Volume 4, Issue No. 16
OPINION/COMMENTARY
/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /
. . . . . A community service of The Filipino Web Channel (TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail. com) and the Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . . . .
Our latest as of Thursday, September 15, 2022
~ Within minutes of the same day, we witness the transformation of the British monarchy. The royal occupant of the throne passed from queen to king, from the departed Queen Elizabeth II to her son and heir, now King Charles III. She was the only monarch known to four generations of at least 2 billion people in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific. Charles III also happens to be the King of Canada, the Head of State, Canada being a member of the British Commonwealth, and its government a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy.
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THE PASSAGE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II
Bearing Witness to a Royal Transformation
Canada Has a New Monarch - King Charles III
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
"Royalty consists not in vain pomp, but in great virtues". - Agesilaus II
Royalty was completely alien to me. Though the Philippines was a colony for more than three centuries of another European power, imperial Spain, the full meaning of royalty trickled to our ancestors in the form of exploitation and enslavement by the elite class. To me, royalty was a fantasy.
Not until I became a citizen of Canada, which is among the 56 countries belonging to the British Commonwealth. By virtue of that citizenship, I swore an oath "that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors . . .”
Queen Elizabeth the Second was my queen, as well as the rest of the 38 million people that populate Canada. On Thursday, Sept. 8 at age 96, she passed. And that transition gave us a king, her son and heir, King Charles III, who ascended the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the very same day of her demise.
On Saturday, Sept. 10, without so much pomp and pageantry as in the British capital, Canada did its part in the ritual enshrining of King Charles III as King of Canada in ceremonies in Rideau Hall, the official residence in Ottawa of both the Canadian monarch and his or her representative, the governor-general of Canada.
So even before assuming the kingship, I, and all Canadians, already swore allegiance to him considering that he is her heir, and also to his heir apparent, William, Prince of Wales, and so on and so forth.
How is it that I had a queen, and of late, I have a king while being a Canadian citizen? In the most practical way, how is it relevant to me, I mean the monarchy?
Reading through the oath of citizenship, there's not a choice. To have a king and to express support for him are part of fulfilling one's duties as a Canadian citizen.
On Tuesday, Sept. 13, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared a federal holiday on the date of the Queen's funeral in London on Monday, Sept. 19 to the opposition of some provinces and business entities. Ontario, for one, will hold a day of mourning but not a day off for workers.
"We will be working with the provinces and the territories to try and see that we're aligned on this," he said in New Brunswick, where a Liberal caucus retreat is taking place. "There are still a few details to be worked out, but declaring an opportunity for Canadians to mourn on Monday is going to be important."
History is happening before our eyes. A new era has begun. That transformation enabled me to witness again how royalty passes the baton of leadership from one member to another within the royal family.
During my three visits to England, I'd seen Queen Elizabeth II in person only once at a far distance while attending the commemoration of Remembrance Day in London in November 2016. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWegK1-tLcc).
Buckingham Palace, her official residence, was off limits to the general public although one can spend a whole day outside the gates. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfwqWDBM_1g).
The Queen's husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was in Toronto in April 2013 on the occasion of the celebration of the 200th year of the Battle of York. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIWBfWt5pMs). My coverage of that event was the nearest, physically, I had with a member of the Royal Family.
It's a wondrous experience to see the royals in person. Beyond that, there's nothing else to say. (Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved).
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