The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge out and about
Prince William and Princess Catherine are visiting these United States on behalf of the United Kingdom as I type these lines. There is little to do with me in all of this. This blog has of course been a place in which I and my readers have taken an interest the British Royal family and the lives and times of other royal families around the world. In fact there is a great deal to cover in such matters and most of it is not much covered in our news media. To get an idea of the importance of Spanish royalty one can take a long peek here. Feliipe VI was sworn in as King on June 19, 2014 and the event was duly marked . His proclamation was also duly celebrated and is visible in large part here. The role of the crowned heads of Europe does not become entirely clear to the average outside in just a few days, months or even years of observation. This all occurs more clearly to one who has watched events unfold over decades. This blog is not mostly about those people but mostly about my own life in much humbler circumstances most of the time.
Just another selfie …
The United States of America is in a phase in its history where it is determining what its image will be in the world and what its future direction will be. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are living symbols and embodiments of the future central and unified meaning and direction of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth which was once the British Empire. Cambridge is a university town where the royal couple who met at St. Andrew’s University have the title of their Ducal deisgnations.
My Tulane sweatshirt hails from the days when I studied there.
But as we face the future as a nation we also face the challenge of integrating our hopes and plans for our country with the necessary commitment we all have to our own families, our own occupations and our own ideals. In these days Obama must doe the same — he must do both needful things at once. The visit is one of those aspects of this living out of change and continuity..
A picture of my mother which I took at Hub City Diner when we spent much of the day together on Monday December 8th of 2014.
Certainly, the Harlem visit, the basketball game and the first family all brought home the qualities of the Afro-American world order in which we live. Certainly there was a need for something more than mere pain in race relations and their visit is a labor in that particular vineyard in deed. I am already burdened with many other things on my mind and I can’t say that the visit floods me with joy. Whatever one thinks of the final role Prince William is preparing to play he is preparing to play it after his grandmother and father are through with their bit and likely have died. The couple already has a certain aplomb and presence that is based in skill.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge out and about
The questions about continuity are more present in our minds than usual in this lame duck month of Congress and two last years of the Obama Presidency. In my last post I mentioned how Advent celebrates themes that endure across time. That is part of the joy of Christianity. The British royals and other royals represent an in-between timeframe less than the eternal Kingship of Christ and more than the four years of a US Presidential term. We can remember this by seeing the current Queen of the UK and other realms with President Eisenhower.
I don’t think any two constitutional changes are the same. The British Monarchy is not our target here.
So whatever America is doing and will be doing we will likely be dealing with royal heads of state. I hope that as far as these issues may seem from many daily lives we will take some time look at the future and see what we want it to look like for this country. Asking ourselves if we are where the Founders were hoping to get is part of the process although not the only or most important part.
We have a responsibility to understand the words we use to shape our live and society. This is a picture of the Declarators committee.
My own political views are viewable in part here, here and here. I am well aware this is a proposal a long way from the mainstream as of yet. But that does not mean I do not take it seriously.
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