Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, at 96 years of age. She had been queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms, since February 6, 1952, when she was only 25 years old. Her reign lasted 70 years, the longest of any British monarch. Her son, Charles, is the new king. The Commonwealth consists of 56 independent countries with 2.5 billion citizens. It began with the countries who were previously colonized by Britain, but today has evolved into a cooperative partnership between countries with similar goals. Currently, countries may join the Commonwealth who have no ties to Imperial Britain, and the British throne recognizes each country as an equal. The head of the Commonwealth group of nations is not automatically a member of the royal family, as member nations decide who the leader will be. In 2018, they chose Queen Elizabeth’s heir, the current King Charles, to succeed his mother, although that may not always be the case. The traditional monarchy has transitioned into a constitutional monarchy, and the Royal Family has no political or executive duties. So what do they do? As the monarchy’s website, royal.uk puts it, “The Sovereign acts as a focus for national identity, unity and pride; gives a sense of stability and continuity; officially recognizes success and excellence; and supports the ideal of voluntary service.” The immediate family helps the sovereign in these roles. To help fund the royal family, British taxpayers’ tax money goes into a fund called the Sovereign Grant. This grant that the family receives is about $80 million (in US dollars) a year, or a little over a dollar for each of the 67 million British citizens. Critics of the Royal Family are called anti-royalists or anti-monarchs, and they worry both about the cost it takes to fund the Royal Family, and about the non-democratic principle it entails. They say the Royal Family could abuse their privileges. These groups have held public protests in Britain, with some protesters getting arrested. A movement called Not My King, from those against King Charles, has trended, as anti-monarchs attempt to make their voices heard. The British Monarchist League, started in 2010, seeks to balance out the anti-royalists, and are defenders of the crown. They argue that the monarch preserves Britain’s history and helps with their country’s stability and peace. Members of this group feel that having a non-political Head of State is in all citizens’ best interest, as it frees the crown holder to act in the people’s best interest, regardless of any partisan concerns.
|
|
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here