Why does britain need monarchy

A selection of his letters have previously been revealed following Freedom of Information Requests. The Prince Charles Manifesto. The only interruption to the institution of the Monarchy was its brief abolition from to , following the execution of Charles I and the rules of Oliver Cromwell and his son, Richard. The Act of Settlement, critically, passed the power to decide on succession to the throne to Parliament.

By the beginning of the 20th Century, power had passed almost entirely to Parliament. In , the British M onarchy agreed an end to the primogeniture rule for descendants of the Prince of Wales.

This means that if the first child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had been a girl, she would succeed to the throne ahead of any brothers that she may have. It was agreed to abolish the rule which says that no-one who marries a Roman Catholic can become M onarch.

However, the monarch must be in communion with the Church of England because he or she is the head of that church. The early s have seen the British Royal Family endure their most difficult period in the media spotlight since the divorce of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in the early s. The comments came at a bad time for the Royal Family, with Prince Andrew facing regular questions around his relationship with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. He had acted as royal consort between and , making him the longest ever serving royal consort.

MPs pay tribute to Prince Philip. I will continue to treasure and draw inspiration from the countless kindnesses shown to me in this country and throughout the Commonwealth. Thank you all. I am not a royalist.

Not at all. I am definitely a Republican in the British sense of the word. Since there have been 18 referendums on the monarchy in Europe. A less formal test of popular support is through opinion polls, which regularly show that between 60 and 80 per cent of people wish to retain the monarchy. Support is highest in Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK, at 70 to 80 per cent; and a little lower in Belgium, Spain and Sweden, at 60 to 65 per cent. Arguably the expectation to respond to intense media scrutiny is a form of continuous accountability.

It is likely that a number will review their constitutional status when Elizabeth II dies. This is a decision that the monarchy and successive British governments have made clear is entirely a matter for the countries themselves to determine. Australia, Barbados and Jamaica have considered becoming republics.

Some others have held unsuccessful referendums to change — Australia, Tuvalu, St Vincent and the Grenadines. Whereas in Barbados most of the necessary legislation is reported to be in place though not finally activated, in Jamaica successive Prime Ministers have long advocated that Jamaica should become a republic, and several have committed to achieving that.

Both major parties want Jamaica to become a republic. The difficulty lies in the Jamaican constitution, which has very high thresholds for constitutional change: two thirds majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and a referendum. If Scotland becomes independent, what will happen to the monarchy?

SNP policy is to retain the monarchy in an independent Scotland. Scotland would become one of the realms, like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, where the Queen is also head of state. Her title in Scotland would be Queen of Scotland. What present factors affect whether the UK will become a republic? None of these steps is in the gift of the monarch. At present, retirement could be attained only by resort to regency or abdication, both of which would require commensurate action in all fifteen of the Commonwealth realms where the Queen is head of state.

Prince Charles would then become Regent. The same procedure would apply should he in turn be declared infirm and unable to act as Regent. Any declaration of incapacity needs to be supported by medical evidence. Granted the present good health of the Queen, no resort to regency seems imminent. The Queen no longer undertakes long journeys abroad and the Prince of Wales deputises.

Our Royal Insider Facebook group is the best place for up-to-date news and announcements about the British royal family, direct from Insider's royal reporters. Join here. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Mikhaila Friel. Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview has led to debate over whether the monarchy could be abolished.

If the monarchy ceased to exist, the Queen would have to give up Buckingham Palace. Kate Middleton and Prince William would pursue financial independence like the Sussexes. More from Reuters. Sign up for our newsletter Subscribe for our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox.