Benedict Arnold led the American army to Quebec City on an epic journey. When he got there, he found that the people didn’t want to be liberated. Today, Canadian tour guides delight in showing the exact spot where the “failed American invasion” came to its inglorious end.
Yesterday, Charles III became king of many countries — Canada, Jamaica and Australia, among them. I overheard a conversation at the Toronto airport between a couple of Americans and Canadians about the passing of Queen Elizabeth after her more than 70-year reign. The conversation initially caught my attention from a sociological perspective when the 40-something American man asserted his lack of grief because the Queen had killed Diana. No one in the group pushed back — though they did nod solemnly and looked away. At any rate, the conversation drifted until one of the Americans said, “Doesn’t the Queen own Canada?” The Canadians assured their new friends that this wasn’t true, but couldn’t quite explain the person’s role who they said had no power over them — kind of. It was clear that they knew Charles might be something, but unclear that the “something” was king of Canada.
Soon, countries, including Canada and Australia, will change all of their bank note currencies and official documents, seals and every other symbol of the government to reflect the ascendancy of a new monarch and defender of the faith, Charles III. When King Charles III dies, his son William will be king, and then George. Because kings and queens are people, there have been good ones and bad ones, evil ones and pious ones, smart ones and dumb ones. There have been great, brave and just British kings, stretching back into the fog of the centuries. What they have all shared in common is an assertion that has been mostly supported by submission. It explains the bow and curtsy. The king and his blood are above the average person. Inherent in all of this is the tradition of a blood right to rule, forever. The issue isn’t necessarily the power of the office so much as the symbolism and submission to what an American would view as a degradation. The degradation is the idea that the Royal Family has been born above the people, who are not their equals, but rather their subjects.
This is what the first generation of Americans rejected. They created a republic, and turned the king’s subjects into citizens.