Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Topic Essay: Author an essay that examines the importance of thinking beyond such uniformity,
especially about a popular but divisive figure such as the late monarch.

Postgraduate Diploma in Media Leadership and Innovation

Market and Audience Studies

Member

Thina Sam

Resubmission Date: 27 May 2024

Andre Marr describes Queen Elizabeth II from a public point of view, as a small woman with a globally
familiar face, with a hundred-carat smile when she chooses to turn it on with a thousand years of history
at her back. She rained during the time she was alive in a world that has mostly left monarchy behind,
yet the result of her reign is that two-thirds of British people assume that their monarchy will still be
here in a century. “The Queen is wry and knowing but seems a little bit cynic and is not a natural public
speaker, “said Marr. Marr further recognizes that Britain and the monarchy have always gone together,
but that does not mean they always will. The decision to leave the European Union reminds us that
firmly founded nations can change direction quickly. The future of the onion between England and
Scotland, between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is to put it gently, cloudy. The writer of the book
titled The Diamond Queen has always argued that Britain's monarchy depends in the end not on its own
members, but on the willingness of British citizens, also known as subjects to fund and embrace it. A
future king who heckled and interfered with democracy, or a family which prominently included a
convicted sex offender would have nothing like the queen enjoys today. The most obvious future would
be a gentle decline, a drawing-in of horns, as an older monarchical generation gave way to their more
sceptical children and grandchildren. The ever-increasing influence of American thinking in Britain
may be inseparable from republicanism. It is somehow difficult to see the point of a ceremonial
monarchy without ceremony or a monarch without the big moments of the year taking place. It is a
good principle that change often comes suddenly, particularly when countries are struggling to renew
themselves.
Ax Foster analyzed the life of Queen Elizabeth II. He stated that “Elizabeth II dedicated herself to
lifelong service. He further explains that is why she never abdicated, even as many of her younger
contemporaries did. Between February 2013 and June 19, 2014, four European monarchs abdicated:
Pope Benedict XVI of Vatican City, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, King Albert II of Belgium, and
King Juan Carlos I of Spain. Elizabeth, a devout Christian who rarely missed a Sunday at church,
resisted the exodus because of the promise she made not just to her subjects but to God.

The monarch's role in India was redefined as the symbol of the free association of the independent
Member Nations and as such Head of the Commonwealth. That model was later adopted by other newly
independent states as British rule came to an end across Africa, Asia, and other regions of the world.
When the Queen inherited the title of Head of The Commonwealth from her father, she embraced it,
which is why she is often credited with the “managed decline of the empire. Antigua and Barbuda
signaled it could be the next country to go its way, with the prime minister saying he wanted to hold a
referendum to become a republic within three years. Beyond that, the republican movements in
Australia and Jamaica have perhaps the most momentum, but their biggest obstacle was always the
Queen herself. In July 2017, then-Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull a co-founder of the
Australian Republican Movement – summed it up when he was granted an audience at Buckingham
Palace. “Although I am a Republican, I am also an Elizabethan,” he tweeted. “It was an honor to meet
Her Majesty today at Buckingham Palace.”

Now it marks the year since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, and the first year of King Charles III’s
reign. At this milestone, a new YouGov tracker survey shows the latest public opinion towards the
monarchy and royal family says Matthew. Public attitudes continue to align with those from previous
surveys, with the results showing a general positivity towards the monarchy at a national level but a
remarkable difference between generations. Currently, 62% of Britons say the UK should continue to
have a monarchy, with 26% saying the country should have an elected head of state instead. A further
11% are unsure. These figures are consistent with the most recent polls, with support for the monarchy
having previously experienced a brief bounce to 67% in the immediate aftermath of Queen Elizabeth
II’s death of the 18-24-year-olds, just 34% agree almost half (47%) say they are bad values. As with all
our other royal questions, younger Britons take a more negative view of individual members of the
royal family. Indeed, 18-24-year-olds have a net negative opinion of King Charles, with 52%
disapproving of him compared to 28% who hold a positive view (giving a net score of -24). Prince
Harry and Meghan proved to be the exception, with opinions of these royals being more negative the
older people are, which has been the case ever since the couple announced they would be stepping back
from royal duties.
On June 1, 1787, James Wilson of Pennsylvania rose in the Constitutional Convention to offer the
motion that would create the American president. The new federal executive, he proposed, should
“consist of a single person,” and this chief magistrate should be vested with sweeping prerogative
powers. His colleague Edmund Randolph of Virginia immediately objected, declaring that “a unity in
the Executive magistracy” would amount to “the foetus of monarchy” and insisting that Americans,
having just rebelled against the British Crown, had “no motive to be governed by the British
Government as our prototype. Wilson, as reported by Rufus King of Massachusetts, responded as
follows: “The people of America did not oppose the British King but the parliament— the opposition
was not against a Unity but a corrupt multitude. With this remark, Wilson grounded his constitutional
program on a particular understanding of the character and purposes of the American Revolution. The
colonists, on this view, had rebelled against a “corrupt multitude,” not a monarch. They had sought
protection for their liberties in the prerogatives of the Crown, not in the wisdom of popular assemblies.
Those who would keep faith with “Revolution principles” ought therefore to favour the creation of a
strong, independent chief magistrate one wielding an “absolute negative” on legislation, plenary power
of appointment to executive and judicial offices, the prerogative of clemency, and the dazzling authority
of commander-in-chief. Only such a figure could truly represent the people as a whole and tame the
tyrannical proclivities and partialities of the legislature. Wilson’s remarks resonated with the man who
transcribed them said Thomas Hart.

The death of Queen Elizabeth II has sent shock waves across the country and around the world. The
death of someone is never nice, and “I for one feel the personal gloating at her passing are several steps
too far, for I’ve got nothing against her as a person but rather what she stands for”, said Patrick Hollis.
The Royal Family is a symbol of oppression, a regime that oversaw so much suffering around the world.
Although much of this happened under the watch of previous Royals, their ‘pomp and circumstance’ is
woefully archaic in the modern age and serves to remind people why, rightly, Britain is despised by so
many around the world. This is countered by many people who adore the Royal Family and what it
represents, but that’s something that people can’t fully comment on. The wealth of the Royal Family, at
a time of economic crisis where millions of people will be forced to choose between heating their homes
and feeding themselves and their families, is unsettling. Ordinary, working-class people face the prospect
of a Dickensian-style winter which will follow what is sure to be an example of the wealth and grandeur
of a funeral.
The send-off for another extremely wealthy monarch who hasn’t had to worry about personal finances
will be of little concern to people struggling to make ends meet during one of the toughest financial
periods in recent history. There has been a lot of talk about how the Royal Family needs to cope with the
times, but the rigid and stifling protocol of the monarchy just doesn’t belong in recent times. “This for
me” Patrick continued, is primarily through the insane amounts of wealth and authority which has been
given to people purely for who they are and the family they happened to be born into. The power of the
monarchy has diminished over the years, with the brunt of the everyday running of the country in the
hands of MPs, who are themselves rightly criticized for their leadership. However, they are seen as a
status symbol both in this country and around the world and an example of how one family had had a
God given right to hold power and wealth without earning it. The new monarch has also added fuel to
the fire in Wales of why the need for a Prince of Wales. Those in Wales who opposed the monarchy did
not believe Wales needed a prince, and a petition was set up to end the title. The argument for this is
strong. Wales has not had a native Prince of Wales since Llywelyn the Last, who was killed by English
soldiers in 1282 and had his head paraded through London. The anti-royalist sentiment is clearly strong
in most corners of the UK, but of course, there is still a lot of support for the royals which is of course
fine — after all Britons people are not supposed to be a nation built on free speech. The points mentioned
here are to good enough reason to ask questions about the monarchy and what it should become in 2024
onwards. We will soon see what kind of King Charles will be, and as he has been waiting in the wings
for many years it may be sooner than we think that we see the direction he wants to take the monarchy
in.
References.

1. Analysis by Max Foster Published 12:07 am EDT Monday, September 2022 date accessed (20
May 2024)
2. Consumer Tribes by Bernard Cova, Robert V.Kozinets Consumer Tribes - Google Books date
accessed (21 May 2024)
3. Royal Fever Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture - Cele C. Otnes, Pauline
Maclaran - Google Books (date accessed 22 May 2024)
4. Abnormal attention towards the British Royal Family, Factors associated with approach and
escalation Abnormal attentions towards the British Royal Family. Factors associated with
approach and escalation - Tavistock and Portman Staff Publications Online (Date accessed 22
May 2024)
5. A Companion to Mexican History and Culture A Companion to Mexican History and Culture
| Wiley Online Books (Dated accessed 22 May 2024)
6. The Diamond Queen, Elizabeth II The Diamond Queen: Elizabeth II and her People - Andrew
Marr - Google Books
7. Matthew Smith One year into King Charles's reign, how do Britons feel about the monarchy? |
YouGov (Date accessed 24 May 2024)
8. Tom Naim The Break-Up of Britain - Tom Nairn - Google Books
9. Patrick Hollis 10 September 2022Mourning a Monarch. The death of Queen Elizabeth II
could… | by Patrick Hollis | Medium (Date accessed 24 May 2024)