This morning’s random object was a figurine of a Royal Prince. There are roughly 45 monarchies left in the world and being a prince isn’t as easy as it seems.
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The oldest continuous monarchy is in Japan, dating back to 660 BC. Ancient Egypt had princes too, like Oraha, son of Narmer, the first pharaoh. We know of them only through the carvings on their tombs, not a continuous line, but evidence that the idea of royal succession is old.
I looked for the youngest prince ever to take a throne and found Ivan VI of Russia. He was only two months old in 1740 when the crown landed on his tiny head. He didn’t actually rule, of course, but he held the title. Then I wondered who the youngest successful ruler was and found Edward IV. He took England’s throne at fourteen during the Hundred Years’ War and earned high praise for a king so young.
Queen Victoria took the throne in the 1800s and married Prince Albert. He couldn’t be king because he was a German prince with foreign ties, and British law forbade it. More importantly, the title king outranks queen, and Parliament wasn’t about to let anyone outrank Victoria. So he was granted the title of prince consort instead. A hundred years later, Elizabeth married Prince Philip, who faced the same problem. Philip was a Greek and Danish prince, born into two royal families, so he couldn’t be king either. Elizabeth followed Victoria’s lead and made him a prince consort as well.
Charles had to wait his entire life for the throne. Elizabeth ruled seventy years, and he didn’t become king until she died. He said he didn’t want his mother to die just so he could inherit, and I believe him. William says he’s in no hurry either, too busy with charities to think about ruling. The laws changed in 2011 so the firstborn, not just the firstborn son, inherits the crown. England, Japan, Egypt, and about forty other monarchies still have princes today. It was a quiet Columbus Day morning while my family slept upstairs, and I reminded myself that this daily art keeps me accountable. Then we danced to let the lag catch up.
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