Should the Monarchy be abolished?

The passing of Queen Elizabeth has caused a rise in royalist sentiment throughout the UK, whilst also having others question if the UK even needs another monarch at all. Furthermore, the unpopularity of King Charles III combined with the shameful reputation of Prince Andrew, has led more and more people to become vocal in their opposition to the Monarchy.

The Monarchy is a long-standing British tradition and dates back centuries, with mainy claiming it to be the ‘epitome’ of the image of Britain. However, it is also important to remember the intertwined history between monarchy and colonialism. Goods owned by the Monarchy such as the Koh-I-Noor diamond were stolen during the era of colonialism and are now appropriated into the Crown Jewels, despite both Pakistan and India requesting them to be returned. Moreover, all the royal properties used throughout the Stuart dynasty benefit from money provided through slavery due to William III’s involvement with the Royal African company. While we shouldn’t shy away and try to cover up the nation’s past mistakes, it is not an excuse to showcase them by putting them on a throne and crowning them as ‘above’. In addition to this, there are several countries in the commonwealth that want to remove the monarch as their head of state and are taking steps to have King Charles III removed, perhaps following Barbados’ removal of Queen Elizabeth from this role in 2021. While some claim that the Monarchy is a uniting force, it is clear that it has been equally divisive.

The Monarchy also serves to reinforce the vast class and wealth divide in England, serving as an emblem for unearned privilege that has no place in today’s society. While the nation is faced with a cost-of-living crisis, workers strike for better pay and food-bank usage is at an alltime high, the Monarchy represents the wealthy, not the vast majority. Furthermore, with King Charles promising an all-out coronation with no expense spared, it might be time to accept the fact that the royal family is out of touch with everyday life. In addition to this, the archaic hereditary role for the monarch is clearly outdated when compared to the UK’s now modern democratic system, with people having no say in who represents them in head of state.

In addition to this, the sexual abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew, and his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein, has further pushed the image of a family above the laws and rules that everyone else has to follow. There has also been a growing divide in how young people view the Monarchy. In 2015 69% of 18–24-year-olds believed that Britain should remain a monarchy but the latest polls, from 2020 onwards show that this has overwhelmingly fallen to just 35%. With the increasing disillusionment of support from the younger generation towards the Monarchy can they still claim to represent Britain?

Lastly, the age-old argument used to defend the Monarchy when all else fails is that it helps to attract tourism and boost the economy. While it is true that the Monarchy does bring in tourism, it would be untrue to say that this is the only thing the UK has to offer, and it is more than likely that the UK would still receive the high number of tourists it has now without having to support the overprivileged family living in the palace. France, for example, has the Palace of Versailles as an attraction without the family living inside of it and receives more tourists than Buckingham Palace.

So, is it time to take a leaf from France’s book? In addition, the cost of keeping the Monarchy is steadily increasing, and many are feeling resentful for having to pay for their extravagant lifestyle.

Looking back throughout history, having a King called Charles ends in overthrowing the Monarchy. However, is it time to stop repeating the same story and this time not invite the Monarchy back? Or is the UK doomed to forever live under the archaic family that claims the image of Britain.