As long as there is monarchy in Britain – for more than a thousand years, that is – from time to time the question of its legalization was sharply raised. How the country is preparing for today coronation of King Charles III in a stately medieval ceremony, many wonder why this institution remains resistant to time. More than 50% of citizens under 50 are in favor of abolishing the monarchy.

“One of the reasons for keeping the institution is the lack of serious discussions about its value. The time is right for such things. A serious country must look in the mirror. The notion that royalty is our message to the rest of the world is unfounded and oversimplified,” says 16th- and 17th-century historian Alistair Bellamy of Rutgers University in the United States.

For many others, however, any detachment of the monarchy from its national identity Britannia she is slim. “This is part of our life, our traditions and our culture. Most of us only see them on TV, but they are part of the British way of life,” says teacher Penny Converse, 64, who enjoyed a rare glimpse of sunlight on a London street this week. .

“Just exists”

Judd Farrell, 24, a pub manager from the Southampton port in southern England who is in London for a business meeting, has a different opinion. Farrell remembers his father playing “God Save the Queen” at home, but clarified that it was a punk version of the Sex Pistols. Signature line: “Elizabeth is not human!” Farrell explains: “The monarchy is not part of my life. He simply exists. Doing nothing”.

But it’s impossible to walk anywhere in Britain for five minutes and not stumble upon some royal symbol or memento: stamps, coins, banknotes, street names, pubs, consumer goods, anything can bear her name or the coat of arms of the royal family. The list is long: Royal Albert Pier in Liverpool, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Royal Welsh College of Music and Dramatic Art, Royal Conservatory in Glasgow.

Of course, there are many women who do not have children. anti-monarchist organizationssuch as Republic, whose members regularly protest outside of its events The Royal Family. More recently, more former colonies are demanding that the royal family acknowledge and take moral responsibility for their colonial past, even paying reparations for the empire’s crimes.

They support the system

While criticism of the royal family is legitimate and justified – it is built on the robbery and enslavement of colonial peoples, prohibitively expensive, marked by racism, misogyny, class contempt, remains divorced from reality and gives rise to monarchs. impressive mediocrity – none of these arguments convinced the political system. None of the major parties expressed a desire to change the system, ending the monarchy. “I understand why the royal family – the richest in the world – refuses to hand over their symbolic wealth. The question is, why does the public continue to support them? The reasons are emotional: citizens have a strong sense of pride in the family tree of a historical family, ”says University of Virginia historian Brooke Newman.

One of the ways the modern royal family has maintained its power and prestige has been to hush up its close and extensive ties to colonialism and slavery. “A large part of the British population refuses to discuss it,” says Newman.

Craig Prescott, a professor of constitutional law and political science at the University of Bangor in Wales, emphasizes that one of the main missions of the monarchy is to stay above politics. Even in times of national upheaval, with four Downing Street Conservative prime ministers in seven years and a crisis in Brexit, immigration and health care financing, the institution of monarchy seems to hover above events, offering a unique crutch that props up political systems.

“This creates a space for political discussion, separate from the state and outside the sphere of influence of most political leaders. This means that no matter how perverse and unruly the political scene may become, the state in the face of monarchy continues to emerge,” says Prescott.

However, the institution of the monarchy depends on the will of the people through state subsidies received by the crown with the approval of parliament. Parliament’s political sovereignty over the Crown was institutionalized in the 17th century when the execution of King Charles I laid the foundations for a short-lived democracy. The restoration of the monarchy after 11 years was accompanied by a reduction in the power of the monarch.

Ideal Monarch

“Many argue that the ideal monarch is constantly changing, but always remains the same, preserving tradition and keeping up with the times,” explains Tracey Borman, author of royal history and head of the Museums of the Royal Palace. “Adjustment has traditionally been the saving grace of the monarchy.

“Monarchs who refuse to conform are effectively overthrown, like Louis XVI of France,” adds Bormann (see also the Russian House of Romanov, the Austro-Hungarian imperial family, and the exiled kings of Greece).

Calls for its abolition have been a constant fixture of the British monarchy, continues Bormann. “It has always been a question of a generation. Young people throughout the history of the country were indifferent to the institution, and as they grew and matured, their interest increased. It’s a cycle,” says Bormann.

Monarchist at UCL University of London Bob Morris notes that the British royal family managed to interest the nation by realizing the difference between celebrity and royalty. “Your rise to fame is drawing attention to you. “Kingdom is your ability to focus on others,” says Morris.

Over 3000 views

In the years leading up to the pandemic, members of the royal family made more than 3,000 official visits to the UK promoting the work of community organizations, local clubs and charities.

One way to preserve the monarchy, as Rutgers historian Alistair Bellamy points out, is through the masterful manipulation of phantasmagoria and medieval ritual, especially in times of uncertainty, controversy, and political bitterness.