The Queen Comes to the Colonies

Accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth, 55 years on the British throne, is coming to Virginia to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement. She obviously harbors no bitterness toward Virginia for that commonwealth's crucial role as the leadership talent pool for the successful insurrection by the colonies in the late 18th century.

The queen and Prince Philip will visit Richmond, the state capital, which has been described as a hotbed of social rest and which is busy polishing its brass and washing its windows in anticipation of the occasion. As Elizabeth Dunn of the Sunday Times once wrote, "Royalty must think the whole country smells of fresh paint."

The official host in Richmond will be Virginia Gov. Timothy Michael Kaine, an Irish-Catholic Democrat whose father was once a welder. In short, Tim Kaine, while a respected attorney and political leader, is not the sort of fellow you would find in the royal box at Epsom Downs.

To be fair, we Irish are not any day at the beach ourselves. It was the gifted Brendan Behan who noted, "Other people have a nationality; the Irish and the Jews have a psychosis."

As the product of a long line of anti-monarchists, I want to toast the personal patriotism of the British royal family. Much has been written recently, as it should be, about Prince Harry, son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, who having been commissioned a lieutenant after grueling officer training, publicly insisted that he join his combat unit when it's deployed to Iraq: "There's no way ... I'm going to sit on my ass back home while my boys are fighting for their country." Announced the prince, "That may sound very patriotic, but it's true."

To be fair, Harry's father, Prince Charles, served as a pilot for five years in the Royal Navy, and Charles' brother Prince Andrew, who saw combat as a helicopter pilot in the Falklands War, made the military his career.

Prince Edward, the third brother, was an officer in the Royal Marines.

Sadly, the royal family's admirable record of personal risk and sacrifice for their nation has failed to inspire contemporary elites on this side of the pond.

Virginia reminds me of an earlier visit the queen and the prince made to Boston during the U.S. bicentennial. An old friend, Jack Connors, and his wife, Eileen, were among only 50 couples invited to meet the royal couple aboard their yacht in Boston Harbor.

On the day of the event, Eileen Connors made absolutely certain that Jack understood the rules: They were "Your Majesty" and "Your Highness." If the Queen extends her hand, then — and only then — can you shake her hand.

Connors was on his best behavior all the way through the receiving line. But then he noticed that Queen Elizabeth was left all alone, and against the advice of Eileen, Jack, a gregarious Irish-American, went over to Her Majesty.

Because he had memorized her U.S. itinerary, Jack knew that Elizabeth and Philip had received warm welcomes in both Philadelphia and New York. He asked about the friendly receptions, and the Queen brightened: "Yes, the folks in Philadelphia were amazing — three or four deep."

The reception in Boston, the home of the Kennedys and Tip O'Neill, had been unexpectedly cordial, with the only discordant note being one small group of women outside City Hall holding signs protesting the British occupation of Northern Ireland.

To Jack Connors, Queen Elizabeth of England had this to say: "The reception here has been amazing, too. Of course, there were those women. But one comes to expect that sort of thing — from the Irish."

To his credit and his wife's relief, Jack Connors bit his lip. Welcome back to the colonies.

To find out more about Mark Shields and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

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COPYRIGHT 2007 MARK SHIELDS