Royal Musings

Steve Sailer often notes that Obama proclaimed himself the great uniter in his 2004 Unveiling by noting his bi-racial descent, much the way Henry VIII would claim to unite the White and Red Roses of England as a descendant of the houses of Lancaster and York. Meanwhile, Larry Auster notes that the last time an English King was married to a commoner things didn't work out so well.

Continuing on that theme, it should be noted that the War of the Roses had its origins in the untimely death of Edward the Black Prince. Edward was the heir apparent to the great King Edward III, whose rule ended on his death at the age of 64. Unfortunately, his son Edward died the year before, just one week shy of his 46th birthday. A great military commander, the Black Prince would surely have had a formidable reign that would have given the Plantagenet line a firm footing to rule for many years beyond. But just as Prince William is second in line behind his father and would thus accede to the throne if Charles were to predecease the Queen, upon Edward's death his ten year old son would be crowned the following year upon the death of his grandfather, Edward III.

That son was Richard II, and the resentment that brewed in his uncle, John of Gaunt, during the young King's maturation and later assertiveness resulted in the Plantagenet schism. Gaunt's son would of course end up usurping Richard's crown as Henry IV and founding the Lancaster line, while his great-grandson would be overthrown by another Plantagenet offshoot, the Yorkists. What followed from there were Edward IV, the two young princes mysteriously dying in the tower, Richard III wishing for a horse, and the Tudors. Hopefully, should Prince Charles meet an untimely death, we won't find Charles's brother the current Duke of York, combat-veteran Andrew, leading his old naval-air comrades in a coup against his upstart nephew - though that would be kinda cool, I must admit.