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Romana Didulo: Canada's False Pretender

1/30/2023

0 Comments

 
PictureThe face of treason
There has been, since 2020, a woman in 
Canada claiming to be the real Queen of 
Canada. Her name is Romana Didulo. 
The basis of her claim to the throne? 
Nothing. No secret royal parentage and 
certainly no popular acclaim or noble 
support. Some media outlets in their 
eternal quest for neutrality use the word 'pretender' and 
repeat her self-granted title. But in this instance this is not a 
neutral stance to take as the word pretender implies some sort
of legal claim which Didulo simply does. not. have. The term 
the media is looking for is 'false pretender' as she is merely a
grifter and charlatan. Also, she has no claim to her second
self-declared title of 'Queen of the World' in case anyone was
​wondering.

So Why Talk About Her?

For the same reason someone might discuss a train wreck or
terrible crime. How can you not talk about the spectacle of it
all? But if this was just about some looney making absurd
claims it wouldn't be worth an article. No, the reason I am
writing this post is because Didulo presents several kinds of
​threats to Canada, its people, and its monarchy.   

Threat to Canada

This is actually a larger section of this article than I think
people should reasonably be comfortable with. To date she
has instructed her followers (estimated to number between
60,000 and 70,000 based on subscribers to her Telegram
account) to 'shoot to kill' healthcare workers in November of
2021. She has also threatened execution against various
supposed enemies and sent pseudo-legal cease and desist
letters to various schools and other organizations.

Perhaps the most troubling thing she has done (despite her
efforts to distance herself) was to encourage 30 of her
followers to storm a Peterborough police headquarters and
'arrest' the officers present in August of 2022. This ended
about as well as one ​might expect.

While currently not an existential threat to government
institutions, the fact she has followers willing to go to extreme
​lengths does make her potentially dangerous.

Threat to Canadians

In most instances Didulo is more an annoyance than a threat.
Cease and desist letters can be trashed, threats of violence
reported, and protests ignored. Ironically, she is of greatest
danger to her supporters. By encouraging them not to pay
taxes and fees she has caused several to lose their homes. By
extorting money to fund cross-country tours she has reduced
several members to poverty. She has also left some of her 
supporters stranded on the wrong side of the country when
they started having doubts. She's an all-around dick is what
I'm trying to say. And while it is hard to have sympathy for
these people I will play moron's advocate and argue that,
maybe, the government shouldn't allow a swindler free reign
(heh, pun) to destroy the lives of the gullible and easily led.
That might ​just be me though.

Threat to the Monarchy

This one is a bit more nebulous. Monarchy is a venerable
institution. A person making a mockery of it degrades its
prestige. Didulo's personal behavior doesn't make this any
better as she is reportedly quite tyrannical towards her own
supporters. This reinforces a stereotype common in media
that monarchs can't possibly be good people. In one rather
pathetic account a mother wrote how she took her children to
see this 'Queen of Canada'. Didulo has no conception of the
role she is trying to claim. No regard for its responsibilities
nor its restrictions. All she sees is a licence to do what she
pleases. That isn't monarchy, its anarchy.  

Why Hasn't She Been Arrested?

This is a good question. She was brieftly detained after her
threats against healthcare workers in November, 2021 for a
psychiatric evaluation which she somehow passed. Computer
equipment was also seized. But other than this minor hiccup
she has been left alone. What could she be charged with?

Impersonation - In Canada it is illegal to impersonate
another person. However, Didulo isn't doing this. It is also a
crime to impersonate a police officer or military member but,
crucially, this doesn't seem to apply to any other government
position.

High Treason - Didulo hasn't tried to kill the king and
claims the Queen was killed long before her actual death. She
also has not engaged in war with Canada.

Treason - Didulo hasn't tried to overthrow the government.

The above leads to an interesting observation; you could build
up a parallel government in Canada and provided you left
actually removing the existing government to last there isn't
much the government could do. This seems like a loop hole 
that ought not to exist. 

Final Thoughts

Thus far Romana Didulo has been very good at knowing how
far she can push without trouble coming back to her. She is
playing a dangerous game though. No one has full control
over their followers, especially radical ones, and there will
always be a risk of one doing something that gets Didulo in a
great deal of trouble. Hopefully, no one gets hurt in the
process.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour
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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

12/28/2022

 
It has been quite a year. Queen Elizabeth II oversaw a historic 
platinum jubilee. Her death, while saddening, resulted in no 
mad rush for the door at the prospect of King Charles III as 
republicans had long predicted (hoped?). Instead, the new 
king has taken to his role with vigor and the people have been 
largely supportive. The Queen's presence benefitted the
monarchy but she knew more than anyone else that the
institution of monarchy isn't about any one person. Over the
last few years she had been slowly easing the public into the
new reign. Quite the contrast with the republican system in
which preparing a successor is almost never seen as desirable.

The King's Christmas Address

"With all my heart I wish each of you a Christmas of peace,
happiness, and everlasting light.
"

Prince George the Artist

The Prince and Princess of Wales shared a painting by Prince
George a few days ago. It appears he has his grandfather's
talent with the brush.
Picture

New Year's Levee

This year will mark the return of the New Year's Levee for
many of Canada's vice-regal offices. It is sometimes forgotten
that the New Year's Levee is a distinctly Canadian tradition
that has its origins in court protocol of the French monarchy
and was adapted by fur traders and early governors of New France (Quebec) as a time to pay one's respects to the crown,
receive news from Europe, and let loose a little bit. British
authorities continued these traditions and are now celebrated
across the country.

The Year Ahead

While the last few years have demonstrated the foolishness of
trying to predict what will happen in the coming year there 
are a few things to look out for:

​The Coronation
While the exact details have not been worked out, the King
rejected the idea of a 'bargain bin' coronation. One change
likely to be seen is in the title 'Defender of the Faith'. The King
has stated in the past that the monarch, while adhering to
one faith, should seek to protect all faiths and stated a
preference for 'Defender of Faith'.

Fiji
The Fijian parliament is in a minority situation and the
coalition government has stated they wish to restore the Great
Council of Chiefs which was previously parliament's upper
house. The Great Council of Chiefs famously continued to
recognize Queen Elizabeth II as paramount chief long after
Fiji became a republic. While I'm not getting my hopes up for
​a royal restoration in a country that still uses some of its royal symbols it is a step in the right direction.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Demographic Breakdown of Support and Opposition to the Monarchy Earlier This Month in Parliament

11/30/2022

 
Late last month there was a motion introduced by MP Yves-
François Blanchet of the Bloc Quebecois advocating for the
abolition of the monarchy. I have been somewhat busy this
month due to municipal elections in New Brunswick and was
not able to get to it right away. As it turns out the Parliament
of Canada keeps a breakdown of how each vote goes on its
website which is a wonderful resource to have. Lets see if
anything interesting can be found from looking at the raw
numbers.

Summary

Motion: the House express its desire to sever ties between
the Canadian State and the British monarchy, and call on the
government to take the actions necessary to do so.
Yea: 44
Nay: 266
Abstention/Absent: 28
Result: Motion Defeated

Party Breakdown

Bloc Quebecois
Yea: 31
Nay: 0
​Abstention/Absent: 1
-Perhaps not surprisingly the party whose leader introduced
the motion supported it fully. 

New Democratic Party
Yea: 10
Nay: 7
​Abstention/Absent: 8
-Of all the results I find this one the most interesting. The 
NDP has a republican leader (although he didn't vote on this
motion) but also a large contingent of members who support
the monarchy. During the last survey of NDP leadership
candidates I received several comments from members who
don't vote for the party because they don't trust the party on
this issue. It should also be noted that if the Bloc wanted a
wedge issue to cause trouble for the NDP they couldn't find
a better one. The Bloc traditionally hasn't weighed in on the
monarchy as their stated goal is independence regardless so
the timing seemed odd. They do have to watch out for rivals
though and the NDP has in recent memory absolutely curb
stomped the Bloc. The NDP has also been a fairly effective partner in the current minority government. Does the Bloc
sincerely dislike the monarchy? Yes, but keeping their rivals
from posing a threat is also a concern.

Green Party
Yea: 1
Nay: 1
​Abstention/Absent: 0
-Elizabeth May continues to be a strong supporter of the
monarchy. This is the first time we have gotten to see what
Mike Morrice's views are. While disappointing, at least we
know them now. Mike has been suggested as a potential
leader for the party down the road so it is something to watch.

​Liberal Party
Yea: 1
Nay: 145
​Abstention/Absent: 12
-I'll get into the geographic breakdown next but the one yea
vote was from a Quebec MP. I have been somewhat critical 
of the Liberal's handling of the monarchy file over the years
but they can be counted on to not rock the boat at least.

Conservative Party
Yea: 0
Nay: 112
​Abstention/Absent: 7
-The Conservative Party continues to be a bastion of loyalty. I
had been worried when Pierre Poilievre was elected leader of
the party due to the complete lack of any statements made
regarding the monarchy and his overall populist leanings. He
is either a closet monarchist or realizes the split this would
cause in his support is even greater than in the NDP's case.

Independent MPs
Yea: 1
Nay: 1
​Abstention/Absent: 0
-One Quebec yea vote and one Ontario nay vote. Just goes to
show the more things change the more they stay the same.

Regional Breakdown

Atlantic Canada
Yea: 0
​Nay: 30
​Abstention/Absent: 2
-Of passing interest is the absence of a vote by MP Jenica
Atwin, former Green Party MP.

Quebec

Yea: 34
​Nay: 41
​Abstention/Absent: 3
-Despite the Bloc Quebecois voting entirely in favour of the
motion they still didn't manage a majority in their own
province. 

Ontario

Yea: 3
​Nay: 107
​Abstention/Absent: 11
-Interestingly of the five NDP MPs in Ontario three didn't cast
a vote and the remaining two voted in favour.

Prairies

Yea: 3
​Nay: 52
​Abstention/Absent: 7
-Given the large Conservative contingent on the prairies this
lopsided result was expected. The NDP here heavily
supported the motion. 

British Columbia

Yea: 3
​Nay: 35
​Abstention/Absent: 4
-The NDP split on this question was most pronounced in BC
with three supporting it, seven opposing it, and three not
voting. 

Territories

Yea: 1
​Nay: 1
​Abstention/Absent: 1

The Debate

Openparliament.ca has the full debate on the motion. There
are a great deal of tired arguments. Some of which I've dealt
with before. The debate will be a useful reference in the
future. Whether they like it or not many MPs have had to take
a stand.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

How King Charles III Can Keep His Voice During His Reign

10/27/2022

 
Picture
Earlier this month former British 
Prime Minister Liz Truss managed, 
during her very short time in office, 
to advise His Majesty not to attend 
the environmental gathering known 
as COP27. By convention the king has
a duty to follow the advice of his
prime minister even if pretty much
everyone knows he doesn't want to.
Even now, with a brand new prime
minister in place, His Majesty is not
likely to attend. There is still a bit of debate over how much
this was a joint decision but for the sake of this article lets
assume King Charles III would want to attend COP27 to bring
further attention to increasingly worrisome environmental
issues. How could he do so?

The unimaginative might suggest he simply ignore his prime
minister's advice. He is not likely to do this. Not only would it
damage a working relationship that will (presumably) last
more than a couple months, it would feed into the perception
that he intends to 'meddle' in government affairs. Both factors
would reduce the monarch's considerable soft power which is
​worth avoiding.
As it happens there is a way for His Majesty to continue to
carry out most, if not all, of his previous work and it is by
learning from an incident that took place in Canada in 1973.
At the time Canada was hosting a meeting of Commonwealth
leaders. British prime minister Edward Heath, for whatever
reason, advised the Queen not to attend. The Commonwealth
was to the Queen what the environment is to the King. The
Queen was able to attend the meeting because she received an
invitation to attend as the Queen of Canada by Pierre Trudeau
(hey! History is starting to rhyme a little). This works as while
the monarch can be advised not to do something in their
capacity as monarch of that country, they can't be barred from
acting as monarch of another country. With this we have ​a
blue print for King Charles III regaining his voice.
Picture
First meeting between Prime Minister Trudeau and His Majesty
Now, I could suggest that Justin Trudeau invite the King and
this would make a certain amount of sense. Justin Trudeau
has come under criticism for making very little progress on
his climate plan. Having a champion of climate reform
present distracts from this narrative and is the type of
ceremonial action the prime minister is good at. That said,
Trudeau hasn't been overly kind to the monarchy during his
time in office. Are there any other candidates? Well, yes,
actually. Papua New Guinea recently stated they wished to
deepen ties with the Royal Family. And climate change will
hit Papua New Guinea, and other equatorial nations with
particular severity. The King and hi
s Papua New Guinean
realm could make common cause at COP27. And there is no
reason the King couldn't ask around the rest of the
Commonwealth for partners on other issues. King Charles III
is head of 15 countries. Perhaps he should make better use of
this fact.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

State of Monarchy in the Caribbean

9/21/2022

 
PictureCaribbean Realm Flags
Not too long ago there was some
controversy during the Cambridge's tour
of the Caribbean, although this was really
about some politicians and activists trying
to shake things up. Royal tours
everywhere spark debates all the time.

In reality this tour was very successful.

The Queen was evidently not seen as a
colonial ruler in the West Indies and
continued to be appreciated by many. As I’m writing this, I’m
thinking about my Jamaican-British classmate at music
school who told me that "everybody dances about the
Queen
" when she visited.

Picture
Crowds greet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Trench Town
​Attitudes to the monarchy appear to differ between the
politicians and the general public. A lot of these countries in
the West Indies have threatened to “cut colonial ties” for
decades now but in most places little progress was made with
this.


UK overseas territory Bermuda rejected independence in 1995
despite this being what their politicians campaigned for.
Bermuda would have remained a commonwealth realm even
if they had hypothetically voted yes. 
Bermudian politicians
continue to be nationalistic. Premier David Burt released a
statement following the Queen’s death, like most
commonwealth leaders, but what was rather concerning was that it read “I express sincere condolences to the Royal
Family and the people of the United Kingdom
”, implying that
he is not acknowledging the queen's role in Bermuda.

Despite this kind of attitude from the Premier, the Queen did
make her fair share of visits to Bermuda which were greeted
with enthusiasm by the Bermudian people.


The decision of the Barbados government last year was rather
appalling; going ahead with removed the monarchy with an
act of parliament rather than a public referendum. The
justification for this was that the party in power won every
seat in Parliament and were explicitly republican in ideology.
Although, if you look at the broader picture; both major
parties have republican sentiment so who else were the people
supposed to vote for? 
The new head of state of Barbados was a
president chosen by their one party parliament who had
previously served as the Governor General. None of this
sounds very republican of them.


Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced her intention to do
this with a rather patriotic tone, saying that Barbados will “cut
colonial ties with Great Britain
” on independence day. 

Polling data suggests that Barbadians would have either preferred a monarchy, or would have been indifferent about
change, but a majority wished to be consulted about the
change. 
It’s sad to hear that Barbados was allegedly
encouraged to do this out of debt diplomacy with the PRC but
this really says more about their government than it does
about royalty.


The backlash during Prince William's royal tour obviously
caused him to feel quite remorseful. He acknowledged the
history of slavery in Jamaica and even conceding in the future
to ‘let the people decide’. 
Overall, the process to ‘ditch the crown’ is an empty threat and has been much slower for Jamaica than in Barbados precisely because the people must
be consulted.


Republicans in every realm have to a large extent waited for
Prince Charles to ascend before beginning to push for a
constitutional referendum. This has finally happened, though
if they want to make this a serious campaign, surely they
wouldn’t want to start too soon. Approval ratings of King
Charles III have gone up greatly since his ascension.


Queen Elizabeth II was obviously known to take her role
seriously in the West Indies, and there is no reason why King
Charles III can’t prove himself willing to do the same now.


Loyally Yours,

Lord Ludichris

Royal Residences: Fredericton Government House

7/31/2022

 
In late June I had the pleasure to visit New Brunswick's 
Government House in Fredericton to attend a garden party 
hosted by the Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick, 
Brenda Murphy. For those unfamiliar, a 'government house' is
the term for an official residence of the monarch in Canada 
and around the Commonwealth. In Canada the government 
houses also serve as the residence of Her Majesty's vice-regal 
representatives.

Exterior

Picture
Note the masonry work on the right where windows/doors have been removed.
Government House was built in 1828 in the Georgian style.
However, in 1890 then Lieutenant-Governor Samuel Tilley
relocated as he felt the maintenance budget for the building
was too small (given the current ramshackle nature of the
prime minister's official residence this is believable). For the
next 109 years the building served a number of purposes
including a military barracks and headquarters of the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police. In 1958 it was designated a
National Historic Site of Canada followed by a similar
provincial designation in 1996. This kicked off an effort to
refurbish the building which finished in 1999 and the building
​returned to its original purpose as a government house.

PictureEfforts were taken to find plants native to New Brunswick
The building has extensive
gardens. Indeed, the event I was
attending was in honour of Her
Majesty's Platinum Jubilee and
an addition to the ground's gardens to mark the event. There
are a number of large trees on the
property and its distance from
the downtown core gives it the feel of a private residence. The
​building overlooks the Saint John River and a cycling path runs along the back between the building and the river.

The grounds are commonly used for Canada Day and New
Brunswick Day ​celebrations.
Picture
Tree planted in honour of former Lieutenant-Governor Jocelyne Roy-Vienneau 1956-2019

Interior

Excluding the basement (the 'dungeon') the building has three
floors with the first and second storey open to the public and
the third storey serving as the residence.
Picture
Picture
There is an extensive collection of
artwork housed on the first and
second floors. Spiral stairways at
both ends of the building provide
access to the upper floors.

One wing of the main floor is set
aside for First Nations artwork owing
to their close relationship with the
​Crown.
Picture
Robes worn by Lady Dunn to the Queen's coronation
Due to the building's long history of non-use as a residence it
is one of several government houses in Canada that has never
had a ​monarch spend the night.

Gallery

Picture
'The Heart of the Empire' 1935. Presented to the Lieutenant-Governor in 2013 by the Monarchist League of Canada
Picture
Second Floor Gallery
Picture
First Floor Sitting Room
Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

2022 Conservative Party Leadership Race: Views on the Monarchy

5/17/2022

 
This article is a collection of responses from candidates for 
the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada 
regarding 
the monarchy. 
It will continue to be updated as more replies
roll in. 


I have again included a scoreboard for the candidates as well as a section for notable quotes.

Questions & Replies

The questions that were posed to the candidates are below.
The questions are largely the same as the last survey except
for the addition of question 5.
1. What are your views on the monarchy? 
2. As prime minister would you make use of the Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal
Appointments that was active between 2010 and 2015? 
3. In 2019 the government cancelled a program that mailed physical copies of the
Queen's portrait to any Canadian who asked free of charge. Would you restore this
program? 
4. The government also removed the Queen's portrait from the lobby of the Foreign
Affairs Office and replaced it with paintings by Alfred Pallen. Would you find a
way to have both paintings and portrait share the ample wall space of the Foreign
Affairs Office lobby? 
5. The current government has not committed to supporting the creation of a
Platinum Jubilee Medal to mark Her Majesty's 70th year on the throne. What are
your views on this? 
Below are links to each candidate's reply and a short look at
any previous comments they may have made in regards to the
monarchy. Candidates who failed to qualify or withdrew are
included for historical reference.

Qualified to appear on the b
allot
Pierre Poilievre
Leslyn Lewis
Jean Charest
Roman Baber
Patrick Brown
Scott Aitchison

No longer in the race
Leona Alleslev

Crown & Cap Scoreboard

​Here I have ranked the candidates support for, or opposition
to, the monarchy. 
Keep in mind this is only my assessment
and your mileage 
may vary. Also, note that changes may occur
as the campaign goes on.

The crown score is out of five crowns with each candidate

receiving one crown for stating support for the monarchy
in 
their reply, one crown for having defended the monarchy
in 
Parliament, two crowns for outlining how they would
improve 
the monarchy's role in the future, and one crown for
having spoken in support of the monarchy outside of 
Parliament. 

The cap score is likewise out of five caps with one cap given to
a candidate for being opposed to the 
monarchy in their reply,
one cap for desiring a referendum 
on the monarchy, one cap
for opposing the monarchy in 
Parliament and two caps for
making the establishment of a 
Canadian republic a part of
their policy platform.
Picture
Leona Alleslev
Ms. Alleslev scored well on all points except
having spoken on the monarchy outside of
Parliament. Also, while she spoke of the
monarchy fairly often in Parliament she was
never in the position of having to defend the
institution.
Score:
Picture
Picture
Scott Aitchison
Mr. Aitchison missed out on a perfect score
only because he has never spoken about, let
alone defended, Canada's monarchy on the
floor of Parliament.
Score:
Picture
Picture
Jean Charest
Mr. Charest is interesting in that of all the
candidates he has had plenty of time to say
a lot about the monarchy but hasn't and his
score reflects this.
Score:
Picture

​I would like to thank all of the candidates for getting back to
me. While I might disagree at times with the replies I receive
it is at least good to know that politicians still take the time
to reply to ordinary Canadians.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Jean Charest

5/17/2022

 
Picture
Just yesterday I received a reply from 
Jean Charest to my survey of the tory 
leadership candidates regarding their 
views on the monarchy. Before getting 
into the survey answers I will briefly go 
over any statements Jean Charest has 
made in Parliament or in the media. In 
this case very briefly as I could not find 
much. The only instance appears to be
a comment made during a previous
royal homecoming on how any protests
would not effect Quebec's image on the
​world stage.

Jean Charest's replies to the survey are below:

1. What are your views on the monarchy? 

"My position is consistent with the Party in maintaining our
ties with the Monarchy and retaining the Queen as a Head of
State. Constitutional questions involving the Monarchy are
not high priorities for Canadians with our current state of
the federation divided over issues like equalization and
resources.
"

2. As prime minister would you make use of the
Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments
that was active between 2010 and 2015?
 

"Yes."

3. In 2019 the government cancelled a program that
mailed physical copies of the Queen's portrait to any
Canadian who asked free of charge. Would you
restore this program? 


"Yes."

4. The government also removed the Queen's portrait
from the lobby of the Foreign Affairs Office and
replaced it with paintings by Alfred Pallen. Would
you find a way to have both paintings and portrait
share the ample wall space of the Foreign Affairs
Office lobby?
 

"I would leave such a determination, as I would in any
individual department to the appropriate Minister. Should
each elect to post a portrait within their department such
issues would not pre-occupy me as Prime Minister nor
should they become national news.
"

5. The current government has not committed to
supporting the creation of a Platinum Jubilee Medal
to mark Her Majesty's 70th year on the throne. What
are your views on this?
 

"I believe Canada’s position should be consistent with the
Commonwealth in having one available. I received the
Golden Jubilee medal in 2002.
"

Jean Charest's positions would help fix damage done to the
institution over the last number of years but I am slightly
concerned over question #1. Being asked about what your
views on a topic and replying with party policy is a deflection.
Question #4 concerns me less as leaving ministers to handle
their own departments is a fair position to take.

Overall, I get the sense that Mr. Charest has an intellectual
appreciation for the monarchy but not a deep-seated love for
the institution.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Prince Charles, His Detractors, and the Future of the Monarchy

5/17/2022

 
PicturePrince Charles
Prince Charles has been sometimes 
criticised for the way he expresses his views 
on matters of personal interest to him such 
as environmental affairs. However, a 
monarch being involved in political affairs 
is hardly something that would doom a 
constitutional monarchy. Charles’s image is 
really bound-up with the drama of his two 
marriages rather than his personality. 

The politician from across the Commonwealth who has really
trash talked Charles the most, is perhaps Maxime Bernier, at
least in recent times. Bernier in his days as a cabinet minister
never revealed any republican sentiment but as the
momentum of his right-wing populist movement has grown,
he has become more vocal over the issue. At this point,
Maxime is unlikely to return to Ottawa anyway even if the
PPC vote does increase by a large margin, but, this still could
put pressure on the Tories.
Picture
The monarchy in Canada has actually proven to be a pretty
resilient thing however controversial it may be. This might be
attributed to the Monarchist League of Canada having been
able to stay focused on presenting the argument for monarchy
in a non-partisan way and working to maintain a degree of
influence, to the extent of perhaps having the chairman sit
next to the leader of the opposition at a state dinner, or having
the deputy prime minister attend one of their events.

But the biggest threat to the monarchy in Canada is the
perception of Prince Charles being political. However, the
monarchy’s European counterparts show that this does not
need to be so. The other monarchies in Europe appear to
generally be suffering less controversy than that of the House
of Windsor despite being perceived as being more political. It
is also important to remember that whilst the financing of the
monarchy in the UK is part of the debate, Canada does not
send a single penny to Buckingham Palace. It would be
difficult for any politician like Bernier to use “taxpayers
money” as ammunition against it.

It feels pretty unrealistic that there will be any real appetite to
skip Charles, even if we had the option. It is important to
remember that constitutional monarchy can be refereed by
the public fairly easily. The royal houses have proved to be
highly sensitive to public opinion. In the UK this was
famously the case with Edward VIII’s controversial choice of
wife but more recently in Spain when their king was
humiliated into abdication by his own scandals. Spain appears
to be the only other European monarchy to be suffering the
same level of crisis in public image as the UK has. Despite
what tabloids like to shake up in the English speaking world,
such a “royal crisis” appears to be bigger in Spain than it is in
the UK, to the extent that quite a few mainstream Spanish
politicians have actually advocated a republic in contrast to
the very small number of British republicans in Westminster
and even smaller number of them who actually have tried to
campaign for a republic. Charles doesn’t face the same
pressure as Juan Carlos did.

People have at times raised an eyebrow over Prince Charles
(and his sons) acting ‘woke’. But Dutch royalty has been able
to work pretty well with ‘wokeness’, advocating LGBT,
immigration, environmental affairs, and other such things
related to social justice.  This does frustrate some
conservatives but not to the extent of fanning republican
sentiment. The widespread support for the royalty continues
to be preserved.
Picture
Prince Charles speaking at COP21
With the more recent generation of royals, marrying
commoners has become increasingly natural. The Nordic
royals have been doing this for some time now but even in the
very conservative Japan it’s now been accepted. Charles’ wife
Camilla has not used the title “Princess of Wales” but this
reflects the sensitivity related to Diana. There shouldn’t be
any similar reason why Camila won’t be Queen consort.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s behaviour is hardly doing
the monarchy any favours but their antics do not appear to be
damaging Charles specifically.

Many heirs to the thrones have faced skepticism during their
early royal careers both before and after ascending to the
throne. But the best news for Prince Charles is that his public
image has improved no doubt as a result of his own efforts to
downplay his more controversial interests . People are already
forgetting about the bizarre portrayals of him of the past and
are starting to view him as a benign figurehead. A few in the
UK have proposed becoming a copycat Republic of Ireland
but Charles alone does more public engagements than the
Irish President despite Charles not being the Head of State.
He is just that committed.

With Prince Charles filling in for the Queen more than ever
due to concerns over her health, for example stepping in for
the Queen at the recent state opening of Parliament, some
people have felt the need to stir up debate over his position
but, it seems this has been received very favourably by the
British public. The British public likes what they are seeing
and respect for Charles is growing at the right time.

Loyally Yours,
Lord Ludichris

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Scott Aitchison

4/5/2022

 
Picture
Another Conservative Party leadership 
candidate has replied to my survey. This 
time it is Scott Aitchison who is the MP for 
Parry Sound-Muskoka. As a refresher these
are the questions that were sent out:

1. What are your views on the monarchy?
2. As prime minister would you make use
of the Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal
Appointments that was active between
2010 and 2015?

3. In 2019 the government cancelled a program that mailed
physical copies of the Queen's portrait to any Canadian who
asked free of charge. Would you restore this program?

4. The government also removed the Queen's portrait from
the lobby of the Foreign Affairs Office and replaced it with
paintings by Alfred Pallen. Would you find a way to have both
paintings and portrait share the ample wall space of the
Foreign Affairs Office lobby?

​5. The current government has not committed to supporting
the creation of a Platinum Jubilee Medal to mark Her
Majesty's 70th year on the throne. What are your views on
this?

​Mr. Aitchison's reply is as follows:


"I am proud of our Queen and a devout monarchist. My answers to each if your
questions is a resounding yes and I am frustrated by the current government’s
dismissive attitude toward Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee."
As always I checked Hansard to see if the candidate has talked
about the monarchy at any point. Mr. Aitchison has not. In
fairness he was first elected in 2019 and the last few years 
​have not been normal as far as debates in parliament go.

Next I checked to see if Mr. Aitchison has comments on the
monarchy in public. As it turns out he spoke warmly about
Prince Philip's career shortly after his passing.

Scott Aitchison is a solid monarchist candidate.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour
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    This website is intended to be a resource for those arguing in favour of Canada's monarchy, researching Canada's royal past, or wondering what the various vice-regal representatives of the Canadian Crown are up to currently. As well, articles about other monarchies may appear from time to time. 

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