royalty

Saturday May 20, 2023

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday May 20, 2023

Celebrating Victoria Day with a Hint of Irony: Should Canada Ditch the Monarchy?

May 6, 2023

As Canada joyfully celebrates the long-standing tradition of Victoria Day, it’s worth pondering the irony of a nation divided on the issue of recognizing Charles as the King of Canada. According to an Angus Reid survey, 60 percent of respondents oppose Charles taking the throne. However, what’s truly intriguing is the surge in undecided individuals, with 30 percent of the population unsure about this matter.

Why such indecisiveness? Is it due to apathy or the belief that there are more pressing priorities? Or perhaps, it stems from a lack of understanding about the alternatives to monarchy and how a transition would occur. Without a clear understanding of how Canada’s Constitution and government would function without the monarchy, making an informed decision becomes challenging. Furthermore, little has been discussed about the cost implications or the value a different system would bring.

January 23, 2021

Comparing the costs, it becomes evident that monarchy is more economical. The British monarchy, for instance, costs taxpayers $80 million, whereas presidents in other countries can cost hundreds of millions of dollars. In Canada, the combined cost of the governor general and lieutenant-governors amounts to just over half of what the British monarchy expenses. Are Canadian taxpayers willing to quadruple the cost to establish a republic?

Article: Victoria Day: Its royal roots have changed over the years  

Beyond the financial aspect, there are valuable attributes associated with constitutional monarchies. Transparency International, a watchdog organization, affirms that constitutional monarchies are more stable and transparent compared to other forms of governance. Monarchs transcend politics and can represent all citizens, avoiding the polarization seen during elections. Their sponsorship of important causes, such as climate change, youth empowerment, mental health, and more, brings attention and support to critical issues within the Commonwealth.

November 1, 2018

Moreover, the survey fails to highlight the specific objections people have against the monarchy. Vague statements like “it’s time” or “it’s outdated” do not provide substantial reasons and overlook the fact that our parliamentary system developed in conjunction with the monarchy. Instead of abolishing the Crown, amendments to the oath could address concerns without disrupting the foundation of our Constitution. The Crown, as a legal entity, underpins our constitutional framework, and dismantling it could potentially fracture the nation further.

June 10, 2022

The large number of undecided individuals underscores the prevailing problem of ignorance. Many Canadians lack knowledge about the role of the Crown and the constitutional processes required for amendments. Familiarity with the history of constitutional conferences leading to 1982 and their implications for interprovincial relations is essential. Educating Canadians about the Constitution, the Crown, and the significance of the King and his deputies is crucial for informed decision-making.

Some suggest a nationwide referendum to gauge support for opening the constitutional debate. However, each province would need its own referendum to guide its legislature, as each province must decide whether to support constitutional changes. While adjustments can be made without overhauling the Constitution entirely, the increased costs associated with a republic, additional elections, and constitutional conferences must be considered, particularly during times of economic challenges and healthcare crises.

News: Immigrants, people of colour are biggest fans of the monarchy in Canada: poll  

April 26, 2001

Ultimately, the cries of “Charles is not my king!” and the declining support for King Charles III do not provide substantial evidence to abolish the monarchy. This ancient institution, adapted to the demands of the 21st century, has proven to be remarkably successful. Monarchies consistently rank among the best countries to live in, boasting prosperity, equality, and democracy. The secret lies in their ability to preserve tradition while embracing change, offering a beautiful solution to governance challenges.

Starting from scratch, one may not choose a monarchy for Canada. Yet, centuries of history, practice, and experience have shaped a prosperous nation. Rather than breaking the system that has led to remarkable success, it is wiser to build upon it. So, as we celebrate Victoria Day, let’s reflect on the irony of questioning the monarchy’s place in Canada and appreciate the heritage that has brought us this far. (AI)

 

Saturday January 7, 2023

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday January 7, 2023

The enduring anguish of being the royal ‘spare

September 30, 2022

“Wonderful. Now you’ve given me an heir and a spare, my work is done.” That was the conversation that Prince Harry claims marked the day of his own birth, with the then Prince Charles joking to the Princess of Wales about the arrival of their second son.

The story is told in Harry’s memoir, called Spare, and he says the term was often used to describe him, within his own family.

“They would say it without a spirit of judgement, but straight out. I was the shadow, the supporting actor, the plan B,” he writes, in a translation of the book’s Spanish edition.

“I was brought into this world in case something happened to Willy,” he writes, using the nicknames that saw Prince William as “Willy” and Prince Harry as “Harold”.

The saying “an heir and a spare” refers to aristocratic families needing an heir to inherit a title or an estate, and the “spare” as the younger sibling who could be the replacement if anything happened to the heir before he or she has their own children.

It clearly annoyed Prince Harry enough to use it as a title for his book, and it taps into the longstanding difficulty of this uncertain royal understudy role, where there’s wealth and privilege but no obvious sense of purpose.

March 9, 2021

“It’s a non-position,” says royal expert Professor Pauline Maclaran, from the Centre for the Study of Modern Monarchy, Royal Holloway, University of London.

“There’s no clear role apart from shaking hands and being pleasant to people,” says Prof Maclaran.

A life of pointless luxury might have its decadent charms, but it also carries a heavy risk of unfulfillment and lack of direction.

So much so that Prof Maclaran says that a modern, slimmed-down monarchy should either find better defined roles for such individuals, or else release them from any royal expectations, once they’ve slipped down the pecking order of succession.

Royal historian Ed Owens says Sweden and Denmark are examples of where such an approach has been taken, “downsizing” the royal families, so that individuals who might have been marginal “spares” can have their own private lives “unfettered by royal responsibilities”.

Mr Owens says that Princess Margaret, younger sister to the late Queen Elizabeth II, is an example of the pressures put upon such siblings, in a way that remains relevant to the problems raised by Prince Harry.

January 15, 2022

Prince Andrew is another whose attempts at finding a role have not exactly ended well. Even before the scandal involving sex assault claims, which he denied, he had gained the nickname of Air Miles Andy for his many overseas trips.

But there have been positive outcomes. George VI, a shy and initially reluctant monarch, had been Edward VIII’s younger sibling but stepped up to the plate as King after his childless brother abdicated, and proved to be a leader in wartime.

Letter to the Editor, The Hamilton Spectator

His father, George V, had been another second son who came to the throne. His older brother had died at the age of 28 in an outbreak of flu in 1892.

There are also historical templates for the younger royal being cast in a negative light, accused of dissolute and disreputable behaviour or as a rival threatening to undermine the authority of the elder.

Think of Bad King John versus Good King Richard, in the 12th Century power struggle between brothers, that was depicted in a 1970s Disney movie. (BBC News) 

From sketch to finish, see the current way Graeme completes an editorial cartoon using an iPencil, the Procreate app, and a couple of cheats on an iPad Pro …

 

Saturday April 10, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday April 10, 2021

Prince Philip loved Canada, and knew this country in good times and bad

Prince Philip, in personal encounters, had a special ability to put you immediately at ease at the same time as he kept you on edge. It was his style: he loved to demystify the monarchy so you didn’t sound like a blithering idiot when you were addressed by a member of the family. But at the same time, he also brought to conversation a degree of forthright questioning that sometimes could turn you into … well, a blithering idiot.

October 3, 2002

He loved Canada and probably visited this country more than any other on the planet, both officially with the Queen he served so dutifully and lovingly all those years, and privately on many more occasions, especially in connection with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards or the World Wildlife Fund.

In a life spread throughout most of the 20th century and well into the 21st, he met thousands of people and graced hundreds of institutions. When he made one of several visits to Massey College in the University of Toronto during the Golden Jubilee Year (2002) to become the college’s first Honorary Senior Fellow he was asked — inevitably — to unveil a plaque honouring the visit. The college flag was draped somewhat ornately over the plaque and he went up to it with a certain degree of familiarity:

June 11, 2016

“You about to see the handiwork of a master unveiler of plaques,“ he said with a wry smile. Then he took one corner of the flag and with a few twists of the wrist made it twirl in the air which made everyone laugh.

He wrote later that he had “a soft spot” for Massey College. He had laid its cornerstone in a previous visit in 1962 and he was a particular friend of the college’s founder, Vincent Massey, the first Canadian-born governor general. It was part of a much larger soft spot for Canada as a whole.

January 23, 2021

And he knew the country in good times and bad. Famously, during the troubled visit of 1964 during the height of the Quiet Revolution Quebeckers backs were turned on him and the Queen as their official car headed for the provincial legislature. Later at a press reception, he pointed out that if Canada was tired of being a monarchy perhaps we could try to end it with a bit of civility. “We don’t come here for our health,” he pointed out. “We can think of other ways of spending our time.”

Although a deeply intelligent and inherently kind man with an extraordinary sense of duty, it was his testiness that was a big part of his appeal, and also what got him into trouble. Depending on your views of the monarchy, his off-the-cuff quips were either a sign of the blatant ridiculousness of the Crown or proof of its enduring power. It was usually a matter of perspective.

April 9, 2002

He certainly understood the often murky deal between the Crown and the media that both sides played. On the one hand, there was deep resentment within the Royal Family and those officials who served them at the brutal way the media could often push into their lives during troubled periods. At the same time, the media has for some time now been the leading handmaiden in securing the Crown’s hold over people’s imagination, to the equal irritation for their own reasons of republicans and royalists alike.

He was a man marked for life by his earliest experience of being poor but royal, impoverished but often in the presence of vast wealth, alone in the world but determined to survive and make his mark. And it was all done with a sense of duty that has few parallels in our own time. (National Post) 

 

Tuesday March 9, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday March 9, 2021

Prince Harry clarifies that it was not Queen Elizabeth II or Prince Philip who commented on Archie’s skin color

During Sunday night’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey on CBS, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex revealed that there were discussions about “how dark” their baby’s skin color would be. On Monday morning, Oprah told “CBS This Morning” that neither Queen Elizabeth II nor Prince Phillip made the comments. 

January 22, 2020

After describing the conversations about how Archie would not be given the title of prince and how he wouldn’t have security, Meghan said there were discussions while she was pregnant about “how dark” Archie’s skin color would be.

“In those months when I was pregnant, all around the same time, so we have in tandem the conversation of, he won’t be given security, he’s not going to be given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born,” Meghan said.

“What?” Oprah asked. “Who is having that conversation with you? What?”

January 13, 2020

Meghan said “so, um,” and Oprah said, “Hold up, there is a conversation?” Meghan replied, “There were several conversations.” 

“Potentially, and what that would mean and what that would look like,” Meghan said, adding that the conversations were with Harry. 

She wouldn’t reveal who it was who had the conversation with Harry, saying it “would be very damaging to them.”

May 19, 2018

“It was really hard to see those as compartmentalized conversations,” she added.

On Monday morning, Oprah told “CBS This Morning” that neither the queen nor her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, was involved in that conversation. 

“[Harry] did not share the identity with me, but he wanted to make sure that I knew, and if I had the opportunity to share it, that it was not his grandmother or his grandfather that were part of those conversations,” Oprah told Gayle King. “I tried to get that answer on camera and off.”

Harry said he is “never going to share” more about the conversation about Archie’s skin tone, only saying it was “right at the beginning.”

The couple is now expecting their second child, a girl, due this summer.  (CBS)