Chapter 279: The European Royal Family Joint Declaration
The funeral and farewell ceremony for Edward VII was even more grand than that of Queen Victoria.
In fact, the British had already sensed a crisis in recent years. The glorious and brilliant Victorian era was behind them, and the British Empire now faced many rising competitors.
The most notable of these was the German Empire, which not only maintained a strong army with formidable combat capabilities but was also fiercely catching up with the British Empire in naval power.
As the German Empire's strategy gradually shifted toward international expansion, the two empires, Britain and Germany, began to move toward becoming adversaries.
At present, the German Empire was the British Empire's most powerful enemy, and it was also the most likely candidate to replace Britain as the new global hegemon.
In such a moment, the British public increasingly longed for the past splendor of the Victorian era.
At the height of the Victorian era, the British Empire was the world's most powerful country, and other competitors could hardly pose a serious threat to it.
After the grand farewell ceremony, many British citizens were reluctant to disperse. Outside the royal cemetery and on some streets, they spontaneously organized memorials for the two monarchs of the Victorian era.
Meanwhile, the European nobles who attended Edward VII's funeral, at the invitation of George V, held a grand royal gathering.
How grand was this royal gathering? It featured ten monarchs, with even the lowest-ranking being a king.
It also included multiple queens, crown princes, princes, archdukes, and high-ranking dukes.
Some lower-ranking dukes were not even qualified to appear at such an event, showing just how high the status of this gathering was.
At the banquet, members of the European royal families mostly engaged in casual conversations. Normally, these people were spread out across the world, each ruling their own territory.
For example, monarchs like Arthur, who resided far away from Europe, might only visit once every few years.
Even someone like Wilhelm II, a European monarch, was often too busy with domestic affairs to gather with other royal families.
Another important factor was that European countries were currently divided into two distinct factions.
As members of their respective nations, the behavior of these royal family members had a significant influence on their countries' perspectives. Naturally, their countries' opinions also greatly influenced their actions.
For instance, if a country's government and public were particularly friendly toward Britain, its monarch, even if they had better relations with the German royal family, would still have to consider the opinions of their government and people.
After all, even though monarchies were still the dominant form of rule in Europe and the world, the power of monarchs had gradually diminished, and monarchs with real political power had become fewer.
The main figure at this banquet was, of course, George V. While Wilhelm II, the German Kaiser, had a similar status and position to George V, the event was held in London, George V's home turf, so it was only natural that he took center stage.
Arthur was actually looking forward to how the attitude of Britain would change after George V ascended the throne. One should not underestimate the current authority of European royal families. Though individual monarchs might seem weak, when the entire European royal family united, they could represent the five great powers of Europe: Britain, Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, along with many smaller monarchies.
Most European monarchies had also participated in World War I, indirectly contributing to the weakening of European monarchies after the war.
As a monarch from a European royal family, Arthur felt the need to prepare in advance to protect monarchies.
Even if it was for his own benefit, Arthur wanted to protect as many European monarchies as possible. After all, disregarding national interests, monarchies provided a better environment for cooperation.
Preserving more monarchies would also help resist the spread of the liberal democratic ideals that were expected to flood the world after World War II, and together, they could defend the monarchy, a tradition that had been passed down for thousands of years.
Arthur's idea of protecting the monarchy received significant recognition and support from many European royal families. After all, the proposal was seen as protecting the interests of all monarchies and royal families.
However, implementing this idea proved difficult. Though the power of monarchs had waned, it was still considered a time of prosperity for monarchies.
Among the world's eight great powers, only the United States and France were republics, while the other countries remained monarchies. Even France had a fluctuating relationship between monarchy and republic, with many royalists and pro-monarchy factions and supporters still strong within the country.
In this context, members of various royal families were naturally not enthusiastic about advancing the treaty. After all, their positions seemed secure, and it did not appear necessary to take action for the treaty.
As monarchs, they could not easily promise to help another nation's royal family without a clear benefit. This could essentially mean using state power for the private benefit of a foreign royal family, potentially even involving the military in warfare.
In all of Europe, only a few royal families had the capability to do this. Even fewer would be willing to send their own armies to help another country's royal family.
At present, only a handful of small countries' royal families showed interest in such a treaty. After all, the royal families of small countries had the least stable positions and could easily be overthrown in political struggles.
Countries like Bulgaria, which had prestigious royal families, usually did not risk having their kings deposed, though their powers could be greatly reduced.
However, these small countries did not play a decisive role in pushing the treaty forward. The real key to implementing the treaty lay with the royal families and monarchs of the five European great powers: Britain, Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.
Since Tsar Nicholas II was not present, and the relationship between Germany and Austria-Hungary was close, the success of the treaty depended largely on the opinions of George V and Wilhelm II.
Although George V had not yet been crowned king, and even when he became king, he would not have the same level of power as Queen Victoria or Edward VII, he still had significant influence among European monarchs. Many countries closely allied with or dependent on Britain were waiting for George V's opinion.
Arthur was quite eager to push the treaty forward. This could be the only chance to establish the royal protection treaty.
Historically, although monarchs like Queen Victoria and Edward VII held real power, there had not been many opportunities to gather most of Europe's royal families together.
Though Queen Victoria's funeral had been a great occasion, Edward VII would not have allowed Arthur to advocate for the treaty and gain popularity and goodwill from European monarchies.
At the core of this, all royal family members across nations generally agreed on the need to protect the monarchy.
Whoever succeeded in pushing this treaty would earn considerable goodwill from other royal families and might even gain influence within European royal circles.
George V was intrigued by the royal protection treaty proposed by his cousin Arthur. However, he understood that he needed to consider the opinions of the British public before he could accept the idea. At least before his official coronation, this was essential.
George V did not want to cause too much upheaval in Britain. Maintaining stability in the UK was his top priority, as it directly affected the stability of the British royal family and his own position.
After thinking for a long time, George V chose to remain silent. In other words, he decided to wait for the opinions of others.
If the treaty seemed to have broad support, George V would not mind going along with it and helping to push it through.
However, if most royal family members were not very interested in advancing the treaty, then he would not take the risk of offending domestic political forces just to help Arthur, especially if he stood to gain nothing from it.
After all, defending royal power meant George V was seeking more royal authority and influence, and he would not want to openly declare his intentions before becoming king.
George V's silence led some royal families allied with Britain to follow suit in silence.
Although some smaller countries were hopeful about the treaty, they did not want to risk angering Britain and George V over an agreement that others could easily break.
They were not foolish. Even if the treaty succeeded, the countries that would likely protect the small monarchies would be powerful ones like Britain and Germany.
Smaller countries, no matter how much they wished to help, could not afford to risk their own thrones for the sake of another country's royal family.
If they angered Britain to push the treaty through, what would happen if they needed help later and Britain refused to assist them?
After much consideration, the royal families of these countries saw things clearly. Although the treaty would benefit them, their primary concern was ensuring their alliance with the powerful nations, which would guarantee their throne's stability.
With the support of these great powers, their royal positions and authority would be more secure, which was far better than relying on a mere verbal agreement.
After George V's silence, Arthur turned his attention to Wilhelm II and asked for his opinion.
Wilhelm II was not particularly interested in the treaty. After all, the German royal family's position in Germany was still quite secure.
Countries aligned with Germany would naturally have their monarchies protected by Germany, while those allied with Britain would not receive Germany's help.
However, since Arthur had initiated the treaty, Wilhelm II did not want to outright reject it. He instead offered a compromise, changing the focus of the treaty from protecting the monarchy to ensuring the personal safety of European royal family members.
The treaty would emphasize condemning and opposing regicide and any attacks on royal families. It would call on European monarchies to unite in protecting royal members and impose sanctions on those responsible for regicide, helping the affected nation restore its monarchy and order.
At the same time, European monarchies should offer necessary protection to members of other royal families.
Arthur had not expected the royal protection treaty to transform into a treaty focused on the protection of royal family members.
But for now, this was the best result, and Arthur nodded in agreement with Wilhelm II's proposal.
(End of Chapter)
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