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On yer bikes
The Observer
|February 22, 2026
It’s time the royals embraced modernisation and converted to a Scandi-style cycling monarchy
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Roughly 12 centuries ago the Anglo-Saxons consented to be ruled by kings. Fifty-one years ago, the basis of that supposed consent was comprehensively lampooned by Monty Python as a “farcical aquatic ceremony” involving a sword emerging from a lake. In 2026, at last, life trumps art.
The former Duke of York has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office during his time as a trade envoy. Released “under investigation”, he denies wrongdoing but cannot deny he is disgraced. His day last week in a police cell in Aylsham may have felt like the end of a long humiliation but it may be only the start of a prosecution and it needs to be the start of a process for his family — a process that drastically shrinks “The Firm” of working royals; replaces “never explain” with an expectation of radical transparency; and sweeps away a culture of unearned privilege and deference that regarded a scandal involving abused young women as one to be managed rather than investigated.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 22, 2026-Ausgabe von The Observer.
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