What a life! What a time! What next?

What a week! For those of us who live in the UK, we're witnessing a changing of the guard, a re-ordering of the establishment, never seen before. Out with the old and in with the new. First - Boris out, Liz in. Next - the Queen is dead, Long live the King. The relationship between leaders, followers, opposers & bystanders is always interesting and the last week's unfolding drama spectacular. So what is being acted out in the relationship between the One & the Many? & what are the lessons that might serve future generations?

The photo above shows the Queen, and her husband, being introduced to my family and National Trust for Scotland staff at Falkland Palace by my father, as hereditary Keeper, whilst I (as a baby boy, with my three older sisters) am trying to make sense of what is going on? Today by an anomaly of history, I hold the role of Keeper and have been witnessing the lowering the standard on Thursday, before raising it again on Saturday to proclaim the new King - greeted by a single voice calling out "God Save the King" from the street - and no doubt a sigh of relief, from some, that this is not yet the time for a revolution.

Some years ago I took a DNA test that, despite my scepticism, confirmed my bloodline goes back to Robert I & II of Scotland via 3rd Earl of Bute (first Tory Prime Minister & first Scot to hold the post of PM since the Act of Union). However deeply ambivalent about privilege, I ran away in my late teens to find myself, through living and working with homeless people in Glasgow. Learning to work collectively, I turned away from top-down forms of hierarchy and immersed myself in more horizontal forms of community building - whilst discovering that good leaders both hold & distribute power (of purpose) & love (that includes everyone).

Falkland, Kingship and the Stuart dynasty

Looking back on Falkland's history of power, privilege & governance, yesterday's Courier Weekender's feature article covers a recent community Comparative Kingship dig researching how people used to live, work, rule & govern their society towards the end of the Roman Empire inc. the stratification on Falkland's ancient beacon hill, a strategic site for communication, ceremonies and a symbol of power. Falkland later became the Seat of the Earls of Fife the highest ranking nobles in the realm, with right to crown the?King of Scots. Donnchad (Duncan) IV Earl of Fife was last of the Gaelic Earls and the first signatory of the Declaration of Arbroath 700 years ago in 1320, recognising Robert the Bruce as King of Scots in a petition to the Pope. In 1402 the Duke of Rothesay, heir to the throne, was starved to death in a tower at Falkland (allegedly by his own uncle) before James reclaimed and transformed it into a palace and retreat for the Stuart Kings & Queens inc. Mary Queen of Scots and visits of Charles I & 11. So what can we learn from all this?

The wisdom of children and the role of an elder

Earlier this year a young girl at Falkland Primary school visiting the Palace garden with her class asked me: What is it like to be a member of the royal family? Simple answer would have been "I am not". Pause for thought... "Well we all have family trees - Stuarts, Windsors or your family. Some family trees have been set apart and surrounded by guards to protect them so they grow taller. But a forest is made up of all the trees, so when some fall or blow down, others remain." My message was that over time, some families have been set apart with privileges over, and a duty to serve, others. But a healthy forest or community can never depend on a single tree or family (however much we love it) picking up on a theme here at Falkland that shared leadership is the best way to weather the storms ahead.

Back to the girl's question, I can only imagine how it would be to be "close in" as a member of the royal family and am hugely relieved I'm not. Being a twig on a small, lowly branch of the redundant House of Stuart has been more than enough on my plate. I know that nothing lasts for ever, whether you are a majestic Queen, a Granny Pine, a family dynasty or a human species. I also know that we all need to be looking beyond ourselves, and even beyond current concepts of sovereignty and governance to find more regenerative forms of leadership in service of future generations - as well as strengthening each of our personal capacities to lead, follow, question and reflect on the nature and needs of the times we are in. Perhaps as well as "God Save the King" we need to pray that "God Save the People"? Whilst we undoubtedly need leader(s) who constantly remind us of our ONE shared Purpose to sustain life, we also need leaders who know diversity is vital for ALL to flourish. Meantime the girl and other local children have been taking up the lead in imagineering the future of this place with the Children's Parliament, an organisation who give children a voice.

Over the last few days, I've been surprised in conversations with local people how many have been touched by the Queen's death across a range of political views. Four qualities stand out: 1. Familiarity - as an Elder, Grandma figure who shows up in our living room radios and TVs and whose family we know; 2. Steadfastness through choppy waters; 3. Intergenerational long view that politicians rarely grasp because of the nature of our short-termist democracy; 4. Bemusement and/or curiosity at the pageantry.

Looking back and moving forward...

Over the last 70 years, the monarchy has changed in certain significant ways: abolishing primogeniture, less formality & defending the faith in a way that respects all faiths & none.

So how will the order of power (and love) evolve under His Majesty Charles III? What sort of order will be worked out between the King, Prime Minister and People? Ultimately the people will decide what sort of rules and rulers they will accept - 7, 70 or 700 years from now. Time will tell whether the new King and PM learn from history, listen to their people and become good ancestors or whether the people will rise up and create a more effective form of collective organisation to sustain human life on earth. We live in interesting times.

Time now to get back to the day job of: moving the stewardship of this estate from a single thread of my Stuart family into a stronger web of stewardship by those who care for this land and its people; & preparing for our Harvest Fest 2022 on Saturday 24th September.

You may enjoy this great wee taster video of the community dig on Falkland hill last month in partnership with Aberdeen University's Comparative Kingship project. And please note (at this time of mourning) Harvest Fest is going ahead on 24/9/22 with apples ?? and a great programme ripe for a celebration. As an anthology of grieving says "All in the end is harvest". Come if you can.