I don’t mean to sound rude so please don’t take offense, but isn’t that sort of nonsensical? King Charles is only one man and the vast majority of his life and time is spent in the UK so I think it’s fair to say he considers himself more British than Canadian or Australian or a citizen of any other commonwealth nation, even if legally speaking it is defined differently. Doesn’t that mean that the main thing preventing him from prioritizing the wellbeing of one nation over another is his own integrity? What happens if the next king is a dick?
Again, I really don’t mean to be rude I’m just very curious about this topic. I’m sure watching Trump shit all over the American system of government is a factor in my thought process as well. Feel free to tell me to shut up if I’m making you think about this more than you want to.
Not rude, no worries. It’s an area of consternation for Canada. And a really interesting balancing act to watch.
I think its wrong to lump the royals in with all Brits, at least Elizabeth and Charles, because they aren’t raised to view themselves as purely British. I would argue they dont identify with nation states in the same way us plebs do.
When the royals are in Canada the media often worries that British realpolitik will prevail for exactly the reasons you’ve outlined. But I’ve yet to see Elizabeth or Charles throw Canada under the bus. When here, they do represent Canadian views, even when they are slightly contrary to British.
Canadians generally have ‘trust’ in the monarchy because they have held up their side of the bargain. Will that always be the case? Maybe not.
I’m probably a soft monarchist, I think there is stability in the institution that republics just don’t have. I think there is value in the elected leader being reminded they are not the top dog, even if it is a largely ceremonial role. It helps that the royals are far away and the family drama stays mostly in the UK.
I don’t mean to sound rude so please don’t take offense, but isn’t that sort of nonsensical? King Charles is only one man and the vast majority of his life and time is spent in the UK so I think it’s fair to say he considers himself more British than Canadian or Australian or a citizen of any other commonwealth nation, even if legally speaking it is defined differently. Doesn’t that mean that the main thing preventing him from prioritizing the wellbeing of one nation over another is his own integrity? What happens if the next king is a dick?
Again, I really don’t mean to be rude I’m just very curious about this topic. I’m sure watching Trump shit all over the American system of government is a factor in my thought process as well. Feel free to tell me to shut up if I’m making you think about this more than you want to.
Not rude, no worries. It’s an area of consternation for Canada. And a really interesting balancing act to watch.
I think its wrong to lump the royals in with all Brits, at least Elizabeth and Charles, because they aren’t raised to view themselves as purely British. I would argue they dont identify with nation states in the same way us plebs do.
When the royals are in Canada the media often worries that British realpolitik will prevail for exactly the reasons you’ve outlined. But I’ve yet to see Elizabeth or Charles throw Canada under the bus. When here, they do represent Canadian views, even when they are slightly contrary to British.
Canadians generally have ‘trust’ in the monarchy because they have held up their side of the bargain. Will that always be the case? Maybe not.
I’m probably a soft monarchist, I think there is stability in the institution that republics just don’t have. I think there is value in the elected leader being reminded they are not the top dog, even if it is a largely ceremonial role. It helps that the royals are far away and the family drama stays mostly in the UK.
That’s all very interesting. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the matter.