The Unofficial British Royal Family Pages

Friday 29 October 2004

The People One Consorts With

Lately the Jester has been curious not only about the Royal Family but about the political and personal influence the Monarch has in a constitutional monarchical system of government, because I live in one. To that end I have been doing some studying on the subject (didn’t know the Jester was the scholarly type, did you?). Among the books I read was one called “The Modern British Monarchy”, by Sir Charles Petrie. Now granted this book was published in 1961, so its degree of ‘modern’ only goes up to the very early years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. His emphasis though was on the personalities of the Sovereigns, and how these helped shape their conduct throughout the various political crises of their reigns. Of no less significance, too, were the personalities and contributions of their Consorts, for better or worse. 

Queen Victoria was married to Prince Albert, a man the British public (read upper and lower classes, because these were facts of life then) considered a minor German nobody, not good enough for their Queen. His greatest failing in their eyes was that he was no sportsman, and his interests in science, art, architecture and the high ideals that went with them did little to endear him. In these aspects he was very similar to Prince Philip, except that Philip is more action-man. However the aristocracy at that time directed public opinion, and they disparaged him whenever they could. So it was to the middle classes that Albert turned for friendship. Not something a true ‘gentleman’ did. A gentleman watched a violin concert; he did not play a violin himself. Seventeen years after his marriage, in 1857, he was created Prince Consort. It was his diplomacy that helped prevent a war between Britain  and the US  in the early years of the American Civil War. As an outsider he was able to see things clearly from all points of view and worked to smooth the waters. His contributions to the British Constitution were enormous, and he did have great power as the Queen’s unofficial Private Secretary, which he considered to be his job. It was his belief, also, that the Sovereign should be an example to all of honour, virtue and justice.

Unfortunately both Victoria and Albert’s attitude to her heirs was not so honourable. Victoria was a Hanover. The Georges, Hanover Kings, had always been wary of their first born and did whatever they could to make sure they remained under-educated, under-valued and out of the public eye. Sadly Edward VII was treated the same way, but he determined to make a life for himself. Victoria had always been a stay-at-home mom and Edward a man of the world. He kept up on politics, art, languages, and sports with an extensive social circle, particularly on the Continent.

His Queen, Alexandra of Denmark, had much sway over her husband’s political dealings. He listened to her take on foreign affairs mainly in compensation for his numerous romantic affairs, through which she suffered in silence. She, like Edward, continued the family practice of showing no affection or understanding to their children, who suffered from the neglect in ways that are still at work today.

May of Teck was originally engaged to marry the Duke of Clarence, the eldest son of Edward and Alexandra. But after his death her ambitious family decided one heir was as good as the next. Queen Victoria was still alive when the marriage took place, and felt May seemed a good fit for the then Duke of York. But as a consort to King George V and as a sympathetic mother Queen Mary was of no consequence. She felt she and the children should always be subservient to husband and father. George famously declared that as he had been afraid of his father, his children were going to be afraid of him. Mary gave her all to him and got very little back in return. It wasn’t until after his death, and the abdication of her eldest son in 1936, that she came into her own as Queen Mother.

She knew what it was like to be married to a younger brother who had no idea he would ever be crowned, and so she was of great help to the new George VI and his bride Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Bertie had been a sickly man all his life, had a pronounced stammer and absolutely no training or preparation for kingship. Elizabeth was a huge asset to him and Queen Mary to her in a time of great constitutional upheaval caused by the abdication and the oncoming war the British were trying to avoid. She was a tower of strength and knowledge when it was needed the most.

Since her passing in 2001, the story of the Queen Mom’s enormous success as a Consort has been well documented. Prince Philip, as the present Consort (although never given that official title like Prince Albert, is now the elder statesman of the land, having outlived all the political leaders he started out with. He has a vast store of political know-how which it is hoped neither he nor the Queen are withholding from Charles.

Fortunately, the Queen is no Hanover, and she has made it her business to make sure Charles has an easier time of it than his predecessors had. Ten years ago when it became evident that a divorce was very likely, that there would never be a Queen Diana, and that Charles would be a single King, the Queen quietly made a surprise move and created Princess Anne a Lady of the Garter. As only living Queens had been given this degree of the Order Anne was now raised up over the other women of the family, and when the time comes can be crowned right beside her brother as his official Consort. No question she is fully qualified and fully capable, under the tutelage and backing of her father. Because she has the knowledge and the status she can also act as Councillor of State if he is absent. She is respected, popular, decisive, unwilling to compromise her principles and in for the long haul. Unless Charles gets lucky and meets someone absolutely incredible in the meantime, his Consort will be his sister, someone he and William can definitely count on.

If, as Sir Charles asserts, a monarchical government derives its strength or weakness from the success or failures of the one who wears the Crown, it is no less true that in many cases the Crown-wearer derives his or hers from those of their Consort.

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The Jester would still like to hear from you about why you care about the British monarchy, or any monarchy. Perhaps you have a special Royal that you admire. Why do you read this website? What interests you about the people you read about here? Let me know.

Anon til we meet again!

- The Court Jester