BRITISH CULTURE AND CIVILISATION

Seminar 7 – The Twentieth century

Read the following text and then answer the questions below.

The monarchy has represented an ever-present symbol of the British state, except from the period
between 1649 to 1660, when the English Civil War brought Oliver Cromwell’s Protectorate. Since
the signing of the Magna Carta (1215), the monarch’s power has been limited and this has
constituted a centrepiece of British politics. The very personification of the British state, the Queen
nowadays has ceremonial functions: she opens Parliament but does not take part in its deliberations
and she is forbidden to enter the chamber of the House of Commons. However, the monarch has the
responsibility to choose the Prime Minister, but the person she chooses is the leader of the strongest
party in the House of Commons, therefore her freedom of choice is limited, since the PM is selected
by the members of the party, who are chosen in their turn by the electorate. The Queen is also
expected to be completely neutral as far as parties are concerned, her views must be private and her
public statements are a result of her being advised by her ministers. She is also expected to
undertake tours and visits in Britain, the Commonwealth and foreign states and she is also
responsible with awarding honours, such as knighthoods, though these are given on political advice.
As previously mentioned, the Queen nowadays bears a ceremonial function. But has it always been
like this? Remember that during the Renaissance period, for instance, the most spectacular assets of
the monarchy were the person of the king/queen and his/her image. Since the printing press was at
its very beginning, the presence and authority of the monarch within the realm was signalled
through royal buildings, portraits and heraldry. Beginning with King Edward IV, the English Court
became the very centre of patronage and ‘magnificence’. During the reigns of Henry VII and Henry
VIII, elaborate rituals and ceremonial shows were devised to advertise the ‘myth’ of monarchy as to
increase the reputation of the king and the Tudor dynasty. Henceforth, each English monarch tried
to reinforce the image of monarchy by commissioning artists to supply commemorative medals,
jewels, portrait miniatures or stately portraits and other decorative artefacts. Both the actual and the
symbolic display of the monarch were essential to maintaining the prestige of the institution of
monarchy. Public processions on the occasions of coronations or royal funerals, royal weddings or
births, and even political events such as the victory over the Spanish Armada were lavishly staged
during the Renaissance period, being followed by Court festivities and pageants.
Nowadays the royal family enjoys considerable prestige, both at home and abroad, and their
glamorous lives have provided a genuine source of entertainment for the masses. In time, the royals
have been depicted as both ordinary human beings and celebrities and their private lives have been
the subject of intense press interest. Such was the case of Edward VIII who was forced to abdicate
in 1936 because he wanted to marry a woman who had divorced two husbands. Both church and
government insisted that Edward could not marry her. Edward, however, chose to marry her and the
couple went to live abroad, but this did not diminish their popularity.
The coronation of Elizabeth II in 1952 was perceived as the beginning of a second glorious
Elizabethan era. If at the beginning of her reign the media was respectful towards the royal family,
in the 1960s this attitude changed and the members of the royal family have since become targets of
public scrutiny. For instance, centuries after the celebrations held at Elizabeth I’s court, on the
occasion of Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee in 1977, the British punk band The Sex Pistols released
their single “God Save the Queen”, whose controversial lyrics (“God save the queen / She ain’t no
human being / There is no future / In England's dreaming”) triggered its banning by the BBC. The
record cover depicted a defaced picture of the Queen. The single topped the charts and the cover
was named in 2001 number 1 in a list of 100 greatest record covers of all time by Q Magazine. The
cover, illustrating a defaced Queen with her lips pierced with a safety pin and her face obliterated
with ‘blackmail lettering’, coupled with the controversial lyrics of the song, would have
represented, without the shadow of a doubt, acts worthy of trial. Instead, the Sex Pistols were
banned, with its members were hassled by police and attacked by nationalists.
From her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981 and up to her death in 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales,
was an object of worldwide media scrutiny and she has remained one of the most famous and
popular royal figures of recent times. The massive outpouring of grief that followed her death
brought about an anti-monarchist feeling due to Queen Elizabeth II’s reliance on formal protocol.
This was also a test for the monarchy to show a less detached image and sympathize with the
heightened sorrow of the public. The disintegration of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s
marriage, followed by the divorce of Prince Andrew and Princess Anne, Diana’s death and Prince
Charles’s marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles – these are only some of the events which marked the
popularity of the royal family. Moreover, if decades ago the marriage of a future king with a
member of the middle class would have been considered an unsuitable match, nowadays the
marriage between Prince William and Kate Middleton, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, has
attracted a favourable response from the British public and the media alike.

Questions:

1. The beginning of the text makes reference to two important historical events in the history of
England (Magna Carta and the Protectorate). Comment upon their importance and the changes they
brought along to the shaping of the English state.
2. Refer to the changing face(s) of monarchy. Revise some of the most significant monarchical
figures in British history and comment on the changes in point of perception of the institution of the
monarchy in England throughout the ages.
Comment on the following:
“The oldest institution, and one which gives Britain part of its unique character, is the monarchy.
The monarchy is a success story. It helps to give unity to the Commonwealth”1.
3. The attitude of the British people towards members of the royal family has changed towards the
end of the twentieth century. How has it changed and why do you think this has happened?

1
Randle, J., Understanding Britain, p. 207