Sweet and Sour News?

I believe one significant occasion took place this week which had, to my mind, split the nation between the most devout among Royalists from those who favour Republicanism. And I reckon these two groups represent the more extreme margins of our society, very much like far-right and far-left wings of the political chicken. And the wider zone in the middle, the moderates, whose opinions are diverse enough, yet not to fall into extremity.

As such, I try to imagine a scenario that might have happened if I were to visit my parents this coming Sunday for lunch (that is tomorrow from the time of writing.) Dad, seated at the head of the table and still dominating it despite his age of 95 years. I would be sitting at the opposite end, facing him, whilst Mum sat to my left and my wife on the opposite side, to my right.

Halfway through the meal, I would ask him:

Dad, how do you feel about the Duke of Edinburgh walking unaided into King Edward VII Hospital and all the publicity? 

Prince Philip in his younger days.

It would have been quite likely that he would have given a sneering expression and maybe look towards me as if his eldest son was a little addle-headed. And then proceed to answer my question by asking: 

"Why should this man be given immediate access to a private hospital on a doctor's recommendation after a few days feeling unwell, while at the same time, there are thousands of cancer and cardiac patients left out in the cold, many with symptoms remaining undiagnosed, while many others had their scheduled operations cancelled and others died needlessly due to further cancellations?"

Such an answer delivered in the form of a counter-question would have been well in keeping with my father. Both he and Mum were Labour-supporting Republicans, and therefore, having a greater concern for the welfare of ordinary people than for the privileged members of the Royal Family or for the aristocratic world.

Poor Dad! I guess that he never had a proper understanding of English love for Royalty. How willing the crowds were in standing in the pouring rain to watch the floating pageantry pass by - as the Queen sailed along the River Thames in celebration of her 2012 Diamond Jubilee. The cold, wet June weather compromising her physical comfort enough to make her look miserable as she stood with stoicism under a flimsy-looking shelter erected over the boat, The Spirit of Chartwell, while at the same time, her husband, who was also on board, picks up a bladder-infecting bug. Oh, the irony of all this! Too bad that June 3rd, 2012 was the first wet day after a fairly long spell of warm Spring sunshine.

And so, the sight would draw in a crowd of devoted subjects to both banks of the river. And despite the huge numbers - a newspaper journalist was rather shocked to see all the spectators were white and British - "The Sea of White" - as he referred to them. Although we've watched it on TV in the comfort of our home, I knew my late father well enough not to be interested in the event at all.

As Prince Philip - just a few months from becoming a centenarian - remains in hospital, really, I have absolutely no issues with him. It's my view that throughout the whole of his life, the Duke served the country very well, with full devotion to his wife. Therefore I wish him a speedy recovery and still be with us when he celebrates his 100th birthday in June. As for the Queen, I think she had done a magnificent job in servitude, her loyalty to her duty has made her be without any reproach. 

But it's the system, the height of international importance behind the huge flotilla in the Thames during a cold, wet June day that had motivated many around the globe to turn on their TVs. The crowds of English people lining the banks of the river, whose shivering bodies covered with goose-pimples under a layer of sodden clothing, the forest of umbrellas, and perhaps the imaging of a hot coffee beside a roaring fireside, had failed to quell any excitement as the flotilla slowly sailed past. What is it about the British? I may ask. Indeed, I fail to recall any other country in the world putting on a show as spectacular as this Diamond Jubilee pageantry. With the Duke's bladder suffering an infection, he was quickly rushed into the private hospital to receive treatment with antibiotics. 

However, news of the Duke's admission into hospital just this week had aroused some unease among Republicans and even moderate Monarchists alike, as I read in a forum trailing a Daily Mail article on this issue. And the reason behind their discontent was that due to the high admission rate of Covid-19 patients into NHS care, there is a large number of non-Covid patients with cancer or heart problems who are at high risk of neglect, either by their GPs not around to diagnose their symptoms, or having their operations cancelled, with others not getting any treatment at all, and therefore they had already died.

And here's my point. During the Jubilee celebrations, when Prince Philip picked up an infection, he was dealt with straight away. The same applied to this week. After feeling unwell, he was immediately admitted as a non-Covid patient.  

The start of the Diamond Jubilee flotilla.*

And I speak from experience. In 2015, I had to have an aorta valve replaced, thus open-heart surgery. But had I, for some reason, suffered a serious delay and died, the terrible distress my wife would have suffered is beyond anyone's guess. Due to her neurological disability, she most likely would have either spend the rest of her life in care or with another family - unless fortunate enough to eventually remarry.

However, in more recent years, my beloved was diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately, not only was her illness discovered in good time but all stages of her treatment were completed in time before the pandemic struck. That means her mastectomy, her chemotherapy and her radiotherapy all came and went smoothly without any unnecessary delays. Just in time too. Her radiotherapy ended just before the March 2020 lockdown.

It was while she was an inpatient at Frimley Park Hospital, one Sunday, when Paul, one of my closest friends, said to me that had we lived a hundred years earlier, then I would have to watch my wife's cancer worsen, suffer intense pain and then die, with no known treatment available. So powerful was the statement, that I felt emotionally crushed, from which it took days for me to recover. 

I transferred such a thought to the present. What if Alex, suffering intensely in pain, had received one letter or phone call of one cancellation after another from the NHS, along with a stream of apologies and an explanation of inability to care due to a large influx of Covid patients? Then she dies, and I had to arrange a funeral. Then, just before her funeral, news comes in that Prince Philip, at 99 years old, felt slightly unwell and a doctor recommends a visit straightaway to a private hospital. Yes, how would I feel then? And how would any relative feel after the loss of a loved one to cancer, simply because no treatment was available, due to all hospital beds are taken up by Covid patients?

For me, it's the system itself and not the people in it. I have no desire to wish anyone ill, whether a VIP or not. And here's the crunch. VIP means Very Important People. Or, in other words, the lives of some people are more worthy to receive attention and be treated than the lives of others. This cultural idiosyncrasy, in itself, can wind me up tightly, especially on the issue of life or death, but for others, it's something akin to honour and therefore have all rights for respect.

That was the sour news. Now for the sweet news.

The rate of Coronavirus infections is falling, and quite rapidly, too. And thanks to the vaccine rollout, further falls in the hospitalisation and deaths. Alex had the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine three weeks before I was offered the Oxford Astra-Zeneca jab. But we're both immunised, at least for now. A second jab will be on its way three months after.

Lately, it's been my desire to pray and ask God not to take account for the sin of this nation and for the rest of the world, but to show mercy, even if it means we Christians act as priests to intercede to God on the nation's behalf, just as the prophet Daniel did for Israel and for Jerusalem, in the Old Testament of the Bible (Daniel 9:1-19.) This is one of two of the greatest prayers, in my opinion, which is found in the Bible, the other being Abraham's, recorded in Genesis 18:16-33. Both are intercessory, the pleading to God for mercy to a sinful nation or city for both God's glory and for the righteous living within.

I sincerely believe that Christians across the land have prayed on behalf of the UK for mercy and now their prayers are beginning to be heard. The vaccine rollout seems to be gaining success, with target numbers met. Who knows, it may not be too long before my beloved wife will be called up to receive the next stage of her cancer treatment, to rebuild her breast. Meanwhile, my cardiac consultations and monitoring can resume on a face-to-face meeting rather than through those wretched telephone calls with which I can't even self-diagnose properly due to lack of training.

And the ending of this present lockdown. Something, I think, many are looking forward to. At least I am. But according to recent polls, especially on the YouGov website where I actually partook. To them, a large percentage of the British population feels it's too early to be released from lockdown. I find this unwillingness to regain their freedom quite astonishing, as many seem to lack faith or confidence in the vaccine. Yet it takes all to make a world - anti-vaxxers, anti-masks, anti-lockdowns, anti-this or anti-that - all making their own noise but getting nowhere. Why not simply plead to God for mercy and trust in His goodness?

 Buckingham Palace during the Diamond Jubilee

As I wrote above, I have no animosity towards Prince Philip being called in for observations and treatment. Nor do I have any issue with any member of the Royal Family. Perhaps much of this is due to the signing of the Magna Carta by King John at Runnymede, on June 15th, 1215. This agreement has taken absolute power away from the Monarch and bestowed all authority on Parliament, hence the beginning of democracy. It was quite likely that King John was a miserable weasel, abusing his power and therefore disliked by the people. I thank God that our Monarch is nothing like King John.

As for Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh, I wish him a speedy recovery and to see his 100th birthday.

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*Attempts to include a picture of The Spirit of Chartwell was blocked for security reasons.