ROYALTY
All Men Are Created Equal?
This truth is self-evident?
In the Declaration of Independence, with corrections by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson wrote that “all men are created equal” is a self-evident truth. That three slaves attended him during this writing indicates that hypocrites are not always wrong.
Currently, there is a transition from Queen to King in the British Isles. A great deal of hubbub is being created regarding the life of the Queen and the ascendance of the new King. The sun never sets on the hype for the British Empire.
Some Americans may wonder what all the fuss is about. The woman who was Queen lived a long and privileged life, first documented in newsreels and finishing with posts on social media. Good for her, despite the fact that many view her existence as representing the oppression of colonial rule.
It is less clear what the incoming King represents
Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor’s personal net worth is over 2 Billion pounds, which should not be confused with the north of 28 Billion dollar portfolio of the royal family. He has parlayed his significant advantages and a large fortune into a much larger fortune. In a country where most pay 40% inheritance tax, he is paying none. And he has nothing but continued opportunity in a country (and a world) where most are struggling with the cost of living.
Many years ago, while privileged to be vacationing in London, my family blundered into a roadblock securing the right of way for the royal procession to the State Opening of Parliament. As we watched the gilded carriages pass, I made a very American comment. “Amazing what the tribute of over 1000 years can buy.”
“Oh no,” exclaimed the Englishwoman beside me. “They gave us everything!”
It occurred to me that my education was sadly lacking and that the story of the forced signing of the Magna Carta had been misrepresented. A second thought was the brand management of the royal family was without peer.
What King Charles III represents is royalty
He represents privilege granted by birth. He is excluded from the debts and obligations of the general populace. His existence, along with that of the royal family, is supplemented by operating income from the Duchy of Lancaster and the Duchy of Cornwall, and the Sovereign Grant, which is essentially a portion of the profits from a myriad of royal holdings. In U.S. terms, it is not unlike supporting a single family with a large portion of the income from all the national parks.
The citizens of the United Kingdom, turning out in droves to pay their respects, appear to be quite happy with the reign of the Queen. Change is unlikely with their new King.
The wealth of the King allows him to live in splendor and attend receptions, garden parties, and visit schools. English citizens may argue that the activities of their royalty represent them, bring citizens together, and define them as Englishmen. And they may believe that funding the royal family is justified if only for the entertainment value they provide. Monarchy is the longest-running “reality” show in the world.
However, the existence of birth-conveyed royal privilege is the antithesis of the founding principles of America.
The notion of royalty, and the personification of that institution in English Kings and Queens, is not something Americans should applaud. Transitions from one monarch to another must be regarded as a perpetuation of wrongdoing.
Similarly, Americans must not accept the existence of royalty and must forestall all efforts to subvert our democratic process for the purpose of instituting anything approximating royalty in America.
Why? Because we hold this truth to be self-evident. All men and women are created equal.
