| Royalty may be heckled, spat upon, have eggs thrown at them, be fired at by would-be assassins or fall targets to more successful ones, but at all times they are expected to exhibit a dignity and composure which John Kennedy would have accepted as fulfilling his definition of courage – displaying grace under pressure. |
| Recently two courageous monarchs have shown how to handle pressure professionally without losing personal grace, Queen Elizabeth while visiting Germany and Emperor Akihito during his visit to China. Had they been exchanging notes rather than thoughts before they embarked upon their respective journeys, they would have mused on the irony which underlay the purpose of each visit. |
Published in THE NATION 12 Nov. 1992, and reprinted in THE ARMLESS QUEEN (1994). |
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