The Royal Demise

In historic time, we find long lines of royal persons who ruled over tribes, dynasties, empires, kingdoms. We find pharohs, emperors, kings, queens, tsars, all manner of royal titles attached the names of royal leaders. Monarchies were pretty much the rule in ancient times, historic time, right up to modern times when things began to change in an accelerated turning of history's wheels. While watching YouTube recently, I came across a picture of a host of European royals who were related in some way - either directly or by marriage - to Queen Victoria of Great Britain, whose reign ended with her life in 1901.

For the golden age of royal kings and queens, the beginning of the end came with the 20th-century. Royal authority was largely blasted into either impotence or irrelevance by World War I and the events that followed. The toppling of those chess pieces began when a shot was fired in 1914. . . a shot in Sarajevo, Bosnia, a city that was being ruled by the Austrian monarchy. But the Austrian empire diminished when a Serbian nationalist took the life of Franz Ferdinand, archduke of Austria, who had been heir to the the throne of Austria. 

After that, all hell broke loose. . . World War I, when the royals of Austria and Germany began attacking France and Belgium. Russian Tsar Nicholas took sides with the Allies, France, Britain et al. The European nations began attacking each other for royal reasons that would be revealed as largely irrelevant after the cannons had ceased firing and a peace was declared on November 11, 1918. Kaiser Wilhelm (a German title for king) lapsed into irrelevance after the Armistice; adolf hitler and his gang of nazi thugs later tried to pull their so-called Third Reich out of the German ashes, but that ended, as it should have, in a cloud of German defeat. Long story short. . . Royals faded into the background. Their royal duties were eclipsed as Parliament and Prime Ministers, more and more, took the reigns of governance. The best example of this diminution is the British monarchy, who could read the modern writing on the wall. The Windsors have had the royal wisdom and sensitivity to fade into the background, thus allowing Parliament to govern, and the Prime Minister to function as Britain's primary spokesman.

In 1937, KIng George VI was crowned at Westminster Abbey. When George VI died, he was succeeded by Queen Elizabeth, then King Charles. Recently, I saw news indications that King Charles is granting more authority, something called investiture (which I do not understand because I am a yank) to his son, his (presumed) heir, William, Prince of Wales. God save the King! and furthermore, may the Lord of Hosts guide the nations of Britain, Europe, our United States of America, and any other nations who are willing to do as we Americans do: In God We Trust! Smoke