Is Royalty Losing Its Aura?

Yesterday I watched the show "Concert for Diana", organized by her sons, Princes William and Harry. This article, however, is not a concert review.

What struck me most was the behavior and attitude of the princes themselves. They were both dressed very informally, in open-necked shirts and casual jackets. And they were clapping and swaying to the music, just like most of the youngsters – and a few oldies – in the audience.

Just like ordinary folk. That got me thinking about what a long way royalty has come down the ages. Civilization began with the divine right of kings. The Egyptian Pharaohs and Roman Emperors were regarded as a distinct species, sent down by the gods to grace the general populace with their magnificence and infallibility. The royals, of course, were very aware that they were as human as anyone else, but they took great care to foster and propagate their larger-than-life image. It granted them absolute power; and allowed them to get away with excesses – Caligula comes to mind. Even if the people resented them, there was nothing they could do about it. How can one challenge a living god?

British monarchs continued to enjoy absolute power, until King John went over the top and was forced to sign the Magna Carta. So they now had a parliament to deal with; but they still pretty much called the shots. Even as recently as 150 years ago, Victoria, Queen-Empress, remained a very imposing figure. Of course, it suited the British government to portray her as a remote, almost mystical, being. These were the heady days of Empire – and an almost superhuman Empress ensured that the ‘natives’ did not forget their place.

Nowadays, the few remaining kings and queens are constitutional figureheads, whose role is more decorative than administrative. But I can’t help wondering if the pendulum hasn’t swung too far the other way. Is the spectacle of a Queen – in Holland or Scandinavia, for example – riding a bicycle through the streets really edifying? And what about royal princesses lounging on a beach in bikinis – sometimes even topless?

I don’t know, but I feel this type of ‘common’ behavior diminishes the mystique of the royals – makes them ‘one of us’, so to speak. Some might argue that there is nothing wrong in that. This is the age of democracy – all men being created equal – and all that noble-sounding stuff. My counter argument would be: if the royals are just like the rest of us, what function do they serve? They have no real power anyway. The government spends millions of dollars to maintain their opulent lifestyle – and they should play the part. They should be different from us; those fairy tale personages we like to make a fuss over. What little girl would want to dream of becoming a princess, if the princesses she observes are not that much different from herself?

I believe that very many of us crave royalty – not Catherine di Medici, certainly, but a Princess Diana, perhaps. That is why the US – sorely lacking in that department – invents its own. Jackie Kennedy was put on a pedestal, even though her accomplishments as First Lady were not that superior to others of her tribe. (OK, so her sister was married to a real live prince).

So maybe it’s time William and Harry started acting a little more, well, kingly. They don’t have to stop having fun. Heck, the Brits almost expect their royals to create scandals. British kings have had mistresses even before Bonnie Prince Charlie. Only, you never saw King Charles out an about without his velvet doublet and his peacock-feather hat. Bill Gates may have his billions, but these guys have something money can’t buy. It has taken centuries of royal inbreeding to produce these fine specimens. They owe it to their subjects to strut their stuff.