Uneasy lies the crown
Whatever is troubling the royal family can be healed with unity among the subjects. All it takes is for the new King Charles III to lead the healing.
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Daily TribuneWhatever is troubling the royal family can be healed with unity among the subjects. All it takes is for the new King Charles III to lead the healing.
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As the pomp and ceremony of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee ended with Her Majesty's passing, the allure of the monarchy to a younger generation of Britons is no longer as enticing as it was once, a survey has indicated.
Young people aged 18 to 24 are said to be turning their backs on the monarchy, with 41 percent favoring an elected head of state instead. Only 31 percent said they wanted a king or queen.
This is a reversal from just two years ago, a YouGov study said, when 46 percent favored the monarchy and 26 percent wanted it gone.
The current British monarchy dates back to William the Conqueror, who invaded England in 1066. For centuries before that, however, royal families ruled many kingdoms across England, Scotland and Wales.
Among all British people, the survey, however, showed better support for the royal family with 61 percent. Only 24 percent believe there should be an elected head of state.
When Queen Elizabeth II was still alive, there was not much concern about the future of the monarchy as she remained popular even at the tail end of her 70-year reign. But now that she is gone, observers have raised concern over the decreasing support of younger Britons.
Among 4,870 adults in the survey aged 25 to 49, 53 percent supported keeping the monarchy. That is down five percent from a 2019 survey, while support for an elected head of state was up four percent.
Among those over 65, 81 percent supported the monarchy, nearly the same number as two years ago.
The last few months, according to VOA news.com, have been especially difficult for the royal family. In April, Elizabeth's husband Prince Philip died at age 99. And in March, there was an interview by the queen's grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan with television star Oprah Winfrey.
In the widely watched interview, the couple said the royal family did not provide them with emotional or financial support and were asked by family members about the skin color of their unborn child. The two officially left the monarchy in early 2020.
Past surveys, VOA said, have shown that younger generations also hold more favorable feelings toward Harry and Meghan.
In fact, a special poll predicted that the royal family will fall once Queen Elizabeth's reign ends. It is clear from the results that more and more young people across Britain are losing their faith in a monarchy that has struggled to keep its reputation as well as gain respect among the younger generation.
Several high-profile internal issues and scandals that rocked the royal family over the last few years did not help any. Experts believe their current position may not even improve with time.
Those who want to keep the monarchy, however, cautioned the young Britons to desist from pushing for the abolition of the monarchy, pointing out that it is still a critical part of the kingdom's constitutional settlement.
They say the monarchy provides stability in times of trouble and certainty in times of danger. What is needed at this time, they claim, is to inspire young people and teach them all the good that the monarchy brings as personified by the Queen during her long reign.
Indeed, the monarchy has been very much part of the Britons' DNA. Whatever is troubling the royal family can be healed with unity among the subjects. All it takes is for the new King Charles III to lead the healing and for the monarchy to reinvent itself again as it has done so many times in the past.
It certainly has enough tools to make it survive any opposition.
