NEW BOOK SHOWS RARE INSIGHT INTO THE LIFE OF EX-KING ELTON IIA close confident of the former king will publish The King and I: My Friendship with Caldia's Troubled King next month. Nessie MacRae (@nessiegbf)
1 December 2019 | Spálgleann, Caldia
HRH The Prince Elton, formerly Elton II, has mostly kept a low profile with few public appearances since his abdication in 2010.
SPÁLGLEANN – Just shy of a decade after his abdication, the legacy of Elton II remains a complicated affair. His uneasy reign as King lasted 8 years, 5 months, and 30 days and was one of the shortest in Caldish history. In fact, his reign was so brief it was the shortest since that of John Dejarlais, who usurped the throne from his daughter in 1626. A host of factors contributed to the brevity of Elton II's reign, culminating in his abdication in August 2010. While some of these have been known publicly for a while, a new book by a confident and long-time friend of the former sovereign now known as His Royal Highness the Prince Elton provides a rare insight into the life of the troubled king.
The King and I: My Friendship with Caldia's Troubled King is set to be published in January. Written by Andrew Quinn, the book is a memoir of Quinn's own life and deals extensively with his friendship with Elton II. It begins when the two met while studying at Saint Adomnán's University in the 1950s. Elton is portrayed as the ever-anxious Prince of Ghailles, the heir designate and eldest child of his mother Ellen II. Quinn reflects on Elton's strained relationship with his parents, especially his father Philippe of Sartoux who is described several times by Quinn as "over-bearing". The young prince is shown to be under immense pressure by his parents, and this often came from his father. The Prince of Sartoux longed for his eldest son to succeed his wife on the Caldish throne. In fact, he wished for it so strongly that Ellen II refused to consider any of her other children as heir designate.
Speaking on the late queen, Quinn writes that "Philippe was her blind spot, and to a degree so was Elton or at least who she had hoped Elton would become". He claims this was well known within royal circles, where many had hoped Ellen II would relent and name one of her other children as heir designate. However, she showed no interest in doing so according to royal records, those who knew her, and historians.
This clashed with Elton II's own desires, he longed to become a painter and an art collector and had little interest in matters of state. Quinn reflects that he remembers Elton resenting his time at Saint Adomnán's as he studied government and economics.
"That was all chosen for him, and whoever would be surprised that was the case? The heir designate to the throne would be educated as such, and unfortunately for Elton that meant he had to study the great names of statecraft instead of the great names of Euclean art. It was chosen for him, like so many aspects of his life had been" Quinn writes.
Royal historians corroborate most of Quinn's claims. Letters written by Elton II to his aunt, the Duchess of Bouladuff, were made available after her letters and collections were transferred to the University of Spálgleann's archives. Several of the letters sent to the Duchess, who served as a mentor to the young prince, detail his frustrations while at university.
While the book begins with their encounters at university, Quinn uses that as a way to outline his credentials before delving deeper. In the book, Quinn claims that Elton II had "no interest whatsoever" in marrying.
"As many people our age began to look for love, [Elton] never did. He turned to the arts, to literature for that comfort not to a man or woman".
He also claims that the prince did not marry "in part to spite his father", a claim that has previously been disputed. Elton II never married, but there is no indication this was retaliatory in nature. One biographer of Elton II, Mary Kiley, has argued that the former king never married because he was likely an "aromatic asexual". Such identities were not understood in the 1950s and 1960s when Elton II was expected to marry and likely would have caused confusion among relatives and royal courtiers who did not understand. However, it is important to note Elton II himself has never spoken on the subject and such suspicions remain unconfirmed and speculatory in nature.
The book skips time after detailing Elton's fraught relationship with his siblings. While this is not new information, Quinn offer's a unique perspective on the subject. Elton II had strained relationships with his siblings, especially his sister Princess Margaret and his brother Prince John. The two were media sensations, capturing headlines and hearts alike. Princess Margaret's wedding to the Weranian Kaiser captivated the world and was a highly promoted event. She was sometimes called the People's Princess in the Caldish press in the lead up to her marriage, and her media presence cast a long shadow. Similarly, Prince John became a professional footballer and established a media profile of his own. The two were considered to be much more popular than Elton, who was more reserved and maintained a low profile. Quinn claims this caused tensions within the family, damaging Elton's relationships with his siblings. Notably, however, Quinn writes that Elton continued to have an amicable relationship with his youngest sibling, Prince William. The two were close according to Quinn and William is said to have been supportive of his brother.
This tension eventually culminated in the events that most directly influenced Elton II's decision to abdicate, Quinn claims.
"The media were the ones who set the stage for the disaster that marked the beginning of [Elton II's] reign as king. The gushing love felt for his high profile, popular siblings never existed for him. His low profile made sure of that. When the political crisis engulfed the government, of course it would consume him. It was in many ways his debut in the press".
He is referencing the political crisis that erupted within the government of Niamh Nic Uilliam. The Social Democrats had decided they were finished with their leader, and had replaced her in the run up to the 2002 general election. Against the wishes of her party, she refused to resign as Taoiseach after negotiations with her declared successor, Séamus Ó Faoláin, had soured. Hoping to prevent an early general election amid a political crisis, both Nic Uilliam and the party looked to Ellen II for mediation. As the monarch, she was not only politically neutral but had the constitutional powers of the sovereign. The process was slow and before an agreement could be reached, Ellen II had died in February 2002. Her son took the throne and was faced with his first big test.
The decades of experience his mother had were of no help to the new king. The party argued extensively for the king to dismiss Ni Uillian as Taoiseach and appoint Ó Faoláin. Convinced by their arguments, Elton II dismissed Ni Uillian as Taoiseach in March 2002. He was met with strong criticism from from Ni Uillian, her allies, and the press. This was especially strong among right-wing elements in the press. It quickly became an issue for the 2002 general election.
Elton II was decried as undemocratic by the press and unfit to rule by some commentators. Énna Ó Ceallaigh, the leader of the Liberty Party, said the king's involvement in party infighting was "shocking" and "cause for alarm".
Quinn, who by his own admission had mostly fallen out of touch with Elton II at this point, argues that it was "very likely that the king was deeply hurt by the criticism and perhaps event felt betrayed. His first major act as king was assailed by the country, and it was only made worse by his siblings".
Kaisern Margaret had recently been widowed and Elton II was often juxtaposed to her by the press. Some even began to call for her to replace him as monarch, bringing with her decades of experience and being able to restore the popularity of the monarchy. There is little evidence to indicate that Margaret had any involvement in this media narrative, or that she even wanted to become queen. However, Elton II had yet to name an heir designate and Margaret was heir presumptive.
"A simple abdication would have ended the crisis and allowed him to live the life he long wanted, but I was hardly surprised to see him fight on ahead. It would have been unlike Elton to admit defeat so early" Quinn reflects.
Quinn also argues that press coverage further damaged Elton's relationship with Margaret and influenced his decision to look elsewhere when it became time to name an heir designate. He did so in 2007 after a heart attack. It was around this time that Quinn reconnected with his old friend.
"It was now time, he knew it and told me as such, for him to name a designate. His health had failed him, a stronger betrayal than the press or anyone in his family had ever dealt him. By then, he was old and even bitter. Bitter at the world, bitter at the life he had lived and bitter for having failed to live the life he had always wanted. It was a sorry state to see my old friend in, who had been so vibrant, so passionate, and so thoughtful in his younger years".
In 2007, a statement released on behalf of Elton II confirmed the would name one of his nephews or nieces as his heir apparent "within the year". He chose the eldest child of his youngest brother, Prince William. Laird Kevin was young, but had always been known as a kind child. He was close with his grandmother, Ellen II, and Quinn says it was that kindness and close relationship that influenced Elton's decision.
"His mother was everything for the nation he never could be. Who better, he told me, than to pick one of her beloved grandchildren especially one that had been fortunate enough to have known her so closely".
Quinn also claims that he would not "give the media the satisfaction" of naming either Princess Margaret or Prince John as his heir. This sentiment extended to their children as part of that "sad, horrific bitterness" that Quinn came to see in Elton II. This would result in his 2010 abdication, and the ascension of his nephew to the throne as Kenneth IV. Since then, Elton II has largely avoided publicity as part of a "vanishing act" Quinn claims.
Overall, Quinn's book proves to be an easy and engaging read. It provides a unique perspective on the life of the former king and a rare insight into the decisions he made. However, it is important to note that a lot of Quinn's claims cannot particularly be verified independently. He shares stories that deal intimately with Elton II's thought process, something even the most renowned royal historians and biographers have difficulty portraying credibly. It is important to take that into consideration when reading Quinn's book and mulling over his many claims. St. Ellen's Palace had also declined to comment on the book beyond saying it was "speculatory" and "not a work published by an accredited royal historian, biographer, or author".
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