All we want is the Crown Jewels
By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Jul 16, 2012
If you are a British history buff, you’ll want to know that the town of Angers, in France, is demanding restitution for the murder of the Earl of Warwick. The killing was a “state crime,” Angers argues, and the British nation should take responsibility.
It’s an old complaint. The unfortunate Earl died in the Tower in 1499. But it’s by no means a trivial matter, since his death ended the Plantagenet line, leaving the British throne to be occupied by monarchs who had no ties to Angers. You can easily imagine how the residents of Angers would be happier today if a local boy—or at least a cousin of local boys--was living in Buckingham Palace.
Despite this old grudge, the town fathers of Angers are willing to forgive and forget if Queen Elizabeth merely sends them the Crown Jewels. Generous of them, to be sure, but somehow I doubt that Her Majesty will oblige. She’ll probably want to keep the Crown Jewels around, in case the Godwinson family brings suit, demanding the same gems as compensation for a certain unpleasantness in 1066.
Phil Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for more than 30 years. He has edited several Catholic magazines and written eight books. Founder of Catholic World News, he is the news director and lead analyst at CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.
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Posted by: John J Plick -
Jul. 16, 2012 10:28 PM ET USA
God warned in the Book of Exodus about the consequences of sin continuing through the third and fourth generation. We read of "feuds" continuing down through decades, even through the centuries. If the truth were told, this is NO matter to "chuckle" about. Many of the world's most serious problems (including the division between Catholics and protestants) have to do with sin carried through the centuries.
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Posted by: -
Jul. 16, 2012 12:18 PM ET USA
I'm unaware of any country having a statute of limitations on murder, so the complaint is a valid one - the current occupant of Buckingham Palace is, in fact, a usurper who owes her throne to the murder of an innocent.
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Posted by: brenda22890 -
Jul. 16, 2012 12:07 PM ET USA
What fun!
