This nation’s founders rebelled against the British king, George III, some 246 years ago. Rejecting the notion of a monarchy, they created the first presidential republic, a system of government that was eventually copied by many of the Spanish and Portuguese colonies when they too threw off their colonial masters. In fact, the founders felt so strongly about maintaining their freedom from hereditary despots that they incorporated the following into the U.S. Constitution:
No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
And yet … a fascination with all things regal lingers in the hearts of many Americans. When Prince Charles — now King Charles III — married Lady Diana Spencer, the Nielsen Ratings reported that 23 million people in the United States watched the ceremony on TV. And when their son, Prince William, took Kate Middleton as his bride, a roughly equivalent number of Americans tuned in — many getting up in the middle of the night to do so.
The largest viewing, however, was reserved for the wedding of William’s brother, Prince Harry, to the American actress, Megan Markle — an event that attracted more than 29 million…
