Christopher de Vinck: I am a Belgian baron, a descendant of royalty. But I don’t claim power and my only national allegiance is to American democracy. This...
King Philippe of Belgium and his wife, Queen Mathilde, walk through Brussels on July 21, 2013. Prince Philippe took the oath as Belgium's seventh king that day, shortly after Albert II abdicated. Contributing columnist Christopher de Vinck is a descendant of Belgian royalty, but says his most cherished title is American citizen.It is not in fashion to claim royalty in America. After all, we tossed out King George in 1776 and established the United States as a democracy.
My name, Vinck, in Flemish and Dutch, means finch, and the de Vinck coat of arms is illustrated with five black finches.
Huckleberry Finn, in Mark Twain’s famous novel, wasn’t fooled. Huck’s father was a crook, as were the two fake charlatans in the novel: the King and the Duke. They cheated people any way they could. Huckleberry figured them out quickly. “It didn’t take me long to make up my mind that these liars warn’t no kings nor dukes at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds.”
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