The King and his Harlot Queen
A Curious Medieval Anachronism in the 21st Century
With all the pomp and pageantry for which the British are renowned, Bonny Prince Charles of Wales was crowned Charles the III, King of England and his far-flung realms, which extend across seas from the Caribbean to Canada. Yet is but a fraction of an empire upon which the Brits once proudly boasted “the sun never set” because it circumnavigated the globe, ruling over colonies on every continent. It was such an amazing achievement for that little sceptered isle, that many thoughtful people felt it justified call the “Great Britain.”
However, while the empire has withered away, as has the absolute power of the Monarchy, which now reigns in a constitutional monarchy where the Prime Minister and Parliament rules, the Royals continues to endure, with all the rituals of a bygone age when the belief that the King ruled by “divine right,” and thus was answerable to God, was conventional wisdom. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the British Monarchy is that the still exist, when other powerful monarchs were beheaded like Louis XVI and Marie Antionette in the 18 Century, or shot like the Russian Czar, Nicholas II and his entire family in the early 20th century. And many of the aristocratic class who supported the monarchies met a similar fate.
Yet the British aristocracy remains. Although, as in other modern countries it is the bourgeoisie, those who own the lion’s share of the nation’s financial and social capital, who commands the reins of real power in the realm, the role of the royals as revered well paid mascots playing scripted roles on the stage of history, remains an essential element in the Britain’s national identity. Indeed, after all is said and done, it is who they are. For most people, this writer included, England is unimaginable without the monarchy. Watching the stiff-necked Beef Eaters marching to and fro in front of Buckingham Palace, their gaze fixed straight ahead, impervious to the antics of tourist trying to get a stare out of them, is one of England’s greatest tourist attractions.
From the look of things at the Coronation ceremony in Westminster Abby, where George III and his Lady Camilla arrived in their fairy tale golden carriage – a display of vulgar opulence which cost over four million dollars – to the cheers of the impassioned mob, one could easily surmise that the British Monarchy, like the poor, will be with us always. Although the imperatives of modernity have inspired some noticeable changes in the relations between the King and his people.
The King and Queen In their Golden Carriage
Royal Extravagance in a Time of Hardship
For one thing, in his oath of office he promised to “serve” the people rather than “rule” them. His Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak – whose example fires the hopes of Republican Punjabi pretender to the American presidency Niki Hailey – now occupies the high office once held by such proud Anglo-Saxons as Chamberlain and Churchill, is a brown man of Indian origin. Who has confessed, Christ forbid, to being a Hindu. Which in the minds of many devout Christians is just about as unchristian a belief as one can hold and is therefore an abomination.
But that was but one of the myriad causes of discomfort for the Newly Crowned King. There is the matter of his sons, each one an embarrassment. First there is his heir to the throne William “The Pegger,” so named because his pegging of a married lady has sparked a lively scandal fueled by scurrilous rumors. Perhaps that’s why he never looked his dad in the eye.
William “The Pegger” Pledges Fealty to the King
And Prince Andrew “The Debaucher,” the King’s younger brother stands accused in an American lawsuit of having sex with an underage girl at one of the notorious floating orgies hosted by the much-celebrated hedonist billionaire Jeffery Epstein. Parties that Donald Trump is said to have attended and was accused by a woman who said she was sexually molested by Donald Trump as a teenager at one of those parties.
And then there is Prince Harry “The Black Hearted,” who trashed the sacred racial norms by soiling the family tree with a tarbrush! His transgression was a consequence of daringly tasting forbidden fruit and falling under the spell of a dusky American beauty, Meghan Markle, who beguiled the prince with her irresistible charms, and he raised the Commoner to a Princess by enjoining her in the sacred bond of marriage. It was an epic seduction that conjures memories of Makeda, that black and comely Sorceress in the Bible, Queen of Sheba, who bewitched King Solomon, causing him to abandon 10,000 wives and turn his back on the God of Israel to win her affections. But due to the ill manners of the white royals, Harry’s Princess became “Megan the Missing” at the grand Coronation, and poor Harry was forced to attend alone.
Megan “The Missing” Gets Last Laugh
She Just Played Past the Whole Thing
Lost in the Royal Sauce
Princes Harry and Andrew
While Princes Harry and Andrew dwelled like invisible ghosts hovering about the Coronation, Prince William took center stage and pledged his fealty to the King, whose high office he pretended to. It was an act for which the King would later express his gratitude. But it must have saddened him to see the reputations of his son and brother besmirched and the honor of the British throne tarnished. Although there is much in the long criminal history of the monarchy that provides far greater reason to hang his head in shame. Still, as duty and protocol demanded, Charles III kept a stiff upper lip and the show went on. And what a jolly good show it was.
With fine prancing horses; elaborately costumed trumpeters blaring medieval fanfares; columns of smartly marching soldiers well drilled for the auspicious occasion; elegantly tailored men and sumptuously gowned elaborately plumed ladies adorned with the marvelous millinery for which the British are world famous; serenaded by a chorus of black singers whose voices sounded like angels descended from the heavens; and a multi-cultured rainbow mosaic of humanity representing diverse nations from all over the former British Empire, came to pay their respects to the new King. The Archbishop of Canterbury, flanked by the princes and powers of the Church of England, resplendent in the colorful costumes of their high office, anointed the newly crowned King and Queen with ancient blessings while leading the chant: ”God Save the King!” Which reverberated from the centuries old walls of the sanctuary in the grand Gothic Cathedral of Canterbury.
The Royal Trumpeters
The Royal Air Force Trumpeters
They Filled the Air with Fanfares
As the Royal Procession Wound its Way…
Through the Streets of London
To the Magnificent Cathedral at Westminster Abby
Where the New King of England Would be Crowned
The Ascension Singers
Glorious Voices Forged on the Smithy of the Gods!
Yet amid the tumultuous roar of reveries that marked the joy of the Coronation for some, there was the angry grumble of the discontented mob who had more than their fill of the Monarchy and all that it represented. While the celebrants boisterously shouted, “Long live the King!” the attentive observer could see the crowds in the background waving signs that proclaimed: ”Not my King!” and boldly calling for the end of the monarchy. Their demands were unambiguous!
There was no shame in their game. That’s why the British Parliament passed a law recently to restrict protests at the Coronation, and thus the crown was corralled a few blocks from the center of the celebrations, and even some of their leaders were arrested before the ceremonies began, a form of preventive detention where suspects are arrested before they commit a violation. These actions raised serious concerns for many Britons, who regarded it as a blatant assault on the democratic rights of all citizens.
Not My King!
Not Everybody was Down With the Program!
Hence, despite the pervasive efforts to paint a jolly face on the Coronation of King George III, whose mother, Queen Elizabeth reigned so long that he is finally ascending the throne as a man in his seventies, an age when most people have retired, there were dark clouds hovering over his Ascension, and they were not all in the sky. The most ominous clouds were down on the ground. Some protesters referred to Lady Camilla as “The Harlot Queen,” because of the shameless way she had bedded Bonny Prince Charles while he was married to their much beloved Princess Diana, sparking a world-wide scandal that many believe led to her horrible and untimely death.
The most boisterous and irreverent protesters proclaimed Camilla a fitting role model for whores everywhere, living proof that they too could one day become a queen if they managed their assets wisely. And, judging by the mood of the anti-monarchist mob, I believe that had it not been for the formidable force of armed combatants deployed to protect the King and Queen, they may well have met a similar fate to that of the French monarchs Louie and Marie Antionette a century and a half ago!
All of this, though largely ignored by the press, which chose to accent the positive, nevertheless forces the thoughtful observer to wonder if we have just witnessed the Coronation of the last king of England. And this curious medieval spectacle will finally be confined to the dustbin of history!
Abolish the Monarchy They Cried!
The Last King of England?
A Relic from a Bygone Age
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Scenes From the Coronation
Undoubtedly, one of the visual delights of the lavish celebration was the fabulous hats sported by the stylish ladies. I was especially impressed because I am a lover of hats and am rarely see without one! Here are some examples of my favorite millinery.
Queen Letzia of Spain!
Katie Perry: American Singer
Madam Trudeau: First Lady of Canada
The Ascencion Gospel Choir Anoints the Revelers with Soulful Song
The Coronation Of King Charles III
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Composed by: Playthell George Benjamin
Sugar Hill in the Village of Harlem
May 8, 2023
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