It was very weird for me to watch the coronations of Charles and Camilla on French TV. There was the distance caused by the language and commentary. Also, it seemed like something from the past, which it is. But it seemed even more anachronistic.

Toss in that it is way more ostentatious than any of the other European monarchies, there are 12 of them, six of which are members of the EU (Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden). Things have changed quite a bit since at the start of the 20th century only France, Switzerland and San Marino were the only European nations to have a republican form of government.

Unfortunately for the people who want to say the US is a republic, not a democracy, the only real difference between those two systems of government are that democracy has the ability to be a monarchy. Euronews has an interesting article: Politics and popularity: Why are there still so many monarchies in Europe? It’s not the only news source discussing European monarchies.

I’m not sure how I feel about monarchy these days. Although I do side with the comment that “There is no contradiction between a country being a monarchy and being an advanced democracy”. Also, “One of the roles for the royal family is to be a symbol for the nation as a whole and therefore the monarch as an institution has to strive to represent the whole of the nation.”

Monarchy unifies a nation as Clement Atlee said: “Far less danger under a constitutional monarchy of being carried away by a Hitler, a Mussolini or even a de Gaulle.” That’s an interesting thought to ponder in light of US politics.

Anyway, another interesting article from Euronews: The Kings who never were: the living heirs of Europe’s abolished monarchies

OK, I have to look at King Phillippe of Belgium in relation to the situation in Britain. Charles is 73 years old, King Albert of Belgium was 59 years old when he became King of Belgium and reigned until he was 69 (1993-2013). Phillippe is a hair younger than I am. Similar to Queen Elizabeth II, King Baudouin reigned for a significant period of time (17 July 1951 – 31 July 1993). King Baudouin’s brother succeded him since the King was “without issue”. King Albert abdicated for Phillippe in 2013 for health reasons.

While Charles, Phillippe, and I are all baby boomers, Charles is toward the start of that period (1948), which with the time shift places the timeline close to that of King Albert (born in 1934). There has been some speculation that Charles will abdicate soon, but I think the timeline will be closer to that of Albert and Phillippe. That is that Charles will be King for a while before handing the crown to his son.

As for my comment about the non-British monarchies being common: Just watch the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace In Brussels. And the civil wedding of Belgian Princess Maria-Laura

I rest my case.

Anyway, the Belgian Monarchy is a good case study for how a monarchy works in Modern Society. Much better than the British Monarchy. Although, both are very similar in the actual role of the monarch in running the country.

One good bit of news, the Belgian Monarchy has finally owned up that the “joke” about English being the fourth unofficial language of Belgium may not be that much of a joke: https://www.monarchie.be/en#home

It shouldn’t suprise anyone that I learned of her death reading Le Monde instead of a British, or even another English language source. I really have stopped caring about Great Britain post Brexit. Ireland, especially Northern Ireland, is another subject since peace on that Island is secured by the European Union. That causes much amusement for me since the nationalists on both sides had to admit they were WRONG!!!!

There remain, as of 2022, twelve sovereign monarchies in Europe. Seven are kingdoms: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Andorra, Liechtenstein, and Monaco are principalities, while Luxembourg is a Grand Duchy. Vatican City is a theocratic elective monarchy ruled by the Pope. Only Great Britain makes as big a thing about its monarchy, the rest are pretty “common”. But that’s another post.

Brexit was something that totally shook me and made me reassess my attitude toward Great Britain. British culture sort of influences most of the world in the same way that most Francophones are now found in Africa. But if my passport doesn’t give me residency in Europe, then it’s not worth the paper its printed on.

My real access is Europe, or at least as close as I can get to it. The seafood at the Rugbyman on Quai aux Briques comes from the St. Laurence, as do the moules. For that matter, a lot of seafood served in Europe has come from North American waters for Centuries. I can be happily European in St. Pierre et Miquelon which is part of the DOM-TOM, but not the Hexagon. Poutine is not my thing, but moules-frites are.

Tiens! On verra. Mais pas en Grande-Bretagne.

Canada, the US’s northern neighbour has begun to restore the Canadian head of state profile of Queen Elizabeth II, who is represented in Canada by a Governor-General, to full Canadian monarch status.

Tory Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative government, particularly the monarchist Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, have been working to restore the Queen as the de jure Head of State of Canada. The government began the process last month by restoring “royal” to the names of the Canadian navy and air force. Baird has now issued an order for all 150 Canadian diplomatic missions abroad to place a portrait of Elizabeth II in the public lobbies of the embassies and missions, alongside those of the Governor-General and Harper.

Toronto’s Globe and Mail reported in its September 8 issue that some Canadian embassies balked at having a portrait of the Queen in their lobbies. The article did not specify which embassies were the hold-outs. The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa has also removed modern art work by Quebec painter Alfred Pellan and replaced it with a portrait of the Queen.

Harper has gone beyond the amount of royalism of previous conservative governments and there are questions as to how far Canada could go toward returning to monarchism.  Many Canadian Tories were never happy that in 1965 the Liberal government of Prime Minister Lester Pearson scrapped the old Union Flag, the red ensign with the British Union Jack in its canton, and replaced it with the current red and white Maple Leaf flag, without the Union Jack. Some Tories would like to see the Maple Leaf replaced by the old British standard. And other Tories would have no problem with replacing the national anthem, “O Canada” with “God Save the Queen.”

Fortunately, the US will never become a monarchy because of constitutional considerations, but there is a trend where the feudal system could be revived.  The question in the US is not whether it will return to a monarchy, but whether the feudal system will be revived. Will the US big business become feudal overlords?  Will US citizens become serfs of big business working for low pay?

Let’s here it for US reactionary politics!

I tend to like a brew called Lord Chesterfield Ale brewed by Yuengling. Rather an interesting name for an beer brewed in the United States. I’ve been trying to figure out how it received its name. Yuengling wasn’t very helpful since they said the owner knew Lord Chesterfield. Although the beer is named for Named for Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (22 September 1694 – 24 March 1773).

According to Yuengling’s write up:

One of our distinct classic beers brewed since 1829, Yuengling Lord Chesterfield Ale has as much rich heritage as it does flavor and appeal. Crafted in a unique two-stage European brewing style for enhanced bitterness, it utilizes both conventional kettle hopping and dry hopping after fermentation resulting in a dry sharp finish. Brewed with select hops, its distinct robust flavor is derived from a delicate combination of sweet maltiness and lingering herbal bitterness. Lord Chesterfield Ale’s bright gold color is complemented by a lightly laced foam head and fragrant zesty aroma. This fine Ale compares with the very best crafty-style beers. It pairs flawlessly with many foods including seafood dishes and fine cheeses.

A nice inexpensive alternative to British beers if I am stuck in the colonies. However, given the dates between Chesterfield’s death and when the beer was first brewed, I doubt the Yuengling account for the name is correct. Perhaps it has something to do with Chesterfield’s service as the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

I have to admit that I like the name given its royalist-monarchistic bent.

There is this fantasy that Sam Adams would have the same connotation as Young’s Old Nick in my ideal world: A treasonably good ale. Loyalists viewed Adams as a sinister figure. Peter Oliver, the exiled chief justice of Massachusetts, characterized him as devious Machiavellian with a “cloven Foot”. I guess there is some hope as there were negative assessments of Adams in the first half of the 20th century where he was portrayed as a master of propaganda who provoked mob violence to achieve his goals.