The Rise of Australasia

Chapter 818 -612: The Arrival of George’s Family

Arthur was troubled by another matter, the previously agreed-upon deal with the British concerning the handling of the Greek royal family.

Logically and sentimentally, supporting George II’s return to the Greek throne was beneficial to Arthur.

After all, George II was Arthur’s brother-in-law, and their relationship was theoretically quite close.

If he could gain George II’s support by restoring Monarchism in Greece, it would be very helpful for Arthur’s status in Europe, as he himself was considered a legitimate king.

But the question was, how to restore Monarchism in Greece? It should be noted that the establishment of the Second Hellenic Republic was not heavily influenced by external interventions.

In other words, George II was overthrown by the will of the Greek people. Though most of the blame lay with the previous two monarchs – George II’s father and brother.

However, both were now deceased, and the Greek people could only put the blame on George II.

With a myriad of thoughts, Arthur eventually decided to invite George II and his family to Australasia to discuss in person how to restore Monarchism in Greece.

After receiving Arthur’s invitation, George II gladly agreed and immediately packed his bags for Australasia.

Also overjoyed was Arthur’s sister Charlotte. After all, it’s impossible for her not to miss her mother and brother, whom she hadn’t seen in about ten years.

Especially Duchess Louise, Charlotte’s mother, was of advanced age and hardly ever traveled, leaving her and Charlotte without a meeting for a good ten years.

Perhaps this was the plight of being a member of the royal family. Although naturally superior in status and wealth, their royal duties often restricted their freedom.

Especially with the frequent changes of monarchs in Greece, it naturally became even less possible to find enough time to visit Australasia.

On February 11, 1925, George II and his family successfully arrived in Sydney, Australasia, and were grandly received by the Australasian Government.

This was also a signal to the outside world from Australasia, which still acknowledged the Greek royal family and king, and would not show any prejudice or neglect because George II had been deposed.

Given the vast difference in status between the current Arthur and George II, having the government welcome them was already quite substantial, as Arthur could not possibly greet them in person.

Understanding the etiquette, George II did not rest but went straight to Sydney Palace to meet Arthur and Duchess Louise.

In the dining hall of Sydney Palace, Arthur successfully met his sister Charlotte and brother-in-law George II, along with Queen Mary, Duchess Louise, and the little tykes William had in tow.

After sending William and the youngsters off to chat with their cousins, George II, taking the cue, approached with Charlotte and respectfully greeted Arthur.

Subsequently, both paid their respects to Duchess Louise. Though George II held the title of King, his throne had been abolished, and as he was also a junior and indeed in want of assistance, it was appropriate to pay respects to Duchess Louise.

Duchess Louise, smiling, lifted them up and inquired about their recent circumstances.

After receiving their rather positive responses, Duchess Louise nodded approvingly and left the conversation to Arthur.

"Well, we’ve got no business to discuss today, just a simple lunch,” Arthur said with a smile. “George, try some Australasian food. You too, Charlotte, it’s been a long time since you’ve had authentic Australasian beef and mutton, hasn’t it? Today you can have your fill.”

Australasian beef and mutton were renowned in Europe and among European nobility’s preferred choices of meat.

Indeed, after effectively branding Australasian beef and mutton, the trade in whole cattle and sheep and their meat has been immensely profitable for Australasia.

To the extent that to promote the renown of Australasian beef and mutton, the royal family’s meals always included these meats, although prepared in a variety of ways.

George II nodded with a hint of restraint, and began to taste the steak in front of him.

Although raw beef was indeed edible, Arthur still preferred it cooked to medium-rare. This also led to the Australasian royal family’s beef and mutton being mostly cooked to medium-rare, with few dishes having noticeable streaks of blood.

And indeed, as Arthur had said, throughout the entire lunch, Arthur did not mention any governmental affairs, nor did he show any intention of actively helping George II with his restoration.

George II noticed this and felt anxious. However helpless he might have been, in such a setting, George II couldn’t show any disrespect or make any presumptions.

After all, Arthur’s attitude was very important to whether his throne could be restored or not. George II had already been in contact with the British and understood that both the United Kingdom and Australasia supported his restoration with certain intentions in mind.

But in the end, George II was the one asking for help, so he needed to maintain a more respectful demeanor.

After lunch, Arthur arranged for George II and his family to stay in the living quarters of Sydney Palace, where they had a relatively independent set of rooms, which was sufficient for George II and his family to live in.

You could see the fatigue in their eyes. Arthur let them rest for a day and would invite them out to play tomorrow.

Arthur’s indifferent attitude caused George II some disquiet and anxiety. Upon entering the arranged room and ensuring there were no outsiders around, George II cautiously whispered to Charlotte, “Charlotte, do you think His Majesty Arthur will support our restoration?”

After all, the situation of the Greek royal family was not very good. The previous two monarchs had greatly reduced the Greek people’s support for monarchism in their hearts.

Even the restoration of the Greek monarchism more than ten years later was a result of the military taking action out of necessity after a political upheaval to stabilize the situation in Greece.

Before that, even if the situation in Greece had been chaotic, neither the political parties nor the people had any thought of restoring monarchism, which was proof enough of the Greek people’s rejection of the system.

Without any support from monarchist parties, George II’s restoration would be as difficult as ascending to heaven without external support, and, in fact, utterly hopeless.

The current political landscape in Greece was indeed very chaotic, and this period should be considered one of the more turbulent times in Greek history.

Under the impact of European democratic systems and the republican wave, the Greek Republicans won the struggle in the parliament and successfully passed a resolution for a republic, changing the system of the Kingdom of Greece to a republic, and establishing the Second Hellenic Republic.

But the Greek republic seemed more a result of conformity; the Greek Republican parties lacked any ideology of their own, nor did they have any political stance.

What does this mean? Greece had become a republic, but not one political party among the Republicans had the ability to stand independently, nor could any truly establish a republic and completely transform Greece.

In simple terms, the current Second Hellenic Republic was more like a chaotic struggle between parties.

These Republican parties were united when it came to abolishing the monarchy, but faced with the temptation to control the entire republic, the unity among these parties fractured and divided.

Greece was able to restore the monarchy in history precisely because during this very important period of industrialization, the Second Hellenic Republic failed to achieve anything, and even allowed the Greek economy to continue to slump, also hitting by a Great Depression that was rare in decades.

In a single phrase, the performance of the Second Hellenic Republic could be summarized as even worse than during the reign of the deposed Greek kings.

George II was aware of this fact, and he knew that now would be the best opportunity for a restoration, especially since the residual warmth of monarchism had not yet dissipated; the Greek people should readily embrace monarchism again at this time.

If he waited until the Greek people were familiar with and had accepted the republican system, discussing restoration would be too late.

"Definitely, George. Arthur won’t ignore us; isn’t that also why he invited you to Australasia?” Charlotte nodded vigorously, speaking in a reassuring manner.

Upon hearing Charlotte’s comforting words, George II nodded as though relieved, finding a little solace for his restless heart.

Taking a deep breath and recognizing that this trip to Australasia was the best chance to gain Arthur’s support, George II thoroughly contemplated the situation in Greece. He pondered a plan that would be most persuasive for Arthur to support his restoration and, at the same time, would protect his own interests as well as Greece’s to the greatest extent.

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