The response and actions taken by Queen Elizabeth in the United Kingdom
King Felipe in Spain
and King Mohammed of Morocco could not be more different.
At this point, I would have made a graph explaining what each monarch has been doing throughout the pandemic,
but when it comes to Elizabeth and Felipe there is very little to talk about.
Almost all of the activity has come from King Mohammed in Morocco.
On Monday, the sixth of April,
Queen Elizabeth made a televised address to the people of the United Kingdom.
I'm speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time.
Despite the fact that the virus had been sweeping across the UK for 69 days,
deaths had reached into their thousands,
her son and heir to her throne had caught the virus,
and the United Kingdom's Prime Minister was in hospital fighting for his life against the deadly disease,
the queen's speech would mark the first time she had spoken publically about the Corona Virus.
Buenas Noches
A strikingly similar speech was given to the Spanish people by King Felipe three weeks earlier.
where he thanked the medical frontline staff
and spoke to the Spanish people of coming together to fight the virus.
As with the queen, King Felipe's speech marked the first time he had spoken publicly about the pandemic.
In contrast, King Mohammed of Morocco has been the leading figure in Morocco's fight against Covid-19
from the very beginning.
He is constantly in the media spotlight.
His views on how to tackle the virus and the actions he is taking are well known in Morocco.
Chairing a meeting of his government ministers at the start of the epidemic,
the king has had a 'hands-on' involvement in the actions taken against the spread of the virus from the outset.
On March 16th, one of the king's first actions was to launch a public fund
to help those people and industries suffering from the virus and its aftermath.
He has allowed tenants on his property to forgo their rent obligations.
King Mohammed has been one of the leading figures in forming an African coalition in the fight against the virus
and to reduce the economic impact it will have throughout the continent.
He has been photographed wearing a face mask and adhering to social distancing.
setting a clear example to the Moroccan people.
Why the difference -
and what should be the role of monarchy during a severe and devastating national crisis?
Well, there are two very important things to take into account here:
especially with regard to the British monarchy.
Queen Elizabeth is 38 years older than the Moroccan king.
At 94 years old, she cannot be expected to be as physically and mentally robust
as 56 year old King Mohammed.
At 71, her son and heir, Prince Charles, is also past his prime.
However, King Felipe of Spain is 4 years younger than his Moroccan counterpart.
The second thing to keep in mind is the different types of monarchy at play here.
The UK and Spain have a constitutional monarchy
which means that power has devolved to parliament.
with the monarch as simply a figurehead for the country.
The European monarchs strive to distance themselves from politics.
In Morocco, the role of the king is the exact opposite.
King Mohammed is very much in political control of Morocco.
Nothing gets done without his approval.
In the UK and Spain, the monarchs give their formal approval of government decisions.
Although they have the right to refuse consent,
doing so is likely to lead to civil unrest and seen as a failing of democracy.
The vast majority of Moroccans have high regard for their king.
There is strong approval of the actions taken against Covid-19 by Morocco;
actions that are attributed to the king as much as, if not more so, than his government.
In contrast, during King Felipe's speech, Spanish people took to their balconies
not to sing
but to make a noise
banging pots and pans - symbolically drowning out the words of their unpopular king.
In the UK, despite the much media heralding of the event,
the queen's speech was greeted with overwhelming indifference by the British public
many of whom saw it as 'irrelevant'
All of which begs the question:
What should be the role of royalty during a national crisis?
Is it wise for a monarch to remain silent while medical staff endeavour to save lives
without the proper protective clothing or enough equipment?
To do nothing more than to give a speech to unite the country
while adorned in jewelry
that, if sold, would buy all the necessary protective clothing and equipment?
What should be the role of royals in these times?