Still here!

Since the last time I've posted British primogeniture laws have changed, a new royal heir in direct line to the throne has been born and even a baby sister in the form of the recently christened Princess Charlotte of Cambridge has arrived and been welcomed by the nation.

It's been over 2 years since I last "blogged." Are people even using this verb anymore?

It's been 2 years and I can still smell the fresh paint; the china had never been used; the sheets had never been slept in...no that's Titanic.

It's been 2 years and we are still blessed to have Elizabeth II as our head of state, our head of the armed forces, our head of the Commonwealth and our head of the Church of England. (No wonder it's only her head on the postage stamps).

Elizabeth II remains Queen and with only 2 months to go before she overtakes Queen Victoria as the longest reigning British monarch, it seems that now is as good a time as any to start commenting on her institution again...

Why we should care for Prince Phillip's health

Who is the Duke of Edinburgh? Born Prince Phillip of Greece and Denmark in 1921 to the royal house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, he and his family, including his mother, a British princess and his father, a brother of the King of Greece, were exiled from the country of his birth and he went on to study in Britain and to become a naval officer in the Royal Navy serving in the Second World War. But most famously and arguably most importantly, His Royal Highness Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of our own Queen Elizabeth II.

After meeting the then Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King George VI in 193 4, they were to marry in 1947,  five years before his wife became queen, making him the longest serving consort to a monarch in British history. And this is why it is all th

e more disturbing that for the third time in a year, His Royal Highness was admitted to hospital almost two weeks ago. Although he has now left hospital following what was publicly announced as an investigative abdominal operation, it is unfortunate that at the ripe old age of 93, we have to accept that he won’t live forever.

Taking into account the premature loss of her father at the age of 25,  the public breakdowns of the marriages of three of her four children, as well as all the societal and cultural changes that have occurred during her 61 year reign, Prince Phillip has been the one constant in Queen Elizabeth’s life who she herself has described as her “constant strength and guide” and who she proclaimed officially to have “place, pre-eminence and precedence” next to her “on all occasions and in all meetings, except where otherwise provided by an Act of Parliament.”

Although the Queen’s success as monarch can be traced to her strong faith and sense of duty, it likewise cannot be ignored that the prospect of ‘reigning’ alone would be a huge blow to her. We only have to look at her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria (who also happens to be the same relation to Prince Phillip making the royal couple 3^rd cousins) who went into such deep mourning over the death of her husband Prince Albert that the popularity of the monarchy largely fell out of favour with the British people.

But in my opinion, there’s much more to it than that. Being so dutiful, it is very unlikely that history will repeat itself in this way if Prince Phillip predeceases the Queen, but the fact remains that she is a very old woman herself who, at the age of 87, has 2 direct heirs to fill her shoes should she pass away. Today, the Queen, and apparently Prince Phillip as well, are in good health, but with the support that he offers her and that she has become accustomed to, it is possible that the death of her husband could bring about the Queen’s decline.

With The Prince of Wales poised to take the throne when the time comes, it is essential that the monarchy remains popular and indeed visible until the end of Elizabeth’s reign. If Her Majesty were to replicate the actions of her ancestor Victoria in any way, the effects on the popularity of the monarchy would be disastrous. In recent years, Prince Charles and Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge have experienced a surge in popularity largely due to the weakening memory of Lady Diana in the former, and the 2011 marriage to Kate Middleton in the latter. But the two men destined to one day be King are of a different world to their mother and grandmother.

Prince Charles (who, for the record, I am supportive of) is no doubt willing to assume the crown; he has dedicated himself genuinely to charitable organisations, and is fully aware of how he can employ his influence as King to the benefit of his causes. Prince William on the other hand, who is according to opinion polls, much more popular than his father, has never been entirely comfortable with his pre-ordained future. I don’t believe that as King William V, he will automatically renounce his claim to the throne thereby creating a British republic, but given the option, I’m sure he would seriously consider giving up the crown. After all, he would still be able to exert influence for his own good causes given his fame and popularity even without a crown on his head.

So while the loss of the Duke of Edinburgh would not necessarily be the beginning of the end for the British monarchy, we should also consider how it will be forever changed if he and his wife were to pass on, which is why I worry for his health, for the sake of himself, his wife and the entire institution that he represents.

However, as I said, His Royal Highness has left hospital today “in good spirits” and Her Majesty appears to be healthy, as well as completely able to fulfil her role, so let’s hope that we have many more years to look forward to with Queen Elizabeth as our head of state with Prince Phillip at her side. 

Lang Leve de Koning... en de Koningin

Oh how I'd love to have been in Amsterdam this week.

On Tuesday, the Netherlands were treated to their version of a coronation (called an inauguration as there is no physical 'crowning') for the new King Willem-Alexander. Even better for the jubilant Dutch people is that they didn't have any awkwardness that may surround such a celebration following the death of the previous monarch. And that's because, thanks to a curiously Dutch habit of retiring, that is abdicating rather than waiting until the very end to dispense with your reign, the former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, who has reigned over the relatively new country for over 30 years, lived to see her eldest son swear to serve the Dutch nation and people "so help me God" in Amsterdam's Nieuwe Kerk.

Inevitably, the fact that the former queen was present at the inauguration throws the question of whether a monarch should have the right to abdicate in favour of an heir, especially in the case of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

For some time now, there has always been the question of whether Queen Elizabeth's son, Prince Charles who has patiently been waiting for his time to shine as the country's head of state since his mother's accession in 1952, would eventually become too old to be king by the time his resilient mother is laid to rest. Furthermore, as he will inevitably be a old-age monarch when the time comes, many are asking whether he should step down in favour of his ever popular son and his wife, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Wills and Kate.)

Given Queen Beatrix's reasoning for stepping down being that she believed it was time to pass the crown to the younger generation, it seems that in the Netherlands, the people were ready for a young king (currently the youngest in Europe at age 46) and his glamorous queen, Máxima. And there seems to have been no protest among royalists for this passing of the baton. I'm not sure if the same could be said if the same happened in Britain, especially if the Queen stepped aside for her 64 year old son, who hasn't been without his fair share of negative publicity.

What we have to remember though is that the whole thing is a matter of tradition. And what is monarchy without tradition. For the Dutch, the abdication of the monarch has always been an inevitability rather than a shock based on extenuating circumstances. Princess Beatrix, as she is now known, came to the throne when her mother Queen Juliana stepped down in 1980 and she equally became queen upon her mother's, Queen Wilhelmina, abdication in 1948. We could also assume that the Netherlands' first king in 123 years will eventually pass the torch to the new Princess of Orange, Catharina-Amalia, age 9, when the time is right.

Alternatively in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Realms, we have becomes accustomed to the continuity brought by having the same queen for the last 61 years. Upon her coronation in 1953, the 26 year old Elizabeth swore to serve the country for her whole life in the religious ceremony in Westminster Abbey. For the queen, who is a devout Anglican as well as the head of the Church of England, breaking this promise is not an option. Even more so, given that she is said to blame her father's premature death on his becoming king after her uncle David, King Edward VIII, abdicated in order to marry American divorcee, Wallis Simpson. Something which makes abdication more of a negative than a positive in Britain.

Although, I cannot say that I am in favour of a monarch retiring (in some ways, I find it degrades the monarchy somehow), I'm not about to complain about the abdication of a foreign ruler. Thanks to Beatrix's retirement, we were treated to a spectacle unlike any other. Queen Máxima looking as regal as the queen she now is could barely hold in her excitement at becoming queen at 41, while she is still young and pretty. And the great gathering of foreign royals (mostly heirs apparent and their wives) was truly a wonderful sight. Seeing the former Queen Beatrix's pride as her powers were passed to her son showed just how solid they are as a family unit, which is essential for a system based on family ties.

What I always love to see most though, is the great support that the Dutch people have shown not just to the monarchy as a whole but also to their former queen's decision to abdicate and to their new king and queen.

Abdication may be unthinkable in Britain, especially while the Queen still breathes air, but it seems that it is a tried and tested practice of modern monarchy in the Netherlands that will ensure the support and survival of what many think to be an archaic form of government.

So I say...Lang leve de Koning. Long live King Willem-Alexander.

Is British monarchy turning into a celebrity family?

It would be easy to believe. In this age of mass media and reality TV, we can pay the British monarchy the compliment that they are above such things. But although the days of crown steeped in mystery are long gone, is the royal family slowly becoming part of the global obsession with celebrity?

Britain’s monarchy is special and differs greatly from its existing European counterparts. Take Prince-Willem Alexander, Prince of Orange who, upon his mother Queen Beatrix’s abdication at the end of this month, will become King of the Netherlands. He has recently stated that he doesn't really care whether or not he is addressed as ‘Your Majesty’ and people can call him what they want. Although this may seem very modern and will be supported by those who believe that monarchy is against all the rules of equality, surely this makes him just another rich and famous person rather than a King.

The British monarchy on the other hand is still rife with pomp and ceremony and holds up traditions that have been part of the system for centuries all the while maintaining a certain amount of mystique. The royals rarely give interviews and if they do, they tend to be with the BBC and, in keeping with the monarch’s constitutional responsibility to remain politically neutral, we are seldom sure of what they are really thinking. But we only have to look at the media’s obsession with the Duchess of Cambridge’s baby bump and how she’s dressing it to believe that in becoming more modern, the younger members of the royal family are in danger of throwing off all the traditions of monarchical mystery and offering themselves to the public on a silver (and likely monogrammed) platter. And thanks to the celebrity culture, they become less like role-models and more like the cast of TOWIE or Made in Chelsea, whose every move is an object of entertainment rather than something to look up to.

Fortunately though, the House of Windsor has a long way to go before it becomes as celebrity as some other monarchies, such as Monaco’s House of Grimaldi. Probably known best for the previous Prince, Prince Ranier III’s marriage to American actress Grace Kelly, the recent history of the royal family of the tiny Mediterranean principality is full to the brim with divorces, extra-marital pregnancies and playboy lifestyles. Not only do these things occur, the family seems to make no effort to hide them, evident in the fact that Prince Albert’s nephew, Andrea Casiraghi, who although planning on marrying his long-term girlfriend Tatiana Santa Domingo this year, did not waste any time in conceiving a child. As 2^nd in line to the throne after his mother Princess Caroline, it doesn’t seem very royal to act without any thought to his future role or in fact that of his new-born son.

It would be scandalous for anything like this to happen within the British royal family and thankfully we have an heir on the way, who although will be treated very much like another famous baby by the press, has been born to a married prince who, for now, seems at least aware of the responsibilities that he has been born to and knows that he is not a celebrity in the real sense. Though we will have to see whose example his brother Harry chooses to follow. 

Dear readers??

I'm aware that my posts are getting a bit samey and I'm getting a bit bored of just telling the story of my day trips, which although they were great for me, are hard to describe differently each time.

I don't know who's reading my blog but according to my stats, there are a fair few readers so if there's anything anyone who is actually interested wants me to blog about (in keeping with the theme of Britain, royalty, aristocracy etc.), then please leave a comment. I've got all these page views and no comments.

Would be nice to know if people that I don't know are actually reading any of this. It would give me much more motivation.

Oxburgh Hall

There’s nothing like a castle is there? A glimpse of an English castle reminds us of fantasies of knights and princesses and with all the romanticism attached. And for those interested in the real history of castles, we all know that behind the romantic façades exists a practical building designed for defence and sanctuary, as well as providing a show of power to the little people who need to be controlled.

What now seems to be synonymous with English history, the medieval castle was actually a concept brought to our island by the Normans who came from France to conquer the Saxon kingdom. Many of these fortresses built during the Norman Conquest of 1066 now lie in ruin and Norfolk’s Oxburgh Hall is a much more modern construction built by the Bedingfeld family in the 15^th century as more of a manor house than a defensive castle. Nevertheless, it still has some of the features that we would expect from the home of a fairy princess. Surrounded by a moat and towers and with walls topped by typical battlements, for which in 1482 Edward Bedingfeld had to obtain a retrospective licence to crenellate from King Edward IV, this historical gem of West Norfolk really transports you to another age.

We visited Oxburgh on a rainy day, giving the place a special atmosphere common in films about medieval England. Compared to the other houses that we visited, this was the alternative attraction thanks to its appearance of a fortified castle. Adding to this, the interiors and furnishings of the hall were much darker, making it easy to imagine a knight of the Wars of the Roses wandering through its rooms having crossed the moat begging for sanctuary.

And speaking of sanctuary, Oxburgh is probably most well-known for its priest hole. Due to the Bedingfeld family being Catholic, a priest hole is exactly what it sounds. During the Reformation and the subsequent persecution of papists during the 16^th and early 17^th centuries, wealthy families who were still clinging onto the ‘old faith’ took it upon themselves to welcome the leaders of the now illegal religion into their homes. Of course, if they were caught assisting such ‘criminals,’ things could go incredibly bad for the family. So in a void in the house, a secret room was installed in order to hide the catholic priest. And luckily enough we were able to climb down through the tight trapdoor, which was no easy task, and then enter the comparatively spacious hiding place beyond.

Following our experience down the priest’s hole, we were then able to see the bedrooms where King Henry VII and his queen, Elizabeth of York had once slept and best of all the rooms were filled with artefacts ranging from royal warrants dating back 500 years and tapestries sewn by Mary, Queen of Scots and the Countess of Shrewsbury; the Bess of Hardwick Hall that we had visited a few weeks ago. We were also able to climb up the original stone spiral staircase to the room, from where I’m told it is possible to see Ely Cathedral on a clear day.

As for servant’s quarters, Oxburgh was a little lacking; however we were able to take our afternoon tea in the kitchens, which at least is one step closer to doing it in the drawing room of the one of these great houses.

By far the most unique part of this visit though was the fact that, according to one of the guides, we had been following the current Lady Bedingfeld around the house as she was visiting with her grandchildren. Unlike most other National Trust properties, Lord and Lady Bedingfeld still live in one of the towers of their ancestral home.

Oxburgh may be a ‘fake’ castle not built for war and certain architectural features may have been added during the Gothic-revival period of the 19^th century but it is still one of the most romantic historic places I have ever visited. 

Blickling Photos