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Calista Brooks

Prof. Riley

ENG 1201

27 July 2020

The Relevance of the Royal Family

The House of Windsor, which is the last name of the current members of the royal

family, came about in the year 1917, by a proclamation of King George V (Berry). The royal

family itself has been ruling for much longer, over 2,000 years. The family for the majority is

respected all over the world. That can further prove to show precisely how relevant they still

are. On the other hand, it is also used as an argument from the opposing side as evidence of the

Windsors only being viewed as if they are celebrities on a reality show. So, the ultimate

question is “How is the royal family still relevant in today’s society?” The royal family’s

philanthropist generosity, along with the classy image Queen Elizabeth ll provides, gives the

House of Windsor much-continued relevance in today’s society.

All my life, I have always been conscious of the royal family, even though they are an

entire continent away. My grandmother and my mother both speak in remembrance of the day

of Princess Diana’s death; we even attended an exhibit centered around her life. I even have a

recollection of my mom waking me up very early in the morning, and we sat in bed and

watched the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton: April 29, 2011. I knew it was

special, as she explained to 6-year-old me how it all works; how they were to be the future

heirs. I have ever since been interested in every wedding, and every child born, in the

astonishing royal family.

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The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. That means unlike the United States,

it doesn’t have a single codified constitution (Roos). A mediated set of rules known as

constitutional “conventions,” regulates the balance of power for both the monarchy and the

Parliament, who are elected officials that make the true political decisions. These rules are both

written down and carried through customs and traditions. The Prime Minister is the head of the

elected officials and oversees all policies and decisions.

With the queen’s reserve powers, she cannot act independently, and she has no true

choice in appointing a prime minister or making laws. She does, however, have to give the

stamp of approval to each decision (Roos). The royal family has come more to serve as a figure

of long-lasting, steady unity for the United Kingdom. Therefore, the question of “Is the royal

family still relevant?” is one that is being asked quite often by many people, especially United

Kingdom taxpayers. Even though our government formed following a revolution against English

rule, there is still a great deal of interest in the Royal House of Windsor here in the United

States.

Countless people from all over the world year-round visit England just to get a glimpse

at royal landmarks. Therefore, much of the British economy is brought in through the Royal

Family of England. In 2018, the royals were said to have cost 207,735,000 U.S. dollars, while

contributing $749,105,000 to the economy through merchandise and tourism (Campbell). In

fact, in the last five years, the family is said to have provided $3,525,200,000 for the UK

economy. So, not only does the royal family provide a classy image to respect, but they also

benefit the economy of the United Kingdom. Even if money isn’t directly involved, media deals,
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such as TV shows or documentaries centered around the royal family, play a big role. Most

civilians seem to look up to their image.

Multiple sources I have read have said the royal family has become a figurehead for the

Commonwealth. According to the scholarly article by Tristram Hunt titled “Monarchy in the

UK,” “For countries in the Commonwealth, it is the queen that has played a critical part in this

process; in practical terms, she has connected peoples and nations in a way that no other

figurehead could have done.” The queen especially has provided a respectful and classy image

to look up to. Even from here in the US, we hear the latest news from the family constantly.

There are plenty of people here who genuinely care about what happens in their lives. The

royal family has become celebrities, and rightfully so.

Fig. 1. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge connect with the commonwealth (Dunn)

The activities in which the royal family participate in are called “engagements,” which

are mostly led by Queen Elizabeth II. The royal family carries out about 2,000 engagements

each year in the UK as well as overseas (Goodey). These events can include: throwing parties at

the palace, presenting citizen awards, taking diplomatic trips, opening new sessions of

Parliament, or hosting heads of state. Queen Elizabeth in fact, carried out 295 engagements in
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2019 (Praderio). About 3,000 charity organizations had a member of the royal family as a

patron.

There are even charities the royal family has started themselves. These organizations

range from education to the environment, hospitals to housing. Some examples include The

Prince’s Trust, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, and The Princess Royal Trust for Carers.

This also helps the family interact with locals easier; to get to know their problems, concerns,

and interests. The family cares a lot about their people, receiving and answering about 100,000

letters each year (Goodey). It is made apparent the Windsors are selfless people.

The engagements in which the monarch cannot attend are put into the hands of the

other royals such as William; the future king, and Catherine; the Duchess of Cambridge. They

are where the queen cannot be, to support her (Praderio). They make the guests feel welcome

at events such as state banquets, garden parties, and receptions. There are about 70,000

people entertained each year by lunches, dinners, receptions, and garden parties within the

Royal residences (Goodey). They also fully support the queen as she travels elsewhere to

strengthen Britain’s diplomatic and economic relations. That also goes for State funerals or

national festivals. The immediate royal family, also known as the senior members, have

dedicated their time to serving the queen and everything she does. If not, the queen would

have to decline many more engagements in which she is offered to attend; she does so much

for the kingdom already.

According to the article “The Queen and Honours” by Emma Goodey, the queen

presents citizens with titles of honor. This includes people such as entertainers like Elton John,

or those with achievements in military and science. Queen Elizabeth is also the Colonel-in-Chief
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of the armed forces, where she oversees many military ceremonies, as well as appoints new

bishops, archbishops, and deans as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. The royal

family often recognizes and supports the work of the Armed Services. They pay regular visits to

the soldiers, sailors, and airmen who serve at home and abroad. The family as a whole plays an

exceedingly important role in strengthening national unity. They participate in local events all

over the UK. They thoughtfully involve themselves in occurrences from the opening of new

community buildings to celebrations or any acts of commemoration.

Fig. 2. Queen Elizabeth II awards a title of honor (Goodey)

Queen Elizabeth’s daughter Princess Anne, or also known as The Princess Royal, is easily

identified as the hardest working royal there is. As stated in Emma Goodey’s article “The

Princess Royal,” she started undertaking public work at the age of 18. The first engagement she

was a part of is the opening of an educational and training centre in Shropshire in 1969. She has

since always been completely involved with charities and therefore has one of the busiest

schedules out of the whole family. Overall, Princess Anne has been involved in over 300

charities, organizations, and military regiments within the UK and even overseas. She has been

closely involved with the creation of several charities as well, such as The Princess Royal’s Trust
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for Carers’. She unquestionably contributes to keeping the good-natured relevance of the

Windsor family.

The article “Monarchy in the UK” by Tristram Hunt focuses on how Prince William

should remake some ways the royals do things in society to make it more modern. The article

revolved around the focus upon Prince William, and how he is going to have to think and plan

carefully and creatively on how to modernize the ways of the British monarchy, while at the

same time, keeping its legitimacy (Hunt). This will keep the relevance of the family especially up

to date. For a specific example, the article mentioned how Prince William should bring an end

to male primogeniture, which he eventually did. In contrast, two other sources “royal.uk” and

“sussexroyyal.com,” which are officially from the royal family, do not mention anything specific

about modernizing to adapt to current society. They talk about how the senior royals serve the

queen in the engagements she cannot be present at. Those websites are official, and straight

from the royal family, while “Monarchy in the UK” is written with a person’s opinion in mind, so

it was more freely discussing how the progressive society should make changes. Countless

differing viewpoints can be found on this subject.

I found an opposing viewpoint for the question of “Is the royal family still relevant?” in a

Time article titled “Britain’s Royal Family Costs Millions. We Should Abolish It.” by Graham

Smith. The subject of taxpayers was brought up, with William and Kate’s wedding costing $34

million, it brings up a debate of popularity and cost. “British taxpayers lose about $468 million a

year just to have a head of state…our monarch is one of the most expensive nonpolitical heads

of state in Europe, at least 12 times more expensive than Ireland’s elected equivalent” (Smith).

It is said to believe by the taxpayers that they should not only be paying for weddings or other
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opulent things such as palatial apartments and security and luxury vacations, but also factors

such as police costs as well.

An article from another website, money.com, also goes into the subject of the royals’

expensive weddings. The Duke (Prince Andrew) and Duchess (Sarah Ferguson) of York especially

supported one of their girls when Princess Eugenie decided to get married to Jack Brooksbank.

The Queen also likely contributed her private income to the celebration. British taxpayers also

footed the bill for security costs, which ended up being between $500,000 and $2 million. The

multi-day event cost about $3.5 million. In comparison, Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018

costs about $45 million, while Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding from 2011 was

about $35 million. Interestingly, the wedding for the next heir of the throne was around $10

million less than Prince Harry’s, who is not directly in line for the throne.

A quote from the article: “‘The royal family is a prime-time soap opera, with viewers

obsessing over new characters, storylines and how it’s doing in the ratings.” This author

believes that the royal family is seen by their celebrity image, rather than an adequate head of

state. Constant spotlight is on the family always. They have to be extremely cautious when out

in public to maintain the appropriate image. There are countless amounts of regulations and

etiquette rules which are required to be followed. These can be very important for the

relevance of the royal family to continue because if no respect is shown through them by the

way they carry themselves, much trust could be lost.

The vision the public has of the royal family is nearly just as important, and very much a

part of every royal’s daily life. It is something that must never leave their minds. There are

endless etiquette rules the Windsors have to follow, and so many of them seem absurd to the
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everyday person. One rule is sitting with your ankles crossed, rather than at your knees. Your

legs and knees must be closed at all times because of all of the dresses and skirts the royals

wear. The most popular sitting pose is the “duchess slant.” The Duchess of Cambridge Kate

Middleton and Princess Diana often sat in this manner (Nowak). The pose helps encourage

modest posture as well as make your legs appear longer. Not only do the royals themselves

have rules to follow, but the civilians also have to show a significant amount of respect if they

ever find themselves in the royals’ presence. These rules help keep the feeling of trust and

loyalty mutual.

The correct ways to greet a member of the royal family serve as etiquette rules for the

civilians. The polite gesture to do when meeting a member of royalty, mostly when in the

presence of the queen, is to slightly curtsey for women: one leg right behind the other, slight

bow of the head. The curtsey doesn’t have to reach the ground. While that is how women

curtsy to respect, men simply do a head bow from the neck. It is a sign of respect and formality

to the royal family. When greeting a royal in terms of speaking, there are also specific ways to

mention royalty while talking to or of them. The formal address to use on presentation to the

queen is ‘Your Majesty’ and ‘Ma’am.’ For any other royal female besides the queen, ‘Your Royal

Highness’ would be used. On the other hand, for male members, the address is ‘Sir’ and also

‘Your Royal Highness.’ (Berry)

The fashion-related rules are heavily enforced to keep the family’s public image

respectful around paparazzi. One of those rules is no visible cleavage (Nowak). The royal family

doesn’t consist of any normal celebrities; they represent the government/monarchy of all of

Great Britain. They are always required to be prim and proper, so cleavage is something they
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always have to be aware of. Princess Diana famously adapted proper placement of her clutches,

which is a small purse or wallet, as a way to discreetly cover her cleavage when entering and

exiting vehicles. The Royals have more than held up their ideal image, but recently, there have

been quite a few scandals floating around.

This shocking announcement was delivered through an Instagram post made by

@sussexroyal. To directly quote a sentence; “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the

royal family and work to become financially independent while continuing to fully support Her

Majesty The Queen.” They now plan to divide their time between North American and The

United Kingdom, preparing to eventually move to Canada. They want their son, Archie, to be

raised with an appreciation of the royal traditions, but to also be involved in a family with

enough space to live their lives more in the way they like (Hallemann). There are plenty of

outside people who look at the situation with many different perspectives, good and bad.

However, Harry and Meghan aren’t the only ones circulating a bit of havoc.

Prince Andrew, or the Duke of York, is the cause of another recent scandal as a junior

member of the family. Prince Andrew has numerous accomplishments. He is a patron of 200 or

more charities, with his time split between supporting the queen at national and international

engagements along with his own. He focuses on supporting young people and giving them a

wide range of options such as vocational learning to ensure development for them to

potentially become economically active. His big concern is keeping the UK an economic leader.

The Duke of York also founded Pitch@Palace which is an annual event where new

entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a roomful of possible business supporters from the

community. (Goodey)
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Unfortunately, Prince Andrew has recently backed away from these accomplishments,

as a result of his association with a conflict involving Jeffrey Epstein. The two of them attended

several private dinners, fundraisers, and parties together and were considered friends.

Unfortunately, Jeffrey Epstein was later accused of sexual assault. It is suspected it was nearly a

lifestyle for Epstein, and he seemed especially guilty. (Osborne)

Due to association, Prince Andrew was also accused by a woman with the name of

Virginia Roberts Giuffre. She claimed she was trafficked by both Prince Andrew and Epstein

three times at one point in 2015, along with eight other young women in Florida who didn’t

seem to even speak English. Virginia was about 18 at the time. The prince claims he has never

seen her before, yet photos have arisen picturing him with his arm around Virginia. Eventually,

Epstein was put into jail, having said to kill himself in his cell. Prince Andrew hasn’t been

pressed with any charges, but he has stepped back from his royal duties because of the lack of

support he has been receiving. There are still plenty of other royal members who continue their

accomplishments in tasteful ways.

Prince Edward; Earl of Wessex, is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth. He is

passionate about charities and organizations which provide opportunities to young people. An

example of a program such as that is The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. It helps the young to

develop skills for life and work. (Goodey) Prince Edward has been deeply committed to the

project since he achieved his own Gold Award in 1986. He travels widely within the UK and

even overseas to present the Gold Awards. He holds annual Gold Award presentations at the

Palace of Holyroodhouse (the official residence of Queen Elizabeth in Scotland). He is all about
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highlighting the achievements of the young generation. The Earl of Wessex has a leading role in

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, as well as about one million other participants in the initiative.

Prince Edward and his wife Sophie; Countess of Wessex, also have their charity originally

called the Wessex Youth Trust. Just last year in 2019, it was renamed The Earl and Countess of

Wessex Trust. It still wholly covers Prince Edward’s beliefs in youth, with the organization

offering grants to support young people. The program also benefits a broad range of youth-

oriented causes such as hospitals and hospices, drug prevention, child protection, sex

education, special education libraries, art groups, and sports facilities. About $3.2 million was

spent through over 180 causes, over two decades. (Goodey)

The royal family’s philanthropist generosity, along with the respectful and classy image

Queen Elizabeth ll provides, gives the House of Windsor substantial relevance in today’s

society. Even though the prime minister and parliament (elected officials) execute all of the

political decisions and laws, The queen is still involved a bit and gives her royal approval.

Opposing views claim the Windsors only serve as a group of celebrities to keep up with as if

they are a reality show. Others believe the family serves as a symbol of unity for England and

the surrounding areas in which the royals rule. The Royal Family of England has participated in

and created thousands of charities and organizations for all kinds of society’s different issues.

The House of Windsor continues to provide valuable relevance in today’s society with their

selfless and caring image, despite the few scandals which come about here and there. The

family gives someone for civilians to look up to in moments in need of peace and unity.
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Works Cited

Berry, Ciara. “Greeting a Member of The Royal Family.” The Royal Family, 2 Apr. 2016,

www.royal.uk/greeting-member-royal-family. Accessed 8 July 2020.

Berry, Ciara. “The House of Windsor.” The Royal Family, 26 Feb. 2016, www.royal.uk/house-
windsor. Accessed 9 July 2020.

Campbell, Craig. “The Royal Family May Cost Us a Mint – but They Bring in Much More.” The
Sunday Post, 18 May 2019, www.sundaypost.com/fp/they-cost-us-a-mint-but-bring-in-
much-more/. Accessed 15 July 2020.

Dunn, Charlotte. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Celebrate the Commonwealth. 22 Mar.
2018, www.royal.uk/duke-and-duchess-cambridge-celebrate-commonwealth. Accessed
13 July 2020.

Goodey, Emma. “The Duke of York.” The Royal Family, 20 Nov. 2019, www.royal.uk/the-duke-

york. Accessed 9 July 2020.

Goodey, Emma. “The Earl of Wessex.” The Royal Family, 13 Sept. 2019, www.royal.uk/the-earl-

of-wessex. Accessed 9 July 2020.

Goodey, Emma. “The Princess Royal.” The Royal Family, 1 Aug. 2019, www.royal.uk/the-

princess-royal. Accessed 9 July 2020.

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Goodey, Emma. “The Queen and Honours.” The Royal Family, 29 Mar. 2019,
www.royal.uk/queen-and-honours. Accessed 13 July 2020.

Goodey, Emma. The Role of the Royal Family. 19 Mar. 2020, www.royal.uk/role-royal-family.

Accessed 2 July 2020.

Hallemann, Caroline. “Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to Step Back from Royal Roles.” Town

& Country, Town & Country, 10 Jan. 2020,

www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a30445450/meghan-markle-prince-

harry-step-back-senior-royal-family-statement/. Accessed 8 July 2020.

Hunt, Tristram. “Monarchy in the UK.” Public Policy Research, vol. 17, no. 4, 2011, pp. 167–174.,

doi:10.1111/j.1744-540x.2011.00626.x. Accessed 1 July 2020.

“Monarchy.” The Official Website of The Duke & Duchess of Sussex,

sussexroyal.com/monarchy/. Accessed 3 July 2020.

Nowak, Claire. “14 Etiquette Rules Everyone in the Royal Family Must Follow.” Reader's Digest,

www.rd.com/culture/royal-family-etiquette/. Accessed 8 July 2020.

Osborne, Lucy. “Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein: What You Need to Know.” The Guardian,

Guardian News and Media, 7 Dec. 2019, www.theguardian.com/uk-

news/2019/dec/07/prince-andrew-jeffrey-epstein-what-you-need-to-know. Accessed 8

July 2020.

Praderio, Caroline. “Here's What the Royal Family Actually Does Every Day.” The Independent,

Independent Digital News and Media, 26 Mar. 2018, www.independent.co.uk/life-

style/what-royal-family-actually-does-every-day-a7540436.html. Accessed 8 July 2020.

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Roos, Dave. “How Much Power Does Queen Elizabeth Really Have?” HowStuffWorks,

HowStuffWorks, 7 Apr. 2020, history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/power-

queen-elizabeth.htm. Accessed 7 July 2020.

Smith, Graham. “Britain's Royal Family Costs Millions. We Should Abolish It.” Time, Time, 18

May 2018, time.com/5282035/abolish-britain-monarchy-republic/. Accessed 3 July

2020.

“There's ANOTHER Royal Wedding Happening. Here's How Much Princess Eugenie's Ceremony

Will Cost – and Why There's Drama About Who's Paying.” Money, money.com/princess-

eugenie-net-worth-wedding/. Accessed 9 July 2020.