A Tale of Two Monarchies

As a citizen of both Canada and Spain, I am the subject of two monarchs – each of whose monarchies is once again under attack. For readers who may not know, Canada is a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth as Head of State. Indeed, Queen Elizabeth is Queen of fifteen independent states including the United Kingdom, although Barbados is expected to terminate its monarchical status in November.

In recent days, deep divisions in the Canadian royal house have come to the fore, with Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which she accused the Royal House of racism, and the British right-wing media of racism and misogyny. She sought to compare herself to the late Princess Diana and portrayed herself as persecuted during her time in the United Kingdom.

Prince Harry, understandably traumatized by his mother’s travails and untimely death, appears to share his wife’s concerns and accompanied her for part of this interview.

Reaction has been mixed. Some believe that Meghan Markle is an entitled individual who sought to make herself the center of the conversation by using the race card with Oprah. Others believe that United Kingdom is indeed a racist society and that the Royal Family is a closed and unwelcoming shop when it comes to accepting a member who is part black. The fact that Markle accused one or more royals of racist comments prior to the birth of her son underscores this perception.

Meanwhile, Prince Andrew has been sidelined from royal duties given allegations of sexual impropriety, and Prince Charles’ history has been plagued with bad press and poor behavior at times.

The Spanish royal house is not better off. As former King, Juan Carlos finds himself in Abu Dhabi waiting to find out if he is to be prosecuted for corruption and tax evasion, his son-in-law remains in prison– a fate that his wife, Princess Cristina, narrowly avoided.

Current Queen Letizia has feuded in public with her mother-in-law, former Queen Sofia, and has engaged in public spectacles with both her husband and the former king.

Last week, both of King Felipe VI’s sisters travelled to Abu Dhabi to visit their father and took advantage to obtain the Covid-19 vaccine before the majority of Spaniards. This has roiled many Spaniards who are upset by this display of entitlement and great political insensitivity at a time when Spain has suffered devastating effects from the pandemic.

From the beginning of Spain’s transition to democracy in 1975, King Juan Carlos publicly stated that his son’s monarchy was not guaranteed, and that he would have to earn it. He played a major role in Spain’s transition to democracy and led the fight against the 1981 attempted coup — yet he is also the principal culprit in the decline of the Spanish monarchy today.

Anti-monarchic sentiment has been a historical fact of life since the 19th century, and Spain got rid of the monarchy in 1931 in a referendum that eventually led to the Spanish Civil War and the Franco dictatorship.

As I write, fewer that 40 percent of Spaniards identify as monarchist, while 33 percent of Canadians espouse republican sentiments.

The major problem with monarchies is that too many members feel a sense of entitlement. King Juan Carlos, his daughters, and Prince Andrew likely believed that they could get away with their actions due to their positions. Meagan Markle may well have been subjected to racism from members of the royal family. This should be investigated as Queen Elizabeth has rightly suggested.

Noblesse oblige was the standard of the 19th century and must be the standard in today’s world in which little remains hidden, and the smallest peccadillos are publicized globally.

For every Prince William and Princess Anne, there is a Prince Andrew seeking to find a crooked way in a world that offers them few if any career prospects. The same goes for the Spanish royal family.

If the monarchy is to survive in both countries, members of each royal household will have to be held to the highest standards and be subjected to the full extent of the law should they transgress.

Entitlement is no longer acceptable. They should be trained from childhood to evaluate how their actions will be portrayed by the public that they purport to lead and to behave accordingly.

Absent this, the monarchy’s days may well be numbered both in Spain and in Canada.

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Edición: Laura Espejo