| Playing cards one day with Lord Boyd-Orr, the late ex-King Farouk of Egypt once commented: “There will soon be only five kings left - the King of England, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades and Clubs.” In his wildest dreams – and being the sybarite that Farouk was, he must have had some unimaginably wild ones – even he could not have predicted how many ex-dynasties would be invited back to their homelands. |
| As a broad rule, the longer the exile, the more urgent the invitation. The monarchies ousted from their kingdoms following the First and the Second World Wars scoured the pensions of France and the chalets of Switzerland in search of the remnants of their former rulers. The former king of Romania struggled valiantly to return home following the overthrow of Nicolae Ceausescu and was turned away because his visa had not been stamped correctly. He tried again, this time successfully, and managed to visit his beloved homeland. Cannily he retained his European passport and thought better than applying for Romanian citizenship. |
Published in THE NATION 30 June 1992, and reprinted in THE ARMLESS QUEEN (1994). |
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