All right, so this arose in this thread:

http://forums.darklordpotter.net/showthread.php?t=18204

There has been a near-continuous established royal authority since the time of William the Conqueror in Britain, and that has to account for something. From the medieval era to the modern day, realistically, the royal family had to have some authority over the magical community, even after a separation in the 1600s. Muggleborns could have been born in the royal family, intermarriage might have had foreign pure-bloods cross over following the Norman Muggles, something.

But in Canon, all we see is the Prime Minister getting a 2-minute meeting once a year and no info on whether the Queen has anything to do with the matter or even contact with a specific, dangerous part of her domain. Which doesn't make sense, or rather is completely wasted potential.

So, how can the House of Windsor fit in as a mover and shaker in the Wizarding world?

 

The first question is simple:

Are they magical.

At the very start of pretty much every royal line was some bastard who was better at beating the shit out of his neighbours than anyone within reasonable marching distance. So... why wouldn't those people be wizards?

 

It would be interesting, though we'd run into the issue of Winsdors in Hogwarts. :facepalm

Perhaps if they had Court Magicians who took care of royal magicals...

Anyway as to if they were, I'd assume if some were then all would have magical heritage, if only because of how interbred the European royal houses are.

 

I think the history would be more interesting. I can imagine the modern Royal Family being aware of the existence of the magical world, but having no direct influence over it... much like the muggle world, to some extent. Something prior to the statute of secrecy, in a world that potentially had wizards and muggles integrated - with all the strife that came with it - is what tickles my fancy.

However, as to the modern day, a story featuring the Royal Family getting involved in the modern magical world could, done sensibly and with a little restraint, be a really interesting political thriller.

"Windsors at Hogwarts" ... Hash, like all terrible plot bunnies, it can be brilliant if a) it's not the only thing going on, and b) written compellingly enough.

Although it will sound and look terrible at first glance, and was slightly inspired by the King's Speech, what if it was a 30's era story wherein one of the young princesses - Margaret, for example - exhibited accidental magic at a young age, in the build up to both the second world war and the rise of Grindelwald? Her attending Hogwarts, for example, in the same era - and at a similar age to - Tom Riddle? Is there potential there for an interesting Grindelwald & Old School Dumbledore & young Tom Riddle fic, whilst throwing a muggleborn Princess protagonist and the House of Windsor into the mix, in a time of multinational upheaval?

Margaret would have been 3 years younger than Riddle (though I can't check that at the moment). Her older sister would one day become Queen of England, and it could be an awesome precursor to a Royal-Involvement-in-War-Against-Voldemort story.

To really throw a fucking spanner in the works, what if Margaret was the muggleborn killed by the Basilisk? I think the House of Windsor might have a slightly more vested interest in the goings on in the wizarding world if that happened.

 

The Windsors would keep it in-house - magical tutors that have in some way proven their loyalty to the throne passing on what they've learned, both in the various educational institutions of the magical world and in the wider world.

You know... there's a few royals that were of teaching age around the time Harry left Hogwarts, if anyone's looking for high-risk plot bunnies. Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice of York are about the right age for Hogwarts-graduate Harry to be tutoring... though I'm not sure how good an idea it would be to involve actual members of the House of Windsor as characters in fanfiction.

 

You could get away with it as a period piece, but modern members of the Royal Family would be awkward. Not because you risk getting fucked up somehow by it, but because you risk it being a bad story. They're too close to home, and you can't write them as OC's because they're currently around and about. They'd be mary/gary-sues, or just plain wrong.

Windsors at Hogwarts in the 30's could work. Outbreak of war in both societies, an abdicating king, the world in upheaval, and Scotland being a damn sight safer than London with the impending Blitz. Wasn't Buckingham palace actually bombed during WWII? Getting her a unique education well away from danger - or so they think - would probably seem like a good idea in the twenty minutes they spent thinking about it.

The Harry-tutor idea is interesting, but you'd probably have to go with an OC/Entirely Fictitious Royal Family

 

A magical royal family to mirror the (muggle? squib?) real-life royal family could neatly sidestep the whole 'real people' thing and still keep to the time period of the books. Someone with a Tolkienian fetish for family trees could even split the 'Magical Windsors' off the real family tree at some point in the past.

 

I saw Harry - tutor and ended up reading Harry Tudor. Which would be fun.

 

Historical issues with the surname Tudor aside, because I'm obviously the only one who has a hard on for history;

Unless it was completely AU, I can see that mirroring the 'I've got a letter from the Goblins. I need to do an inheritance test. Golly, I'm the heir of Merlin, the Founders, the Blacks, the Malfoys, Jesus and Merlin.' except adding 'and the British Thone' to it.

So how would you do it?

 

I have seen a few fics with royals attending Hogwarts and they have all been terrible, written by fangirls and fanboys. It's a problem with all stories involving celebrities, be it "Potter!Harry meets Windsor!Harry", "Justin Bieber goes to Hogwarts", "KaulitzTwins/WeasleyTwins".

On the other hand having the Queen know about the hidden world adds another connection to the real world. I remember a scene with the Queen appointing the next Minister for Magic and another knighting Harry after the last battle. Both scenes were done in passing, not altering but expanding canon.

Other ideas could include magical guards, like Shacklebolt guarding the Prime Minister; royal spectators at the Quidditch World Cup; a moving picture of the Queen in the Weasley living room (they are British, after all ); etc.

 

Exactly what you just said, except the Goblins are sworn enemies of the House of Tudor and start attacking him on the spot, and it looks like he's about to be cut down by a zerg rush of fat goblin bankers when suddenly a secret society that has been awaiting this very moment for four centuries storms Gringotts riding miniature red dragons and using their wands as lances.

FUCK. YES.

 

So I Googled this in the hope they'd be a hot (read: non-anorexic) version of the Olsen Twins...

They're not even /female/.

>:-<

I. Am. Fucking. Disappoint.

 

Hmmmm.... then why does Bill Kaulitz appear on the list of the "100 unsexiest women in the world" for the third year in a row?

 

I've argued extensively on TFF that the Catholic Church has to be in on the Statute, if only because they are too large, powerful, and old to be kept out of the loop. The existed long before the Statute went into effect, and would have to possess all kinds of records pertaining to the world 'before' it was divided up into the magical and mundane worlds. Since it would be more or less impossible for the wizards to destroy all of those records and Obilivate the entire Church hierarchy, they basically have to be in on it.

On TFF, I speculated that the reason Merlin is so renowned is because he spearheaded a truce that ultimately resulted in religious cooperation in hiding magic from the world, as well as raising a pro-magic royal lineage to the throne, more or less single-handedly saving the magical world and becoming the magical version of Jesus. However, it is entirely possible that Merlin had nothing to do with it, and the royal family are the ones who worked out whatever deal was made.

The royal families of the world, including the Windsors, could have political power in the magical world specifically because the are the go-betweens for the wizards and the major religions of the world, all of which, much like the Catholic Church, would basically have to be in on the Statute.

In the mundane world, most of them are nothing more than figureheads. But in the magical world, they are 'the' power brokers, the ones who cut deals, mediate, and maintain a balance of power and cooperation between magical and mundane organizations. Without them backing the ICW, the Statute would fall apart. That's why individuals elected to leadership offices (like the Prime Minister) are made aware of the situation. They need to be aware, because their cooperation is what keeps everything running smoothly.

 

Oh god, you're back.

 

From outer space. I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face.

 

In theory the idea has some merit however it might just be me but whenever I read muggleborn Princess/Prince whatever in relation to a fanfic my flesh does that "Oh God your going to fucking regret reading this" crawl which makes it rather hard to muster up any real enthusiasm.

 

The how is because they have entire armies at their beck and call. Assuming they are aware of the existence of magicals, they 'how' is simple logic. You will listen or I will kill you all. As for the how, that is implicit in the question. If the royal family is aware of the situation, which is what this entire concept posits, then, well. They're aware of the situation. They have authority because they are the law. That was a time when disagreeing with the government got a knightsword rammed up your arse.

The British magical community is in Britain, and they are all British citizens. That means they fall under the authority of the crown. Assuming they didn't just Obliviate the hell out of everyone (which is probably what they did in canon), they would need both the help and the permission of the crown to hide.

You can choose to not touch upon it if you want. That is certainly your right and entitled opinion. But it is a valid question, and in the long run, it makes more sense for the royal family to be in on it than it does for them to be completely in the dark. After all, basic logic dictates that the best way to hide is to have the help of those in charge of the place you're trying to hide in.

Plus, it's kind of canon that they are in the know. Unless you'd like to try and argue that the official proxy, the Prime Minister, is aware of it, and yet they somehow are not.

 

Why?

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