Traditions!

Last night I watched BaBaWaWa on 20/20. A very well done 2 hour program about the English Royal family.
I love watching programs about the English Royals. I wish they would pay as much attention to all the other Royal families in Europe.
Talk about history! Talk about tradition! Pomp and Circumstance! The fabulous costumes, the jewels, the horses, the carriages, the castles....

Of course you have to have grown up in Europe to really appreciate this phenom.
Which I did...I spent the first 21 years of my life in Holland.

Our respect, admiration, and love for our Royal family has always been unquestioned.
It was just a part of life.
There was a sense of comfort about it all. The color orange everywhere on Queens' Day (The Queen's birthday.) The opening day of Parliament, when the Golden Carriage and the white horses came out of the stables. The Royal family all decked out in beautiful garments, the jewels, the crowns, the complete splendor.
My father grew up in a house a stone's throw away from the Palace, and the Royal Stables.

Whenever there was a parade, we were able to have a front row view of the horses, the riders, the carriages.
I vividly recall the way my tummy would rumble when those huge horses clip clapped by us on the cobblestones.
How it was kind of scary to 'feel' the drum corps march by, the music just vibrating through every cell of your body.

And then waving at OUR Queen and Prince, the Princesses.
I remember telling my mom I wanted to be a Princess when I grew up. She said: you won't like it, you'll have to wave everywhere you go. That sort of put a damper on my wish.
I mean, who would want to be forced to wave ALL the time??

It wasn't until on one of my recent annual trips home that I (finally) visited Paleis Het Loo, the summer house of the Royals since William and Mary had it built in 1984, that I really learned more about the House of Orange, and the families. (Can you tell I used to fail my history classes?)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Het_Loo

The history of our Royal family is very interesting. As is the more familiar history of the English Royal family.

The program I watched yesterday made me realize that we don't have this in the US. This age old line of Kings and Queens, the traditions, the hoopla.
We have to get used to a new president and his family every 4 or 8 years, it just doesn't compare.
To me there is not much of a connection with our past, the way the European Kingdoms have.

So I'll just have to live on my memories. How exciting it was when we finally had our own TVset and were able to watch the Queen's birthday 'defilee'
With Her Majesty and the entire family on the dais in front of the palace in Soestdijk, while hundreds of people walked by her to wish her a Happy Birthday. The steps filling up with thousands of bouquets of flowers, everyone with brilliant smiling faces, greeting and honoring their beloved Queen.

Of course times are changing there too. There are people who would rather do away with all that Royal stuff. And in most countries, the Queens and Kings are pretty much figureheads.
But somehow they keep their subjects 'together' There is that sense of 'family' and respect and love for the rich history.

It will be interesting to see how things will change when Elisabeth hands over the reins to Charles (Personally I wish she would skip him and let the younger generation rule)
And when Dutch Prins Willem-Alexander will follow in Beatrix's footsteps.

I am regrettably not very familiar with the other Royal families in Europe, but I hope they will rule for a long time to come, even in their diminished capacity.

And to come back to the English Royals, what stupendous women they were, Elisabeth I, Victoria, Elisabeth II...

Take some time some day and check out the history on these gals. what unique and amazingly strong human beings they had to have been, still are...they gave new meaning to the phrase: Girls Rule!

Even though I became a US citizen, the little Dutch girl in me is ever so grateful for having been born during a time when Kings and Queens "ruled"

SGMKJ!