Today Canada enjoys the advantages of being a constitutional monarchy with a monarch who is above the partisan politics of the day. It was not always like this and for centuries monarchs had been heavily involved in political concerns. The transition from a partisan, executive monarchy to a non-partisan, ceremonial one is a long complicated series of events. However, one man certainly helped cement this change: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Born in 1819 in the Saxon duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld he would marry his first cousin, Queen Victoria, at the age of twenty. Prince Albert was not initially popular with the British public but after an assassination attempt on him and the Queen he was praised in the newspapers for his courage & calmness under fire. His reputation began to improve.
Prince Albert was not made a peer (due to his initial unpopularity) but insisted he did not want to be made one. Indeed he would eventually refine a model of 'soft power' and moral suasion for the Royal Family. While Prince Albert found the position of consort to be constraining early on he eventually realized it was an opportunity to define the position in wider terms. He took on several public roles within the first few months of his marriage including the presidency of the Society for the Extinction of Slavery. Early on he would also express his support for eliminating child labour, improved schooling, and freer trade. He also found various ways to help his queen carry out her duties including assisting with government paperwork and modernizing the royal finances. The revenues from the Duchy of Cornwall would steadily increase under his watch.
Chrystal Palace interior A champion of science he was the committee chairman of the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations of 1851. The famed 'Chrystal Palace' was built to hold the exhibition. The entire event was a great success selling over 6 million tickets in five and a half months. It realized a profit of £186,000 which was used to help purchase land in South Kensington where the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum stand today.
Before Queen Victoria's marriage in 1840 she had supported the Whigs and even blocked a Tory Prime Minister (although given the circumstances I would have too). After her marriage it is suggested Prince Albert advised her to be less partisan in her dealing with Parliament. This may be why only one member of the Royal Family was identified with a political party during this time. Indeed, by the end of Queen Victoria's reign the principle that the monarch 'reigns but does not rule' was firmly established. That is not to say Prince Albert, or the Queen, thought the Royal Family shouldn't have a strong voice, as demonstrated above.
Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, & 5 of their 9 children
Before and after Prince Albert's untimely death at the age of 42 many places were named after him. Albert County (NB), Prince Albert (SK), and the Victoria & Albert Mountains (NU) are just some of the more prominent places named for him in Canada. The province of Alberta is not, however, instead being named for his daughter Princess Louise Caroline Alberta.
Prince Albert was an example of a royal that could have a prominent role in the nation without governing it and created the template future members of the Royal Family would follow. His early death prevented him from fully realizing this new model for the Royal Family and one wonders what he would have accomplished had he been able to. It is an interesting question to consider.
Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour
Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour
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