Royal Family Flashcards
(20 cards)
What could the monarch theoretically do?
- disband the army
- sell off the navy
- release prisoners
- make anyone a peer in the house of Lords
What is the actual role nowadays?
The role is mostly ceremonial and representative
What are the three rights of the monarch?
- to be consulted by the PM (usually once a week)
- To encourage certain courses of action
- to warn against others
Which titles does the monarch have?
- commander in Chief of the Army
- Head of Church of England
-> for the most part they rubber-stamp decisions
Arguments for the continuing existence of the monarch in the UK?
- majority are in favour of keeping it
- RF is above party politics
- monarchy’s existence ensures continuity and stability
- RF is an identifiable brand -> tourism
- some of the most succesfull European democraties are monarchies (Spain, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands)
Arguments against the continuing existence of the monarch in the UK?
- goes against the idea of a meritocracy (where you get what you work for) and instead symbolises continuing class divisions
- They are unelected -> monarchy is undemocratic
- These days they feed into “trashy” culture (see Prince Andrew)
- They smack of the Empire. (Over 3 centuries, 12 monarchs condoned, promoted and profited from the slave trade). Even today, King Charles owns precious stones plundered from India during the Raj
- they are protected from criticism is sinister (people were recently arrested for holding up signs that read “Not my King” to protest against Charles’ accession to the throne)
- shrouded in secrecy (wills are never made public)
- British monarchy is way more expensive than other monarchies (UK- 86.3 mio a year/ spain 7.4 mio a year)
- powerless to intervene
Who takes on the equivalent role in germany?
The Bundespräsident
Would you like to have a monarchy in germany? PRO
-National Unity: a ceremonial head of state like a monarch can provide a sense continuity and identity especially in times of political division
-Cultural Representation: A royal family can symbolize tradition, history and national pride
-Tourism Boost: Monarchies tend to attract international attention and visitors, as seen with the UK, the Netherlands and Spain
Would you like to have a monarchy in germany? CONTRA
-History: Germany’s imperial past (under the Kaisers and during the Nazi-history) makes me wary of glorifying a monarchy
-Democratic principles: A hereditary monarchy contradicts the idea of equality before the law
-Cost vs. Benefit: Many argue that ceremonial monarchies come with unnecessary expense without a significant benefit
-The Bundespräsident fulfils the ceremonial role as head of state in a way that is democratic and modest
Where does King Charles III money come from
a) private income (inherited estates like Balmoral Castle and Sandringham Estate, personal investments and art)
b) the Privy Purse / Duchy of Lancaster (prperty in England and Wales, no control over how it is run but gets the net profits)
c)the sovereign grant (86.3 million a year)
What does Privy Purse mean
It’s the private income of Charles which comes in through the duchy of lancaster
Who was Diana and why was she so popular
- she was the princess of wales, the people’s princess
- approchable rather than aloof
- rejuvenated the RF
- did a lot of charitable work (campaign against landmines, AIDS)
- contrasted with the cold royals
- had been through experiences many could relate to (divorce, ed, depression)
What short-term impact did Diana’s death have? Was it un-british?
- An outpouring of grief – a “sea of flowers” outside Buckingham Palace
- For some, the response was no more than wallowing in self-pity or other people’s grief (vicarious)
- UnBritish (too emotional, mawkish)
- Anyone expressing worry or doubt about the sincerity of the mourning faced an angry response.
- The “mob” was angry at the RF’s understated reaction to her death
What long-term effect might her life have on the monarchy?
- She has changed RF’s relationship with the media (she was a lot more open and down-to-earth than previous Royals)
- This may, in turn, destroy the mystique of the RF and undermine its reason for being.
In what way has the monarchy moderinzed over recent decades?
- Its relationship with the media
- 2015, BBC report – “New rules on royal succession have come into force, removing male bias and discrimination against Roman Catholics.
- William and Kate’s second child, Charlotte, will follow Prince George and become fourth in line to the throne and will not be overtaken by Louis, their latest child even though he is a boy.
- The new rules also allow members of the Royal Family to marry a Roman Catholic and become king or queen.
- However, a Roman Catholic royal still cannot become the monarch”.
- The monarch now pays income tax (volunarily)
- Fans of Charles would argue that he has attempted to modernise the monarchy by showing an interest in those to whom monarchy used to seem indifferent – the disadvantaged, the unemployed, members of ethnic minorities, and struggling communities such as Burnley, Stoke and Tottenham.
Will/ is King Charles III a similar monarch to the queen ?
- he had the reputation of interfering/ expressing his opinion on a range of topics, even writing letters to MPs -> black spider memos
- wanted to be known as defender of faith (not defender of the faith) -> more inclusive (but he changed his mind)
what are the black spider memos?
They revealed that Charles felt particulary strong about green issues, social deprivation, modern architechture (he hates it) and China’s treatment of the Dalai Lama. Was in letters to MPs. So called because of his handwriting
What are the consequences of Megxit?
- Change in Royal Duties and Status
- lose HRH title, no longer military appointments, not involved in royal tours, state duties or offical family appearances - Financial Independence
- made multi-million-dollar deals with netflix, spotify and book-deals and moved to the US - Public criticism of the royal family
- accusations of racism, lack of support for mental health and family rifts and they damaged the monarchys reputation - Strained family relations
-between Harry and William, media headlines about conflict
Why has Prince Andrew been under fire in recent years?
- was friends with Jeffrey Epstein but insisted they were never close
- FBI said he failed to cooperate properly
- andrew appears on a picture from one on Epsteins parties in 2001 with his arm around vriginia guiffre ( a then 17yo, who was epsteins sex-sklave then) but andrew claims he had been at a pizza express that day (his friends say his fingers arent that big irl and andrew said that he couldn’t sweat at that time (guiffre said he ad been profusely sweating)
-no legal repercussions for him he just stepped down from royal duites
why some people objected to charles’ coronation
- he was already king beofre the ceremony
-it was very expinsive (100mil) during a cost.of.living cirsis, the money culd’ve paid for over 40mil school meals - coronation was designed to be more inclusive and modern but it was still super relegious (no other monarchy in europe is that religious)
- only 9% of the population cared
- in the past it was meant to celebrate the extent of the british empire and show off britains military and naval strength
- repercussions for those who demonstrted against it
