The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Canada in 2011
My article for the Historica Canada Canadian Encyclopedia on Prince William is a short biography of the Duke of Cambridge that emphasizes his time in Canada and how the Canadian public responded to the royal wedding and his tours of Canada. The article also includes information on the birth of Prince George in 2013 and the succession reform debate in Canada.
Next: HRH The Prince of Wales (The Prince Charles)
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Prince Andrew, the Duke of York
In “Happy Birthday, Prince Andrew,” I am quoted regarding the Duke of York’s long relationship with Canada. Andrew has been a frequent visitor to Canada since childhood and he lived in Ontario for six months in 1977, as an exchange student at Lakefield College. Today, Andrew is a trustee of Lakefield College School and Patron of numerous Canadian organizations including the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, the Canadian Canoe Museum and the Canadian International Air Show. Andrew is also Honourary Colonel-in-Chief of three Canadian regiments: The Queen’s York Rangers, the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada and the Princess Louise Fusiliers.
Click here to read the full article “Happy Birthday, Prince Andrew” at Canada.com
Click here to read my blog post about Prince Andrew’s 2013 visit to Canada
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The site of Greenwich Palace, favourite residence of King Henry VIII
My column in this weekend’s edition of the Kingston Whig Standard looks at the recent scrutiny of the Queen’s finances. While press coverage focuses on the Queen being “down to her last million” in her reserve fund, the most important issues raised by the UK Treasury report are the urgent repairs necessary for the royal palaces. The disappearance of the Palace of Plancentia at Greenwich, the setting of key events from King Henry VIII’s reign demonstrates that is is possible for neglect to render a palace uninhabitable. In contrast, the survival of Windsor Castle for nearly a thousand years reflects a succession of visionary plans for the historic royal residence.
Click here to read the full column, “The Queen’s Crumbling Palaces” in the Kingston Whig Standard
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Czar Alexander II
As you watch the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi today, it is worth reflecting on the troubled history of the Caucasus region. My article in today’s edition of Smithsonian Magazine looks at Czar Alexander II’s decision to expel the Circassian people from Sochi and the surrounding region in 1864. This rapid expulsion resulted in the deaths of more than 600,000 people. Today, Alexander II is famous for abolishing serfdom in 1861 and his treatment of the Circassian people is comparatively little known. The expulsion of the Circassians and the abolition of serfdom both reflected the Czar’s preoccupation with the stability of the Russian Empire. Alexander II spent his entire reign attempting to stabilize Russia before falling victim to a terrorist bomb in 1881.
I also wrote about the history of Sochi in the Ottawa Citizen. Click here to read “Sochi’s Bloody History.”
Interested in learning more about Czar Alexander II and the expulsion of the Circassian people from Sochi? Here are some of the books I consulted while researching my articles on Sochi:
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The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will visit Canada in May, 2014. I discussed how royal visits still matter with Janet Davison for CBC.ca. The nature of royal visits is currently changing as the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have reduced their overseas travel in recent years. The Queen’s children and grandchildren are increasing their royal engagements with the Prince of Wales assuming more and more engagements previously undertaken by the sovereign. In Canada, royal tours allow Canadians to see their monarchy in a Canadian context, challenging the view that Elizabeth II is primarily “The Queen of England.”
Click here to read the full article: Royal Visits: How They Still Matter
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My latest article on the website for the Magna Carta 2015 Canada exhibition discusses the “Rebirth of Magna Carta” during the 17th century. Magna Carta has not always been the famous charter that it is today. The Great Charter fell into obscurity during the late Middle Ages only to be revived as a seminal constitutional document by renowned seventeenth century jurist Sir Edward Coke. Since Coke wrote legal texts that were studied throughout the English speaking world, his interpretation of Magna Carta directly influenced the American Revolution and the growth of democracy throughout the modern day Commonwealth, including Canada.
Click here to read “The Rebirth of Magna Carta” on the Magna Carta 2015 Canada website
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King Juan Carlos of Spain.
In my first column of 2014, I discuss the recent unpopularity of the Spanish royal family, placing the scandals of the past few years within the context of the otherwise successful reign of King Juan Carlos. If the King decides to abdicate in the coming year, the end of his reign will be an opportunity for Spain to look back on his key role in the country’s transition from dictatorship to democracy in the late 1970s.
Click here to read “The Reign in Spain of King Juan Carlos” in the Kingston Whig Standard
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Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge at the wedding of Lady Melissa Percy last year.
This week, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, began a ten week course in Agricultural Management at Cambridge University. William’s studies reflect the generational shift currently underway in the royal family. Just as the Prince of Wales is assuming the overseas travel once undertaken by the Queen, including recently attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka and Nelson Mandela’s funeral in South Africa, William is learning more about his future responsibilities. Once Prince Charles becomes King, William will succeed to the Duchy of Cornwall and be responsible for managing this vast landholding. A course in agricultural management is professional training for the Prince’s future role as Duke of Cornwall.
Despite the importance of increased knowledge of agricultural management to William’s future responsibilities, the Prince’s enrollment at Cambridge has triggered a backlash from his fellow students. Will Heilpern of the Cambridge student newspaper, The Tab, wrote, “Normally students need A*AA at A-level to gain entry to Cambridge University, whilst the Prince only achieved a mediocre ABC. Conveniently though for Will, he is the registered benefactor of the department he will be studying at.” Leaving aside the fact that the Prince of Wales is the actual Patron of the Cambridge Program for Sustainability Leadership, the part of the School of Technology that organized William’s course, the Tab article presents a very narrow definition of the role of universities in twenty-first century education.
The Prince of Wales as an undergraduate at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1969 (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)
Heilpern’s emphasis on A-levels (the approximate British equivalent of Canadian academic Grade 12 credits) assumes that all university students follow a similar trajectory from secondary school to a degree granting program that concludes their education. If William’s attendance at Cambridge is viewed within that traditional framework, he appears to be part of a tradition of royal gentleman scholars who spent time at Oxford and/or Cambridge regardless of their academic qualifications.
William’s great-great-great grandfather, the future King Edward VII, studied at both Oxford and Cambridge despite his difficulties with academic subjects throughout his childhood and adolescence. The Queen’s father, King George VI, spent a year studying history, economics and civics at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1919 even though he ranked at the bottom of his class in his final examinations at the Royal Naval College at Osborne. An heir to the British and Commonwealth thrones did not complete a university degree at either Oxford or Cambridge until the current Prince of Wales earned a Second class honours, lower division, Bachelor of Arts on June 23, 1970.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at a 2012 Olympic Gala
Prince William, however, is not a student who has recently finished secondary school attending university for his first degree. He has already graduated from the University of St. Andrews and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Instead, William is part of a growing trend toward lifelong learning where adult professionals return to university to upgrade their qualifications or simply gain new knowledge and skills. As an instructor at the University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies and frequent guest lecturer, I have had the pleasure of meeting numerous students who view education as a process that continues far beyond the completion of traditional university degrees. Since William is returning to university after receiving a degree to complete a course that will assist him with his future endeavors, he has more in common with continuing education students around the world than secondary students who have just completed their A-levels.
When Kensington Palace announced that William would spend ten weeks at Cambridge studying Agricultural Management, Diane Bell, who runs the shop and post office in the north Wiltshire village of Nettleton, expressed the view that the Prince could become an advocate for people living in rural areas. I hope that William’s decision to continue his education long after the completion of his degree will also bring worldwide attention to the benefits of lifelong learning. As the Duke of Cambridge and thousands of others have discovered, there are advantages to returning to the classroom at any age or career stage.
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Portrait of Elizabeth I celebrating her victory over the Spanish Armada
In March and April, 2014, I will be teaching a seven week course on “Women in Power” at the University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies, examining history’s most politically significant women and their influence over women in public life today. I encourage all history and politics enthusiasts in the Toronto area to consider enrolling. There will be lively discussion of history and current events as the legacy of such towering figures as Elizabeth I, Catherine the Great and Queen Victoria continues to shape the public image presented by female political figures today.
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