BY PAUL T HORGAN Perhaps it was all inevitable. Any non-American fingered as an associate of Jeffrey Epstein would be publicly disgraced and ostracised. Epstein, after all, was a paedophile, and this was public knowledge after his first and only conviction. If anyone kept in touch with him thereafter, they did so in the full knowledge that they were consorting with a monster. And yet. … Continue reading The Tragedy of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor
BY ROGER WATSON A good friend lent me The Balkan Trilogy by Olivia Manning. For a while, it sat untouched by my bedside as I worked through Neville Shute’s novels (I’m almost done). But with a long-haul flight looming, I finally began reading—and was hooked from the first chapter. Rather than lug the hefty book to the Far East, I downloaded it on Kindle and kept reading. … Continue reading Watching Tennis with the Queen
BY STEWART SLATER Britain likes its Royals the way the Victorians liked their children – seen and not heard. Their job description is to turn up, look presentable, read the verbiage they have been handed (which we generally ignore) and pop out some children in their downtime. Given this, it is hard to imagine the Princess of Wales ever having much trouble in her annual … Continue reading A Very Modern Princess
BY STEWART SLATER I recently went back in time. Not by inventing a time machine (that I’m willing to tell you about). Nor by going to one of those open air museums which make you wonder how any of your ancestors survived lives which were certainly nasty and brutish and also, in all likelihood, quite short. No, I logged on to X, specifically the “Royal … Continue reading Kategate
BY STEWART SLATER There are some things it is better not to know about. High on the list is the condition of princely penises, properly a matter of import only to their owners and possibly but not certainly (given the long history of unsuccessful royal marriages) their spouses. But if Prince Harry has chosen to bare his sausage as well as his soul in his … Continue reading A (Partial) Defence of Prince Harry
BY JOHN NASH The civilised world is up in arms because, according to the English translation of the leaked Spanish edition of Prince Harry’s ghost written book, Spare, and of course according to whoever wrote it, Harry said that in six missions as a donkey walloper (Cavalryman, but riding an Apache gunship) in the Afghan Graveyard of Empires, he killed 25 enemy fighters. “It wasn’t … Continue reading Harrying Harry
BY ALEX STORY Edmund Burke wrote in Reflections on the Revolution in France, published in 1790, a year after the storming of the Bastille: “Because half a dozen grasshoppers under a fern make the field ring with their importunate chink, whilst thousands of great cattle, reposed beneath the shadow of the British oak, chew the cud and are silent, pray do not imagine that those … Continue reading Grasshoppers in the Fields
BY STEWART SLATER George V was dying. That was well known. A bulletin was issued stating that “The King’s life is moving peacefully towards its close.” From the point of view of the Court, however, he was dying too slowly. If he survived the night, there was a risk that he might not survive the morning, raising the risk that his death would be announced … Continue reading Last of the Giants
BY STEWART SLATER “Appalling” the newspapers screamed, reporting the Prince of Wales’ opinion on the government’s plan to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda, a story deemed important enough to make the front pages and lead the news bulletins. With Clarence House failing to deny the leak, what followed was one of those inversions which the Culture War occasionally throws up – the less than … Continue reading Disgusted of Clarence House
BY STEWART SLATER In his youth, we are told, Boris Johnson formed a desire to be the “world king”, an ambition which, to be blunt, currently looks a bit of a stretch. Not only does his current popularity suggest that achieving such office is unlikely at the ballot box, but the position is already taken. For if the events of the weekend show anything, they … Continue reading The Platform Monarchy’s Platinum Jubilee
BY STEWART SLATER “There was never an individual less regretted by his fellow creatures than this deceased King. What eye has wept for him? What heart has heaved one throb of unmercenary sorrow?” It is fair to say that the Times was not a fan of George IV, and it is reasonable to assume that, when the day comes, coverage of Her Majesty’s death will … Continue reading Love, Respect or Fear?
BY PAUL T HORGAN It was Bagehot who stated that the “Above all things our royalty is to be reverenced, and if you begin to poke about it you cannot reverence it…Its mystery is its life. We must not let in daylight upon magic.“. Unfortunately, rather than daylight, a portion of our royalty has been illuminated by something akin to a battery of 800,000,000 candela … Continue reading The Prince’s Dilemma
BY MEG LEE CHIN To the growing number of Country Squire Magazine American readers who might not understand the British Monarchy; The Royal Family is a living national symbol or logo that is resolutely independent of politics. This separation provides a continuity not possible with the rapidly changing offices of the US President or other elected government heads. The US Head of State changes every … Continue reading No Little Mermaid
BY PAUL T HORGAN Prince Harry has been in the news quite a lot, and the media seem to be in the process of casting him as the latest incarnation of the dissolute minor royal, a cause of embarrassment to the monarchy, perhaps even calling the monarchy into question. T’was ever thus. This is unfair. Harry has spent his adult life being overshadowed by his older … Continue reading In Defence of Prince Harry
BY EFFIE DEANS The history of Britain is that of a small island that began as a collection of territories ruled by chiefs and warlords and gradually evolved into a constitutional monarchy. Most of Europe evolved up until a certain point as we did, but then diverged. Collections of territories that tended to speak similar languages first united under an absolute monarch and then with … Continue reading Let One Not Notice
BY FRANK HAVILAND I don’t consider myself a royalist, at least not in the traditional sense. I don’t know the names of the minor ones. I wouldn’t enter a Starbuck’s queue to watch Trooping of the Colour. Meghan who? However, I do admire the Queen enormously for her dedicated service to the nation. I believe Princess Margaret’s morning routine is the standard to live by. … Continue reading Great Prince
BY JAMIE FOSTER The Brexit row involving Dominic Grieve and others may risk dragging the Queen in to politics. Parliamentarians have a sacred duty not to involve the monarch in politics but Brexit is risking breaching that duty. This is due to the fact that the government and the Commons are being brought into conflict about how the legislation is to be considered. In this … Continue reading Her Majesty & Brexit
BY DOMINIC WIGHTMAN Prince Philip’s latest “gaffe” on Sunday has caused something of a storm, predictably. The Duke of Edinburgh was leading a procession of royals to their morning service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham on New Year’s Eve when he spotted a man in the crowd who was sporting a long ginger beard. Philip was wishing lots of people a Happy New … Continue reading Having a Laugh
BY MANDY BALDWIN There were hints that there may be a new baby on the way, during the triumphant tour of Germany – Kate, usually the soul of good manners, only pretended to sip from a huge stein of beer. And now we know: there will be a Number Three to add to Gorgeous George, and adorable little Charlotte, who is a dead-ringer for her … Continue reading Baby Love
BY MANDY BALDWIN Election fever is sweeping the nation, and this time around I personally find every party to be in varying degrees disturbing or repellent, so my thoughts are a politics-free zone. In that spirit, I found myself reading about something which has been in the headlines for several months now: I mean, the possible engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. I am … Continue reading Thumbs Up to Princess Sparkle
