To be a recognized member of a royal house requires that your surface travels be conducted via a “motorcade.” This is but a carry-over, in this motorized age, of kings and queens being carried through the streets in horse-drawn carriages, protected by mounted horsemen. Modernly, the carriage has been replaced by the limousine; the mounted horsemen by motorcycle policemen. But the logic remains the same. We saw this ritual played out in the funeral for Michael Jackson – whose followers chanted “king” – as we are seeing it today with Teddy Kennedy’s family being driven into Boston.
The event need not be associated with the deaths of royalty. We were riding in a cab in Bangkok a few years ago when, all of a sudden, traffic on the major streets came to a halt. We sat motionless for more than half-an-hour. We asked the driver what the problem was, and were told that a relative of the king was leaving the palace to go out to dinner, and that all traffic had to stop. This is one thing the ruling classes do with consistency: halt the progress of others.
