No, I didn’t arise at 4AM to watch the live wedding performance, knowing full well that there would be hundreds of repeats over the subsequent week from which to choose, or not. But I am a fan of the British monarchy mainly because I believe that it represents the best of British tradition and identity, in spite of all recent threats of self-inflicted implosion. Bret Stephens probably said it best: “….royalty is the most venerable embodiment of British tradition, tradition is the lifeblood of identity, identity generates social cohesion without resort to force, and social cohesion is the sine qua non of a viable polity”.
Previously I have mentioned British Prime Minister David Cameron’s comments about the failure of multiculturalism in Britain, in which he championed a “muscular liberalism” that believes in certain values and vigorously supports them, including all of those that are important to the West. Meanwhile, it is well known that Prince Charles is on record with goofy comments wherein, if and when he ascends to the throne, he would change his title from “Defender of the Faith” to the more generalized “Defender of Faith”, a pretty conspicuous omission of the word “the”. Particularly in the context of Cameron’s comments, this is no small matter, because the place of Christianity in British heritage is paramount, not only in tradition and identity, but in its foundational role in the evolution of Western Civilization.
From all indications, Will and Kate are solid young people well prepared to assume their duties of maintaining this tradition and identity and, hopefully, Charles won’t have too much time to damage the continuity. Long live the Queen!