The long line to little Archie

When Prince Harry and Megan showed off their new baby boy, they stood in a grand hall at Windsor Palace. Moving symbolism in that the place was built by William I, the Conqueror. His 1066 conquest of Britain set in motion a thousand year tradition of British continuity of government. The long line of monarchs continues through to Elizabeth II today. She traces her direct family line all the way back to about 1700 when Parliament threw out King James II and installed the Protestant William III. Before William (and Mary), the Stuarts (Scottish family) ruled Britain for 100 years, and they succeeded the Tudors, of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I fame - Ann Boleyn, the break with Rome and the thrashing of the Spanish Armada. (They were Welsh, egad) Before them the Plantagenets, the Wars of the Roses, and on back to William I (French, from Normandy) Impressive, and for about 200 years ruling over the largest empire in history. Yes, that little island. Interestingly, there has not been an English family represented on the throne since at least 1415, and even that is a stretch. Today's Elizabeth family name is Windsor, but it was Hanover, a German name. That was changed to Windsor when Britain went to war against the German Empire (led by British Queen Victoria's grandson, the Kaiser). From William III forward, English monarchs have been Germanic, a result of dynastic marriages and Parliament's insistence on a Protestant king (or queen). Of course, America's heritage derives from British history and tradition. Britain was our mother country until we threw them over and founded our own country with a Constitution influenced by the English Bill of Rights, among many other things. And, they are still our closest ally.