Is there a future for the British Monarchy?
Charles III, crowned in London's Westminster Abbey on May 6th 2023, actually
became King in September 2022 immediately after the death of his mother Queen
Elizabeth II. There was no need for any delay nor any discussion; according to
the Act of Settlement passed by the English parliament in 1701, the crown passes
automatically on the death of a British monarch to the heir to the throne. Until
recently, this eighteenth-century law placed male children before any of their
sisters; in 2013, the British Parliament amended the Act, ending
this gender discrimination that had always prevailed in the past.
Modernising the monarchy
The 2013 change to the order of succession was part of a modernisation of the
British monarchy that began in earnest after the death of Princess Diana in a
road accident in Paris. Back in the 1980s, while Diana was becoming a worldwide
celebrity, the rest of the the British monarchy seemed stuck in the past, attached
to old formalities and increasingly detached from the "new" more informal Britain
that had emerged. Following Diana's death, it was clear that people in Britain
wanted a monarchy that was much more in touch with the mood of nation. Diana
had that quality, and Prime Minister Tony Blair is remembered for the name he
coined after her death, "the People's Princess."
The Queen's slow and formal reaction to Diana's death contrasted sharply with
the outpouring of popular emotion that engulfed Britain in the days after the
tragic accident. People no longer wanted a monarchy without emotion; the "stiff
upper lip" was no longer seen as a virtue, but as a problem.
This came as wake-up call to the monarchy, and particularly to the Queen, and
during the final decades of her life, Queen Elizabeth was at pains to create a new
image for the monarchy and for herself. The image of an austere monarch, as
created in the 19th century by Queen Victoria, had had its day, in its place came
a new image of the monarchy, portraying the Queen as a national grandmother
to replace the People's Princess. And the change of image was a success; by the
time of the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002, the British monarchy was as popular
as ever, with opinion polls showing two thirds of the British population were in
favour of the monarchy, with less than a quarter wanting Britain to become a
republic.
Overall, Elizabeth II was a very popular head of state, probably the most
genuinely popular head of state of any country in the world during much of her 70
year reign; it is a legacy that Charles III will find hard to follow but a challenge for
which he seems to be both ready and confident of success.
That success will depend to a large extent on continuing, and even accelerating,
the process of modernisation. While very few people in Britain want the United
Kingdom to become the United Republic, that could change if King Charles fails
to keep the monarchy aligned with the expectations of the people…. and the
media.
Royal issues: costs and lifestyles
Issues that are regularly raised, and are a perennial problem for the monarchy,
are the questions of cost and lifestyle. According to official figures produced for
the government, the British monarchy cost the nation £102.4 million in the 2021-
2022 financial year…. a lot of money at a time when a cost of living crisis was
making life harder for most of the population. On the other hand, according to
analysts at Bloomberg, the Monarchy actually benefits the British economy to the
tune of a billion pounds a year… about ten times more than the cost.
In spite of what opponents claim, it is by no means sure that abolishing the
monarchy would mean more money for other purposes. Back in 2016, a lot of
people were claiming that Brexit would be a big boost to the UK economy; in the
event it has proved to be the opposite, and in 2022 the UK economy
was lagging behind all other G7 nations.
King Charles knows however that he needs to be seen to be reducing the wealth
of the Royal Family and the number of people who benefit from it. Bloomberg
estimated in 2022 that the British monarchy owned property worth about £19
billion, and while selling some of this would make little or no difference to royal
lifestyles, it would be a symbolic gesture. We can therefore expect some sales of
royal property in the coming years, along with other signs that the monarchy is in
touch with twenty-first century expectations.
Before becoming king, Charles was known as an environmentalist, a keen
supporter of organic agriculture, and someone who was acutely aware of the
social problems of British cities. The "Prince's Trust", which he personally set up
in 1976, is a major British charity that works with problems of homelessness and
unemployment among young people who are struggling at school and at risk of
exclusion, and Charles's social and environmental credentials are personal
assets that will help him to take the monarchy forwards.
Finally, Charles will need to build on the monarchy's other great assets, its
permanence and its position above politics. Ask people in Britain if they want to
abolish the monarchy, and just over 20% may say "yes". Ask them who they
would prefer to have as Britain's head of state, and there is no agreement.
As for the future of the monarchy, only one thing is sure, and that is that King
Charles's reign will be shorter than that of his mother. Will the monarchy survive
beyond him? Probably yes, but nothing can be ruled out..
