|
LONDON, June 1 (Reuters) - When Britons sing "God Save theQueen" over four days of celebrations to mark Elizabeth II's60 years on the throne, monarchists may have cause to roar the line"long to reign over us" more heartily than ever. Polls show the much-loved 86-year-old sovereign remains enormouslypopular and cherished by Britons, but questions linger about thefuture of the monarchy when she is gone and her already 63-year-oldson Charles becomes king. Republicans, royal watchers and even those with strong sympathiesfor the monarchy say that the future may pose a king-sized problemfor an institution which relies on personal public appeal to stayrelevant in the modern world. "Monarchy is only as good as the people doing the job,"said royal biographer Robert Lacey. "The British have cut off the head of their king, the Britishhave lived as a republic for 11 years under Oliver Cromwell. Wecould do it again." Elizabeth became queen aged 25 on Feb. 6, 1952 on the death of herfather George VI, while on tour in Kenya with her husband PrincePhilip. Winston Churchill was her first prime minister. She inherited the throne from an enormously popular king, whosereputation for steadfast duty helped the royal family overcome thescandal of Edward VIII's abdication for the love of a divorcedAmerican and endeared itself to almost every strata of societyduring the course of World War Two. During her 60 years on the throne, Britain has undergone dramaticchange, from the austere postwar 1950s through the swinging 60s,the greed is good 80s and former Prime Minister Tony Blair'sthree-term New Labour era. Over time, Britain has evolved into a more egalitarian society,where the ruling class has had to make way for a burgeoning middleclass, where places at Oxford and Cambridge are no longer reservedfor aristocrats and the majority of hereditary peers have losttheir seats in the House of Lords. Despite her auspicious beginnings, Elizabeth's reign has not beenall smooth sailing. She has spent a large majority of her time saying farewell to theBritish Empire amassed by her forebears from Kenya to Hong Kong,although she remains head of state for 16 countries and head of theCommnwealth. Her own marriage to a Greek prince stayed rock solid,but her sister, daughter and two of her sons have very publicly notbeen quite so lucky in love. The 40th anniversary of her accession was a year she famouslydescribed as an "annus horribilis" after three of herfour children's marriages failed and there was a fire at herWindsor Castle royal residence. The death of Princess Diana, the divorced wife of Elizabeth's sonand heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, in 1997 did even more damageto the family's public prestige. But while her children and other royals have at times blundered inand out of headlines with their marital woes, leading the family tobe described as the "most dysfunctional in Britain",Elizabeth has remained dignified and dependable. Shifting attitudes in society and occasional embarrassments havenot really provided any serious challenges to a royal line thattraces its origins back to William the Conqueror in 1066. Evenhardened republicans believe reverence towards the queen meansthere is little chance to change the status quo soon. Backed by a far more professional and sophisticated mediaoperation, the royal family's reputation has not only been restoredfrom dark days of the 1990s but lifted to new heights. WEDDING TRIUMPH The triumph of last year's wedding of Charles's eldest son PrinceWilliam to Kate Middleton, which saw more than a million peoplethrong London's streets and pulled in an estimated two billionviewers around the world, was testament to that. A poll published by the left-leaning Guardian newspaper last weekshowed support for the monarchy was at its highest level since thesurvey was first initiated in 1997. Almost 70 per cent of Britons said the country would be worse offwithout the monarchy, compared to 22 per cent who felt it would bebetter off. Only 10 per cent backed an elected head of state. "All the anecdotal evidence based upon the crowds that comeout to see us and the enthusiasm that we feel is generated by thepublic . . . to us feels like the institution is popular, relevantand successful," a senior royal aide told Reuters. Ironically the queen only became sovereign because of a quirk ofhistory after her uncle Edward VIII abdicated the throne because ofhis love for American divorcee Wallace Simpson and the crown passedto her father. Royal watchers say part of the queen's appeal is her modesty,derived from the fact she never expected to be monarch, which makesher appear less detached and more down-to-earth. During World War Two she learned to be a driver and a mechanic, andher love of the outdoors and her dogs, especially Corgis, is welldocumented. Commentators say she comes across as a woman more athome in tweeds than tiaras. During much of her reign she was often upstaged for attention bythree flamboyant women - her mother, Elizabeth the Queen Mother,her younger sister Margaret and Princess Diana, ex-wife of hereldest son and heir Prince Charles. Ironically, the personal sorrow of losing her mother, and sisterwho died within weeks of each other in her Golden Jubilee year of2002 and the trauma caused by Diana's death in 1997, have given hera boost in the last decade, said Lacey, author of a new book"A Brief Life of the Queen". MOTHER FIGURE "Those three competitive female icons have vanished and thatleaves the queen very clearly established as the principle motherfigure of the monarchy and of the nation," he said. However, ask the public, and no obvious explanation emerges why thequeen and the monarchy remain so popular. "Despite what people might think about the concept of royalty,she is still the monarch of the country, which is something that Isupport," said Julie Baker, 46, a project manager in eastLondon. "I support the monarchy because I think they do a lot for theeconomy and play an important role in history," said FayeHyland, 28, a trainee solicitor. "The monarchy doesn't really mean that much to me but I thinkit brings something to society," said security worker BrianReid, while Ed Jones, a sales representative, commented: "Themonarchy is a good thing to have, it gives the country a sense ofidentity." Robert Hardman, another biographer of the queen, offers a simpleexplanation. She simply personifies Britain itself. "She is the living incarnation of a set of values and a periodof history," he explains. "In Britain, she is Tower Bridge and a red-double decker buson two legs, not to mention Big Ben, afternoon tea, village fetesand sheep-flecked hills in the pouring rain." UNEASY LIES THE HEAD THAT WEARS THE CROWN But what about the future? Her family and Britain's political elitesay the queen's nimble ability to adapt without divesting any ofthe dignity of her role has been key to her success. "She's managed to get the family to move with the times, and Ithink that's incredibly important," grandson Prince Harry toldU.S. television's ABC News in an interview aired on Tuesday. "You can't get stuck in an old-age situation when everythingelse around you is changing. So you have to go with it." British Prime Minister David Cameron echoed that view. "It has been said that 'the art of progress is to preserveorder amid change and change amid order', and in this the queen isunparalleled," he said in a speech to Parliament earlier thisyear. "She has never shut the door on the future; instead, shehas led the way through it." But therein lies the problem for the monarchy, commentators pointout, because much might depend on affection for the incumbentrather than the institution itself. The same Guardian poll that was such good news for BuckinghamPalace, also showed only 39 per cent wanted the crown to pass toCharles while 48 per cent wanted it to go to his son PrinceWilliam. Constitutional experts say there is no chance of the crown skippinga generation, saying the monarchy is not some sort of "The XFactor" reality TV show. Opposition to Charles could particularly inflame republicansentiments in the other countries where the British monarch remainshead of state. "I think in international terms the monarchy will survive inAustralia and New Zealand for the reign of the present queen. Idon't think it's at all certain it will survive after that,"said Lacey. ALREADY A REPUBLIC? Republicans are convinced that most Britons, especially the youngare apathetic when it comes to the monarchy, and that will developinto opposition when they realize what lies in store. That is why royal officials have desperately been boosting coverageof Charles's sons William and Harry, they argue. "All the evidence they're getting about Charles is he'll beunpopular or at least controversial," said Professor StephenHaseler, a leading republican and expert on the Britishconstitution. "If anything happens to the queen, he then becomes kingovernight and the British people will then say to themselves did Ihave a say in any of this? Why do I have a head of state who Inever had any say in appointing? "It's a very odd institution for a modern democratic countryto have." Public relations gurus admire the work that royal officials havedone to reinvigorate the monarchy's image and consider thatsuccession may be a long way off for a woman whose mother liveduntil 101. But they say the transition to Charles may not fare sowell. "I don't believe Charles is very media savvy and that'll comeout as arrogance possibly and that might undo quite a lot ofwork," Mark Borkowksi, one of Britain's leading PR experts. "They know just how far they can fall." Lacey suggests the fact that the monarch has little more than arole as a ceremonial head of state who cannot express opinionspublicly means the fascination with Britain becoming a republic issimply missing the point. "At the end of the day, she's a tenant of ours in BuckinghamPalace. We can kick her out of Buckingham Palace any day wewant," he said. "We are essentially, when you look at the structure and theway the country runs, a republic with this glorious bauble that weall enjoy on top. And we can always unscrew the bauble any time wewant.". We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China 10x20 Trade Show Booth , Custom Exhibit Booth for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits 10x20 Trade Show Booth.
Related Articles -
China 10x20 Trade Show Booth, Custom Exhibit Booth,
|
