Category: Queen Elizabeth II

Names & Titles Given to Members of the Royal Family by Canada's First Nations

8/18/2019

The Canadian Monarchy has a long history with the original
inhabitants of Canada. And despite the failures of successive
elected governments to uphold promises made to these First
Nations, the relationship between them and the Royal Family
remains strong. One comparatively recent expression of this
relationship is the giving of names by tribes to Royal Family
members. Below are just the ones I was able to track down.

Mother of All People

Her Majesty was given this name in
1959 by the Salish Nation. It actually
echos two names from the past. King
George III was referred to as the Great Father during negotiations with First
Nations and Queen Victoria came to be known as the Great White Mother.

Attaniout Ikeneego
(Son of the Big Boss)

Prince Charles was given this name in
1976 by the Inuit as a direct reference to
his position as heir. While this was the
first time Prince Charles was honoured
in this way it was not to be the last. He
has been given at least three other
names and titles.

Red Crow

In 1977 Prince Charles was granted a Kainai Chieftainship by
the Blood Tribe for his work advocating for First Nations
along with the name Red Crow which seems to refer to an
important chief in their history.

Leading Star

Given to Prince Charles in 1986 by Cree and Ojibwa students
in Winnipeg.

Pisimwa Kamiwohkitahpamikohk
(The Sun Looks at Him in a Good Way)

Given to Prince Charles in 2001 by elders of the Northern
Plains people.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

That Time Economists Apologized to the Queen for the 2008 Financial Crisis

3/1/2019

In November of 2008 Her Majesty was
visiting the London School of Economics.
The financial crisis was well underway and
the Queen took the opportunity to pose
a question about the scale of the disaster
that everyone had been thinking; "If these
things were so large, how come everyone
missed them?" It was a fair question that
deserved a proper response.

And on July 22, 2009, the Queen received one. A group of
experts had gathered on the 17th to hammer out an answer to
the Queen's question. The list of participants was actually very
impressive:
Professor Tim Besley, FBA, London School of Economics
Professor Christopher Bliss, FBA, University of Oxford
Professor Vernon Bogdanor, FBA, University of Oxford
Sir Samuel Brittan, Financial Times
Sir Alan Budd
Dr. Jenny Corbett, University of Oxford
Professor Andrew Gamble, FBA, University of Cambridge
Sir John Gieve, Harvard Kennedy School
Professor C. Goodhart, FBA, London School of Economics
Dr David Halpern, Institute for Government
Professor José Harris, FBA, University of Oxford
Mr. R. Harrison, Economic Adviser to the Shadow Chancellor
Professor Peter Hennessy, FBA, University of London
Professor Geoffrey Hosking, FBA, University College London
Dr. Thomas Huertas, Financial Services Authority
Mr. William Keegan, The Observer
Mr. Stephen King, HSBC
Professor Michael Lipton, FBA, University of Sussex
Rt. Hon. John McFall, MP, Commons Treasury Committee
Sir Nicholas Macpherson, HM Treasury
Mr. Bill Martin, University of Cambridge
Mr. David Miles, Bank of England
Sir Gus O’Donnell, Secretary of the Cabinet
Mr. Jim O’Neill, Goldman Sachs
Sir James Sassoon
Rt. Hon. Clare Short, MP
Mr. Paul Tucker, Bank of England
Dr. Sushil Wadhwani, Wadhwani Asset Management LLP
Professor Ken Wallis, FBA, University of Warwick
Sir Douglas Wass
Mr. James Watson, Dept. for Business, Innovation & Skills
Mr. M. Weale, Nat. Institute of Economic & Social Research
Professor Shujie Yao, University of Nottingham

Having gathered and had a wide-ranging discussion Professor
Tim Besley and Professor Peter Hennessy summarized the
discussion into a three page letter and submitted it to the
Queen. The letter is quite interesting. Or at least as interesting
as economics can be. The letter is part explanation, part Mea
culpa for their part in being unable to see the economic
disaster unfolding.

The letter promised that a future meeting would look at what
could be done to prevent Her Majesty from ever having to ask
her question again. And in December the promised meeting
took place and a second letter was delivered to the Queen.
In summarizing the discussion the group proposed a course of action which I have quoted below:

"So, we end with a modest proposal. If you, Your Majesty, were to ask for a
monthly economic and financial horizon-scanning summary from, say, the Cabinet
Office, it could hardly be refused. It might take a form comparable to the Joint
Intelligence Committee’s ‘Red Book’, which you received each week from 1952 until
2008 when it was abandoned. And, if this were to happen, the spirit of your LSE
question would suffuse still more those of your Crown servants tasked to defend,
preserve and enhance the economic well-being of your country."

I'm actually curious if the Queen has opted to do this. It is
possible as the financial crisis did lead the Queen to start
becoming more involved. For instance it led to Mervyn King
being the first Bank of England governor being invited to
the palace for a chat with the Queen.

In the end a simple question from the Queen led a group of
people to thoroughly examine the causes of the greatest
economic disaster of our time and perhaps taught some
economists the value of seeing the big picture.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Mutual Respec- Oh Shiny!

12/25/2018

The Queen's annual Christmas message has been released.
It covered several topics but a big one was the need for mutual
respect between people and the corrosive effect tribalism can have. It talked about the good the Commonwealth Games do
in bringing diverse peoples together to emphasize shared
values. It even included a small joke about her age. What it
did not talk about was poverty or any topics close to poverty.

But some easily distracted people couldn't take their eyes off
the S & P Erard Grand Piano. This is perhaps understandable
because it is beautiful:

Photo Credit: Royal Collection Trust

But this also being the age of social media someone had to be
the voice of complaint. Her Majesty was called 'out of
touch' and 'a rich person scolding poor people'. Never mind
that the piano dates from 1856 and is literally older than
Canada is. Never mind that the Queen and the rest of the
Royal Family continue to give their time and money to many
charitable causes (including reducing poverty). And certainly
never mind that the Queen was addressing probably the most
troubling trend of recent history. The social media mob hath
spoken. And as is the case with these things someone on
social media has to take things a step further and move from
disagreement to outright falsehood:

And so a timely reminder about faith, hope and love (for your
fellow man) was derailed because people can't get over a big
piano. Sometimes I wonder about humanity's capacity to
actually attempt what Her Majesty, in her own small way, is
advocating. Then again, the other theme the Queen touched
on was that despite humanity's great propensity for good it
also has the capacity for evil.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Meme Monday #3

12/10/2018

Makes me smile every time.

This video is from the Queen's 90th birthday celebration. She
does love her animals. My mother often has the same reaction
to cows, sheep, goats, etc.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Just a Pamphlet I Found

3/8/2018

While leaving the Riverview Public
Library I happened to notice a pamphlet
with 'Monarchy' in bright red type (ok,
that was a lie. I noticed the Queen's
image first). The pamphlet was put out by
the Monarchist League of Canada and
gives a good, although brief, overview of
Canada's monarchy. As far as I can tell
the League doesn't count this pamphlet
among its publications or resources on
its website. I will come back to this point
later.

The cover image is from the Queen's last
royal tour of Canada in 2010.

The body of the pamphlet is divided into five sections.

The Canadian Monarchy - An overview of the Crown's
history and the benefits of a non-partisan and hereditary head
of state. The image at the top is of the Queen and a Mountie
looking at something out of frame. Both are serious and I find
the image to be an effective one.

The Queen Speaks To Canadians - A selection of four
quotes by Her Majesty intended to illustrate her role as head
of state. The picture at the top is of Prince Charles and a First
Nation's chief. While it doesn't match the text below it the
importance of underlining the Crown's long friendship with
the First Nations makes it a good picture to place there.

Learning About The Canadian Crown - This section
talks about the League website and what resources it has. The
image at the top is of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
with Prince George. Taken together the images running along
the top show the current monarch and three generations of
heirs.

The last two sections are French translations of the first and
third sections. There is a bit of unused space that could have
been used for another picture. It is also unfortunate we
couldn't have a section with Her Majesty quoted in French
(since she is fluent).

The pamphlets are clearly recent. But the lack of information
on the League's website makes it unclear if they are sent out
to members by request, come as part of an education package,
or are sent out to libraries/public officials. It might be an
interesting idea to include a printable version on the website.
The advantage of pamphlets is that they can be placed just
about anywheres. Allowing members to print them off
themselves would increase the range of the pamphlets. Sure,
you lose the glossy finish but I think they would look good
regardless.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

The Canadian Crown Jewels

2/8/2018

While my last search was side-tracked I still wanted to do
a post about the Canadian Crown Jewels. I sent an inquiry in
to the Governor General's office seeking more information. I
quickly found out that no items have ever been designated as
such. Canada does have a Crown Collection which includes
works of art, furniture, rugs, & other items used for furnishing
the various official residences in Canada but that is not quite
the same. This got me thinking about what items might
constitute Canada's Crown Jewels in an unofficial sense.
Which begs the question: What are crown jewels?

Wikipedia has a list of some common attributes of crown
jewels on their site.
1. Objects of metal work and jewelry in the monarch's regalia.
2. Used by the monarch during special occasions.
3. Often depicted in portraits of the monarch.
4. Symbolize the continuity of the monarchy.
5. Conservative in appearance (see #4).
6. Items remain largely unchanged (see #4 & #5).
Ok, with a clearer idea what constitutes a 'crown jewel' we can
begin to examine possible candidates.

St. Edward's Crown

The only entry in this list which is
also a part of the British Crown
Jewels. It is notable that since the
Canadian Crown became distinct
from the British Crown in the 1930s
it is the only one that the monarchs
have been crowned with at their
coronations. The significance to
Canada really only began with the
reign of Queen Elizabeth II though.

Queen Elizabeth preferred St. Edward's Crown be the heradic
representation of the monarchy in her realms. It replaced the
earlier Tudor Crown (which is not a physical crown) in this
purpose. As such, when you see a crown displayed in an
official capacity in Canada it most likely is St. Edward's Crown
you are seeing.

Maple Leaf Brooch

The Queen's Maple Leaf Brooch
has an interesting history. King
George VI originally bought it for
his wife, Queen Elizabeth (the
Queen Mother) on the occasion of
their first state visit to Canada in
1939. This was the first royal tour
of Canada by a reigning monarch.
The brooch was worn frequently
throughout the tour.

It has often been loaned out to members of the Royal Family
when they perform roles related to the Canadian Crown.
Queen Elizabeth II was the first to borrow it when she was
still a princess. She wore it on her first trip to Canada in 1951.
Both Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Kate, Duchess of
Cambridge, have worn the brooch on their respective royal
tours. The brooch was also worn for the Queen's official
portrait in 2017 to celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary.

Sapphire Jubilee Snowflake Brooch

This brooch was presented to Her
Majesty on July 19th, 2017 at Canada
House in London, England. It was
made both to celebrate the Queen's
Sapphire Jubilee and Canada's 150th
anniversary. This brooch is meant
to be a companion to the Maple Leaf
Brooch.

The sapphires were discovered on Baffin Island by two Inuit
brothers, Seemeega and Nowdluk Aqpik in 2002. It remains
the only deposit of sapphires ever discovered in Canada.

Last Spike Pin

The Canadian Pacific Railway was
completed in 1885. To mark the event
a small ceremony was conducted as
the last spike was driven in. Donald
Smith, who provided financial backing
for the railway, drove the last spike
and... quickly bent it. The bent spike
was removed and later presented to
Donald Smith as a memento. He had
several pins made from the spike.

The pin is conservative in appearance and is in the shape of a
railway spike. It has 13 diamonds along its length with a single
round piece of iron from the last spike itself in the center.
There were an indeterminate number of pins like this made
(partly due to the jealousy they invoked in the leadership of
the railway company) and the last spike itself has evidence of
having been drilled liberally. Four examples of the pin are
known to exist. The one that was presented to the railways'
president, George Stephen, was donated to Canada's Crown
Collection by a descendant. The Governor General or their
consort wear it for special events. It is the singular piece of
jewelry in the Crown Collection and signifies an event that
helped tie the young country together.

Saskatchewan Tourmaline Brooch

Ok, one might get the impression
that if these items can be considered
a part of Canada's Crown Jewels they
are all very transportable. And indeed
the monarch and vice-regal office
holders are often on the move when
carrying out their duties. Like one of
the other examples above this brooch
was a gift for Her Majesty.

The brooch was presented to Her Majesty in 2013 by the
Lieutenant-Governor of Saskatchewan, Vaughn Schofield. It
was created by a jeweler in Regina. The brooch quickly
entered Her Majesty's rotation of brooches. Sadly, we are not
likely to see the Queen wear it on Canadian soil as Her
Majesty does not travel long distances anymore.

Concluding Remarks

This has been a brief overview of items I feel belong to an
unofficial Crown Jewels of Canada. There could very well be
others with their own stories to tell about the Canadian
Crown. And, who knows, maybe one day someone will
designate these items as being officially Canada's Crown
Jewels.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Book Review: A Royal Couple In Canada

8/13/2017

Book Cover

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince
Philip have been around a long
time. And in that time they have
made over 20 official visits. Nova
Scotia Writer Allison Lawlor
has written an interesting little
book that serves to illustrate the
Queen's many years as Canada's
sovereign.

Author: Allison Lawlor
Publisher: Boulder Publications
Published: June 20, 2017
Page Count: 83
Price: $24.95

A Royal Couple in Canada
organizes the royal tours by
decade with a seven page
introduction to the monarchy
and the purpose of royal tours.

As the back cover describes the book as a 'scrapbook' of the
royal tours it may be best to start with the visual aspects of
this book. If you guessed there are a lot of pictures, you would
be right. There are over 100 pictures covering the tours
themselves, schedules, and related memorabilia. The pictures
are crisp and well-captioned.

Some, such as the Queen
signing the Constitution Act
are iconic and you have likely
seen them before. But there
are many images that have
likely not been seen in many
years and certainly not
collected together like this.

Allison Lawlor has also included an impressive array of quotes
made by Her Majesty over the years. These give a glimpse into
the Queen's feeling for Canada and are greatly appreciated.
While the book is certainly pro-monarchy it does not shy away
from talking about various controversies that occurred, how
they related to the tours, and reactions to them. This adds
some needed context in areas since royal tours often had
aims related to the current political 'mood' of the time.

Overall, its a good introduction to Canada's history of royal
tours and would make an attractive addition to any coffee
table. The specialist may be left wanting more though. Myself,
I would have found the addition of a map marking the places
the Queen has visited a worthwhile addition that would drive
home the Queen's deep connection to her country. Given that
this book is titled A Royal Couple in Canada I would have
found the addition of some quotes by Prince Philip most
appropriate.

These are small issues though and do not detract greatly from
this book that Allison Lawlor has written. I fully recommend
it. It is available for purchase online here.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Canada Day 2017 and the Monarchy

7/1/2017

Its been a busy Canada Day for the
Royal Family and Her Majesty's Vice-
regal representatives.

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall were in
Ottawa for most of the day as part of the 2017 Royal Tour. The
Prince participated in the inspection of the guard at 11:40am
and attended the Canada Day celebrations on Parliament
Hill. He also visited the Ottawa office of Shopify, a Canadian
e-commerce company. In a surprise announcement Prince
Charles was named an Extraordinary Companion of the Order
of Canada along with a group of other notable Canadians.

Governor General David Johnston presented the Order of
Canada to Prince Charles in light of his long relationship with
Canada and his many charitable endeavors to improve the
well-being of Canadians. His Excellency also released a short
video message in honour of Canada Day:

Across the pond Her Majesty the Queen sat for a new official
portrait while wearing the platinum Canadian maple-leaf
brooch she inherited from her mother. This brooch has been
worn by various members of the Royal Family while carrying
out their duties in Canada. If Her Majesty were wish to
congratulate some Canadians in person on the milestone she
doesn't have far to go. A contingent of Canadian soldiers are
serving as the Queen's Guard on select dates until July 3rd.
Canada was invited to send troops by Her Majesty as a way of
marking Canada's 150th birthday.

It is easy to forget that Canada is a young country. But when
you consider that the Queen has been alive for over half as
long as Canada has been a united entity it puts Canada's age
in perspective. We are a very young country. A very young
monarchy. The monarchy has been with us through our many
ups and downs along the way and it will be with us for
countless more. Happy Canada Day!

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

All About Royal Jubilees

2/6/2017

The Sapphire Queen

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.

Pope Boniface VIII

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

Coins & Crowns

6/5/2016

A reader of this blog sent me a question recently: "Why does
the Queen no longer have her crown on our money?"

Good question! And not one I had given much thought. The
Queen's portrait appears on all Canadian coins (and the $20
dollar bill). As the Queen has reigned since the 1950s it is
understandable that the Queen's portrait on the currency has
been changed a few times. The first portrait was used from
1953-1964, the second from 1965-1989, the third from 1990-
2002, and the current portrait beginning in 2003. And,
indeed, the 2003 portrait is the only one without the crown.
This isn't the first time a portrait of the monarch has been
used without them wearing a crown (or at least a tiara). Going
back to Queen Victoria each monarch has had at least one
coin where they do not wear any sort of headdress.

But this still leaves the question of why?

Queen sans crown

Google searches turned up next to nothing.
Wikipedia wasn't much more help. I did find
the name of the Canadian Artist who's
design was used for the 2003 redesign.
Susanna Blunt's design was chosen by the
Canadian Mint to appear on the currency in
2003.

A quick email to Ms. Blunt got me an answer to the question:
"Because she requested not to wear it!"

And with that we have our answer. Perhaps not the most
exciting answer but an understandable one. The various
crowns used by the sovereign are heavy. Before the opening
of the British Parliament the Queen has been known to
practice in order to get used to the weight. Even the tiaras
would start to feel heavy in the time it took to work on a
portrait. Or perhaps the Queen simply decided this portrait
didn't need to belabor the point that she is the monarch.
Either way it is an excellent portrait of the Queen as the grand
dame of Canada.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

<<Previous

Forward>>