Apotheosis of George Washington, The Capitol, Washington DC

We wish all our contributors and readers a splendid Christmas, followed by a very successful New Year.

John Evans

The Daily Mail has an interesting piece on how Princess Beatrice seems almost a reincarnation of the young Queen Victoria (pictured below).

There is certainly a remarkable likeness.

The article also reproduces a whole series of stunning pictorial comparisons with present Royals and their predecessors, some going back centuries. Check out the one between King Edward I (1239-1307) and Prince William. The old King comes to life before our eyes.

My favourite though, is Louis Frederick Prince of Wales (1707-1751) and Freddie Windsor. Frederick was the eldest son of George II and father of George III as well as the Great-Grandfather of Victoria. He died before his father, allowing his son to succeed to the Throne.

Lord Frederick Windsor — spookily bearing his lookalike’s name — has very individual eyes and a face that bears few comparisons. Until now.

It had to happen, especially after Prince Harry’s decision to devote himself to highly specialized military duties in the Army Air Corps.

Just as his brother, Prince William’s choice of a long stint in the RAF’s Search and Rescue squad all but sidelined long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton, Chelsy, the high-flying lawyer, has backed off and all but dumped the Prince.

It has been clear to Royal Anecdotes for some time that neither Prince was ready to make any commitment to their first lady loves.

Chelsy has clearly been cleverer than Kate in forging a serious career for herself. Her future now seems to be back in South Africa.

A military source is reported as saying, “Harry’s training is going to be seriously demanding and he has been told there will be little time for girlfriends and socialising. He is living in a modest room with a single bed and won’t be allowed to drink from Monday to Friday, and he will need to knuckle down.”

Although Chelsy had planned to join City law firm Allen & Overy after her graduation later this year, she has now told friends that South Africa beckons.

Plainly, Harry’s commitment to the Army has put a lot of pressure on her, since they don’t get much time together. A friend commented, “He’s told her it has to come before anything, and she’s a bit fed up of always coming second. She was prepared to make a big sacrifice by moving to the UK. She had her job lined up and a place to live in London. She’s a very bright girl who wants to be a successful lawyer, but that’s all up in the air now.”

The recent closeness of Chelsy with Kate Middleton may suggest that something similar is brewing between Kate and William. The reluctance of the second in line to the Throne to abolish her “Waity Katie” tag delivers its own message.

Both relationships have run their course. I would expect a similar announcement from the Middleton compound soon.

Unless, of course, William makes an executive decision. Why, then, did he choose the RAF over Kate?

Leading us into the year 2009 is an intriguing new book on the British Monarchy by an avowed Irish republican.

You might think that it’s bound to be critical, even abusive. However, this particular Irish republican just happens to be Mary Kenny, an excellent journalist and author with an always sensitive but nevertheless robust view of the world.

She writes admiringly about the Monarchy through the times of Irish unrest and heaps praise on our present Queen. It’s an interesting point of view from an unusual perspective.

Mary Kenny has written a pre-publication article about her book in the Daily Telegraph. Here’s an excerpt:

Perhaps it takes someone with a genuinely republican background to appreciate the value of the British monarchy. I was brought up in Dublin as an Irish nationalist, and I retain that stamp of Irish patriotism. I am proud of the constitution of the Irish Republic, a pioneering document in 1937. … I came to my appreciation of the British monarchy sideways, through examining the historical archives of the role played by the British monarch in Anglo-Irish relations over the 20th century.

I don’t know about you but I shall get my order in early at Amazon.

Finally, a very happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year to all our Readers.

Crown and Shamrock: ­Love and Hate between Ireland and the British Monarchy will be published in spring 2009.

Read the article here.