Survival of the British monarchy
The article is authored by Mehdi Hussain, assistant professor, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi and PhD research scholar, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Monarchy in Britain conceded to the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and, hence, became a constitutional monarchy, deprived of its powers. Since then it has been adapting to a much-restrained role in a democracy, now a ceremonial head of State for opening the United Kingdom (UK) parliament with a speech written by the prime minister (PM), receiving foreign dignitaries and giving non-obligatory advise to the PM. Moreover, the British monarch is mandated to be apolitical and neutral by refraining from contentious issues. As the UK makes history by putting a Hindu man of colour in the PM’s seat, this might be a good time to look at the challenges before the monarchy and its role in Britain and the world.
The survival of British monarchy depends on people’s respect for the institution. The declaration of the Bill of Rights puts a check on the monarchy while extending the freedoms of the people and the power of parliament towards the establishment of a civilised society. Britons belong to a tradition-loving society. Millions of people eagerly watch televised royal broadcast at Christmas while at the same time criticise the extravagance of royal lifestyles. It is reported that the maintenance of the monarchy amounts to $100 million which come from taxpayers. In addition to the institution of monarchy, Britain has preserved the House of Lords, another hereditary institution. Then, the UK preserves the honours system dating back to 1066 AD for rewarding personal achievement, bravery or service to the nation. It includes knighthood such as Knights Bachelor for significant contribution or the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1917. The OBE, awarded to both civilian and military persons, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2017.
At 67% of the British population in September poll, the public opinion was in favour of the continuation of the institution of monarchy (up from 62% in May), while 20% was in favour of an elected head of State. But, the younger generation prefers a republic head of State. The public opinion on continuation of the institution of monarchy is a debate between the monarchy and republicanism. A monarchy symbolises a contrast to democracy, which promotes freedom of expression, sovereign power of the people and collective determination of people.
Moreover, the British monarchy with a clear hereditary line of succession, free from party politics, serves British democracy in terms of certainty of who is going to be the next head of State in a rapidly changing political and economic conditions. King Charles III ascended to the throne after being the longest-serving heir apparent in the history of the British monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II was known for her commitment to public service and political neutrality. Her 70-year reign signified continuity and predictability of the role of monarchy. Fifteen British prime ministers from Winston Churchill to Liz Truss served during this period. However, the Queen’s leadership remained the ‘constant’, offering a reliable and experienced counsel to the governments. Now, Prince William is the heir apparent and next in line to the throne.
Monarchy is part of the constitutional system which mandates the monarch with the role of appointing PMs, approving new laws, receiving foreign dignitaries, and presiding over the opening and dissolving of parliament. Thus, abolition of the monarchy is a constitutional matter which could be done by parliament in the backdrop of a public referendum.
During his monarch-in-waiting, King Charles, unlike the Queen, is well known for his political activism over issues ranging from Iraq war to environment decoded from his 27 letters written to government ministers in 2004 and 2005 during Tony Blair’s reign. These letters are called ‘black spider memos’, which were initially blocked by the attorney general fearing the contents could compromise his neutrality. The letters show a powerful royal lobby asking for government interventions to replace Lynx military helicopters with a better one for military in Iraq war or limit use of herbal medicines in the UK. The then PM Tony Blair took a serious note of these letters. Further, he conducted 87 meetings with ministers, opposition party leaders and top government officials from 2010. Moreover, he has been an advocate for environment sustainability for which he addressed the world leaders in the COP26 in Glasgow urging the world leaders to address the climate crisis and commit to a zero-carbon emission.
King Charles is expected to remain non-partisanship, which was also reflected in his first national address as the King. However, his earlier public works through his charitable organisations still carry the significance of his positions on these public policies.
He can further the royal family’s relationship amongst 56 Commonwealth countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific. Including the UK, he is the head of State for 15 countries. The King has to look for means of mending any gap in the Commonwealth relationship with the British monarchy that may arise after the demise of the Queen. He does not enjoy the attachment that the Commonwealth nations had for the Queen.
The British monarchy of the past represented royal cruelty of slavery and atrocities on natives which, after the Queen’s death, could reignite independence movements in Antigua and Barbuda and republican movements in Jamaica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Barbados, following other Commonwealth nations, became the newest republic to denounce the Queen as the head of the State last year. The formidable challenge for King Charles is playing the unifying role of the monarchy as played by the Queen by linking these countries to the monarchy. The new British monarch, thus, has to balance the tide of democracy and nationalism. Different nationalities now have a greater inclination towards republicanism.
King Charles needs to adapt to rapidly changing global realities from volatile political leadership, and looming economic recession at the domestic level to issues of multiculturalism, the Russia-Ukraine war and climate change at the international level. He has to show how he can transform the monarchy into a more acceptable form in the globalised world, as did his mother, who handled the shift from a colonial empire to a post-imperial monarchy. The construction of a political judgement on the survival of British monarchy should be over the creation of a balanced public perception between republicanism and constitutional monarchy. But, it still remains a daunting task to cast the monarchy in the image of a modern political institution.
The article is authored by Mehdi Hussain, assistant professor, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi and PhD research scholar, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
