ysbel
Heir Apparent , TRF Author
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2005
- Messages
- 5,377
- City
- New York
- Country
- United States
Part of the fascination with a monarchy is the fact that the throne does not go to the most capable, most popular, but to the eldest son of the monarch and his wife whoever they happen to be and however disgusting they are to some people. And the outstanding thing is that the monarchy has survived for hundreds of years despite this crazy succession planning.
A list of terrible kings and nasty queens of England would be quite long and yet the institution survives into the 21st century. Its a modern marvel to say the least and I find it fascinating to see an institution carry on no matter the personal defects of its individual members.
Charles does have his faults but two things people fault him for have actually earned my admiration: he decided in middle age that Camilla was the woman for him and he stuck to his guns. He'd never before stuck it out and fought for what he needed. It showed guts and a level of self-awareness and self-preservation that he hadn't shown before. Its impossible to be there for others unless you take care of yourself first.
Secondly, his outspoken opinions on issues of importance. We all have opinions on things around us and while I agree the royals shouldn't try to step in and actively interfere with politics, to hold them to a standard that they never express an opinion makes them even more out of touch with the rest of us who do have an opinion and express it. It makes them look more wooden and unnatural. The Queen doesn't express an opinion but that is her nature. And you'll notice that its very hard to change the Queen's mind once she has it set. That is the problem dealing with people who don't express an opinion. We learn and we grow by sharing our beliefs and opinions and interacting with others. Public figures grow in their public role by interacting with the public and occasionally expressing an opinion and catching some flak for it. Its all how humans are supposed to live together on this planet. Cutting that right from Charles just because he's Prince of Wales is unnatural.
A list of terrible kings and nasty queens of England would be quite long and yet the institution survives into the 21st century. Its a modern marvel to say the least and I find it fascinating to see an institution carry on no matter the personal defects of its individual members.
Charles does have his faults but two things people fault him for have actually earned my admiration: he decided in middle age that Camilla was the woman for him and he stuck to his guns. He'd never before stuck it out and fought for what he needed. It showed guts and a level of self-awareness and self-preservation that he hadn't shown before. Its impossible to be there for others unless you take care of yourself first.
Secondly, his outspoken opinions on issues of importance. We all have opinions on things around us and while I agree the royals shouldn't try to step in and actively interfere with politics, to hold them to a standard that they never express an opinion makes them even more out of touch with the rest of us who do have an opinion and express it. It makes them look more wooden and unnatural. The Queen doesn't express an opinion but that is her nature. And you'll notice that its very hard to change the Queen's mind once she has it set. That is the problem dealing with people who don't express an opinion. We learn and we grow by sharing our beliefs and opinions and interacting with others. Public figures grow in their public role by interacting with the public and occasionally expressing an opinion and catching some flak for it. Its all how humans are supposed to live together on this planet. Cutting that right from Charles just because he's Prince of Wales is unnatural.