Monarchy in Modern Times

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MONARCHY IN MODERN TIMES Thirty years after the fairy-tale nuptials of Prince Charles and Diana, Britain will celebrate the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton next summer or spring 2011. This wedding might be the signal of a more ordinary monarchy. This is the marriage of a royal prince and a commoner, and it is a marriage for love. Kate and William met at college. There is warm support for William and Kate because of their appearance of normality in spite of the royal protocol. William will continue his service in the Royal Air Force after the wedding in spite of being the second in line to the throne. With this wedding, the Windsors have a chance to start anew. It will rejuvenate the dynasty, and restore the monarchy’s glamour tarnished by divorce and scandal. Is there a need for monarchy in modern times? There is political involvement of royalty in the world. For example, absolute royalties exist in Saudi Arabia, the Vatican and Brunei, and their word is carried out as law as they are seen to be infallible. However, in many European countries, there are constitutional monarchies, and there are legal limitations on royal power. In the absence of opposition, the monarchy can last forever. The monarchy is neutral and has at heart the people’s interests, and provides stability. Monarchs are seen to be reliable, there is political impartiality, and they are more symbolic heads than actual rulers. But can we always have an enlightened monarch? Rulers have always been fallible. That is why royal families are extremely rich, whose finances come from taxpayers’ money. On the social aspect, royal families are popular because they are royals. Monarchs can have a strong influence on social norms in view of the public support. It provides a strong voice that unites everyone. The majority of the monarch workload consists of representing the
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