The British Monarchy: the cast has changed but the play must go on

One conclusion is indisputable. Elizabeth the Second was the greatest Monarch in the history of the United Kingdom. Boris Johnson declared that she should be known as Elizabeth the Great. Boris is not invariably wrong. Whether by proclamation or acclamation, it is a title that a great Lady has earned.

The Queen’s passing came as a profound shock. But there is also a sense of continuity. That is not the least of her achievements, and the new King also deserves immense credit. In his first address, he found exactly the right language and the tone was pitch-perfect. He mourned as a son; he expressed the authority of a Sovereign. Rarely has anyone conveyed so much in such a brief speech.

There are those who have only thought shallowly about such matters, and who naively assume that, in Britain, tradition impedes progress. On the contrary. Tradition is part of the national rock which creates the stability that makes progress possible – and Monarchy is an indispensable part of that tradition. It is a golden thread running through our history.

There are also those who put forward utilitarian justifications for the Monarchy, making it sound like a branch of the English Tourist Board or a means of avoiding superannuated politicians bringing little dignity to the headship of state. That is all beneath the point. Monarchism is like religious belief. You either feel it, or not. One can no more reason a route to reverence than to faith. Judging by recent events and the current public mood, many more people feel closer to monarchical reverence than to faith.

But that is not universally true. There are a fair few closet subversives, whose dislike of the Monarchy stems from dislike of this country. Many of these characters have spent forty years of increasing frustration. Back in the late Seventies, they assumed that Britain was destined to become a socialist society. Although there would be setbacks along the way, socialism was inevitable. Then came a girl called Thatcher, who had other ideas. The Left’s isms became wasms.

In the post-Thatcher years, it was possible to have thirteen years of a Labour government, ending with socialism as far away as ever and an Old Etonian arriving in No.10. Even so, socialism was not dead: only sleeping. In recent years, there has been a re-awakening, or rather re-awokening. Though they would still like to turn Britain into another, very different, country, the woke-ites have a new strategy, leaving economic issues on one side in favour of an assault on history, traditions and culture.

In this, they rightly identify the Monarchy as a major obstacle. But they will hope that the Queen’s passing should diminish this. Over the years, King Charles has had problems. They might assume that he would not find it easy to command the respect which his mother enjoyed. They would also calculate on recruiting facile modernisers, who may not believe in socialism but who feel no respect for tradition. When an occasion calls upon him to bow, a Monarchist does so with a gladsome mind and feels privileged to be granted such an opportunity. The glib modernisers would just feel social-chip trauma.

We can be sure that virtually as soon as the Committal Service in St George’s Chapel is over, the modernisers will be making their case and calling for an up-to-date monarchy. “Obviously nothing could change much under the Queen,” they will graciously concede, “but now with a new Reign we should have a new dispensation. Why do we need all these Palaces and Princes, all this pomp and pageantry?”

In effect, they will be calling for an Ikea Monarchy, slimmed down, bereft of grandeur, beauty and mystery, sundered from its past, cut off from its heritage: no longer able to provide reassurance in times of doubt, or uplift in times of crisis. The wokers would believe that a diminished Monarchy would no longer be able to prevent them from putting Great Britain to sleep.

Fortunately, all the evidence suggests that the public should provide the ammunition to frustrate their knavish tricks. The crowds who lined the routes to pay their respects to Her Majesty’s coffin, the vast numbers who will file past the coffin while the Queen lies in state will not be calling for a slimline Monarchy in reduced circumstances.

They will understand the consequences of mortality. The cast must change. But there is no reason why the play should not go on. King Charles the Third has had to overcome sadness to become the Heir of Greatness. In that new and onerous role, he is entitled to support and tribute from all his well-intentioned subjects, and all the signs are that he will receive it. Queen and Country expressed the essence of Great Britain. King and Country will continue to do so.

God Save The King. 

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