Prince Pierre with his son Robert.
On the night of 7th July 1999, in his room at St. George's boarding school, 17 year old Prince Pierre Vincent was preparing for his last paper of the Pre University Examinations. He scored a brilliant 8,9 in his Calculus II paper, perhaps because HRH Sophie Vincent had decided not to inform him of the events that had transpired that night on the grounds of the royal palace. A massacre had taken place at the residence of the monarchy. 15 members of the royal family died, all belonging to the Vincent dynasty. HRH Sophie Vincent, who was crowned the Queen two years ago had survived. Queen Mother AmberlynnLaPierre Vincent and King Lucien Vincent were among the dead, which included any potential claimant to the throne. For HRH the further course of action was clear - an inquiry committee was set up which named Robin Hébras, a member of the Republican Socialist Party (RSA) as the preparator. Leadership of that party was sentenced to death - the first time the death penalty was used in the last 50 years. National emergency was imposed, which would continue for the remaining year, the Parliament was suspended indefinitely , and Sophie Vincent ruled by decree for almost a year - jailing opponents and the "opposing nobility", massacring almost the entirety of RSA, and abolishing royal titles except that of the surviving family. Lèse-majesté was applied with full force and any claims to any conspiracy regrading the massacre, including denial of the official narrative, invited severe penalties under the law.
It was under such conditions that young Pierre returned home. The death of his family naturally left him devastated. Much before the tragedy, Pierre had declared to his mother that he would never lay any claim to throne. That meant one thing - then 26 year old Sophie was to ascend to the throne in 1997. All monarchs have been women since 1912 and they will continue to be - since the present heir apparent is also a woman, though she is not exactly royal blood. However we should not forget that despite this fact, the Mizia society is quintessentially patriarchal. What exists for men has to be demanded for women and this is task every female monarch is upto. Mere ascension to throne, does not, in Mizialand, ensure the reign of the monarch. The task is set forth - consolidation of her position lest she be left as a mere puppet in the hands of the nobility. The nobility resists the monarchy. Mizia throne has been a contest between the female authority and the male nobility. Since 1912 this authority had to be imposed. The challenge has been humungous - get the support of nobility or be ready to be replaced. The nobility is not opposed to women monarchs but wants them to be puppet regents at best and seat warmers for the upcoming nobility at worst. In 1997, as young Sophie ascended the throne, the patriarchal nobility had its eye on the prize. Keeping conspiracies aside, Sophie’s task was made relatively easy by the 1999 massacre. Kingship knows no kinship and the massacre had ended the kinship. Many relatives were exiled on pretence of aiding the massacre as a part of wider conspiracy to overthrow the Vincent dynasty. Trust none was the mantra. Democratic reforms to fast-track Lorecia Community (LC) accession was the goal. Nobility had to be destroyed, even if the pretence was democracy. “We cannot live in a page out of feudal history.” HRH had declared in 2000 as she presented “Road Map to Democracy: Political Freedom Now” agenda. The dawn of the millennia found Mizialand in turmoil and it was this turmoil 17 year old Pierre returned home to.
Concurrent with the conspiracies implicating HRH Sophie Vincent (the discussion of which still remains banned under Lèse-majesté), another set of conspiracies emerged - these involved young Pierre. The latter, as the coming decade would show, turn out to be true. Hélène Françoise had been teaching Year 12 at St. George’s for past 12 years in 1997. Father Luis, the then Principal of St. Geroge’s recalls, “I was against hiring her, but the school board decided none the less to go ahead - they were too afraid of discriminatory lawsuits. But we never had any problems with her. Two years into her teaching, she married (it was her second one), in 96, she divorced, but no, she was beautiful, head smart, anyone would be lucky to have her but she had her bad share of luck. There was rumours of IPV (in partner violence), sometimes we heard screams coming in dead of night from her house, but we decided to leave the matter. It wasn’t our place to say anything. As far as her partners were concerned, she was unlucky, until of course…”
When Pierre returned after completing his schooling, rumours about his relations with Hélène began. Some even suggested that they maintained relations while Pierre was in school. The staff and Pierre’s classmates deny such rumours. “They weren’t close. Pierre never asked any questions. He was shy. I don’t think they ever talked anything other than what was necessary.”, recalls one of the prince’s classmates. For the coming decade, Pierre and Hélène began secret courtship. Tabloids and paparazzi diverted their attention, trying to scrounge whatever was available. In July 2010, Blitz, a tabloid published scandalous report that Pierre and Hélène had a child out of wedlock. This revelation was sure to invite penalty under lèse-majesté but surprisingly Pierre himself confirmed the scandal. “Yes, we have a child and we do not plan on getting married anytime soon.” This was the headline of almost all newspapers that day. For the monarchy it was what could be best equated with ‘dereliction of duty’ the duty being upholding moral values. Naturally a question arouse whether HRH could tolerate so and she did. In a rare public appearance, she said, “ A woman’s destiny is not her own. She is defined by the relations of her husband. She is a daughter, wife, mother, daughter in law, mother in law, sister, even her friend’s are not her own - her husband’s friends wife’s are her friends. Her personal relations remain defined by her family. Marriage is a contract. Consent is required for contract. Here we have two individuals who do not consent to marriage. I cannot understand what is wrong with that. A woman’s choice is her own as a man’s is his. I support Pierre’s decision. The decision to marry is up to them.” The Royal Family not only owned up to this ‘scandal’ but also accepted it as a norm. A Chinese wall between public and private life was emphasised as were the realisation, not merely the existence of the rights of a woman. Marriage is a private affair and the royal family attested that.
In 2017, in a low key, private ceremony Hélène and Pierre got married. In 2018, HRH announced Hélène Vincent as the heir apparent. The modern royal family does not contradict its duty and modernity. It has worked to bring in changes in Mizia political and social life, the best example of the former being voluntary, gradual, sustained, and successful transition to democracy. The royalty supports social changes, yet it does not want such changes to be thrust from above. Societal changes come when the society itself changes. Legislation and punishments can only work to an extent. Any change has to be gradual, brought about by the society itself in a bottom up manner. The royal family reflects this - it balances its duty with modernity and in the words of HRH “adapting to the changing time”
It is these changing times that Hélène Vincent will find herself in when she ascends the throne. She will not have to face the problem of ‘consolidating’ her position or dealing with the nobility but a more precarious one - a society that lives in contradiction. One that claims equal voice and opportunity for women but denies them equal value.
The author is a gender studies professor at Heleventia University. Views expressed are personal.