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QUEEN ELIZABETH II – ASSESSING THE REIGN AT THE PLATINUM JUBILEE.

In 2022, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II will become the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee after a majestic 70 years on the British throne. Throughout these long years of service to the nation, which began upon the death of George VI on February 6th 1952, many people maintain that she has contributed great value to the United Kingdom (UK) and also to the Commonwealth. But there are also those who claim that the monarchy is a waste of money. And therefore, at this auspicious time for both the monarchy and the Queen personally, it might be a great opportunity to consider where the truth lies, that is, whether the monarchy is worth it, or whether it has been a waste?

There is no doubt that it does cost a lot to run the British monarchy. It carries out many varied activities, and needs both the infrastructure and the personnel to not only do them professionally, but also with some style. That is what people have come to expect. Hence the monarchy spends money on areas such as running various palaces and country houses, paying for Guards regiments, keeping up horses and carriages, organising banquets and State dinners, and providing for various trips in the UK and overseas.

At all times of the year London is crammed with tourists flocking to see Buckingham Palace, the Changing of the Guard, and the Crown Jewels at the Tower. Although London has many other interesting sights, tourist numbers would not be so high if the monarchy were not there as a focal point. For the average Japanese, Italian or American tourist, it’s the ultimate “must see” item, and every year it brings millions in foreign exchange into Britain.

But the Queen is much more than a popular tourist destination. Her real vocation is as Head of State for the UK. People from other countries often do not understand how the Queen can possibly hold this position because she has not been elected to it. These will mostly be people from countries which are used to voting in order to appoint a Head of State, such as a President, for example. However, in the UK the Monarch is traditionally the Head of State. This way usually works well because it keeps the Monarch completely apart from party politics, so that the Queen is not tainted. She does not need to do all the things which politicians have to do to get elected, and also it means that there is a sense in which the majority of British people can look to the Queen as their representative Head of State, even if they disagree with the politics of that day’s government.

The Queen’s life has been one full of proud and sincere service to the British people, and the majority of them are proud of her and what she has achieved. Apart from Royal visits to various places, and the administration of the monarchy, in which she is helped a large retinue of staff, she has had weekly meetings with no less than 14 different prime ministers over the 70 years of her reign, going back to Sir Winston Churchill in 1952. These are meetings where she listens to the prime minister as he or she explains what is going on in government, and she is there as an impartial observer, available to encourage, advise and warn, as need be.

The Queen also gives an audience to all foreign ambassadors and high commissioners who present their credentials to her before taking up their posts in the UK. And she also performs numerous other ceremonial duties such as giving out medals, knighthoods and various awards.

No account of the Queen’s duties would be complete without mentioning her close ties to the Commonwealth which is a voluntary association of 54 countries across the world. Although historically connected to the British Empire, any country can apply to be a member of the Commonwealth. The members are held together by shared traditions, institutions, and experiences as well as by economic self-interest. They have chosen to stay in touch as friends rather than break all ties just because they have become politically independent. Some Commonwealth countries have retained the Queen as their Head of State, whereas others are now republics with an elected President. But the point of it is that it pulls countries together as part of a powerful presence on the world stage. Small countries such as Nauru and Grenada get to sit down at the table with Australia, Canada and India, and the Queen has always actively sought to promote such meetings which have been very helpful to the smaller nations involved. British citizens who can trace their roots back to places in the West Indies and Africa are particularly supportive of these ties.

However, in spite of all the above examples of the Queen’s dutiful service and excellent work on behalf of the country, the fact is that there have been some unfortunate events over the years which have led many to question the role, not so much of the Queen herself, but of some of the other members of the Royal Family. People began muttering in earnest when the UK had to endure the scandals of Sarah Ferguson, Prince Andrew’s wife, with her colourful lifestyle, along with the marriage woes of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer.

Then there was the case of Windsor Castle which had a huge fire in 1992, and the final cost was in the region of £36.5 million. At the time the government told the British people that they were going to have to pay for it, that is, for a building where the Royal Family lived, and which those people could never see, except from the outside. Not only that, but it was believed that the fire had been caused by an elderly family member going to sleep without extinguishing a candle. Some accounts now put the blame elsewhere, but at the time the UK was experiencing economic hardship, and there was some resistance from people who resented being expected to cough up the money for the Royal Family as a matter of course. In the end, the episode led to the Queen paying tax on her income, which she had not done previously. In addition, Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s other official residence, was opened to the public to help pay for the restoration work.

More recently the Queen’s second son Prince Andrew has been involved in an alleged sex scandal involving socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and the late Jeffrey Epstein, and Andrew was going to be sued in a civil suit by a woman who claimed he had assaulted her. This whole episode has turned into a huge embarrassment for the 96 years old Queen, but even worse, it has turned public opinion against Prince Andrew and has focused attention on what many of the minor royals have been up to. The feeling is that the British public is no longer comfortable with paying for Andrew, or anyone like him, to live a scandalous life at their expense.

This brings us to the sad case of Prince Harry and Meghan. By their statements it appears that they have been expecting to be supported by the Crown as they pursue their rather narcissistic celebrity lifestyle in California. However, this desire to receive State funds does not seem to have persuaded them to stop doing the revealing interviews about why the Royal family has “rejected them and shut them out.” Instead of working with the Royal Family, they are appearing on television selling their souls.

So has the British monarchy been worth it up until now, or has it been a waste? And furthermore, where is it headed in the future? Parts of it are very definitely worth it, especially those where the Queen is doing her best. However, it also appears that some family members are just along for the free ride. But looking ahead, now that she is well into her nineties, how much longer can the Queen continue to do the sterling work she has been undertaking for the last 70 years? And what will happen when her heir, Prince Charles, ascends to the throne?

In many ways Charles is still untested because, now at the age of 73, he has been waiting in the wings for years. However, after the problems with the breakup of his first marriage, he and his new wife Camilla have been a model couple in the past 17 years since they married. Both he and Camilla have knuckled down to the constant work of making appearances at various events, representing the monarchy in a reliable and appropriate manner. This augurs well for the future. As does the attitude displayed recently by Charles. He has stated that he sees the future Royal Family as consisting of a much smaller core with less financial largesse being spread around to non-performing individuals. This will deliver better value and will reduce the risk of any more scandals.

Charles will also no doubt take great heart from the good impression being made by William, the Duke of Cambridge and Katherine, his wife and their three children. They appear hardworking, dedicated and also very photogenic, which certainly helps when dealing with the media. If Charles, and then William, both continue along these lines, then maybe the British public will continue to support the monarchy as being worth it. This British public like and admire the monarchy, and they enjoy the fact that other nationalities like it too. But they just want to see things done correctly, and they want to know for sure that what they are supporting is really worth it. But if, after all the recent nonsense, things are still not done correctly, there will surely be resistance to carrying on with the waste.

On a personal note, the writer would like to say that he is a British subject of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. He has tried to retain an objective viewpoint while preparing this article.



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