Earlier this summer, the Queen marked her Platinum Jubilee, which was celebrated throughout England and the UK, as she reached 70 years on the throne. Throughout the Jubilee weekend, and across the month of June, came a myriad of debates as to whether the monarchy should be celebrated at all. In modern society, we are led to view the royal family as philanthropic, morally-upright beacons of British society. However, this understanding of the royal family is new, and slightly insular, as our perspective on why we need the royal family has been changing since the Queen took to the throne all those years ago.
A defence that is often used to uphold pro-monarchy discussion, is the argument that the royal family generates a great deal of revenue for our economy. In many ways, this is a fact that is hard to dispute; Forbes has previously estimated that the monarchy contributes roughly 19 billion to the economy, pre-pandemic, and most of this money is generated via tourism. However, are we to believe that in absence of the monarchy, British tourism would simply plummet? Many other countries that have long since abolished their monarchies still reap the benefits of opening palaces and former royal grounds to tourists, such as the Palace of Versailles in Paris.
To uphold the monarchy as a symbol of British excellence at this time, with inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, comes across as more of an insult to the wider public than it does a symbol of pride. Bolstering an upper-class family, whose lifestyle can only be attained by lineage and taxpayers’ money, also solidifies class distinctions within the United Kingdom. Why should the monarchy receive millions in tax, whilst vulnerable people struggle to lead a dignified life on government benefits?
Throughout the past three generations of royals, the perspective of domineering and powerful monarchy has shifted, yet by no means does this mean the position held by the monarchy is any less insidious. In her earlier years as a monarch, the Queen embarked on royal ‘tours’. These tours operated as a means to let the world see the monarchy as palatable and polite toward former and current colonies under the British Empire. The images of royalty engaging with cultures outside of their own, allowed for the Monarchy to continue to hold a presence of power in countries where previous generations of royalty stripped these people of resources and stability. These tours allowed royals to look apathetic to the hangovers of colonisation, that their own family were responsible for. There are of course hugely racist undertones to this approach of shifting their image, as shaking hands with locals of countries that had been ravaged by the brutality of slavery and colonial trade only serves to strengthen a caring image of royalty. This was evident with Kate and William’s tour to the Caribbean, where they were met with protesters disputing the patronage of William’s charity work, and the Prime Minister of Jamaica informing the couple that the country will move on to become a republic. With the dwindling colonial power of the monarchy, these tours are out of place in modern society, and appear to harken back to colonial times – times from which many countries are still not recovered from.
An endearing image of family and moral superiority has been crumbling away from the royal’s image for decades, however, in light of recent allegations made against Prince Andrew, it cannot be ignored that abuse of power is intrinsic to the monarchy’s position. Virginia Giuffre is a survivor of sex trafficking, who was groomed by Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein. Ms Giuffre states that she was sexually abused by Prince Andrew on three occasions, and this abuse was maintained by fear of her abuser's powerful position and connections as a royal. Prince Andrew has denied all claims publicly, and with support from the Queen. Reports came to light that the Queen would spend millions on Andrew’s defence in the civil case, the money, of course, coming from her private estate. As well as this, Prince Andrew continued to appear at the side of the Queen, as attempts to mute the press from reporting that he had escorted the Queen to Westminster Abbey failed and the two were photographed at the memorial service for Prince Phillip. Prince Andrew was allowed to gracefully ‘withdraw’ from his duties, and with a settled court case, he gets to exist free from the consequences of his abusive crimes. Undoubtedly, the monarchy will attempt to uphold their own image for their own personal gain, and use their position of power to avoid repercussions.
With the Jubilee festivities winding down, the British public’s position on monarchy should not pitter out. Whilst news broadcasts showcased crowds gathered to cheer for the platinum celebration for the Queen, many spoke out against the position the monarchy held within society. They represent colonial brutality, clandestine abuse of power and outdated ideals of what we are expected to believe are representative of the United Kingdom. It feels fitting as the Queen reaches her 70-year reign, that it is time for the monarchy to be abolished, and for Britain to readjust its moral compass, without the royal family in sight.
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