136. An Expat Has Some Thoughts on the Coronation

“Are you going to watch the Coronation,” was the question I kept being asked. I was. “Why?” I didn’t want to miss being a witness to history. Being alive and this being my time and place, I felt it a responsibility. Especially since it was likely to be the only Coronation I will ever witness. I am only two years younger than King Charles III, but he seems to be in better health and is certainly enjoying the closer attention of a personal medical team. Also, if his parents are any example, he can expect to be long lived. So I watched.

The pomp, the splendor, the extravagance riddled with symbolic meanings were amusing entertainment for me on a Saturday afternoon. It was the music that impressed me the most; it was glorious.

I have a couple of Welsh friends, as in two, who are Royalists. I have even more, many more, Welsh friends who are anti-monarchist. Philosophically, I am opposed to any form of tyranny. Being ethnically a Jew, the religion does not allow me to bow in submission to anyone other than Yahweh, the biggest tyrant. Still, it is well within our diplomatic etiquette to bow as a cultural courtesy. Not bowing is also the expectation from a citizen of the United States of America, although I would doubt it is practiced. The general American populace is not educated in protocols by the classroom. Such public education comes from what we see on television and in films, where everyone bows or curtsies to royalty. Thomas Paine must be rolling in his grave, if he’s in a grave and not still lost or resting in pieces.

Is the British monarchy a tyranny? At the moment, I don’t feel it that way. The more the power of the royal family is diluted, the greater my tolerance for its persistence. The less tax money the subject pays for royalty, the more money that will be in the subject’s pocket to spend on other frivolities. I see monarchies as the physical embodiment of a long and colorful tradition, which I find attractive. It provides a distinct flavor, which is why we enjoy travelling to foreign cultures. They’re different. The monarchy also provides continuity with a long history.

The Queen’s death arrived as a breaking news notification from a BBC app on my friend Steve’s smart phone. He was sitting across from me in the living room, his regular weekly visit after shopping for groceries at Marks & Spencer. Her death was not unexpected, but I cried. Steve didn’t. To my chagrin, he savored the experience and lost no opportunity to share my tearful reaction with every one of our mutual friends.

The Welsh have their reasons for not liking the royal family. If King Charles III chooses to not forget and even celebrate the long history of monarchs in Britain, the Welsh also have chosen to not forget their long history and wish to celebrate it. So long as it doesn’t generate killings, so long as the battles of devolution are worked out in political arenas, I find the ongoing tussle colorful. The friction admittedly creates sparks, but who doesn’t enjoy a display of fireworks. Am I being too cavalier?


Then let me confess, I wish to become a British citizen. If I could become just a Welsh citizen and carry a Welsh passport, that would please me even more. Alas, there is no such thing. Wales is a part of the United Kingdom, just in case my old friends in the States didn’t realize that.

Even as a British citizen, I would have no intention of giving up my American citizenship. I am still proud of the intentions of the creators of the United States, who tried to establish a government based on the ideals of the Enlightenment. Still, I am old and Cardiff is the most comfortable place I have ever lived. I am better tolerated for my views here and feel safer.

The anti-monarchists might be bitter that King Charles III has not had to accomplish anything to merit being King, the happenstance of being the first born to a queen and her consort. On the other hand, I had not accomplished anything to merit being born into a middle-class household. I would grow up never knowing hunger or going without hot water, or toilet paper, and could own cameras and cars and a closet full of clothes for every season. How might I be regarded by someone born in the underdeveloped world or someone subject to a despotic government? I don’t begrudge King Charles III’s luck and I don’t envy his responsibilities. I was the second born, having an older sister. Still, my birth warranted the printing of an announcement using an engraved copper plate. For many years, my birth was celebrated with a party and I received gifts, not just from family, but also friends. I am joyfully living in Wales and I am content.

Mr Bentzman will continue to report here regularly about the events and concerns of his life. If you've any comments or suggestions, he would be pleased to hear from you. 

You can find his several books at www.Bentzman.com. Enshrined Inside Me, his second collection of essays, is now available to purchase.