I return again to the present for my monthly Musings on Monarchy post! Typically I stick to the past- history offers more than enough to keep all of us busy. However, especially in the case of the royals, it is tough not to see the connections to the present. (And quite frankly, I am often asked for my opinion on current news items and this is the only place you will find them.) February has been a busy month for royals everywhere, despite being a shorter month. Because we’ve got a lot to discuss, we are getting straight into Musings on Monarchy: February 2023!
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden Undergo Surgery
Both the Queen of Denmark and King of Sweden have undergone significant medical procedures in the last full week of February. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark had a back surgery and will now be recuperating and rehabbing her back over the coming weeks. (Physical rehab for your back is tough, I wish her the best of luck!) King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden had to have heart surgery and will be recovering over the next two weeks.
In Denmark, Crown Prince Frederik has been appointed regent in the meantime. He received several new ambassadors in place of his mother, a standard monarchical function. However, he and his wife (Crown Princess Mary) will be going to India on a tour for five days. The Queen’s younger sister, Princess Benedikte will fulfil any duties necessary. Benedikte is 78, and Frederik’s brother, Prince Joachim, is not living in Denmark at the moment (and probably will not be returning soon…)- this does bring up the question of these streamlined monarchies that are becoming more and more common. It is not unimaginable to think that Margrethe, Benedikte, and Frederik could all be unable to carry out specific duties at some point. Can there be a balance of working royals and non-working royals who do actually carry out duties that the public would accept? (I aim that question in general, not only Denmark and Sweden.)
The Princess of Orange Carries Out Her First Royal Tour
I will be very honest, I had a ball watching Princess Catharina-Amalia on her first royal tour. Amalia, the heir to the Dutch throne, went with her parents- King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima- on a two-week tour of the Dutch Caribbean. As I expected, they were met with protests on the trip- both from Indigenous groups and groups demanding reparations from slavery under Dutch colonial rule. Willem-Alexander announced in December 2022 that he was commissioning an independent study on the monarchy’s role in Dutch colonialism, so I think he’s a step ahead of most monarchs.
There was a lot of criticism of the Princess of Orange on the trip. Firstly, I think that criticising Amalia’s weight is a petty and immature thing to do- many online commenters said that they were commenting on her weight out of concern, but there was zero concern involved. If all you can do is comment on someone’s appearance, close your laptop and move on.
Secondly, many royal watchers said that she looked stiff and uncomfortable. I have to say, I think she did remarkably well. She is a young woman of 19 who had to leave student accommodations at university a month after starting due to kidnapping threats, her first “career move” is a jam-packed royal tour with an intense schedule, and people everywhere are being incredibly rude and offensive about her appearance. Add in the fact that her mother is possibly the most charismatic royal of the last century and every single one of us would look uninterested beside her, and it’s amazing it was as successful as it is.
The Princess of Wales launches “Shaping Us” Campaign
I fully expect that people will disagree with me on this, but I am disappointed by this campaign. I think that Catherine is genuinely passionate about early years support, education, and development and that she stays informed on developments in the field. However, the very nature of this project makes it difficult to measure any level of success.
Firstly- I have yet to meet someone, parent or otherwise, who does not recognise the importance of the first five years of life and how much your early childhood can affect you for the rest of your life. Many parents would love to be able to spend more time with their children or provide more resources. However, due to many circumstances, they may have to work multiple jobs or may not have enough money, and they are not able to provide as much as they would like. I’ve read many parents saying that the campaign does the opposite and makes them feel like they are failing their children more, which I don’t think is Catherine’s aim at all.
Secondly- whether or not you think it should be, funding and resources is largely allocated by the government in the UK. (And in much of the Commonwealth and Europe.) Unfortunately, that does make this a political issue at some level. Members of the royal family in Britain largely stay out of politics. Does this mean that Catherine will be eschewing that and wading into politics? Or does that limit the project from the outset?
Thirdly- I will be blunt. I expected more measurable goals with this announcement. Given that William and Catherine have made it known that they want to hold very few patronages to give themselves more time on each, I expected this to have more meat. They have demanded ultimate flexibility in matching their children’s schedules, and don’t seem to do any of the “boring” engagements that Princess Anne and Prince Edward routinely carry out on behalf of The King. If you are developing this to be your passion project, it would be nice to see some oomph behind it.
PS: This is just a brief note, but I’ve got no idea why it was randomly at a market in Leeds.
More Coronation News- An Old Crown, A New Emblem, and Andrew Lloyd Webber
As expected, we have more Coronation updates! I suspect that from now until May, we will have a steady drip of information about the Coronation.
Starting with the crown- Queen Camilla will be wearing Queen Mary’s Crown on 6 May. (I wrote an entire blog post on this, you can find it here.) It neatly sidesteps the loud issue of the Koh-i-Noor diamond. However, I don’t think that the note about “sustainability” really helped in the release. A lot of people have questioned the cost of the Coronation during a cost-of-living crisis, fairly. And if your sustainability highlight is simply not commissioning a new crown, you might not want to draw attention to that. (Not saying there won’t be other sustainable elements- we just don’t know what they are.)
We have an official Coronation Emblem! Designed by Sir Johnny Ive, the man behind the iPhone, I like it. It uses the four national flowers to create St. Edward’s Crown, it is striking, and it suits Charles.
Finally, The King shared that he has commissioned twelve new pieces of music for the Coronation. I was not thrilled to see Andrew Lloyd Webber as the composer behind the new anthem because as I said on TikTok, I do not want to think of Cats during the Coronation. However, Charles is definitely making this Coronation his own. As long as I have “Zadok the Priest” I will be happy!
I would love to hear your thoughts on Musings on Monarch: February 2023 – do you agree with me on any of these stories?
Cheers,
The Historian
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Here in the USA it’s an incredible uphill fight to get funding for 0-5 year programs as there are a lot of people who don’t think those programs are needed. If Kate’s campaigns help stop defunding such programs in the UK, I think that’s great. And it’s sad seeing toddler care as a political subject.
I agree Kate needs better benchmarks with her early years programs. What is success? What are the next steps? Those are undefined.
I am so sorry, I just saw this comment! And yes, completely- I think with defined goals and a set plan, it would have much more support all around!