Salt Lake Telegram | 1948-09-02 | Page 12 | Few Royal Rulers Remain in Europe

Few Royal Rulers Remain in Europe Queen Wilhelmina Vilhelmina of tl the e Netherlands Tuesday celebrated d her birthday and the anniversary of her accession accession sion Zion to to the throne on August 31 1898 when when she he became 18 years of age The jubilee e will be bc her last public appearance appearance appearance appear appear- ance as queen because in a few days she will give up the throne passing on the reins of government to her year 39 old daughter Juliana The doings of royalty in the Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands Nether Nether- lands reminds us of the way in which monarchy in Europe has declined in the thelast thelast thelast last few decades At the time of the first world war almost all of the countries coun cairn tries of Europe were governed by kings The country without a royal house was the exception Since that time royal houses have been discarded right and left and today th there re are in Europe only seven royal rulers in full standing as titular heads of their countries These are the kings of Britain Norway Sweden Denmark and Greece the queen of the Netherlands and the grand duchess of Luxembourg The royal rulers of German Germany Russia Austria Turkey Italy Spain Yugoslavia Romania Bulgaria Bulgaria Bul Bul- Bulgaria garia and Albania have Shave all been ousted since the first world war Belgium at the present time is headed by a regent but the exiled king Leopold has been forbidden forbidden- to return to Belgium without t the consent of parliament The royal house may be retained in Belgium but its position is at least far weaker than it was a few years ago Likewise it itis itis itis is possible that Spain may reestablish the monarchy Otherwise royalty in Europe is a vanishing species s. s Sign Significantly Significantly i- i cantly those rulers whose jobs are most secure are those who have only nom norn- nornma inal ma power and where the countries retain re re- re tam tain merely the trappings and form of monarchy but in actual fact government government govern govern- ment is completely in the hands of the people The day of the absolute monarch in Europe is gone that gone that is unless somebody somebody some some- body puts a purple robe on Comrade Stalin All he needs is the trappings of monarchy to make him a more absolute absolute lute monarch than the czar ever was