Let's get it right!

With only a few hours to the coronation of King Charles III, I sat down the read the Sydney Morning Herald. The front-page headline read "Born to rule". As you might imagine I felt compelled to set the SMH right so penned this letter which it probably won't publish:

"Born to Rule" is sensationalist but completely wrong. Charles was never born to rule. In the British and Australian system of government, parliament and only parliament rules. Charles was born to reign – a completely different role. It really is time Australians understood that.

Sadly, what sells is promoting woke sensationalism and right now that is, inter alia, republicanism. At least the PM has had the decency, and if I might say so good sense, to say words to the effect that "yes, I'm a republican but I'm also PM of a constitutional monarchy and until such time as it isn't, I will respect its traditions and courtesies".

But really, we ought to bring back Civics into the school curriculum - if it isn't there already. That way a good many Australians, (who it seems have never heard of Magna Carta or understood how a parliamentary democracy evolved through the progressive curtailing of monarchical power - i.e. the born to rule bit - in Britain - of which Australia is an inheritor along with our great cousins in New Zealand and Canada to mention but a few nations) could educate themselves while doing their children's homework. LOL!

I really don't mind what people want and expect in the fullness of time we might get it but please spare me the tosh in the meantime. And let's be polite and respectful along the way.

Post script

Just to add a postscript to this and having now viewed my second coronation - yes, I was there in 1953 as a small boy on his father's shoulders in the Mall who can't remember very much except playing with the model of the coronation coach afterwards - I was struck by a few things beyond the extraordinary pageantry of it all and the connections to >1000 years of British parliamentary and legal history, which we in Australia can, if we wish, lay claim to as well. Firstly, the great dignity of the bearer of the Sword of State, The Right Honourable Penny Mordaunt MP and the fact that as the representative of Parliament she was followed throughout the processions by the Monarch and did not follow him. Secondly, and most importantly, the promises made by the Monarch to serve the people and by doing so is granted the very great privileges associated with the Monarchy. It is worth noting that Parliament caused one or two to lose their heads when they decided it was the other way round. Finally, I think that, having heard and read the promises that a Monarch must make to be granted the Monarchy, it is much easier to now put the dedication to service of HM Queen Elizabeth II throughout her reign into perspective. She made those promises as a very young and impressionable person and delivered on them. I think her far more experienced son will as well.

PPS

I have to say I was wrong - the SMH did publish my letter! Albeit they left off the punch line "It really is time Australians understood that." As well as cutting out my barely disguised criticism of their article! But ok I got the main point out there.