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| God Save the Queen |
| Features |
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Last week I woke up from an unfamiliar dream. From what I can recollect it started with me walking down the aisle and ended with my adamantly heterosexual grandfather shouting out “coooee” as he arrived at the church with his gay partner. However what haunted me the most was that the man I was “marrying” was Prince William, the soon-to-be-husband of Kate Middleton. This appearance of the Prince is surely self-explanatory, is it not every girl’s dream to marry the future King of England? Yet as a Londoner who apparently once bumped into Prince Edward and didn’t notice, I’m not sure that a prince would be my first choice. I would have to blame his cameo on his recent blitz in the news. For as long as this country has had monarchs, the business of royalty has been a source of intense scrutiny and William’s upcoming nuptials are no different. National newspapers are trumpeting it as “the wedding of the decade”, with front pages splashed with predictions on the designer of Kate’s dress and forecasts on the guest list. Many top London hotels have already been booked for the weekend and shops are stocking up on wedding memorabilia. Woolworths even released a pre-emptive William and Kate Engagement mug back in 2006, before he had even proposed and before they went bust. Yet is all this publicity really fair to the couple? After watching the highly-anticipated film The King’s Speech, one dialogue between the Queen Mother and King George VI seemed particularly relevant. She explained that the reason she had rejected his first two marriage proposals was that she “couldn’t deal with the business of having to be royal. Being afraid never, never again to be free to think, speak and act as I feel I really ought to.” The British seem to feel that paying taxes gives them the right to continually criticise our monarchy. From their latest financial profligacy to Prince Harry’s foolish choice of fancy dress. Student Alice Holroyd agrees. “We’re in the 21st century, why do we still need a monarchy? Surely things should have changed.” But does anyone stop to think that maybe the royals themselves are not particularly thrilled about the life forced upon them? Being a blue-blood is not something they can choose or be elected to, it is something they are born into. While this may seem fabulous to the unsuspecting, dig deeper and you realise the restrictions, hardship and monotony of such a position. The story of King George VI is a classic example. His brother, Edward, was not allowed to marry the woman he loved, twice-divorcee Wallis Simpson, a limitation of his role of King. Thus he abdicated and Albert became King, a position he was reluctant to accept. Ascending to head of state at the beginning of the Second World War, George VI was required to make morale-boosting speeches, which as a long-time stutterer was a great difficulty. He became a successful and much-loved monarch, but the stress of his position exacerbated by his heavy smoking cost him his health and he died aged 57. The Queen Mother hence forth refused to speak to Wallis Simpson ever again, blaming her husband’s death on his brother’s abdication. Even the modern royal family is rife with limitations and tedium. Before Diana, Princess of Wales, married Prince Charles in 1981, her status as a virgin was infamously tested by the Royal Family . For her son, constraints were also strict. To protect William’s right to privacy while at University, he contracted a deal with the press which left him alone until his graduation week in return for an interview when he arrived at St. Andrews. Even Kate Middleton, not an official member of the Royal family till the 29th April, has had to give up her job as a photographer to accompany her fiancee to numerous opening ceremonies and charity events. While defending the monarchy’s essential position as the very rich slaves of Britain, one also has to consider why they're so integral to our society. Our monarchy is a focus for national pride, encouraging tourism that apparently generates more income for the country then money they are given by the government (a reported figure of only 70p by every taxpayer each year). American student, Rebecca, supports this theory, stating that on her return to America “everyone was asking me about the royal wedding. Whether I was excited, what parties were going on over here for it, whether I was going to go down to London? I mean they seemed even more excited then the British by the marriage. My parents even want a Kate-Will plate.” New York has prized Kate Middleton as a fashion icon, with various hairdressers now doing the Middleton hairdo. As our principal ambassadors, the monarchy play an important role in strengthening Britain’s diplomatic and economic relations. According to the Royal website “every year the Royal Family carries out over 2,000 official engagements throughout the UK and worldwide”. Members of the monarchy also act as goodwill ambassadors for less privileged countires. Who can forget Diana hugging a young victim of AIDS and thus reassuring the world about the virus at a time of great panic? Various charities have been established by the royal family including The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and The Duke of Edinburgh ‘s award scheme. Perhaps the royal family’s greatest role is strengthening national unity. At the start of the Second World War, King Albert VI and the Queen Elizabeth refused to leave Buckingham palace, despite the German bombing raids. In the first raid, 1,000 people were killed in the East End. In 1939, the King and Queen narrowly avoided death when two bombs exploded in Buckingham Palace gardens while they were there. The Queen famously declared “I am glad we have been bombed. Now we can look the East End in the face.” Even now the Queen provides an unbiased, politically neutral figurehead whose role entails recognising and participating in the community, from opening new buildings to giving out acts of commemoration for merit. As David Mitchell said, “If people want a fair system, have a republic, elect a president and live with some arsehole like David Cameron giving a speech every Christmas Day afternoon.” At least Queenie reminds us of our dear old grandma.
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