Runners from across the area, the U.S. and beyond will gather outside the Superdome Saturday morning for the annual Crescent City Classic 10k. Participants
Watching the regal funeral activities for Queen Elizabeth II and the pageantry that preceded it brought to mind New Orleans and its experience with monarchs.
My New Orleans
The Duke of Edinburgh, seated beside Princess Elizabeth, acknowledges the cheers of the crowd as the open Landau passes through Fleet Street on way to the Guildhall in London on June 8, 1948. The Duke was made freeman of the city of London. (AP Photo)
Our driver was from London. As he made his way toward the city, we talked about the wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle that had taken place only a few weeks earlier. I told him that practically all of the American television networks covered the nuptials. He gave me a surprised look. “You mean they showed the wedding in America?” “Yes,” I answered and in doing so clarified a socio/political point in my own mind: “Americans don’t want a monarchy of their own,” I said, “but they like looking at yours.” He nodded, seeming to be both surprised and pleased.