| by Dr. Jeffrey Lant. Author's program note. You are sleeping peacefully now, and I for one am glad of that. For you are the child on whose fragile shoulders the weight of empire shall in due course descend. And you must be ready... For that reason we will all come to know you very well. We shall see you in a thousand pictures, in every mood, in every costume, in every clime, and we shall be glad to see you smile and know you are happy and well. You are the child who will soon grow accustomed to footmen with powdered hair and palaces whose unnumbered chambers contain the treasures of centuries, treasures which will, God willing, all be yours. However, the greatest treasure of all will be your ability to touch humanity for from that touch comes the love of your great peoples worldwide; the peoples who bow to you because you personify their best and reign for them. You are the favored child whom prime ministers and statesmen crave the privilege to greet. They come and go but all know you stay, the very symbol of stability and the promise that there will always be an England, and that this England shall remain sceptered -- and royal. For you, prince, the greatest musicians shall compose their most compelling and meticulous measures... the greatest divas shall cast off petulant airs and, curseying low, rain their haughty best upon you... the greatest dancers shall strain every sinew and muscle so you see only grace and perfection. And scribblers like me shall keep a thesaurus near at hand, the better to select the apt words to extol you, the lyric words, the splendid words of our splendid language, the language that shall be called, "The King's English"... and that King shall be... you. You are to be the cynosure of every eye, today and every day of your life... the arbiter elegantiarum... the Fountain of Honor who can with the merest motion raise the lowest to the highest and with nothing more than a single radiant smile enrich a life and make one glad to be alive. Today your apprenticeship for majesty begins... your me'tier... your life's work immediately at hand... a subject you will master before the world whose heart will always beat faster the nearer you are... for we all want to see the divinity that doth hedge... you... and so be profoundly moved. You, world renowned from the moment of conception, are the symbol of unity in a world sorely divided. You, without need to face election or any process of selection whatsoever, at any time, have the luxury of honesty, integrity and forthright statement... a right you will use to our frequent advantage. Rich beyond avarice, you will want for nothing. From this pinnacle of wealth, you must advocate for those who have nothing and need everything, looking to you as the true friend they never had and sorely need. Remember this: there will be members of your court who will try to keep you away and distant from your peoples, unapproachable, arguing that your exalted status forbids such contact. Listen to such pettifogging bureaucrats at your hazard. These knighted pomposities too often misunderstand who you are and what your mission is. It is not to be segregated from the people, but to be these peoples' most fervent and unwavering advocate. You reign for all, to be sure; but you reign most for those whose needs are greatest... the young, the elderly, those who suffer, those who grieve, those who live without help or hope. You are of the blood of Diana, Princess of Wales, your grandmother who died tragically young. Take up her cause but do so without her anger and pain and desire for revenge. Make it your objective to be the "People's Prince" but with none of the baggage. "I will be good." It is fashionable in our "wicked cool" days to deride every social skill as pedantic, ponderous, dull, demeaning, getting in the way of the constant partying and irresponsible behavior that some will tell you is your right. This is wrong. Your objective must always be to represent the best of what is good about the young, their energy, their idealism, their acute and pressing desire to improve the world, whilst avoiding their often selfish and loutish behavior. The best role model is your very own ancestor, the great queen whose monumental statue abides for the ages just outside the main gate of Buckingham Palace, Queen Victoria. Here is the famous story... Like you, prince, Queen Victoria was born in the purple (1819), but the odds on her becoming sovereign were long, nowhere near as good as yours. Preceding her was her uncle the Duke of York, second son of king George III, but he died in 1827 before his brother who reigned as George IV until 1830. After his death the next son of George III became king as William IV. Had he and his wife Queen Adelaide produced a living child, he or she would have reigned, but they could not; the stillborn twin boys they produced in 1822 were the last of many disappointments. And so Victoria, Princess of Kent, whose father had died in 1820 moved closer and closer to the throne. Finally, it was decided to disclose her increasingly likely destiny. And so her governess Baroness Lehzen slipped a copy of the genealogy of the House of Hanover into one of the princess's lesson books. After perusing it for some time, Victoria came to see that her deceased father had been next in line after the king, and that Queen Adelaide had no surviving children. Thus she was the heir presumptive, likely to be the next British monarch. After a pause, Victoria is reported to have said "I will be good", and as it turned out, she meant every word, living them through the longest reign in British history (1837- 1901). What being "good" means. Years ago, I saw an incident that told me everything I ever needed to know about the man in question, California Governor Jerry Brown, then candidate for president. As he was exiting a backyard picnic in New Hampshire, an elderly white-haired woman, jostled by photographers, fell on the gravel drive way. Brown looked... and walked away, literally leaving her crumpled on the ground. He said nothing. He did nothing. He was clearly too important to be bothered by one frail person in need... and in an instant he gained my undying contempt. Here, then, is what "good" means and what you must do. Be gracious to all. It means so much and takes such little effort. Always offer your strong arm to those needing it. They will never forget... and always recall that moment as one of their happiest. Listen. And while you're listening, look the person in the eye. Compliment freely, lavishly, and smile when you do for your smile is one of the most important on Earth, making friends and building bridges whenever you release its potent magic. Do the good deed... whether you get recognized for it, or not. It's the right thing to do. Work the phones. Call people who work hard for others but get no recognition... use modern technology and the alchemy of your voice and kind heart to change lives and spread joy. Be gentle with scoffing Americans and particularly our thoughtlessly carping columnists who deride, disdain and denigrate the very idea of monarchy as obsolete. Remind them that you can go about your important work without a phalanx of armed guards who are thought necessary for every president even when buying ice cream; that you have the love and respect of your people, and so have real security. "The King Shall Rejoice!" Now, it is time for fanfare as the good, loyal people of the world thrill to your arrival. For this I have selected one of the great panegyrics by the inimitable master of monarchical music, George Frideric Handel, the "Dettingen Te Deum" (HWV 283). Written in 1743, it celebrates the victorious Battle of Dettingen (1743) over the French; the last time a British sovereign lead his armies to victory in person. Learn from George II, this often undervalued and much derided of your ancestors, for without him you may not have been born a prince at all, much less an heir apparent. Now go to any search engine and listen to Handel at his most soaring and remember we play it for you, Prince of Cambridge, "The glorious Company of the Apostles praise Thee." May it ever be thus. God Save the Queen! |
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