Monarchs and mountebanks
Snobbery, sentiment, or the scent of power? What makes claimants to royal thrones, and their supporters, pursue their unlikely cause?
IT IS the stuff of fairy-tales, at least in the popular mind. Kings—wise if old, gallant if young—are banished by nasty politicians (typically communists). Sustained by a few faithful courtiers, the exiled royals live in elegant nostalgia, inspiring their countrymen until times change and they can return in triumph to claim their stolen thrones. An age-old story; and surely, in this age of democracies and microchips and espresso for the masses, an archaic one?
This article appeared in the Christmas Specials section of the print edition under the headline “Monarchs and mountebanks”
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