My friends, family and readers will know about my love of history, and I take my hat off to my fellow columnist Tom Hand for his encyclopedic-like knowledge of American history. Many Americans are also fascinated with the long history of the monarchy in England, a topic of regular conversation when I meet new people who hear my accent. In fact, royal families across Europe have been a source of admiration, fascination, gossip, intrigue, loyalty and treachery for literally thousands of years.