Reuters
Why the British Monarchy Still Matters
After an outpouring of worldwide adoration for last month’s royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, the question is not whether the monarchy matters, but why they matter, and why we continue to be so enamored of them. The concept of a monarchy, especially in America, is a hard pill to swallow. A monarchy accentuates the distance between classes; it privileges inherited wealth over riches earned; massive amounts of money are spent on people occupying symbolic positions with no political function. Yet, in spite of all these critiques, the British monarchy still captivates us, and the reason is a combination of entertainment value, political symbolism and the physical manifestation of a centuries-old tradition.
On the surface, the monarchs satisfy the “human craving for taking vicarious pleasure in the lives of kings, queens and other shining stars,” says Project Syndicate. The royals provide entertainment and people enjoy the opulence. Historian David Starkey on Sky News reports, “Mass democracy loves celebrities. And monarchs are the original and best celebs.” Still, the royals are not celebrities in the same way as actors and actresses. The Vancouver Sun says that “the Royal Family’s celebrity status promotes national pride that further sustains the institution.”
National pride is not something that comes as easily to the British as it does to Americans, but the monarch’s position as a symbolic head of state, rather than an absolute political ruler, promotes cohesion. Queen Elizabeth II still carries out her ceremonial duties, including opening each new session of Parliament and meeting weekly with the Prime Minister, the latter function which she has performed since the days of Winston Churchill.
The British monarchy is a nearly thousand-year institution that has enjoyed an almost unprecedented run of continuity. And people are comforted by continuity, especially in times of crisis or political upheaval. The royal brand is “a guarantee of stability, security, continuity—the preservation of British values,” said the late diplomat Harold Nicolson.
It was not always so. During World War I, King George V reshaped how the monarchy operated. He simplified the family name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor and ended the long tradition of marrying German royalty. “At a stroke the monarchy had been anglicized and humanized,” says Starkey. “The Royal Family became the archetypal British family, with an appeal that transcended boundaries of wealth and class.”
In the end, it all comes back to tradition. For Britain, kings, queens and princes are tangible symbols of their identity that can be broadcast to the world. “Royalty is the most venerable embodiment of British tradition [and] tradition is the lifeblood of identity,” says the Wall Street Journal. Because so many people, nations (including the U.S.) and cultures around the world were influenced by the British Empire, and many still remain part of the Commonwealth, there is accessibility to the history, culture, and values that the monarchs still represent. “Our culture and heritage is very strong around the world,” says Visit Britain spokesman Paul Eastham. “At the heart of that lies the monarchy.”
In modern times, weddings and other ceremonies are the few moments the monarchs have left to define themselves, and, by extension, their nation. We can all appreciate the “quintessential elegance of an English wedding in Westminster Abbey,” according to Time magazine. Last month, the British royal family once again showed that they embody “pomp and circumstance, ritual and tradition, like none other.” And that is why they still matter.
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