Elizabethan Twilight: Could Even Shakespeare Imagine This Balcony Scene?

Not since “Romeo & Juliet” has the lead-up to a balcony scene been more anticipated. We refer, of course, to the ritual round-up of the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace. They stand like serried ranks before the cheering crowd — signifying unity at watershed moments in British history.Like royal weddings. Or V-E day at the end of World War II, when Britons saw the unprecedented appearance of commoner Winston Churchill. This time, the occasion is to mark Elizabeth II’s 70 years upon the throne. Yet why should an ostensible occasion of celebration be so fraught with anxiety?Well, figure in whether Prince Andrew and Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, would be in attendance, and the reasons for royal concern becomes clear. Such trepidations may be nothing more than a tempest in a teapot — or not.BBC News reports that these errant members of the Royal Family have struck off from the balcony list. According to an official Palace statement, Her Majesty will be joined on June 2 by only “members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties.”One cannot help but admire how the monarch’s mandarins can “massage” tricky situations to best advantage. As for the Sussexes traveling from California, the BBC says that, “despite not appearing on the balcony, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will travel to the UK for the Jubilee.”These balcony no-shows, one suspects, are not forbidden from attending the National Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral. For Prince Andrew, the balcony appearance was another step on the route to redemption. The uproar over Andrew accompanying his mother to Prince Philip’s memorial seems to have decided the matter.More troubling are the antics of the Sussexes. A cynic might think that, at least if they were on the balcony, the Queen would know what they were up to . . . Still, the “commercial” exploitation offered by such a privileged position would prove fatal to the monarchy’s emphasis on public duty and selfless service.It is, though, a reminder that Elizabeth is Queen and grandmother. She is said to have personally wanted Harry and Meghan to attend her Platinum Jubilee. “It seems the Queen,” the Guardian reports, “firmly believes family trumps all.”Elizabeth will also have her first chance to meet her namesake were Archie and Lilibet to accompany their parents across the pond.Do note, however, the Guardian’s initial “balcony invitation” appears to have been downgraded. We can speculate that the alteration arose from Harry’s slights toward Charles and William, but perhaps from the Queen herself, who “has been left ‘wary’ after the chat” between Harry and NBC’s Hoda Kotb at The Hague.Note, too, that Charles’s plans to “downsize” the monarchy, by focusing on the “working royals,” are already taking effect, ostensibly with the Queen’s blessing.The news of the Sussexes’ UK return comes hot on the heels of a headline that “Harry ‘set to play in polo tournament’ during Queen’s jubilee,” opting for sportsmanship in Santa Barbara. Prince Harry is “plotting, one step after the other, trying to bring the monarchy down,” royal biographer Angela Levin told GB News. “What else is he trying to do? He’s trying to destroy it.”Commenting on Harry’s stopover in London and summary meetings with the Queen and Prince Charles before heading to the Invictus games in the Netherlands in mid-April, Ms Levin said: “It’s all some sort of nasty game . . . it’s plotting.”Could the cancellation of Meghan’s “Pearl” cartoon at Netflix and rumors that other deals are in jeopardy given the streaming service’s subscription woes have precipitated a volte-face? What will be Harry and Meghan’s final decision? Stay tuned.Above all, we shouldn’t forget the star of the Platinum Jubilee. Since the death of her beloved Prince Philip, the Queen has shown a marked decline. She remains redoubtable as ever. Yet we cannot forget that at 96 years of age, she is in — and we are witnessing — the twilight of our own Elizabethan Age.Yet we ought not to be too pessimistic. As Her Majesty recovered from a bout of Covid, the Queen bowed out of Easter celebrations and has announced she will not attend the annual summer garden parties this year. The main issue seems to be a problem with mobility.Yet her showing at the Philip memorial was strong. And while she may be missing from the public eye, she has been sure to keep a close watch on her horses — see her official birthday photograph. Furthermore, the BBC says that she plans to attend the Epsom Derby. She knows her royal priorities.Queen Elizabeth II with her Fell ponies Bybeck Nightingale, right, and Bybeck Katie at Windsor Castle in March 2022. henrydallalphotography.com/Royal Windsor Horse Show via APThe highlight of every official monarch’s birthday is capped with the Trooping of the Color — culminating with an RAF flyover and the Royal Family “salute” on the aforementioned balcony. With all that hangs over Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, though, we wonder whether even Shakespeare could do the balcony scene justice. BrexitDiarist@gmail.com

Elizabethan Twilight: Could Even Shakespeare Imagine This Balcony Scene?

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