Essay:Why I support the UK’s Monarchy.

Her Majesty the Queen

This essay will document my support for the United Kingdom’s Constitutional Monarchy. It will also refute the most common arguments used by those who wish to see the Monarchy abolished.

Why support the Monarchy?

In my opinion, there are plenty of reasons why keeping the Monarchy is the right thing to do. Here I will discuss the most compelling arguments.

• Economic benefits: By far one of the strongest arguments is the massive economic benefits the Royal Family brings to the UK. ‘’’VisitBritain’’’ calculated that the Monarchy contributes around £1.8bn to the UK’s economy every year, with £550m coming through revenues from tourism . It goes without saying that this is a massive positive for the UK.
• Non-partisan Head of State: I believe that one of the reasons why the Royal family is so popular is their distance from everyday politics. If we had an elected President, like the Republicans want, then they will inevitably be disliked by around half the population. But with a non-partisan Monarch, they are liked and respected by members of all political parties.
• Culture and National identity: The Queen and the Royal family have become a massive part of the UK and the Commonwealth’s Identity. In fact, a majority of people stated that they believe that having a Royal family was part of what in means to be British. Worldwide the Royal Family are respected and admired. Millions of people across the world watched when William and Kate got married. As well as the wedding of Harry and Meghan.
• Useful for diplomacy: The Queen is the Monarch of 32 different countries and is well liked in all of them. Because of this, it is my belief that a Royal visit can be much more beneficial in building ties between these Nations than a visit from a politician.
• What could replace it? Admittedly, this isn't something that I initially thought of but I think it is a good point. What could replace the Monarchy? Would we have a Ceremonial President like Germany? or a President who is both Head of Government and Head of State like the US? And, given the huge amount of time and effort it would take to replace the Monarchy, would it even be worth it? Anti-Monarchists have no clear answer to this so I would argue that it would be much simpler to keep the status quo.

Common arguments against the Monarchy

Thankfully, a vast majority of the British public support the continuation of the Monarchy. That said there are still pockets, often on the left-wing, who would like to see the UK become a Republic. A notable example is Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn. Here will examine and refute the most common arguments used by these anti-Monarchists.

• Its costs too much! Its true, the Monarchy is expensive. The various Castles and Palaces they own cost taxpayers a significant amount of money. From 2017-2018 the Queen cost taxpayers £47.4m - and that's not including all the other Royals! Despite this, I would argue that this is money well spent. I refer you to my previous section about the economic benefits of have a Monarch. To reiterate, the Monarchs contribute a lot more to the economy than they take out.
• Its undemocratic! This is perhaps the most foolish reason for opposing the Royal family and the one that annoys me the most. It is a Constitutional Monarchy – they are ceremonious figures! They have very limited power and the responsibilities that they do have they only exercise at the advice of the democratically elected Parliament!
• Monarchs have unearned privilege! Another foolish argument. Contrary to belief, the Royal family don’t sit on their thrones all day surrounded by gold an jewels. They are constantly doing excellent things. Like raising massive amounts of money for charities and highlighting important causes. . They are always in the public eye so it must be stressful. I wouldn’t want to do it!