In the era of "NO KINGS" protests in America in which I participated, there is no small amount of irony that King Charles III of Great Britain came to the United States to gently but poignantly remind us while addressing a joint session of Congress of who we are and what both our nations have valued and traditionally stood for since being allies in two world wars. King Charles offered a unique perspective of our own history as an heir to a royal family that has been part of America's history prior to the American Revolution and beyond. As a constitutional monarch, he reminded us of the importance of our own constitution and its ties to Magna Carta which he pointed out has been referenced in our Supreme Courts decisions numerous times. In short, it was perhaps the finest speech ever delivered to a joint session of Congress to date in the 21st century.
Normally, such a speech as this would have been understood in the context of mutual understanding and gratitude for such shared values between our two nations which on the surface it was. The context in which King Charles spoke, however, was set against a backdrop that sharply contrasted with those values; the current autocratic regime that occupies the White House and is supported by its sycophants in Congress and the Supreme Court. How ironic that a constitutional monarch has to remind us of the importance of checks and balances that is the very foundation upon which our constitutional republic rests.
Naturally, there were those on both sides of the pond who were not happy with their majesties coming to America. I am not sure any of us knew what to expect, but for myself and many others it was a momentous occasion that brought relief and hope in a friendship determined to see us through one of the most difficult moments in our nation's history. King Charles' dignity, wit, and wisdom were clearly on display that spoke well of Great Britain and the British Commonwealth. That too was set against our President's bumbling rudeness.
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What came to mind during the King's speech was King George III's song from the musical Hamilton, "You'll Be Back." I have to admit King Charles' speech gave me a sense of longing for rational leadership, intellectual wit, and calm wisdom. There was also something about a constitutional monarch speaking in revolutionary terms about the need for limitations on personal power and the benefits of checks and balances in democratic nations that contrasted deeply with the current presidential regime's dismissal of any constitutional restraint used to block the current President's personal ambitions.
What King Charles' visit offered us is the advantage of a head of state and a historical royal family who is constitutionally apolitical and whose only power is to speak officially to those in power, whose job it is to to uphold the people of his realm; to speak to the nation and Commonwealth in both good times and in times of trouble. There was one comment in King Charles speech, however, that caught my attention and gave me pause to think:
“Standing here today, it is hard not to feel the weight of history on my shoulder — because the modern relationship between our two nations and our own peoples spans not merely 250 years, but over four centuries. It is extraordinary to think that I am the 19th in our line of sovereigns to study, with daily attention, the affairs of America."
I don't know that any president of the United States feels the weight of history on his shoulder the way King Charles does. It is within being "the 19th in line of sovereigns to study with daily attention, the affairs of America" that lies the power of King Charles to speak to us; not from a constitutional duty to do so but rather from a historical one. In sharing with us the weight he feels history has on his shoulder, we are reminded that the weight of history rests on our shoulders as well.
A constitutional monarchy is a living testament to Great Britain's continuity in the living symbols of a family and a monarch that personifies the heritage of the nation they serve. We in America removed such hereditary symbols after our revolution. Continuity in America is in the heritage of the ideas we hold to be true and in the belief that they will continue to sustain us in the future, no matter how precarious the present seems. This continuity is expressed in our constitutional democracy's ability to offer new perspectives and to breathe life into our's nation being. King Charles reminded us that we as a nation not only bear the weight of our own history but the future history of the entire world. A burden that cannot be undertaken by any singular nation.
His Majesty conferred a sense of majesty in our shared histories and in the task of coming together to make the weight of history a shared burden when he said,
“Our common ideals were not only crucial for liberty and equality, they are also the foundation of our shared prosperity. The rule of law: the certainty of stable and accessible rules, an independent judiciary resolving disputes and delivering impartial justice. These features created the conditions for centuries of unmatched economic growth in our two countries.
King Charles' speech was a much needed reminder of who we are at a time we seem to have lost our way. It is with gratitude, therefore, that I can honestly say as an American, "God save the King and God save the United States of America."
Norm
