Windsors Keep Theirs Under Wraps
Liz Windsor’s astuteness in using public decorum as a device to protect her family’s extraordinary privileges has been put in relief by events in Spain.
Popular support for that country’s monarchy fell recently after the revelation that hereditary head of state Juan Carlos Borbón had been hunting elephants in Africa after claiming that high unemployment and his country’s severe economic problems were keeping him awake at night. The secret trip became public only when Borbón had to abandon the holiday for a flight home for emergency medical treatment.
The conservative El Mundo newspaper joined in criticism from across the political spectrum. “It was an irresponsible journey undertaken at the most inopportune moment,” it said. “The spectacle of the monarch hunting elephants in Africa sets a bad example when the economic crisis in our country is causing so many problems for Spaniards. It transmits an image of indifference and frivolity that a head of state ought never to give.”
In the UK Windsor and her family continue the arrogant indecency of taking many millions of pounds of public money each year for their own enjoyment while both private and public spending are held in check, without provoking much criticism. While Liz Windsor’s husband and children may behave badly, her decorous and prim persona seem to provide a safeguard against challenges to her family’s looting.