How popular is the monarch

In the United Kingdom the Queen is really a figurehead representing the country, but she has the power to prevent any politician from establishing a dictatorship. The Queen and her family are a symbol that people can identify with. The British public is obsessed with the details of the royal family life, and when people feel that the Queen has problems with her children, they see her as a real person with the same worries and anxieties as themselves.

The monarchy has not always been popular. During the late 19^th century there was a growing republican sentiment. During the reign of Elizabeth II the royal family has experienced also many changes. Since the 1980s the public has become much more informed about the lives of the royal family due to in-depth press coverage. Two of Queen Elizabeth’s sons, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew, separated from their wives in 1992; both separations occurred amid a flurry of international press coverage and were surrounded by accusations of infidelity and damaged the reputation of the royal family.

But the personality and family life of the Queen, her father and grandfather serve to remove the negative feeling. In 1992 the Queen and Prince Charles agreed to pay income taxes on their personal income, the first time the monarchy has done so. The Queen has always been a roving ambassador for Britain, and if we calculate the increase in trade after a royal visit abroad, the nation probably makes a profit from their activities, and that does not take into account the income from tourism in Britain generated by the monarchy and great state events such as royal weddings.

Just how popular is she? A newspaper in London conducted an opinion poll. People were asked, “If there were no monarchy, who would you vote for as President?” More than eighty per cent chose the Queen.

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