Category: Prince Harry

Is it a Good Idea for Prince Harry to Become Governor General of Canada?

1/14/2020

The Duke & Duchess of Sussex

A recent poll found that 60% of
Canadians would be supportive
of Prince Harry becoming
Governor General of Canada. The
poll result is interesting in its
own right with younger
Canadians being just as
supportive of the idea as middle-
aged Canadians. But would this
even be a good idea?

This question is really two separate questions: 1. Would it be
good for the office of the governor general, and 2. would it be
good for Prince Harry and Meghan themselves? For once the
question of constitutionality doesn't butt in; pretty much
anyone can be Governor General of Canada.

Sussex, NB. Photo Credit: Rangeley

So lets start with what the
hypothetical appointment
would bring to the position of
governor general. For starters it
would bring to the position
someone who is experienced in
doing the job. This doesn't
count for nothing as many of the early missteps taken by
Julie Payette were the result of her not being properly
prepared for what she was getting into. There aren't many
jobs that prepare you to be governor general after all. Being a
member of the Royal Family is one of them. Prince Harry
would also bring a greater degree of attention to the activities
of the governor general. This is needed as governors general
advocate for many causes and charitable organizations and
acts to try and bring Canadians together. This role is neutered
when no one knows what the representatives of the Crown are
doing. This leads to a final point: the office of the governor
general is also a more effective counter to the prime minister
of the day when the person in that office is well-known. While
we have had many good governors general over the years the
combination of relative pre-appointment anonymity, media
neglect, and unfounded suspicions of partisan appointment
have often left the governor general in a prestige deficit
compared to the prime minister of the day. A prime minister
that is a little less sure they have the public's support to push
the governor general around would be a positive
improvement.

Flag of Sussex (England)

But all that said, would it be good for
Prince Harry and his young family?
This is where the idea falls apart
because I don't think it would be.
Prince Harry has a complicated
relationship with the media. In order
to do his job as a royal he needs the
media but as a son, and now as a husband and father, he has
seen the media hurt those he cares about. Prince Harry was
unable to protect his mother from the British tabloids and he
has begun to see the limits to how much he can protect his
wife and son. His situation evokes enough pathos to strangle
an elephant. To put him in a position which greatly needs
more media attention would be cruel. For her part Meghan
would be thrust back into the position of trying to balance
being a new mother, having a career, and being a royal. It is
hard enough to pull off two of those things at the same time
without adding a third. And Prince Harry and Meghan have
only been married a short time. It very well could put too
much strain on their marriage. And the last thing the Royal
Family needs is another messy divorce.

Invictus Games Logo

So Prince Harry should never be
Governor General of Canada?
Well, I didn't say that. The
problems I mentioned above are
mostly temporary considerations.
Archie will grow up. Prince Harry and Meghan will hit their
stride. And the media in Canada will continue to be a bit
tamer than their British cousins (I credit the cold winters).
While not a good idea in the immediate future I think in about
ten to fifteen years it would be welcome to hear of the
appointment of 'His Excellency, Prince Harry, Governor
General of Canada'.

And to a certain extent events could
nudge everyone in that direction. Prince
Harry and Meghan want a reduced role
as members of the Royal Family. The
simplest way would be to have their
portfolio of duties centred on Canada
which would cut down on international
travel a bit (and keep the British tabloid
bottom-feeders far away). Prince Charles' Canadian charities
would be a good fit for this. Living here, working here, and
(dare I dream) potentially seeking Canadian citizenship would
all increase support for such an appointment. Because as
much as people talk about Canadians being apathetic about
their monarchy that is only true when members of the Royal
Family aren't here. The awkward situation of the governor
general being over-shadowed by a member of the Royal
Family doing much the same job as them part-time but
getting more traction could only go on so long before the idea
of going through with this appointment comes up again.

And who knows where it would end? If Prince Harry breathes
new life into the position why replace him after the customary
five years? Or ten years? Or ever? Maybe we would actually
have a governor general that gets enough time to really make
the position shine.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

The Royal Veterans

11/11/2019

As people around the world commemorate Remembrance
Day we remember the sacrifices and bravery of our armed
forces. The fact I can sit at my computer in rural New
Brunswick and write this article without any fear of attack is
in large part because of them. That this could easily be
different reminds me that but for the grace of God go I.

The Royal Family remembers this more than most. It has
long been tradition for members of the Royal Family to get
some form of military training for when they would have to
lead their armies themselves. While no monarch is expected
to be in the field anymore it is still recognized that a royal
should share in some measure of the soldier's experience.

Princess Elizabeth, then 18

It is widely known that Her
Majesty served as a truck
driver and mechanic during
World War Two. She remains
the only female member of
the Royal Family to have
entered military service and
the only living head of state
who served in that war. Her Majesty served in the Women’s
Auxiliary Territorial Service and had the rank of Second
Subaltern.

Prince Philip, 2015

Prince Philip served in the British
Navy during World War Two in the
Indian Ocean and Mediterranean
Sea. He was mentioned in dispatches
for his services during the Battle of
Cape Matapan during which he
controlled the search lights. During
the invasion of Sicily he devised a
means to distract in-coming German
bombers away from the ship by the
use of rafts and smoke signals. On
his 90th birthday he was given an
honorary appointment to all three branches of the Canadian
Armed Forces.

Photo Credit: Eva Rinaldi

Prince Harry served in the military for ten years and undertook two tours of Afghanistan. Part of his training was
carried out in 2007 while in Canada.
His first tour ended prematurely after
two media outlets revealed that he
had been secretly deployed which
posed a threat to him and his fellow
soldiers. To get around this Prince
Harry completed his Apache attack
helicopter training and was then
redeployed. Since attack helicopters
are always high-priority targets it was
determined his presence would create
no additional threat to the other military personnel.

Prince Harry's time in the military has made a lasting impact
on him and inspired the creation of the Invictus Games for
wounded and disabled soldiers and veterans.

The bond between the Royal Family and their soldiers is a
strong one built over time and generations. And as this
Remembrance Day comes to an end we hope for the day when
no one will have to put themselves in harms way in defence of
Queen and country.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

British MP Emma Dent Coad's Remarks: The Works of Violent Insecurity

9/28/2017

"Watch. My other foot will fit too"

On Tuesday British MP Emma
Dent Coad gave a rambling
speech to Labour Party activists
in which she attacked Prince
Harry's military service record,
Prince Philip's fidelity, and the
monarchy as an institution. Let
us take a look at what was said.

Claim #1 Prince Harry can't fly a helicopter and is unfit to
serve in the military.

Soak in the magnitude of what is being claimed here. She has
essentially claimed that the British military is unprofessional,
incompetent, and dishonest. It would have to be for both Ms.
Coad's comment to be true and for Prince Harry to have
served in the military in the capacities he did.

What is interesting is her statement that she believed her
claim was true but didn't have any proof.

Claim #2 “I am the royal family’s worst nightmare”

Ok, this is more funny due to its sheer hubris. Emma Coad,
rookie Opposition backbencher, is the Royal Family's worst
nightmare? Please, spare us. If she makes the top 100 she
should feel honoured.

Claim #3 Prince Philip has been an unfaithful husband.

Like claims that the Earth is actually flat this is one of
those untruths that just won't die. This despite pretty much
everyone denying it. Perhaps Prince Philip gave the best
defence when he was once asked about the rumours:

"Good God, woman! Have you ever stopped to think that for years I've not moved
anywhere without a policeman accompanying me? How the hell could I have got
away with anything like that?"

The Palace for its part refused to comment on the statements
by Ms. Coad. This is just as well. If the Royal Family
commented every time one of their MPs said something
stupid they would no longer be non-partisan. Plus, I think
they get what game Ms. Coad is playing. The life of a lowly
backbench MP is a boring one and not conductive to career
advancement. Saying enough inflammatory things until you
win has proved to be a viable strategy.

And I should probably also point out that the Labour Party
has pretty much disowned her comments.

Which brings us to today when Ms. Coad has stated she won't
apologize for what was obviously a joke. Never mind that she
defended the comment just the day before. But lets say Ms.
Coad is sincere (this time). What does it say about a person
when they find it humorous to tear down others? Well, for
starters it is one of the more annoying signs of entrenched
insecurity. A quick look at her profile reveals other parts of
her life that could be feeding this sad inferiority complex.
The Royal Couple's happy marriage in comparison to Ms.
Coad's two divorces is only the most obvious example.

Because no one remembers the first rule of getting out of a
hole you dug (stop digging), Ms. Coad released another
statement suggesting that she would not apologize because
she is busy dealing with the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower
fire. It takes a certain amount of gall to hide behind families
burned out of their homes. But it is humorous that she then
remarked "On Monday night I made a joke. It has been taken
the wrong way. Can we look at the real issues now?" Ms.
Coad has no one else to blame for people paying attention to
this issue but herself. I suspect she would never admit that.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry is in
Toronto helping former soldiers
overcome the trauma of war
through sport, speaking to youth
about making a difference in the world, and generally
being a likable human being.

Which is more than can be said for Emma Dent Coad and her
'humour'.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Top 10 Royals Who Traveled Incognito

8/2/2017

Our mental image of monarchs tends to be that of a high-
profile individual or someone at the center of attention. While
throughout history this has been the norm for various reasons
monarchs have on occasion traveled incognito among their
subjects. These reasons ranged from security, to fact-finding
missions, to idle amusement. And since these excursions were
meant to be secret it can be difficult sometimes to tell which
stories are true and which are merely myth. Monarchs would
also sometimes use an alias not so much as a disguise but as a
'polite fiction' to avoid forcing the host to perform all the
grand state welcome ceremonies they would have to for a high
status guest. While equally interesting these cases have been
left for a later post. So without further delay let us go through
this list (in no particular order) of the top 10 royals who
traveled incognito.

Kangxi Emperor

10. Kangxi & Qianlong
Emperors of China

The Kangxi Emperor was in many ways
one of China's most effective emperors.
Reigning from 1661 to 1722 he would
establish an extended period of stability,
cultural development, and wealth after
years of war and chaos. Less known is
that he also disguised himself as a Han
Chinese merchant on at least one
occasion.

As the story goes the Kangxi Emperor decided to test the
guards assigned to the Great Wall to see if they would let him
into Manchuria (which the Han Chinese were banned from
entering). After several attempts to persuade and bribe the
guards they hit him and shooed him away. Impressed, the
Kangxi Emperor revealed his true identity as he wished to
reward the diligent guards. Unfortunately, the guards were so
horrified that they had unwittingly struck their emperor that
they committed suicide.

The Kangxi Emperor's grandson (the Qianlong Emperor)
would continue the family tradition. Disguised as commoners
him and some servants would slip out of the palace to
discover what the people truly thought of their rulers and
what their concerns were. On one such occasion the disguised
Qianlong Emperor served tea to one of those with him. One
would be expected to kowtow after receiving such an honour
from the emperor. It would also completely blow their cover.
Thinking fast the servant tapped his knuckle on the table with
the middle knuckle slightly extended to represent the head
and shoulders of a person performing the kowtow. This 'finger
kowtow' remains a feature of Chinese Tea Culture to this day.

9. King Charles XI
of Sweden

King Charles XI ruled Sweden
from 1660 to 1697. Charles XI
restored Sweden's finances,
established royal absolutism,
and restructured the military
during his reign. Charles XI
also travelled through his realm extensively and this is likely
what led to the legend of the Gråkappan, The Grey Cloak.

It is said that King Charles XI would wear a grey cloak to hide
his royal uniform as he investigated whether local officials
were corrupt and oppressing the people. If evidence of guilt
was found he would throw off the cloak in a dramatic fashion
revealing his true identity.

It is interesting to note that in the old Norse mythology the
god Odin would sometimes put on a similar act. It is possible
the king gained inspiration for the idea from the myth. It is
also possible, due to the lack of hard evidence of King Charles
XI actually travelling as the Gråkappan, that the Odin myth
became attached to the king for whatever reason. If this all
sounds somewhat familiar that may be because J.R.R Tolkien
based Gandalf partly on the myths of Odin travelling
incognito.

Gold coin from the Sultan's reign

8. Sultan Alauddin
Riayat Shah of Malacca

The monarchs I have discussed so
far took at least some risks in
going under cover. But the
monarch I'm about to talk about was probably safer under
cover than in his own court. Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah
ruled Malacca from 1477-1488. He faced challenges from his
brother who believed he should be sultan, his two wives who
each fought to have their own sons named heir, and the
Mamak people who were growing in power in relation to the
Malays.

Despite this the sultan would sometimes go out secretly at
night to check on the well-being of his people. On one such
occasion he even chased after a thief himself. Sultan Alauddin
Riayat Shah had a reputation as a just and fair ruler which
perhaps inspired these secret inspections or perhaps were a
result of them.

Sadly, he is also reported to have died under suspicious
circumstances. It is rumoured that his brother, second wife,
son, brother-in-law, and a couple others all had a hand in his
death. Perhaps he was safer inspecting the streets at night
after all.

7. King Louis XVI of
France

Not all cases of monarchs travelling
incognito were successful. This is
especially true if a monarch was not
used to it. No one believed for a
minute that Peter the Great was
just an ordinary guy and Richard
the Lionhearted of England only
made it half way across Europe
before being recognized. But no
failure at travelling incognito had
such a profound effect on history as when an indecisive King
Louis XVI of France had to try his hand at it.

The French Revolution had several stages with each new stage
being more radical than the last. The king was slowly
becoming a prisoner of the revolution. This was especially
true after he was forcibly moved from the Palace of Versailles
to the Tuileries Palace in Paris. The king had become
increasingly indecisive to the point of paralysis. This left his
queen, Marie Antoinette, to make important decisions on his
behalf.

The escape plan itself was simple enough. At Montmédy
General François Claude de Bouillé had built up a sizable
force loyal to the king. If he could make it there he would have
more room to maneuver politically. To this end the king,
disguised as a valet, and queen, disguised as a governess,
along with the entire immediate royal family joined in on the
flight from Paris at midnight of June 21st, 1791.

Problems developed almost immediately. The king did not
wish for the royal family to travel seperately and thus they
used a large, conspicuous, slow-moving coach pulled by six
horses rather than two smaller, and quicker, coaches. A
postmaster of Sainte-Menehould named Jean-Baptiste Drouet
recognized the king apparently from his portrait on a French
coin. The group were captured in Varennes, only 31 miles
from their goal.

The flight from Paris had been intended to restore royal
authority but its failure destroyed support for king and
monarchy in the capital and hastened the kings journey to the
guillotine.

Photo Credit: Reginald Davis/Rex

6. King Juan Carlos I
of Spain

King Juan Carlos I has had an
interesting life. Born in exile
in Italy it initially looked like
he would never be king. But
when Franco restored the
Spanish Monarchy it looked instead like he would have to play
the role of figurehead to whatever strongman succeeded the
dictator. And when Franco named Juan Carlos I as his
successor it looked likely that the young king would continue
the strongman's policies (itself a form of political incognito).
And when the king instead led his country's democratization
it looked like it would all be undone by a military coup. Juan
Carlos I overcame that challenge too. He was crafty and he
survived. He even had time to help out a stranded biker or
two.

King Juan Carlos I has a passion for motorbikes. Moreover,
he likes to ride his bikes while incognito. Admittedly this is
rather easy with the typical motorbike helmet. His frequent
outings has produced stories (or urban legends) of bikers
stranded on lonely back roads being brought canisters of
petrol by their king.

5. King Charles II of
England

As King Louis XVI's example above
shows, monarchs sometimes used
disguises in times of very real peril.
It was the same for King Charles II.
After losing the Battle of Worcester
to the Parliamentarians under
Cromwell in 1651 Charles became a
wanted man. For six weeks the
king made his way across England
on his way to relative safety in Europe. Charles had problems:
at 6'2" tall he literally stood out in a crowd, his clothes were
obviously upper class, and his accent was out of place. Luckily
Charles still had allies. The Catholics especially helped him
move from place to place in secret. Arriving at the White
Ladies Priory in Shropshire he was met by George Pendrell
who disguised Charles as a woodsman giving him a leather
doublet, a pair of green breeches, a jump-coat, an old grey
greasy hat without a lining, and a coarse linen noggen shirt.

Charles at this point still had a sizable group with him but it
was decided that from that point it would be safer to travel
almost alone. While still near the White Ladies Priory a
company of local militia stopped to check if anyone had seen
the fugitive. They were told the king had moved on sometime
before which the soldiers believed. George Pendrell and his
brother Richard taught Charles to speak with the local accent
and how to walk like a labourer.

Charles would later take on another disguise as a servant and
take the alias 'William Jackson'. The whole story reads like a
Hollywood thriller and by rights it should be made into one by
now. The six weeks the future Charles II spent on the run
would have a major effect on his outlook for the rest of his life.

4. King Matthias Corvinus
of Hungary

King Matthias Corvinus ruled
Hungary with great ability from 1458-
1490. So much so that his reign is
considered by some to be an
Hungarian golden age. His
accomplishments include: reforms to
the administration of justice, the
promotion of talented individuals
regardless of social standing,
patronage of art and science, and a generally successful
military career. He also weakened the power of the barons, a
perennial issue in Medieval Europe.

These accomplishments cost money which required greatly
increased taxation. The burden of this taxation fell largely on
the peasants. Still, while the peasants were none too happy
about this state of affairs it seems they at least appreciated the
greater access to justice. After his death "Dead is Matthias,
lost is justice" even became a popular saying.

Like many kings with great accomplishments myths and
legends abound regarding King Matthias Corvinus. It is said
that he traveled among his people in secret to sound out
public opinion. Several notable folktales have the king
undertaking great risks while in disguise.

One such tale states that during a campaign against the Turks
he visited the enemy's came with a single companion, both
disguised as peasants. For the entire day Matthias sold food
outside the Turkish general's tent. In the evening he returned
to safety. He then wrote a letter to the general to tell him he
had explored the Turkish camp and naming the dishes he
served as proof. The general was greatly unnerved.

Another tale has the king entering Vienna while it was still
under siege to explore the city. While taking a rest the rumour
spread that Matthias was within the walls. The king showed
no sign of alarm and simply walked out of the city. The story
continues that when the Hungarians had taken the city they
set up a statue where he had sat and rested.

Perhaps it is not surprising that Matthias Corvinus is
regarded as one of the 'Sleeping Kings' who will return to
lead his people to new greatness.

Photo Credit: Eva Rinaldi

3. Prince Harry of the
United Kingdom

In Medieval times it was considered
desirable for the king and other
important persons to be easily
identifiable. This was because
captured royals and nobles could be
ransomed so it was best not to kill
them. Hiding amongst the masses of
infantry was a good way to get yourself
accidentally killed. The invention of
the firearm slowly changed this
system to the point a royal standing
out on the battlefield was a very, very bad thing.

So when Prince Harry was deployed to Afghanistan in 2007
care was taken to shield his identity. While modern combat
gear hides many identifying features it was also necessary to
hide where exactly the prince was serving. As such both the
British and Canadian authorities placed a media blackout on
Prince Harry's deployment information. This blackout was
not respected by a German newspaper and an Australian
magazine which lead to him being withdrawn from the front
lines. It was revealed later that while deployed he helped
Gurkha troops repel an attack from the Taliban in Helmand
Province.

Prince Harry would return to Afghanistan a few years later as
an Apache helicopter pilot. Since attack helicopters are always
priority targets it was determined Prince Harry's presence
would pose no additional danger to his comrades. Making this
an odd an example of 'anonymously standing out'.

2. Emperor Nero of
Rome

The reign of Emperor Nero is
sometimes read as a teenager with
too much power. This probably does
a disservice to the average teenager
but it is hard to deny Nero behaved
badly. Even if you discount the
pervasive bias his contemporaries
had for him he still cannot be seen in a wholly positive light. It
also makes separating truth from myth about Nero's own
incognito episodes hard to do.

As the story goes Emperor Nero (and friends) would go out
late at night to make catcalls at women and get into fistfights.
One such fistfight left the Emperor with a black eye and when
the man responsible found out what he had done he promptly
committed suicide.

Another story has Nero receiving a severe beating from a
senator for the mistreatment of his wife. The senator likely
knew who he actually was but pretended not to since Nero
would have to admit to what he was doing in order to punish
him. After his beating Nero is said to have had guards follow
him at a distance with orders to intervene if things got out of
hand.

Emperor Nero's late night escapades make more sense when
you consider that for much of his reign those around him
sought to control his actions. These late night trips being a
needed, but unhealthy, release.

1. Jesus, Christ the King

Going in the complete opposite
direction from Nero we have the final
monarch on this list: Jesus. While the
monarchs on this list have had a mix of
noble and ignoble reasons for going
incognito only one can lay claim to
wanting to save all of humanity.

Jesus consistently told those he healed
and his disciples not to tell people who
he really was (sometimes with limited
success). The reasons were twofold. 1.
It would attract crowds of people
seeking healing. While healing was a
part of his ministry it was secondary to
his preaching of the Kingdom of God.
Large crowds pressing around him
looking for healing but with little
interest in what he had to say would be
counter-productive and limit his ability to travel. After one
such crowd formed Jesus headed out by boat across the Sea of
Galilee. 2. His disciples were not ready yet. And given the
trials they would face in proclaiming his kingdom he needed
the private time to instruct and ready them for their future
task.

Concealing his identity also served another purpose: it
removed complicating factors. If the religious leaders had
come to believe he really was the awaited Messiah they would
not have sought his death. This is a problem as Jesus needed
to die. In this way keeping his identity secret was the easiest
means of accomplishing his mission.

The scripture also includes another instance of Jesus traveling
incognito. After his death and resurrection he appeared to two
of his followers as they were on their way to Emmaus. He
walked with them and discussed God's plan but prevented
them from recognizing him. In this instance Jesus seems to
have wanted to offer encouragement to his followers (who
may have begun to scatter after his execution).

This concludes my list of the Top 10 Royals Who Traveled
Incognito. Thanks for reading.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

The Invictus Games

5/2/2016

Prince Harry

Prince Harry was in Toronto today to
launch the 2017 Invictus Games which
will be held in Canada. The Invictus
Games is a multi-sport event for sick,
wounded, and disabled soldiers and
veterans. It was created by Prince Harry
as a way to "demonstrate the power of
sport to inspire recovery, support
rehabilitation and demonstrate life
beyond disability". 'Invictus' is the Latin
for 'unconquered' or 'undefeated'.

Prince Harry was inspired by the Warrior Games, a similar
event in the United States. However, the young prince had a
more personal reason for wanting to set up the Invictus
Games. After the media leaked Prince Harry's deployment he
was recalled.

“The guilt at having to leave my guys behind was something I would have to
swallow”

Prince Harry shared the return trip with the coffin containing
the body of a Danish soldier and three soldiers in induced
comas. “It struck me that this flight was one of many where
lives had been changed forever . . . and put me on the path to
the Invictus games”.

Runners at the 2014 Invictus Games

The inaugural games were held in 2014. Building on the
success of the first Invictus Games the second and third
Games have been arranged for 2016 and 2017.

Countries participating in the 2014 Invictus Games:
Afghanistan, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France,
Georgia, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Britain,
and the United States.

Countries Invited to the 2016 Invictus Games:
Afghanistan, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France,
Georgia, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Netherlands, New
Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Since Prince Harry's time in
active service he has been
consistent in advocating for
former soldiers. He is a
patron of the Invictus Games
as well as Walking with
the Wounded.

The Prince's efforts to help
military servicemen and
veterans is a much-needed
endeavor. Veterans in
Canada and Britain can rest
assured that their Prince will
not forget them.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Is it a Good Idea for Prince Harry to Become Governor General of Canada?

The Royal Veterans

British MP Emma Dent Coad's Remarks: The Works of Violent Insecurity

Top 10 Royals Who Traveled Incognito

The Invictus Games

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