Irish Examiner View: Royals on the wane but peoples endure

One of our enduring ambiguities, especially in Rebel Cork, is the widespread enthusiasm for matters royal. When, six years ago, Queen Elizabeth II visited Cork she got the kind of welcome usually reserved for returning All-Ireland winning teams.

It may not have matched the welcome her predecessor Victoria got when she visited famine-struck Cork in 1849 but it spoke volumes.

The decision by Elizabeth’s grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan to quit the family business hardly went unnoticed especially as it was another indication that European monarchies are waning.

That process accelerated this weekend when Spain’s King Felipe VI renounced his inheritance from his father and stripped Juan Carlos of his stipend.

Spain’s royals are not without their Prince Edward moments and struggle to balance tradition with legitimacy.

History may comfort them.

The 1118 Treaty of Glanmire, between Thomond ruled by the Ó Briain and Desmond ruled by the Mac Cárthaigh, diluted Munster royalty but the province, despite many challenges, thrives today.

Royal families may wane but peoples endure.