Yesterday, Sean Stannard-Stockton was anointed Prince of Philanthropy.  The auspicious event occurred in the Giving section of The New York Times, where crowning was presided over by the queen, Stephanie Strom.

To avoid confusion in the royal record, I make it clear that none of the family have ever claimed these titles. In fact, they might be embarrassed by the pomp.  I am bestowing them.  That gives me the rank of jester (lest you think I aggrandized myself into a more exalted station).

In a contribution to yesterday’s annual section, “Pledge to Give Away Fortunes Stirs Debate“, the Queen of Philanthropy dubbed the prince by giving him a splendid second-paragraph quote in Title Case.  The honor is deserved.  Prince Sean has been blogging since 2006, when his first post welcomed us to “The Second Great Wave of Philanthropy.”  That is the phrase quoted in yesterday’s refulgent decree.  (There seems to be some confusion over proper use of title case.  The senior family member does not capitalize “the” while her junior does.  Royal style manuals may differ, and I am not one to quibble.  I leave that to the royalty watchers on the sidelines.)

The prince enters the court with family. He is married with two young children. Thankfully, the U.S. will be spared the spectacle the U.K. is now suffering over Prince William, leaving, over here, many chagrined royal family commentators.

I confess I have confused the prince’s name in my mind.  For a time, I thought his surname to be Stockard-Stanning.  I’ve always been a fan of the closely-named actress and her roles in “Grease” and “The West Wing.”  The jester is a sucker for royalty.

It is now the day after our propitious ceremony.  The philanthropy community will take this all in and the prince begins to settle into his august role.  As it is Friday, Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio is live at 1PM Eastern.  I proudly provide the anticlimax.