A student organization at the University of Liverpool is in a
bit of hot water over a tweet it made on January 29th (since
deleted). The University of Liverpool Labour Students
seemed to advocate in the tweet that Queen Elizabeth II be
beheaded:

They have since apologized and stated the tweet was 'tongue-
in-cheek'. Now, this is not the first time in recent memory that
an organization/person connected to the Labour Party has
said some stupid thing and then justified it by claiming it was
all a joke.

But let us take them at their word that this was a joke rather
than a serious proposal. What kind of people joke about the
execution of another person, let alone their head of state?
Especially, when actual beheadings are becoming much more
common with the rise of ISIS. But civility is declining
everywheres it seems. The president of the Philippines has
joked about rape multiple times and in one notable
instance about eating someone. 

It is concerning when these 'jokes' are made because it shines
a light on what the person thinks are acceptable norms in
society. On the flip side it makes light of a terrible period in
English history. Had there been no outcry that tweet would
still be up ​and they would be fine with it.

To the credit of many Labour Party members on campus they
quickly distanced themselves from the comments made by
their student leadership. For my part I sent a quick email to
the Vice-Chancellor expressing my concerns about this
incident. This is important as the actions of a few students
reflects poorly on the University of Liverpool as a whole.

UPDATE: The Vice-Chancellor has replied to my email. The
full text of this reply is at the bottom of this post. 

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

The good news is that, barring an absolute disaster, it is not
likely to happen. The bad news is that due to the negligence of
a certain prime minister Canada doesn't really have a plan to
​deal with the situation either.

The roots of the problem go back to Canada's evolution as a
country. During the colonial period and later during Canada's
time as a self-governing dominion the question of regency was
effectively a question of British law. However, prior to 1937
Britain approached the issue on an ad hoc basis with laws
being passed when needed and for specific situations.

In 1937 a more permanent law was enacted in Britain which
remains in place to this day. This being seven years after the
Statute of Westminster it did not automatically apply to
Canada. Hindsight being 20-20 Canada ought to have acted
then. Alas, Prime Minister Mackenzie King was not known for
being overly proactive.    

During World War Two the issue gained new urgency with the
German invasion of Denmark which cut Iceland off from its
lawful sovereign. Fearing that the Germans might actually
invade Britain and cut Canada off from its monarch it was
agreed action should be taken. At this point a regency act 
might have been agreed to but, for reasons that escape me,
Mackenzie King still didn't see the need.

Instead, the Letters Patent, 1947 were issued. While the
letters patent provided for the governor general to exercise
the monarchs authority under exceptional circumstances it
did not provide for a regency scenario. And this is as far as the
law has gone on this issue.

The result is that legal experts are not sure how a regency
would be arranged in Canada if one were needed.

With some difficulty. As this most definitely touches upon the
'Office of the Crown' all of the provinces would have to agree
to the proposed act. An almost guaranteed opportunity for
mischief. But lets put that aside for now.

The British regency act is solid and would probably work
for Canada too as the regent (being a member of the Royal
Family) would be known to Canadians. But, no matter how
smoothly the regency goes republicans would likely use it as
an opportunity to cause trouble.  

Another option would be to specify that no individual enters
the line of succession until they reach the age of majority. On
a certain level it sidesteps the issue of regency rather nicely.
However, negating a royal's hereditary rights on the simple
basis of age doesn't sit entirely well with me either. Even if it
would benefit the realm to avoid a regency.

As it stands the need for a regency law is low and is likely to
remain low. But if a future prime minister decides he wants to
open the constitution for other reasons maybe sneak a
regency provision in at the same time. Ok?

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

On Sunday CBC Radio interviewed Freelance
writer Julienne Bay about her husband recently
becoming a Canadian Citizen. Before I forget;
Congrats and welcome to Canada!

It is unfortunate that Mrs. Bay then goes on to disparage the
very ceremony she just witnessed. In this article I want to
address some factual errors made by Mrs. Bay as well as CBC
Radio.

The article is a summary of the radio interview (although no
questions are asked) which has a link on the left. The radio
interview is somewhat better than the summary but errors
appear in both.

"But Julienne Bay asks why new immigrants should
have any allegiance to a colonial power?"

Well, no she doesn't. Apparently you can't even get past the
image caption without an error showing up. Mrs. Bay argues
that Canadians shouldn't swear an oath to the Queen. She
doesn't argue that new Canadians shouldn't swear an oath to
a colonial power, nor do they swear such an oath now. How
could such an error come about? Well...

"All new Canadian citizens must swear allegiance to the British monarch." 

Ah, that is how that error came up. There are certain mantras
editors should be forced to repeat each morning:
- 'Between' cannot be used to link three groups. The correct
word is 'among'.
- Hillsborough is correctly pronounced as 'HILLS-bro', not
'HILLS-brah'.
- The 'Canadian Monarchy' is distinct from the 'British
Monarchy' and the use of one or the other depends on the
situation.
In this case there really is no excuse since Mrs. Bay repeats
the Citizenship Oath during her interview. Queen of Canada &
Canadian Monarchy is said several times. Does it matter that
Her Majesty is also the British Monarch. Not in the slightest.
Just once I'd like to see some cheeky editor refer to Canadians
swearing allegiance to the Queen of Jamaica to prove a point
about how silly this mistake is. But why is this mistake made
so often?  

"...given the role the British played in colonizing and
dividing many of the countries those citizens come
from."

Ah. That would be why. This is far too short an article to go
into the historical debate about the British Empire's legacy.
But let me address the point being made here. Did the British
really 'divide many countries'? If you look at Canada you can
say this is false. The British (and specifically Queen Victoria)
were very much in favour of a unified entity in North
America. But let's talk about India for a second (since it will
come up shortly). Britain kept an extremely culturally diverse
country together for nearly the entire history of the British
Raj. It kept most of its native ruling class in place and tried to
limit ethnic clashes. Much of this was undone by the Two-
Nation Theory that argued Muslims were united based on
their religion rather than ethnic, location, or social class.

"His mother, Bay says, "grew up hearing stories of
colonial India: forced taxes on commodities such as
salt and agricultural crops that sent Indians spiraling
into poverty.""

For starters, all taxes are 'forced'. Voluntary taxes aren't really
a thing. And the question must be asked what this has to do
with the Canadian Monarchy in a general sense and the
Queen in a specific sense. The Canadian Monarchy never
ruled India and neither did Her Majesty. And even if she did
would not the lion share of the blame go to the British
Parliament which actually governed India?

"And it's not just immigrants who feel this way. A
recent Canadian survey shows most citizens would
rather drop the constitutional monarchy."

This is actually the most blatant lie in the whole summary and
it can be laid squarely at the feet of the CBC. Mrs. Bay noted
the correct statistics in saying that a recent poll showed 38%
of Canadians would rather not have the monarchy long into
the future. This is compared to the 42% who do and the 20%
who don't care either way. Whoever wrote the summary failed
​to uphold the highest standard of accuracy in portraying Mrs.
Bay's viewpoint.

"Bay argues 2017 is a great year to enact such change.
Not only is it a milestone year as we mark 50 years of
Confederation."

And the CBC finishes off with a simple typo. Well done. But
wait. If Canada were only 50 years old all those references to
the British Monarchy would make sense. But such a ploy
seems too clever for the CBC.


"Pledging allegiance to the Queen only bolsters a past full of discrimination. Why not scrap mention of the Queen altogether?"

Because any claim made without evidence can be dismissed
without evidence. And the claim Mrs. Bay makes is just such a
claim. The Queen stays and you will need to do better than
that to remove her.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Today marks the 65th anniversary of the
​Queen's ascension to the throne. This
event is known as a 'Sapphire Jubilee'.
But what exactly is a 'jubilee'? In
simplest terms a jubilee marks an
important milestone. The term has its
origins in the Old Testament where every
50th year was to be declared a year of
jubilee when debts would be forgiven,
celebrations had, and slaves freed.

Within Christianity the first jubilee year
was held in 1300. The previous year and
seen an upsurge in the number of
pilgrims owing to war and disease
occurring in many parts of Europe. Some
pilgrims persuaded Pope Boniface VIII
that great indulgences had been granted
about 100 years before. The Pope decided
to institute a jubilee year for the
remission of sins and universal ​pardon.
Originally meant to be celebrated ever
100 years the duration was soon
shortened to roughly every 25 years. 

When monarchs started celebrating jubilee years is somewhat
unclear. George III was the first to celebrate a Golden Jubilee
(50 years on the throne). Relatively few monarchs have
reached such a milestone and in the British Isles relatively
few monarchs have reached their Silver Jubilee (25 years on
​the throne) the shortest jubilee celebrated. 

Traditionally royal jubilees occur in the following order:
Silver (25 years)
Ruby (40 years)
Golden (50 years)
Diamond (60 years)
Sapphire (65 years)
Platinum (70 years)

A 100 year anniversary is known as a centenary rather than a
jubilee. Obviously no monarch has celebrated a centenary of
their reign although Pharaoh Pepi II Neferkare of Egypt
supposedly came close with a reign of 94 years. Should Her
Majesty reign until 2022 she will be the first Canadian
monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee.

Jubilees have often been occasion to celebrate including the
issuing of jubilee medals to worthy individuals, parades, and
similar events.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Over the last year the Quaco Museum
in St. Martins, New Brunswick, has
been trying to raise money to buy a
long-lost ship's figurehead. Earlier
this month they succeeded in their
quest to bring the figurehead home.

There is a little bit of a dispute over
who the figurehead actually depicts.
The Quaco Museum claims it is a
representation of Prince Albert
Victor, the grandson of Queen
Victoria. However, Ronald J. Jack
over at The Lost Valley Blog has put
together a good argument for a
different candidate:

Article One
Article Two
​Article Three
​Article Four

It is unfortunate that the Quanco Museum seems opposed to
the idea that the figurehead just might represent Prince Victor
of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. He led an interesting life and
deserves a bit more attention.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Today is May 29th and as I have
recently learned that means today is
Oak Apple Day. This celebration is
little known today but in the 1600s it
was a big deal. 

In 1660 the English monarchy was
restored with the return of King
Charles II. The English Parliament
declared that "to be for ever kept as a
day of thanksgiving for our
redemption from tyranny and the
King's return to his Government, he
entering London that day."

Oak Apple Day was celebrated as an official holiday until 1859
when the British Parliament abolished the celebration. I have
not ​been able to find the reason why they did so.

The name of the day refers to the
oak tree Charles hid in while
evading capture by the
Roundheads. 'Oak Apples' are a
form of plant gall and it was
common practice to wear a sprig
of them for the occasion. The
holiday is still celebrated
sporadically in parts of England.

It is a pity that Oak Apple Day is no longer celebrated in an
official capacity. Redemption from the tyranny of a republic
is certainly something worth celebrating.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Royal tours are one of the
times when the monarchy is
most visible to Canadians. The
purposes of the royal tour, or
homecomings, are not always
that well understood by 
Canadians.

Members of the Royal Family
have been living, working, &
visiting Canada since 1786. Early royal tours were made by
princes (and princesses) since the long sea voyage made it
unfeasible for the sovereign to both rule and visit their
overseas territories. The tours were meant to be a chance for
the people to see their royal family and for said royals to gain
experience in military and civil administration. 

In many ways the American
Revolution had as much of a
hand in creating Canada as it
did the United States. How
fitting that the first royal tour
occurred at roughly the same
​time.

Prince William (later King
William IV) was given
command of the HMS
Pegasus in 1786. He traveled
to Newfoundland, Nova
Scotia, and the Province of
Canada. The tour lasted
about a year. 

In Placentia, Newfoundland Prince William had to break up a
riot on one occasion and hear a court case on another. As the
colonies largely lacked a permanent administration it was not
entirely uncommon for senior naval officers to take on such
duties. On two occasions Prince William led church services
attended by both Protestants and a few Catholics. He would
go on to finance the building of a church for the community.

He eventually proceeded to Halifax and to the Province of
Canada. The Prince traveled inland to modern-day Cornwall,
Ontario. There he encouraged the Loyalists building new lives
for themselves in the wilderness. He also met with First
Nations living around Montreal and was greeted with great
excitement.

Prince William stayed in Canada
for only a short time but his
brother, Prince Edward, would
end up spending nine years in the
growing colonies. I have already
detailed Prince Edward's time in
another post so I will move on. 

Both brothers saw to the positive
development of Canada and
began a tradition that continues
​to this day.

The royal tours undertaken in the 1800s were for the most
part shorter in length with the exception of Princess Louise,
who served for five years as the vice-regal couple with her
husband from 1878 to 1883.

The 1900s brought an increase in the number of royal tours as
transportation across the Atlantic became faster. Tours also
tended to include more parts of Canada. Princess Patricia
would spend six years in Canada and become immensely
popular with Canadians. It was still only princes and
princesses undertaking royal tours until 1957 when Queen
Elizabeth II became the first reigning sovereign to visit Canada and open a session of the Canadian Parliament. 

Tours have increasingly become centered around specific
themes. For instance the 2005 royal tour was organized as a
chance for Her Majesty and all other Canadians to honour
"The Spirit of Nation Builders."

Besides royal tours you also have 'working visits' that have
less of the pomp and circumstance and generally involve a
member of the Canadian Royal Family carrying out some of
their less public duties. The charity work of the Princess Royal
and Prince Harry's military training in Alberta being
examples. In a sense the working visits undertaken by
members of the Royal Family more resemble the royal tours
of the past while visits by the reigning monarch have become
a form of 'patriotic festival'. 

Royal tours are a chance for the people and their monarch to
come together in celebration of Canada. As the personal face
of what would otherwise be the distant entity, the state, the
monarch serves to humanize it. By bringing attention to
communities that might not always be on the government
radar royal tours stress the importance of all peoples and
regions of our fair dominion. 

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Edit: This is only the first part of the Prince's address. I
accidentally posted it before I had copied over the whole
thing. You can read the address in its entirety here while
I slowly transcribe the rest. 

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

​---

Gentlemen of the British Association,

Your kind invitation to me to undertake the office of your
President for the ensuing year could not but startle me on its
first announcement. The high position which science
occupies, the vast number of distinguished men who labour in
her sacred cause, and whose achievements, while spreading
innumerable benefits, justly attract the admiration of mankind, contrasted strongly in my mind with the
consciousness of my own insignificance in this respect. I, a
simple admirer, and would-be student of science, to take the
place of the chief spokesman of the scientific men of the day,
assembled in furtherance of their important objects! - the
thing appeared to me impossible. Yet, on reflection, I came to
the conclusion that, if not as a contributor to, or director of
your labours, I might still be useful to you, useful to science,
by accepting your offer. Remembering that this Association is
a popular Association, not a secret confraternity of men
jealously guarding the mysteries of their profession, but
inviting the uninitiated, the public-at-large, to join them,
having as one of its objects to break down those imaginary
and hurtful barriers which exist between men of science and
so-called men of practice - I felt that I could, from the 
peculiar position in which Providence has placed me in this
country, appear as the representative of that large public,
which profits by and admires your exertions, but is unable
actively to join in them; that my election was an act of
humility on your part, which to reject would have looked like
false humility, that is like pride, on mine. But I reflected
further, and saw in my acceptance the means, of which
necessarily so few are offered to Her Majesty, of testifying to
you, through the instrumentality of her husband, that your
labours are not unappreciated by your Sovereign, and that
she wishes her people to know this as well as yourselves.
Guided by these reflections, my choice was speedily made,
for the path of duty lay straight before me.

If these, however, are the motives which have induced me to
accept your flattering offer of the presidency, a request on my
part is hardly necessary that you will receive my efforts to 
fulfill its duties with kind indulgence.

If it were possible for anything to make me still more aware
how much I stand in need of this indulgence, it is the
recollection of the person whom I have to succeed as your
​President - a man of whom this country is justly proud, and
whose name stands among the foremost of the Naturalists in
Europe for his patience in investigation, conscientiousness in
observation, boldness of imagination, and acuteness in
reasoning. You have no doubt listened with pleasure to his
parting address, and I beg to thank him for the flattering
manner in which he has alluded to me in it.

​The Association meets for the first time today in these regions
and in this ancient and interesting city. The Poet, in his works
of fiction, has to choose, and anxiously to weigh, where to lay
his scene, knowing that, like the Painter, he is thus laying in
the background of his picture, which will give tone and colour
to the whole. The stern and dry reality of life is governed by
the same laws, and we are here living, feeling, and thinking
under the influence of the local impressions of this northern
seaport. The choice appears to me a good one. The travelling
Philosophers have had to come far, but in approaching the
Highlands of Scotland they meet nature in its wild and
primitive form, and Nature is the object of their studies. The
Geologist will not find many oddities in yonder mountains,
because he will stand there on the bare backbone of the globe;
but the Primary rocks which stand out in their nakedness,
exhibit the grandeur and beauty of their peculiar form, and in
the splendid quarries of this neighbourhood are seen to
peculiar advantage the closeness and hardness of their mass,
and their inexhaustible supply for the use of man, made
available by the application of new mechanical powers. 

There are few Canadian monarchs
who have courted more controversy
than King Edward VIII. Much of this
stems from changing social mores
and having had little time, nor desire,
to frame his own narrative.

Born in 1894 the new prince was
third in line to the throne after his
grandfather and father. His
upbringing was typical for a royal at
the time. However, one of his nannies
was found to have physically abused
​him.

His schooling was extensive, as was expected of a future king,
but the young prince did not excel to any particular degree.
He left Oxford after eight years without have gained any
​academic qualifications.

​In 1911 Edward was officially invested as the Prince of Wales.
Shortly before World War One Prince Edward had joined the
Grenadier Guards and he wanted to serve on the front lines.
However, Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener nixed the
idea citing the harm that might come from his capture by the
enemy. Being prevented from fighting on the front lines did
not stop Prince Edward from visiting as often as he could. As
such he saw the horrors of trench warfare firsthand. This would have an impact on his later political beliefs. His role in
the war (despite being limited) made him popular with the
rank and file soldiers.

Throughout the late 1910s & 1920s Prince Edward often
represented the King at events throughout the British Empire.
During a tour of Canada in 1919 he acquired the Bedingfield
Ranch in Alberta. Many important Canadians would visit the
Prince's new ranch. Edward would stay at the ranch during
his years as prince and, after his abdication, his years as Duke
of Windsor. In 1927 as part of Canada's 60th birthday
celebrations him and his brother officially opened The
Prince's Gate. 

While Prince Edward was at the height of his popularity
during these years two issues had arisen that would greatly
sour his legacy. The first issue was his views on his future
subjects that would charitably be called racist. The second
issue was his preference for women who were either married
or who the general public would not accept as queen. While
the first issue was largely ignored at the time (his views not
being too far from elite opinion at the time) it would come to
have the greatest effect on his legacy. The second issue was
the one that would most immediately bring him down (but
​which the general public cares little about these days).

In the 1930s Prince Edward met American divorcee Wallis
Simpson. Their relationship caused no small degree of
concern in the government. The police were ordered to follow
the two and establish the nature of their relationship.

In 1936 Edward ascended to the throne as Edward VIII.
Almost immediately he began to break royal protocol. On a
tour of Southern Wales he stated that "something must be
done" for the unemployed coal miners there. The government
interpreted this as improper interference.

On November 16th, 1936 King
Edward VIII called for his Prime
Minister. His Majesty informed Prime
Minister Stanley Baldwin of his
intention to marry Wallis Simpson.
Baldwin informed the King that the
public would not find this acceptable.
The King offered morganic marriage
as a suitable compromise. The British
Cabinet rejected this as well. And in
what was likely a first the dominion
governments of Australia, Canada &
South Africa expressed disapproval of the King marrying a
divorcee. King Edward was faced with three choices: 1. Give
up on marrying Wallis Simpson, 2. Marry against the wishes
of cabinet, or 3. abdicate. The King refused the first option
and knew the second would cause a constitutional crisis. Thus
​the King made the decision to abdicate. The reaction to the
decision were manly negative and Canadian Prime Minister
Mackenzie King wrote in his diary that, "...if that is the kind of
man he is it is better he should not be longer on the Throne." 

After his abdication Edward (soon to be made Duke of
Wndsor) became a bit of a pariah. He married Wallis Simpson
on June 3rd, 1936. The ceremony was performed by Robert
Anderson Jardine (an act that cost him his position). The new
King George VI forbade the Royal Family from attending. This
act created a great deal of resentment over the following
years.

In 1937 the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, against the advice
of the British government, visited Nazi Germany. During the
visit the Duke gave full Nazi Salutes and met with Hitler.
There is some disagreement about whether the Duke favoured
fascism or not. His low opinion of other races has been used
as evidence Edward did favour it. However, in Edward's own
words "the unending scenes of horror" of World War One had
led him to support appeasement. Hitler's opinion of the Duke
is far less ambiguous believing that as king he would have
been an ally and that his abdication was a serious loss to
Germany. The couple's continuing association with known or
suspected Nazi sympathizers did not help quell the suspicions
about their political beliefs. This photo certainly didn't help: 

Rumours that Hitler intended to install Edward as king of a
British puppet state after he conquered the British Isles are
most likely mere fancy. The number of royals Hitler installed
in Europe is exactly zero. Even members of the former
German Imperial Family were only feted until Hitler realized
they wouldn't be of any further use to him.

However, it is likely the concerns that the Duke possibly had
Nazi sympathies that led him to be appointed governor of the
Bahamas (and far away from Europe) in 1940. He made the
final leg of his trip to the Bahamas on the Canadian
Steamship Lady Somers. He would remain governor of the
Bahamas throughout the war. Edward was praised for
combating poverty on the islands and defusing civil unrest
over low wages in Nassau. However, he considered the blacks
to be incapable of self-government and blamed the civil
unrest on communists and Jews.

After the war the Duke occasionally attended official
functions in Britain, spent time at his ranch in Alberta,
wrote the occasional book, and more or less lived in
retirement.

As time has gone on the role his marriage played in Edward's
​abdication has been downplayed. Instead his politics have
been given greater weight. As Historian Philip Williamson
argues this is a mistake brought about by the increased social
acceptance of divorce. Edward's views were certainly racist
but there is little evidence he supported Nazism. He remains
the most controversial member of Canada's Royal Family.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour 

New Year's levées are a common tradition in Canada. Held by
​the Governor General, Lieutenant Governors, the military,
municipalities, and other organizations the levées serve to
welcome in the new year and create on opportunity for the
​public to pay their respects.

The levée was exclusively an event for men until after World
War Two when female officers of the armed forces began
attending the military levées. From that point on both men
and women have attended the New Year's Levée.
Refreshments are a major part of the levées. It is believed that
those who came to pay their respects to the civil leaders
expected to be fed. This expectation apparently once caused
an "almighty row" in 1856 on Vancouver Island when the colonial governor's levée was not to the attendees liking.

While once common the levée has over time become nearly an
exclusively Canadian tradition.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour