The Unofficial British Royal Family Pages

Wednesday 23 June 2004

Royalty For the 21st Century

Much to the surprise of many, constitutional monarchy appears to be enjoying a renaissance, rather than a funeral that has, so often, been predicted.  In these impersonal days, where it is almost impossible to talk to a human when telephoning a bank or a utility company, this ancient institution continues in many highly sophisticated countries. Where respect seems almost non-existent in our daily lives, and bureaucrats espouse to us constantly that they are all that we need in our political system, lots of people obviously don’t agree.   

Of course, that is not to say that the continuity of the various monarchies around the world is a certainty.  What is possible, however, is that monarchies shall adapt to changes in social expectations and requirements as they have begun to do in recent times.  Whereas in times gone by the monarch and his or her family were a remote bunch, seldom getting their hands dirty in the trials and tribulations of their people, today successful royal families are far closer to their public. 

Where the British Royal Family is concerned, the two people who made the greatest contribution in this respect, in the senior royal circle, were themselves, once ‘commoners’; the late Queen Mother and Diana, Princess of Wales. These two women gave the people what they wanted, not just their style and grace but also their ability to interact with all echelons of society.  Interestingly, this ability probably had as much to do with their upbringing as it did with their personalities.  The circumstances of the early part of their lives offered them a chance to mix with the general population, and see first hand how the world worked. 

When Prince William marries, the public will be expecting a young woman with such a common touch as his mother and great-grandmother possessed. Ultimately, people will compare his wife to his mother in how she carries out her duties.  While this will be unfair, William’s wife (if Buckingham Palace has learned anything since the time of Diana), will benefit from something the late princess complained about; training. 

We have all witnessed over the past months, the rather exhausting training regimes that two young women, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and The Princess of Asturias have undertaken.  It would seem that Denmark and Spain have taken no chances that their heirs’ wives will ever be able to complain about a lack of training for the job, as Diana could.  If Buckingham Palace is wise, it is probably working on such a training scheme for the woman who shall be William’s wife.  Like any job, a new princess or prince requires a comprehensive job description, if the position is to be filled properly. 

It is not simply the spouses of royal princes and princesses today, that need guidance in what they are expected to do with their lives.  The children and grandchildren of the monarch require a structure to work with to prepare them for the duties that are expected of them later.  In the meritocracy of today, it is imperative that members of the royal family are seen to be making worthwhile contributions to society, which to a great extent supports their lifestyles.   

We have witnessed the transition of both Princes’ William and Harry from school age to early adulthood, and the controversy surrounding certain choices they have made and aspects of what they have done.  It would make far better sense in the future, if some sort of programme were implemented so that the public, and the media for that matter, were aware of what course a young heir would undertake during his or her Gap Year and post university. 

I am not for a minute suggesting that young heirs follow a rigid, boot camp regime, but it would be helpful if times like Gap Years were made up of several partitions.  This way, an heir to the throne would know exactly what he or she was expected to do, as would everyone else.  If, perhaps, the Gap Year were broken up into three terms, it would allow for three, four-month stints in various areas.  These could include an area of personal, charitable interest, like Harry’s sojourn to Africa, an introduction to something integral to their future role, such as the workings of the government and four months of private interest.  With something such as this in place, there would be few squabbles if the future Harry’s and William’s decide to go trekking the Sahara for four months or island hopping in the Pacific.

As for the size of the Royal Family of the future, it is certain to be smaller than it is today.  What it definitely does need, is to be is fairer than it is presently.  In this day and age, there is absolutely no excuse for a female, first child not to be the direct heir to the throne.  Similarly, a future Princess Anne should be, until a future Prince of Wales father’s a child, second in line to the throne.  Sweden’s King Carl Gustav allegedly once said that ‘men make better monarchs than women’, but what is far truer is that some people make better monarchs than others. 

I would even go, as far as to say that today, spouses, regardless of their gender, should be given equal titles to their royal partners.  A future Prince Philip, should be Philip, King Consort and a future Timothy Lawrence should be offered the title of Prince.  The former position has long been contentious, going back to even Victoria and Albert and discussion of Philip’s title caused just as much of a stir.  It cannot make such a marriage easy.   On the other hand, should a husband of a princess decide not to take the title of prince, he should still enjoy precedence as the wife of a princess.  A prince in this century should not be more important than a princess. 

As for the grandchildren of a monarch, it seems to me that it would be easier and more acceptable for those not the children of the immediate heir, to be styled simply as Lord or Lady or, perhaps, His or Her Highness Prince or Princess, as is done in Denmark.  This way, there is not a glut of royalty, which we have seen, can be provocative and the individual is free to lead their lives as anyone else, unless circumstances within the royal family change. 

While each European monarchy has its own personality, there is no doubt that for a very long time, the British Royal family set the standards to which the others tried to follow.  The same cannot be said today.  The much-loved Queen Silvia of Sweden was the first true commoner to become Queens of a European country. Silvia, in no small way, played in integral role in helping to push the republican tide in that country, in the 1970’s.  

Again, in Sweden, the laws of succession were changed to reflect modern times, by making the first born child of the monarch the immediate heir to the throne.  This law was copied in a number of other European countries and perhaps, in the not so distant future, in Japan as well.  While in Britain, although such a change has been discussed, nothing yet has been decided upon. 

Similarly the archaic law that forbids the heir marrying someone of the Catholic faith is outdated.  It certainly does nothing to improve relations between the two faiths, and were children of such a union brought up in the Church of England, the marriage could do no harm.  While it may have had its place in history, that is where it now belongs. 

We were tempted, not that long ago, by the announcement of the formation of The Way Ahead Group, consisting of some of the members of the royal family.  The Group apparently met to discuss the direction the royal family would take in the future and discuss issues such as some of those, which I have mentioned.  We’ve not heard much about the Group since.  I suspect that the numerous scandals that have plagued the family along the way have contributed to its demise, but its reformation would be a prudent move.  

Although there are three generations in the family now, each one has something important to contribute in shaping the monarchy for tomorrow.  And, while I won’t bother waiting by the mail box for my invitation, I do look forward to hearing about some changes to the monarchy that will help it travel safely through this century..

- Gioffredo