Remembering HM Queen Elizabeth II

In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II died in her Platinum Jubilee year; aged 96. She was our longest-reigning monarch and dedicated her life to royal duty. There have been a few nice pieces in the press. 

The portrait below was released by the King today of the late Queen. It's nice, but not the best I've seen.

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In defence of the Crown

I thought I'd write a little piece defending the Crown.  A recent BBC poll suggested that the Crown is losing popularity among the younger generation in Britain. I'm a supporter of the constitutional settlement of 1689. But, I fear there is a serious disconnect with our history alongside a decline in social and political probities with a postmodernist decline in respect for institutions. So, I think my generation might be the last to have the Monarchy.

Our former Queen was the embodiment of what Walter Bagehot defined as the "dignified" part of the state (against the "efficient"). The Cabinet, Parliament and Prime Minister fall into the "efficient". To me, the Crown serve two important & subtle functions.

(1) Firstly, the Crown is the legitimation of power that is tied to the former Kings and Queens of England and, with it, our broader tradition and history. Constitutional monarchy gives stability. The continuous election of heads of state alters the focus of national identity. I think Presidential Republics, esp. like the United States, are the worse for it (though there are exceptions, perhaps Australia). America's political animosity and ill-will arises because it lacks an apolitical and neutral central figure of mutual respect that imbues the organs of state with a purpose and calling beyond the quotidian business of government. That is why the Crown is apolitical. Their purview extends beyond the contemporary and towards the distant future of our country. When a judge enters the court, all stand in a mark of respect. The Crown ties the whole state with the nation's dignity and history - via the sense of continuity. As Edmund Burke wrote:

People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors. Besides, the people of England well know that the idea of inheritance furnishes a sure principle of conservation and a sure principle of transmission, without at all excluding a principle of improvement.

We live in an age where there is such little respect for the offices of institutions, and a calling beyond ourselves. I was recently shocked to discover that George Catlett Marshall (who is regarded as the architect of the United States victory in WWII and served both Roosevelt and Truman administrations) completely refused to write a memoir of his time in office. The Crown stand for something quite different (exception = Harry & Markle). Today, MPs regularly appear on television shows and publish their memoirs. Despite being offered huge advances, Marshall felt publishing his autobiography would be an improper profiting from government service.

(2) Secondly, the Crown - as an institution - is the ultimate check-and-balance against dictatorships. The Crown brings that sense of respect, order and legitimacy that inherently opposes it. The Monarch lacks the power to rule, while the executive lacks the ceremonial standing and worth to command.

Well, those are my thoughts.

Have a lovely weekend.