THE MONARCHY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 28 May 1927, Page 11

THE MONARCHY

ENGLAND’S STRENGTH

OUTSTANDING EFFECT OF THE GREAT WAR

One of the outstanding effects of the Great War w'as the collapse of a number of European monarchies, and the establishment of republics in place of them. The Hohenzollern dynasty disappeared into exile when the Imperial throne of Germany was shattered, and the Ilohenzollerns involved in their ruin the ruling houses of a dozen German kingdoms and principalities. The Romanoff regime in Russia was overthrown by revolution, and extinguished by murder; the representatives of the Hapsburg dynasty, who are the heirs to the overturned throne of Aus-tria-Hungary, are in exile; Greece has got -rid of its King; and Turkey has exiled its Sultan. To-day Europe consists of sixteen republics and only ten monarchies; and several of these remaining monarchies V»est on trembling foundations. Among the combatant and neutral countries of Europe, Great Britain is the only one in which the foundations of the throne have been strengthened by the GreaT War. The reason for this firm foundation is to be found in the adaptability of the monarchical system as it exists in . Great Britain, to the march of progress, and in the adaptability of the Royal family to those changes in the life of a nation which great events in the march of civilisation produce. The reigning house in Great Britain is more a part of,the life of the people than the reigning house in any other monarchy in Europe.

But it was not always so. The historv of the monarchy in Great Britain during the past hundred years reveals how the monarchy has changed as the outlook of the nation had changed, and that the effect of changes in the nation and the monarchy has been to bring them closer together. A hundred years ago the monarchy was deservedly unpopular, and was the subject of much c-austic criticism- The occupant ot the throne was George IV., who has been described as “a bad son, a bad husband, a bad father, a bad subject, a bad monarch, and a bad friend. He was u drunkard and a gambler, and on more than one occasion his debts had to be paid out of the public purse. He had a succession of mistresses as Prince of Wales, and his treatment of his wife resulted in a series* of scandals that degraded the throne. He was succeeded as King by his brother William, who reigned only seven years.

Then came the long reign of Queen

Victoria, who purified the atmosphere of the Court, and by her example and by her rigid rules in regard to presentation at Court raised the moral tone of the nation. In these, days we are accustomed to condemn the narrowness and the Puritanical limitations of so-

cial and domestic life in England during the reign of Queen Victoria, and to fail to recognise to what an extent these changes represented a great advance on the loose moral standards and social scandals that were preval ent in an earlier generation.

But tc cannot be - said that the respect and admiration, verging on reverence, which Queen Victoria won from her people made her a popular monarch, in the sense in which we in these days understand popularity. To a great extent she kept herself aloof from the life of the people. She believed that Royalty would lose its hold on the people if they were allowed to come in frequent contact with the occupant of the Throne. For this reason she seldom appeared in public except on State occasions; when driving through the streets of London on unofficial occasions she usually had the blinds of her carriage drawn, in order to conceal herself from the public view. She even objected to participating in State functions, and she frequently complained in querulous terms of the way in which her Ministers insisted on her opening Parliament. in State.

IN TOUCH WITH THE PEOPLE.

King Edward VII. did much more than Queen Victoria to bring the Thi-one into touch with the people. He was a man of the world, who took a keen interest in the pleasures of life. It is true that his fondness for horse racing, his choice of friends among men who were prominent in sport, and his cultivation, of the society of actlosses famed for their beauty, exposed him to criticism in some quarters; but the nation as a whole looked somewhat leniently on the failings ;i of a man who combined with Kingship the attractive qualities of an English gentleman. On three occasions he won the Derby—the classical event of the English Turf—and his achievement, which had never been equalled, increased his popularity among a people who have always been renowned for sportsmanship. In the ordinary affairs of life he carried on

his Kingly duties with, .a thoroughness

which brought him into close contact with nil classes of the community. Ho thereby added to his personal popularity of the Throne.

The reversal of me policy of seclusion which Queen Victoria laid down for the guidance of Royalty has had happy results, and has strengthened the roots of loyalty in the hearts of the people. The practice of going about among the people and participating in their sports and pleasures which King Edward adopted has been followed by King George and Queen Mary, and they have extended the share of Royalty in the life of the people in many other directions. They are constantly visiting the homes of the ,speople with almost an entire absence of ceremony; they have aided by thei presence, as well as their patronage scores of charitable efforts on behalf of the poor. -They have repeatedly visited hospitals to cheer the sick and the suffering; they have gone into the slums in the East End of London to inspect municipal schemes for better housing accommodation for the poor. They have visited the humble cottages of miners on the coalfields, and the cottages of fishermen on the const. These things have brought the people into closer personal relationship with the Throne than they have ever been in any previous reign. And the King and Queen have had the wisdom and foresight to extend to the overseas Dominions the personal relationship between the people and the Rovai Family. The visits of the Prince of Wales to Canada, Australia, New Zea land, South Africa, and India have given millions of people the opportunity of realising what Royalty means on its personal side. The great personal charm which the Prince has exercised over all who have come into contact with him has added not only to his widespread popularity, but to the pop ularitv of the Royal Family and tlic monarchy. The visit of me Duke and Duchess of York to New Zealand and Australia opens another pleasing chapter in the relationship between the monarchy and the people of the Empire. The enthusiastic welcome these Royal visi tors have received everywhere testifies to the deep affection of the personal element in this relationship. Their visit brings home in a striking manner the position of the Rovai Family as a living link in the chain of Empire.