Long Live the Queen
Though they wield little actual power, the benefits of the British royal family still outweigh the costs.
The British taxpayers foot the bill for the lavish lifestyle of the royal family, but the revenues from tourism more than make up for the expense.
One of the oldest countries on the planet, Britain dominated the European Continent, and the world as a whole, for centuries. Since the founding of the country, it was ruled by a monarchy. However, over the centuries, the other side of the government, the Parliament, has been chipping away from the power of the crown.
In 1205, the Magna Carta was signed. This document was the first major piece of legislation to limit the monarch. It established rule of law, meaning that no one was above the law.
In 1649, Charles II lost his head after being defeated in the English Civil War. Parliament abolished the monarchy and Oliver Cromwell became the head of state. Unfortunately, Cromwell became an autocratic dictator and, after his death, the country once again put a king on the throne. Charles’ daughter and her husband, William of Orange, from the Netherlands, were given the monarchy. Restrictions were placed on them, and since then royal power has slowly diminished.
Today, the British Royal family has little power and instead acts as a symbolic head of state. While they can technically wield some amount of power, an unspoken agreement between today’s monarch and the British parliament says that whatever the democratic side of government says goes.
Still, despite the fact that the monarchs are not much more than a vestigial structure from the absolutist times of Henry VII, the British people still pick up the tab of tens of millions of dollars per year to fund the weddings, corgis, and daily lives of the monarchs. While it may seem useless to pay for these German relics, the British Royal family offers more than just tabloid headlines.
The biggest criticism against the monarchy for many is that they are publicly funded and thus get money for doing nothing. Indeed, in 2020, the royal family will receive £82 million from the British government. However, that is only the cost of the royal family, not revenue. Ever since George III, the royal family has given the profits it earns from the land they own to Parliament. This fund is called the Crown Estate, and it made a £330 million profit in 2018. Using simple subtraction, the British government actually earns a profit from the royal family.
Some British argue that the Crown Estate, being owned by a member of the British government, would make it public property. Yet, if it was owned by the British government, there would have been no need for Elizabeth II to sign a renewal of the agreement when she inherited the throne. Forcing an abdication of the queen would mean that this money would be taken away from the British government and people.
Furthermore, according to a BBC website, “… in 2016 alone more than 2.7 million tourists visited Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, the Palace of Holyrood and other key royal attractions, boosting Britain’s tourist revenues for the year by some £550m.”
While the Royal Family wields little power and lives an ostentatious lifestyle, they still are a benefit to the United Kingdom.
The British royal family also has a positive effect on foreign policy. The United Kingdom’s Commonwealth of Nations is a political organization of over 50 countries that were former members of the British empire. This grouping of countries works to increase relationships between the United Kingdom and its former colonies. Currently, Elizabeth II is the head of state in 16 of these countries.
If the monarchy is abolished, it is highly doubtful that any of these 16 countries will want Boris Johnson to be their head of state. It is true that the Commonwealth yields little power in terms of policy or decision making, but the fact that it exists and is still expanding shows the attractiveness of the British monarch.
While the Royal Family wields little power and lives an ostentatious lifestyle, they still are a benefit to the United Kingdom. The best thing for the monarchy is to sit back, do nothing, and exist. The press coverage they give to the United Kingdom, the money they bring in for the government, and the foreign policy benefits they provide their dominion are enough. Any actual show of power would only serve to increase the arguments against them.
In the future, as Europe becomes less important on the global stage and as the memories of the absolutist monarchs fade, the case for the Royal Family will grow smaller and smaller. Yet, in the present-day, the benefits still outweigh the losses.
Michael Taffe is a senior and a veteran member of the NASH Uproar. He enjoys writing about politics, current events, and memes. In addition to the Uproar, Michael is involved in Model United Nations and Marching Band.
