What’s with United States and monarchies?

Emfanukhona@times.co.sz ZULWINI – 7he 86$ $mEas sador to (sZatini -eanne 0. 0aloney touched on an inter estinJ suEMect on 7hursday.

DurinJ the commemoration of the 86$ ,ndependence $nniYersary

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held at the (mEassy in (]ulZini the amEassador spoke aEout hoZ the *reat 1ation related to monarchies around the Zorld.

$t the time Zhen the issue of the monarchy Zas a talkinJ point on social media and durinJ marches Ey Jroups callinJ for political reforms in the .inJdom of (sZatini 0aloney took a trip doZn memory lane. 6he said this -uly marked the anniYersary

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of the siJninJ of the 86$ Declaration of ,ndependence.

6he said the Declaration made no mention of democracy. 6he then point ed to the fact that 86$¶s founders did not reMect the concept of monarchy.

HoZeYer the amEassador said their complaint Zas that their 0onarch did not respect the riJhts of the people.

RELATIONSHIPS

6he mentioned that althouJh the 8nited 6tates later adopted a 5epuE lican form of JoYernment $mericans enMoyed stronJ relationships Zith countries Zith a Yariety of political systems includinJ monarchies. ³$s an e[ample Ze haYe maintained stronJ and endurinJ relations Zith the .inJ dom of (sZatini since its foundinJ independence in . :e Yalue our relationship Zith (sZatini Zhich is Euilt on mutual Joals ´ Her ([cellen cy said. His 0aMesty¶s representatiYe 3rince *cina 3rime 0inister Cleopas 6ipho Dlamini and CaEinet ministers Zho included 0anToEa .humalo 1eal 5iMkenEerJ 7huli Dladla and -aEulani 0aEu]a Zere in attendance.

3olitical actiYists like :andile Dlud lu the 6ecretary *eneral 6* of the 3eople¶s 8nited Democratic 0oYe ment 38D(02 and 6iEusiso 1hla Eatsi attended the eYent as Zell. 7he 8nited 6tates has formal diplomatic relations Zith most nations around the Zorld. 7his includes all 81 memEer and oEserYer 6tates other than %hutan ,ran 1orth .orea and 6yria and the 81 oEserYer 6tate of 3alestine.

$dditionally the 86$ has diplomatic relations Zith .osoYo and (uropean 8nion. 7here are soYereiJn monar chies in (urope. 6eYen are .inJdoms Denmarl 1orZay 6Zeden 8. 6pain 1etherlands and %elJium. $ndorra /iechtenstein and 0onaco are princi palities Zhile /u[emEourJ is a *rand Duchy. $ principality is a 6tate ruled Ey a prince Zhile a *rand Duchy is a 6tate or territory ruled Ey a Jrand duke or duchess.

$ duke is the memEer of noEility that ranks directly EeloZ the 0onarch. ,t means the indiYidual is a ruler of the ³duchy´ a county territory or do main . $s of there are soYer eiJn 6tates in the Zorld Zith a 0onarch as Head of 6tate. 7here are in $sia

in (urope nine in $merica si[ in 2ceania and three in $frica ± (sZatini /esotho and 0orocco.

Dr. 3etros 4amEukusa 0aJaJula a former 3olitical 6cience lecturer at the 8niYersity of (sZatini 81(6:$ said the 86$ Zould Eetter understand the monarchies Eecause they Zere ac tually colonised Ey a monarchy.

,n fact eYen today the 86$ is Yery close to (nJland Zhich has the most famous monarchy in the Zorld. Dr. 0aJaJula said 86$¶s defunct monar chy Zas a Yery lonJ history that could not Ee e[hausted in a neZspaper article.

SYSTEM

$sked if the 86$ Zas a democratic country that (sZatini could use as a case study the political scientist responded to the affirmatiYe em phasisinJ ³

³:hen you talk aEout democracy the Tuestion is Zhich democracy"´ he asked.

Dr 0aJaJula made an e[ample of 86$ and %ritain the Jreat allies in the Zorld Zhich Zould sometimes arJue oYer Zhich country Zas more demo cratic.He said the %ritons claimed they Zere more democratic than the $mer icans Eecause their ministers Zere elected 03s Zhile the president of the 86$ appointed his CaEinet. 2n the oth er hand he said the $mericans Zould arJue that in terms of the separation of poZers the %ritish democracy raised Tuestions as the ministers Zould pass laZs at CaEinet and Jo straiJht Zith it to the House of Commons to influence it deEate oYer it and participate in the Yotes. :andile Dludlu the 6* of 38 D(02 said the 86$ (mEassy should haYe Eeen asked Ey the media Zhat it actually meant or Zhat messaJe Zas it sendinJ to the Zorld aEout its statement on the monarchy. Dludlu first thanked the 86$ and the Zorld at larJe for the support it Zas JiYinJ nations around the Zorld. HoZeYer he called upon the 86$ to stand up and hold the (sZatini 0onarch accountaEle for his alleJed refusal to democratise. 7he 6* said the political situation posed a threat not only to ema6Zati Eut the Zhole reJion. He said e[tra accommodatiYe statements on the monarchy e[hiEited disserYice to the oppressed and mar Jinalised the maMority of the people of (sZatini. 7he 7imes 681D$< noZ takes a look at hoZ µsome¶$mericans presently YieZ monarchies and also hoZ they dealt Zith theirs in the

th century.

,t is Yery interestinJ to note that there

was a poll in 2018 and 2022 on whether the USA should be a monarchy.

In fact, it has been learnt that there are still some monarchists in the USA. 7hese are people who believe that mon archies outperform republics.

For starters, history may not be 100 per cent accurate, but trusted theories suggest that Henry I FredericN Henry /ouis January 18, 1726 ± August 3, 1802) was the first King of the United States following the ratification of the Constitution in 178 .

It is said that during most of his reign, Henry, his most trusted and capable council members, including George :ashington and President John Han cocN, sought to establish the United States as a fully recognised, stable 1orth American power.

PROGRAMMES

It is said that he and the federalist Cab inet supported and oversaw Financial 0inister Alexander Hamilton’s pro grammes to end all major federal and State debts, the establishment of a con solidated and permanent national gov ernment, an effective tax programme and the creation of a national banN. /egend has it that diplomatic tensions with the %ritish also eased down due to the signing of multiple diplomatic and territorial treaties, most notably the Jay 7reaty, which is freTuently credited for preventing war between the two countries in the midst of the French 5evolutionary :ars. 'ue to all of this, Henry is remembered as one of the most important founding fathers in American history and is popularly nicNnamed the µ2ld Prussian’. In 2018, the 1ew

MONARCHISTS

%ut Count 7olstoy insists that mon archists are not pining for the days of absolute rulers and the divine right of Nings, when Henry 9III of (ngland could order up the execution of unwant ed wives and political foes. His group advocates constitutional monarchies, in which a Ning or Tueen is Head of State and the real power rests with an elected Parliament ² much liNe those in %elgium, %ritain, 'enmarN, Japan, the 1etherlands, 1orway and Spain although demonstrators in 2014 de manded a referendum on the Spanish royal family after King Juan Carlos abdicated). All of those countries, the monarchist notes, have relatively strong economies.

2n June 7, 2022, 7yler Cowen, a %loomberg 2pinion Columnist and Professor of (conomics at George 0ason University wrote that the just completed celebrations of 4ueen (li]a beth II’s Platinum Jubilee in the UK had prompted a Tuestion in some Tuarters of the US. 7he Tuestion goes ³Should America have a monarchy"´

He said, in particular, the notion of absolute rather than symbolic or con stitutional monarchy was finding some new adherents on the right.

Professor Cowen referred to an en gineer and entrepreneur Curtis

A 2021 poll conducted by the

7he poll also found that 4ueen (li] abeth II was the most popular royal, with 68 per cent of Americans saying they hold a favourable view of the reigning monarch. 2nly 14 per cent held a negative view of her. Her grand children, Prince :illiam and Prince Harry are only slightly less popular, at 66 per cent and 62 per cent. Kate 0iddleton, 'uchess of Cambridge and wife to Prince :illiam, is similarly well regarded, at 63 per cent, although Harry’s spouse 0eghan 0arNle is somewhat less so, at 57 per cent.

%acN then, it is said that it was very possible that the founding fathers could have selected a 0onarch for the United States. 2ne literature seen by this publication mentions Colonel /ewis 1icola to have written a letter to George :ashington, proposing that he :ashington) should become the nation’s 0onarch.

:ashington was an American mili tary officer, statesman and Founding Father who served as the first presi dent of the United States from 178 to 17 7. 'uring the Constitutional Convention, either General :ilhelm von Steuben or 1athaniel Gorham offered Prince Henry the title as King of the United States.

In 1786, other scholars, in fact, stated uneTuivocally that it was :ilhelm von Steuben who suggested to Alexander Hamilton that Prince Henry of Prussia should be the King of USA.

CREATION

7his happened during the creation of the Constitution of the United States.

Hamilton agreed to the idea and informed the prince about the offer. Prince Henry, Nnowing that he would not become King of Prussia, accepted the offer and travelled to the USA to attend the Constitutional Convention. It is said that the ideas of a monarchy split the convention in half, in whether or not to have a monarch. Staunch opponents, including %enjamin FranN lin, believed that having a monarchy would bring tyranny similar to what was endured before the revolution. 7hose who supported a monarchy stated that a reigning monarch would ensure a long term survival of the United States. Soon after the debate of whether or not to have a monarchy, the powers of the monarchy were unclear. Alexander Hamilton supported the ide as of having an elective monarch with much power, while others supported a constitutional monarch. George :ashington, being a supporter of a constitutional monarch with limited power, said that an absolute elective monarchy would be tyrannical and un just, while a constitutional monarchy would ensure stability.7hose in favour of a constitutional monarchy soon outnumbered those who supported an absolute or elective monarchy.

µµIt is very interesting to note that there was a poll in 2018 and 2022 on whether the USA should be a monarchy. In fact, it has been learnt that there are still some monarchists in the USA. These are people who believe that monarchies outperform republics. ”

(Pic: Mfanukhona Nkambule) US Ambassador to Eswatini Jeanne Maloney says although the United States later adopted a Republican form of government, Americans enjoy strong relationships with countries with a variety of political systems, including monarchies. Here she is pictured with Prince Gcina who represented His Majesty King Mswati III during the USA Independence Day on Thursday.