King Charles and Queen Camilla waving from the balcony of Buckingham Palace following their coronation service. Photo courtesy HM Government/Wikimedia Commons.

As Victoria Day memories fade, monarchists may already be rehearsing their bow and curtsy routines for the May 26-27 visit of King Charles and Queen Camilla.

These visitations inspire me to question both the value and purpose of royalty. I feel no personal loyalty to these wealthy strangers whose unrestrained forbearers cruelly oppressed the ancestors of many Canadians, including mine. Nevertheless, Canada’s government and many institutions remain smitten by the monarchy and ignore its dark history.

Charles’ visit reminds me that most Canadians quietly accept the legitimacy of unaccountable public and private power. Such deference continues to facilitate military violence perpetrated to protect and expand the profitability of transnational corporations while countless lives and even cultures are destroyed.

This deference helps explain the lingering presence of archaic royal figures whose public roles are often falsely defended as merely ceremonial rather than ideological. Therefore, some background on the current king is vital.

King Charles and his wealthy family still receive generous public subsidies. This support, officially justified by the royals’........

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