My Kingship Is Dead, Long Live the King!


Alas, it would appear that my chances of becoming the next King of England, or at least a Knight, Duke or Earl, have all but evaporated. You see, for over a year now my wife’s baby sister has been an officer cadet at Sandhurst, England, with Prince Harry. Although they slept in the same bunk bed together, shared a foxhole or two, paraded, polished and ran into each other in their PJ’s, no budding romance has flourished into being which would cause me to begin my Machiavellian nee Shakespearean epic conquest for the throne.

Interesting that I would deign to be King, given that I have long said that Canada should break free of the Commonwealth and become a republic. I wish that we had followed suit with the Americans back in the days of their Revolution as I believe our nation would’ve progressed significantly more than it has. Was it our second Prime Minister, Sir Wilfred Laurier, who stated “the future belongs to Canada”? I guess he missed the boat there!

I also went through a phase, back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s when I became infatuated with Irish Republicanism and, while living in Dublin met a few interesting “lads” via my flat mate who was a Sinn Fein lawyer…

I have nothing against the Queen, but, really hold her and the late Queen Mother in the highest regard. They have been true definitions of class and dignity. I simply feel that Canada doesn’t need a monarchy (unless I was the regent of course) and, as a result of being a Commonwealth nation modeled on Britain, I feel that we have been somewhat stunted in becoming a prosperous nation with its own sense of self. Both the English and Americans are peoples who really seem to know who they are, and though I often object how they assert this sense of self on the rest of the world, admire them as nations.

In any case, I’m very proud of my sister-in-law (you can barely see her face in the photo, cut off on the far right) for enduring the rigours that the British Army has put her through over what must have at times seemed an eternity. So here’s a big WELL DONE LASS and best wishes on your posting in Northern Ireland (Erin go Bragh!!!)!!!!!