Chapter 280: The Question Before the Tomb
On June 15, 1910, in the presence of numerous members of European royal families, the European Royal Family Joint Declaration was officially signed in London, the capital of the British Empire, and began to be implemented from that day.
The declaration stated that the European royal families should protect the safety of all European royal family members, forbid regicide, and condemn any assassination of royal family members.
If regicide occurred in any country of the European royal families that signed the declaration, other European royal families should unite to protect the members of the royal family in that country, restore the monarchy and societal stability of that country.
Although this differed from Arthur's original intention to strengthen monarchies and monarchist regimes globally, it still represented a form of protection for royal families and monarchs.
Regicide was almost a taboo topic in European royal circles. European royals could watch other monarchs lose their positions or even their thrones, but they could not stand by while monarchs in Europe were assassinated by their own people or forces.
This was seen as a direct challenge to the European monarchy and royal families, threatening the safety of all monarchs and royal families in Europe.
For instance, after the French Revolution, when the French people executed their king by guillotine, it led to the formation of a coalition of European monarchies against France. The French Revolution and the ideas it spread seriously threatened the stability of other monarchies, and the French people's execution of their king instilled extreme fear in European royal families, leading them to organize armies to suppress France's revolution.
What if the French had not committed regicide? Would the formation of the anti-French coalition have gone as smoothly?
This was all uncertain, but one thing was clear: regicide was an absolute taboo among European royal families. Even now, with monarchies still powerful, regicides would be met with full force from European royal families.
It's worth noting that although King Carlos I had a deep dislike for Arthur, he was very active when it came to signing the European Royal Family Joint Declaration.
Among the royal families in Europe, King Carlos I's actions were well-known, and most royal family members were aware of it.
Thanks to the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau, Arthur was also aware of the current situation in Portugal.
At the moment, Portugal was in complete chaos, and it could be said that it was one of the European monarchies where the monarchy and the monarch were most at risk of being abolished.
How serious was the situation? King Carlos I had to mobilize his trusted officers to provide escort and even requested protection from the British Empire, fearing that domestic reactionary forces might eliminate him on the sea.
Unfortunately, King Carlos I's hand was limited. Though there were loyal officers within his army, he dared not deploy them.
If he moved this army, the situation in Portugal would likely spiral out of control, and no one could predict what might happen.
Fortunately, King Carlos I had survived the last assassination attempt. Having been king for many years, his political acumen was far stronger than his son Manuel's.
In history, after King Carlos I was assassinated, both the king and the heir were killed, leaving the throne to the second heir, Prince Manuel. However, Manuel had not been trained as the crown prince and lacked the prestige in Portugal. This led to the fall of the monarchy within a few years, and Portugal became a republic.
Currently, King Carlos I was still in power, although the situation in Portugal was dire. It was somewhat better than the time when Manuel II ruled, but still bad.
At least the Portuguese monarchy was still barely holding on, although King Carlos I had to use all his efforts just to maintain it.
King Carlos I had come to attend Edward VII's funeral, hoping to find protection and allies.
Unfortunately, of the few monarchies in Europe that could have helped Portugal, Tsar Nicholas II did not attend for personal reasons, and George V, who had not yet ascended the throne, was too busy with domestic affairs to focus on other nations.
The only monarch with both the ability and the interest to help was Wilhelm II, but his relationship with Arthur was clearly much better than with King Carlos I, which made King Carlos I feel quite envious and jealous of Arthur.
But King Carlos I's envy and jealousy toward Arthur went unnoticed by Arthur, and even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.
Faced with a crisis that could overthrow his country's regime, King Carlos I's methods seemed rather weak.
If it were Arthur, he would have done whatever it took to crush any forces that threatened his royal power. Even if it meant stirring up turmoil in the country for a time, it would be better than allowing the monarchy and the entire royal family to be destroyed.
It should be noted that while European countries generally supported Australasia in the previous war with Portugal, the assassination of King Carlos I and his heir had led many European monarchies to express support for him.
At that time, King Carlos I could have negotiated peace with Australasia, then, with the support of other countries, he could have eradicated the rebellious forces within Portugal. He could have used the assassination of the king and heir as a pretext to eliminate these forces.
Although this would have caused a huge loss of personal prestige, it would have been possible to change the current crisis in Portugal, and perhaps even make the monarchy more stable.
Unfortunately, King Carlos I, in his anger at Australasia, saw them as the greatest enemy rather than dealing with the domestic reactionary forces.
In hindsight, Australasia was only interested in Portuguese Timor, a small region. But the real danger came from within Portugal itself, as reactionary forces threatened to overthrow King Carlos I and the entire Portuguese royal family.
Having missed the best opportunity to eliminate the Republican opposition, now, even with support from European powers, King Carlos I could only maintain the status quo.
Unless King Carlos I could take full control of the Portuguese military or persuade European powers to send troops for protection, any radical actions might trigger a civil war in Portugal.
Theoretically, Portugal still had considerable colonies, even though the kingdom had declined. Many European countries might have been eyeing Portugal's colonies.
However, during the Anglo-Portuguese War more than a decade ago, the British had already made an agreement to secure Portugal's colonies in exchange for support. This was why, despite the ongoing crisis in Portugal, smaller European countries were unwilling to covet Portugal's colonies.
As for whether Wilhelm II would agree to help King Carlos I stabilize Portugal's situation, Arthur honestly didn't care.
Even if Portugal stabilized, it would no longer be a competitor to Australasia, unless Britain and Germany both heavily supported Portugal and helped it develop to the point where it could challenge Australasia.
But was this realistic? Without substantial benefits, Britain and Germany would never do this.
And the benefits Portugal could offer were limited, at most just African colonies.
But if King Carlos I were to offer his African colonies, even with British and German help, it was unlikely he would keep his throne for long.
Portugal, like the Netherlands, relied on its few remaining colonies as a façade to maintain its dignity.
If Portugal lost these remaining colonies, it would truly become a third or even fourth-rate European nation, at risk of being absorbed by Spain.
The royal gathering lasted only two days, after which most of the royal members left.
After all, European countries were busy with their own affairs, and they couldn't afford to delay for too long.
Monarchs like Wilhelm II and Arthur, who held real power, were rare in Europe, and thus very few monarchs could enjoy the leisurely time that Arthur and Wilhelm II did.
After the gathering, Arthur received an invitation from George V to visit Britain as the King of Australasia and to further discuss trade matters between Britain and Australasia.
This was George V's way of showing goodwill, as both Britain and Australasia shared common roots, and their rulers came from the same royal family. There was no reason not to strengthen the relationship between the two nations.
Arthur happily accepted, as there was no reason to decline.
Starting on June 18, Arthur officially visited the British Empire and went to Victoria's tomb to pay his respects.
While Arthur was commemorating Queen Victoria, a large crowd of British citizens and media had gathered outside the royal tomb.
After the events at Edward VII's funeral, Arthur had become a hot topic in the British Empire, drawing much attention from the British public.
Surrounded by many guards, Arthur walked out of the royal tomb. From a few dozen meters away, a bold reporter shouted: "Your Majesty, what do you think of the British Empire?"
Arthur paused his steps toward the convoy, then walked a few steps closer to the crowd, looking in the direction where the voice came from. He loudly and sincerely responded, "No matter when, the British Empire is my beloved homeland. It is where I spent my childhood, where I loved the cities, and where my dear father and grandmother lived. Of course, now there is also my uncle. I am honored to be a part of the British royal family. I will never forget every moment spent in Britain. That will always be my most cherished memory."
When he mentioned his father and grandmother, Arthur's voice trembled slightly, causing the reporters to feel a jolt of emotion.
"What sincere feelings!" someone couldn't help but say in admiration.
"Your Majesty, stay in Britain!" someone dared to speak after a long silence in the crowd.
Arthur shook his head and smiled, saying, "I love the British Empire, and I love all the people who live in the British Empire. But I'm sorry, I am now the King of Australasia, and I must consider all my people. Compared to the prosperous and wealthy British Empire, the underdeveloped and poor Australasia clearly needs me more. Besides, I made a promise to my grandmother to turn Australasia into a prosperous and powerful nation. I'm sure you wouldn't want me to break that promise, would you?"
Arthur emphasized the words "prosperous and wealthy British Empire" and "underdeveloped and poor Australasia" with particular weight, leaving a lasting impression on the crowd.
After a brief pause, Arthur continued, "Of course, I still look forward to every visit to the British Empire. I hope the British Empire and Australasia will always be friends, and that my visits to the British Empire will never be hindered."
"Well, gentlemen. I can only talk with you for this long. Tomorrow, I'll be negotiating many trade and aid matters with the British government. I'm sure you'll hear the news in a few days." With the atmosphere appropriately set and the message conveyed, Arthur ended the conversation, got into the car, and left.
(End of Chapter)
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