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RE: Their Majesties' recent message
Poster: E L Wimett <silverdragon@charleston.net>
Unto Alan of Gravesend, Seneschal of Atlantia, greetings from Alisoun
MacCoul of Elphane!
Good my lord,
Neither personally nor as Seneschale of Their Majesties' Canton of
Tear-Sea's Shore do I see any need for Their Majesties' reign to fail.
The situation where the Consort carries on in the absence of his or her
partner is by no means without precedent. On numerous occasions in the
past, a reign has continued when only one of the royal couple could attend
events regularly or at all. Both at kingdom and principality level, reigns
have continued following the death, relocation or (sometimes spectacular)
departure from the Society of one of the crowns or coronets.
Indeed, during my tenure as Brigantia Principal Herald of the East and
Laurel Queen of Arms, I was confronted with several cases where similar
military service demands affected the availability of one of a reigning
couple, usually but not always the male (particularly in Drachenwald). On
some occasions, a prolonged absence in Drachenwald in the days when it was
yet largely composed of U. S. military and dependents was hardly noticed
stateside so long as the military postal authorities did not suddenly
decide that security required them to deny that the individual did not and
had never existed!!!
It should be noted, moreover, that the "constitutional issue" of whether
His Majesty would successfully complete the reign should He not be able to
return for His successor's coronation is a moot point since both His
Majesty and Her Majesty already hold Ducal rank. Therefore, the technical
issue that most commonly must be referred to the Laurel Office and/or the
Board, that of the legitimacy of bestowing a royal peerage on someone who
had not been able to fulfill all usual requirements of a monarch, does not
apply.
That being the case, we can and should look at practical issues.
Is this a voluntary absence for His Majesty's convenience? Hardly. It is
an absence demanded by a higher fealty. (As an officer in the U. S.
military, His Majesty is in literal truth in fealty to the U. S.
Government.) Both in period and today such demands must be met lest honor
be irretrievably breached.
Can Her Majesty carry on the duties of the Crown? Clearly. She has done
so in the past when His Highness (now His Majesty) was absent on military
duties and I have no doubt that she can do so again. It is not as if it
were Her first reign and She knows precisely what She is demanding of
Herself when She agrees to do this. While Her condition may add an extra
dimension to the reign, She is well endowed with friends and supporters who
will eagerly assist Her through these long months till Her lord's return.
Can His Majesty participate in the business of Atlantia, including
decisions on awards, etc.? Certainly as much as many kings have in the
past. A dozen years ago this would have been more difficult, but the age
of the internet makes it feasible to participate virtually in real time.
(My CEO, whose aviator son-in-law is stationed on a carrier in the Gulf,
got a first person description of one of the first bombing runs in the
recent round in Iraq within three hours of his catch. Members of my canton
who have spouses currently stationed in the Balkans often get emails and/or
phone calls with no difficulty.)
Is it fair to drop Their Highnesses into the throne at this point? Hardly.
They have barely become accustomed to the feel of the slighter heirs'
coronets and can hardly be ready to assume the Crowns on such short notice.
Unlike Their Majesties, they have not reigned before and the next few
months are a critical time for them to grow into the role so as to be able
to play it as well as They and Atlantia deserve.
In sum, I heartily support the continuance of the reign as it stands.
Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane
Seneschale, Canton of Tear-Sea's Shore
Metron Ariston Herald and quondam Laurel Queen of Arms
Mistress of the Pelican
Mistress of the Laurel
Baroness of the Court of the East
[Additional frou-frou edited for space]
-----Original Message-----
From: Alan Gravesend [SMTP:seneschal@atlantia.org]
Sent: Friday, May 14, 1999 8:20 AM
To: atlantia@atlantia.sca.org
Subject: Their Majesties' recent message
Poster: Alan Gravesend <seneschal@atlantia.org>
Greetings to the populace of Atlantia here present from your Kingdom
Seneschal, Alan Gravesend!
I have just posted an important message from Their Royal Majesties,
Stephan and Niobe. Though I will not re-iterate its content here, the
essence is that His Majesty has been called to military service outside
the country. It is not certain if he will be able to return to Atlantia
during the next six months.
In order to confirm the status of Their Majesties' reign in His
Majesty's geographical absence, I must make a formal request to the
Society Seneschal (which will, in turn, be ruled upon by the Board of
Directors). In discussion with Mistress Eilis O'Boirne, Seneschal of
the Society, one key factor was raised: will Atlantia support the
continuance of this reign. I have no doubt that this is the case, but
my request will carry that much more weight if it is accompanied by a
show of support from the populace.
Therefore, I ask that all subjects of Atlantia who have an opinion on
this matter submit their comments in writing to me, via electronic mail
or postal, by Wednesday, May 19th. This is a short time frame, but it
is important to get an answer to this question as quickly as possible.
In service,
Alan Gravesend
Seneschal for Atlantia
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