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The Guardian view on the Queen’s milestone: look beyond a record-breaking reign The Guardian view on the Queen’s milestone: look beyond a record-breaking reign
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Whatever your views of the monarchy, it is hard not to admire Elizabeth Windsor’s stamina. As of today, she has sat on the throne for longer than anybody in a line of predecessors that stretches back to Alfred the Great. She may have had less washing up and fewer bills to worry about than most women her age, but she can hardly be called lazy. Fast approaching her 90s, she continues to meet, speak and travel her way through an itinerary that owes a great deal more to duty than to whim. Because she does all these things without putting a foot out of place, there is less debate than there should be about what use – if any – 21st-century Britain still has for a crown. Whatever your views of the monarchy, it is hard not to admire Elizabeth Windsor’s stamina. As of today, she has sat on the throne for longer than anybody in a line of predecessors that stretches back to Alfred the Great. She may have had less washing up and fewer bills to worry about than most people her age, but she can hardly be called lazy. Fast approaching her 90s, she continues to meet, speak and travel her way through an itinerary that owes a great deal more to duty than to whim. Because she does all these things without putting a foot out of place, there is less debate than there should be about what use – if any – 21st-century Britain still has for a crown.
Some may find the idea of an unchanging sovereign watching 12 prime ministers come and go soothing; certainly, it’s remarkable to think that Stalin was still in the Kremlin when her reign began. Sixty-three and a bit years is not an anniversary as such, but this royal record is a cue to reflect on the changes that happen over one adult lifetime. The Elizabethan age stretches from the empire to Europe and perhaps soon beyond, from ration books to internet shopping, from buttoned-up restraint to Jeremy Kyle. Only on rare occasions – notably when Diana died – has the Queen seemed obviously out of step with a changing realm. Shrewdly, she gives little away, properly sticking to the scripted platitudes that keep her above the fray. She has been content to exist as an icon of an age of relative peace and prosperity, and has thereby taken the politics out of the monarchy.Some may find the idea of an unchanging sovereign watching 12 prime ministers come and go soothing; certainly, it’s remarkable to think that Stalin was still in the Kremlin when her reign began. Sixty-three and a bit years is not an anniversary as such, but this royal record is a cue to reflect on the changes that happen over one adult lifetime. The Elizabethan age stretches from the empire to Europe and perhaps soon beyond, from ration books to internet shopping, from buttoned-up restraint to Jeremy Kyle. Only on rare occasions – notably when Diana died – has the Queen seemed obviously out of step with a changing realm. Shrewdly, she gives little away, properly sticking to the scripted platitudes that keep her above the fray. She has been content to exist as an icon of an age of relative peace and prosperity, and has thereby taken the politics out of the monarchy.
What she has not done, however, is extract the monarchy from politics. Nobody could. The crown’s very existence affects Britain’s political culture and its constitutional groundrules. A born-to-reign monarch tops a class pyramid, and embodies that deference to lineage on which aristocracy rests. Parliament’s unreformed upper house contains not only a throne but also 92 peers whose qualification for writing the law is who their father was. The Queen also heads an established church, whose bishops sit in the Lords. She’s certainly no Vladimir Putin, but she has the right to annex territory – as she did, in name at least, with the tiny island of Rockall in 1955. Her real prerogative powers had been effectively transferred to politicians and officials long before her coronation. But even so, the robing of authority in royal mystique does nothing for accountability.What she has not done, however, is extract the monarchy from politics. Nobody could. The crown’s very existence affects Britain’s political culture and its constitutional groundrules. A born-to-reign monarch tops a class pyramid, and embodies that deference to lineage on which aristocracy rests. Parliament’s unreformed upper house contains not only a throne but also 92 peers whose qualification for writing the law is who their father was. The Queen also heads an established church, whose bishops sit in the Lords. She’s certainly no Vladimir Putin, but she has the right to annex territory – as she did, in name at least, with the tiny island of Rockall in 1955. Her real prerogative powers had been effectively transferred to politicians and officials long before her coronation. But even so, the robing of authority in royal mystique does nothing for accountability.
For some, Wayne Rooney’s new England goal-scoring record will be of more interest than a monarchical milestone, which can achieve real significance only if it sparks a debate about the crown and its consequences. The issue is not the way that the Queen does her strange job. In the Elizabethan autumn, she is as popular as she ever was: her ability to go on for as long as she wants to is a settled political fact. But now that her reign is longer than any other in history, it is surely timely to ask what happens next.For some, Wayne Rooney’s new England goal-scoring record will be of more interest than a monarchical milestone, which can achieve real significance only if it sparks a debate about the crown and its consequences. The issue is not the way that the Queen does her strange job. In the Elizabethan autumn, she is as popular as she ever was: her ability to go on for as long as she wants to is a settled political fact. But now that her reign is longer than any other in history, it is surely timely to ask what happens next.
There are immediate questions about the next coronation ceremony – the oaths, and the role of religion. Britain has not had to give thought to such magic since 1953, a time when new Commonwealth immigration was only beginning, and when the typical subject would at least be relied upon to believe they were, in some vague sense, Church of England. Today, beyond the theatrics, huge questions hang over the constitution. The uncertain fate of the union is one of very few issues of the last 63 years on which Elizabeth’s personal views could not be disguised. Nationalists talked up her potential as a new Queen of Scots during the referendum campaign, a recognition that the prospect of losing her would drive some back to the union flag. It cannot be assumed that her eldest son, who lacks his mother’s talent for keeping her mouth shut, will make the same contribution to keeping the kingdom united. There are immediate questions about the next coronation ceremony – the oaths, and the role of religion. Britain has not had to give thought to such magic since 1953, a time when new Commonwealth immigration was only beginning, and when the typical subject would at least be relied upon to believe they were, in some vague sense, Church of England. Today, beyond the theatrics, huge questions hang over the constitution. The uncertain fate of the union is one of very few issues of the last 63 years on which Elizabeth’s personal views could not be disguised. Nationalists talked up her potential as a new Queen of Scots during the referendum campaign, a recognition that the prospect of losing her would drive some back to the union flag. It cannot be assumed that her eldest son, who lacks his mother’s talent for keeping one’s mouth shut, will make the same contribution to keeping the kingdom united.
The publication of Charles’s “black spider memos” revealed a man who blends the cranky with the conservative and the compassionately concerned. They were, however, consistent in expressing strong views. This is a man who will struggle to allow disparate citizens of a diverse country to project whatever values they like on to him. Republican voices, and this newspaper is one, would prefer that the next head of state should be chosen on grounds of suitability, not settled by blood. But if the job is fated to pass to an heir who is not obviously cut out for it, then it is surely in his interest – not to mention the country’s – to start talking now about what a modernised monarchy would involve.The publication of Charles’s “black spider memos” revealed a man who blends the cranky with the conservative and the compassionately concerned. They were, however, consistent in expressing strong views. This is a man who will struggle to allow disparate citizens of a diverse country to project whatever values they like on to him. Republican voices, and this newspaper is one, would prefer that the next head of state should be chosen on grounds of suitability, not settled by blood. But if the job is fated to pass to an heir who is not obviously cut out for it, then it is surely in his interest – not to mention the country’s – to start talking now about what a modernised monarchy would involve.