grandmother had served in that war and sent many men to fight for the end of the atrocities. That some things can be laughed at, but genocide is not one of them.
The invisibility of his mixed race princess and son. This man chose to attend an event for publicity, to watch black people perform in a choir for the pleasure of white priviledge. All the previous sniggering towards the black evengelical church tradition gone, now the mixed race princess was safely hidden away. the spectacle could be enjoyed in the romanesque slave performance manner, not one of them !
Then the choice of middle englands answer to a future queen. They shuffed their three children and parked them in full view a few seats away from a man that was photographed with a minor. A minor who in adulthood statemented being raped and traffcked to england. Whilst the Jewish man honourably committed suicide, the female accepted prison. The little prince hid in church, with children. The future king and queen took there children to sit with him. There they sat all of them. The grandmother dead the aristocratic future queen dead. Yet the child sex offender, the nazi uniform wearing man, the social climbing middle england woman, all silent so they can cling on to power and position.
Yet in that church, the outstanding feature for me was that rape as a weapon and use of power is used ( in breach of international law ) in just a few countries. Prince Andrew is the embodiment of that. Yet he chose to traffic an American child, Harry chose to try and traffic an American princess. With handmade Roman hair pieces denoting the wives of warriors, it was clear that englands constitutional monarchy condones slavery, rape, trafficking. The children in adulthood are tone deaf to genocide, the deaths of thousands of people during the second world war, the excess deaths during a pandemic, the use of foodbanks amongst the population, public servants commiting offences against women and children. As I sat on that rainy day, it was clear that this family of indulged white privieldged individuals repreasented all of the worst aspects of behaviour. Yet none were held to account. Unlike Epsteins honour, Maxwells acceptance, Prince Andrew the coward, hid away. The once brave warriors fighting for principles, or peacekeeping around the world, sat as cowards. Surrounded by men in frocks all to happy to benefit financially for these men and womens cowardly actions.
Quarter of a million people and counting died in excess of usual death rates in England. Yes the government provided financial support during the pandemic, no doubt the Queen would have heavily insisted of this for her country. She stripped her son of position and action for his invovlement with a child sex offender. Yet the rest of the family were happy to sit with him and bring children to sit with him, spending millions for a white male priviledged event carriages bumping along over pot holed streets !! For me the person that represents everything wrong with this was without one shadow of a doubt Prince Andrew.
Wow! What a great post!! Lots to digest. I am a Royal Family fan. Not a huge one. It began with Princess Diana. I loved her. Probably because we were the same age. And, more so that she had 2 sons too. The life she endured was problematic, too, on so many levels. Many of which you bring up in this post. I agree that several Royal Family members have done atrocious acts of unkindness and were downright stupid. Yet, it also makes me think that the Royal Family (firm) is about humanity. We, as humans, make mistakes. At times we are stupid and unkind. I choose to see hope for the future. However, I find your faith and wealth statement fascinating and will most likely explore it further.