Tuesday was one of those days that reminds you how small, and how remarkable, our Island really is. King Charles III made his first visit to the Isle of Man as Lord of Mann, and Douglas turned out in force to meet him.
The centrepiece was a special sitting of Tynwald, the oldest continuous parliament in the world, which His Majesty addressed at Legislative Buildings. Working just around the corner on Prospect Hill, I can say the atmosphere in town was unlike anything I have seen here. Bucks Road was closed and lined with well-wishers from early morning, and the King took time after the sitting to meet the crowds outside. There is something quietly moving about seeing the Lord of Mann greeted not with grand ceremony but with the familiar, slightly windswept warmth that this Island does so well.
For me though, the highlight came afterwards, down on the Promenade. The King visited the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway to mark its 150th anniversary, unveiling a plaque at the Strathallan terminus before riding the beautifully restored double-decker No 18 along the bay, drawn by one of the Island’s magnificent tram horses named Bobby.
I wrote here some years ago in defence of the horse trams, at a time when their future felt far from certain. To see that same tramway now celebrated by the Sovereign on its 150th birthday felt like a quiet vindication of everyone who argued that our heritage is not an inconvenience to be managed, but an asset to be treasured. The horse trams outlasted their critics. They usually do.
Days like Tuesday matter beyond the pageantry. They remind us that the relationship between the Crown and this Island is a living one, more than a thousand years in the making, and that the Isle of Man occupies a place in the world entirely out of proportion to its size. It was a privilege to witness a small piece of it.
Charlton Krentz 