The greater tragedy is the sickening sentiment that royalty is fun and romantic. This horrifying illusion helps perpetuate monarchies around the world. Think there aren’t very many of those left? Check it out:
King Abdullah II of Jordan
King Abdul Halim of Malaysia
King Mswati III of Swaziland
King Abdullah bin Abdul‘aziz of Saudi Arabia
Emir Sabah al-Aad of Kuwait
King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia
King Letsie III of Lesotho
Emperor Akihito of Japan
Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein
Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg
Prince Albert II of Monaco
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
King Jigme Khesar Namgyel of Bhutan
King Albert II of Belgium
King Hamad ibn Isa of Bahrain
King Harald V of Norway
King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand
King Tupou VI of Tonga
Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
King Juan Carlos I of Spain
King Mohammed VI of Morocco
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei
Emir Hamad bin Khalifa of Qatar
Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman
Then there are, of course, the new dynasties:
Chairman Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who inherited the throne from his father, Kim Jong-il, and grandfather, Kim Il-sung. A member of the Kim family has ruled North Korea since 1948.
Bashar al-Assad of Syria, who inherited the presidency from his father, Hafez al-Assad. A member of the al-Assad family has ruled Syria since 1971.
Yes, some of these royals are just cute, doddering wastes of money like the Queen, but some of them are bloodthirsty tyrants more in line with some of Elizabeth’s predecessors. Several of them, like King Mswati III and King Abdullah bin Abdul‘aziz, are still absolute monarchs, able to inflict their will on their people without constitutional check.
But what all these parasites have in common is that they need to be immediately tossed out on the street. If nations like the United States continue to look the other way as these professional thieves continue their trade then we are just as guilty as the citizens of the countries that perpetuate the fallacy that dynastic royalty should ever constitute a legitimate, or even ceremonial, ruling entity.
6 Comments
Hear what you’re saying about monarchies in general, but I’ve been told that in regard to British royalty they do have a purpose other than receiving free benefits from their taxpayers. The royal family is a big draw and a boon for the UK’s tourism industry. I haven’t looked into this myself — as I said this is from people from the UK and I am not — that their ability to draw in tourists far outweighs what they receive. They pretty much have no power (unless there are powers that royalty is still invested with and not used) so serve as figureheads and symbols. So if they help the UK’s heavily indebted economy, then as far as I am concerned long may they reign. Realistically speaking, however, I think eventually the Brits will decide to abolish having royalty. We’ll see. However it turns out it’s up to them and I don’t have a dog in that fight.
Let me guess Johnny Bannas or Rudy Fratto had is in bed with the Queen right?
Who are we to judge whether the British monarchy is right, or wrong? The idea of it seems silly to me, but since they’re not living off my dime, I can’t say that it makes a difference one way or the other. The British seem to think it’s pretty important though, so I say bully for them, what?
Hi Joe,
Love the word nincompoops…I totally agree with you. I cried when Princess Di died, she was a true lady who really seemed to care but the Queen, totally ridiculous, my personal belief and reading what you wrote, Wow…pretty pathetic. But again, in my eyes, she’s always been that way and you’re absolutely right…. anyway thanks for the info
G
Alright Teddy Im usually one of Joe’s readers, but this one might have made us simpatico. Being Irish American specifically Northern Irish American, when you gaze past their veil of “honor” and “respectability”, you find they have been “politely” subverting the entire world since the inception of that turd of a monarchy. Only here in this country do we seem to forget that our greatest “ally” was our slave master and ruler not to long ago. So as they celebrate the lineage of their filthy empire, may at least a few people take a look and see what is truly behind all the pomp and circumstance. For if they will, what they will find nothing more than one big criminal enterprise. It was said in my house “The sun never sets on the british empire (lower case on purpose), because not even God could trust them in the dark.” Be well and thanks for the article Teddy
Oh and in case Joe wonders why the hell an Irishman’s been talking to him on his blog for the better part of three years let it be known that my uncle married a Neapolitano immigrant and I was raised in a Neapolitano household with three generations, kind of the Tom Hagen syndrome I guess. Just needed to put that out for Joe, sorry Teddy