The often romanticized monarchy of Britain is slowly losing its significance.
From the day after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, comments circulated about the deteriorating English monarchy, beginning with the tags #AbolishTheMonarchy and #NotMyKing taking a rise on social media. Now, with King Charles III receiving cancer treatment and Princess Kate Middleton recovering from abdominal surgery, both are avoiding the public eye, rendering the throne weaker than ever.
King Charles and Princess Kate were both absent at a memorial service this week for the late King Constantine of Greece due to their current medical conditions. However, Prince William of Wales, husband of Catherine, or Kate, Princess of Wales, also canceled his attendance due to a “personal matter.”
The primary members of the family attending the memorial were the disgraced Prince Andrew and Queen Camilla, who was involved in an affair with King Charles when he was married to his first wife, Princess Diana.
Of course, holding positions of royalty does not disqualify the royal family from undergoing human ailments, nor do such ailments mar their noble office. But the fact that England’s only royal representatives at an internationally attended event were family members of the crown viewed in some disgrace for their past conduct seems to symbolize a decline in English monarchy.
Since the Glorious Revolution, the British monarchy has gradually lost its power to Parliament and has become more of a representative of the U.K. than an actual country-leading office. Even the official “royal.uk” website states, “Although The Sovereign no longer has a political or executive role, he or she continues to play an important role in the life of the nation.” It further says, “The Sovereign acts as a focus for national identity, unity and pride.”
Queen Elizabeth brought a bit of a revival to the monarchy due to her young ascent to the throne at age 25 and her 70-year reign in which she won over the hearts of many with her charm. In fact, if you enter some of the homes of her loyal subjects, you are bound to see Elizabethan paraphernalia plastered about.
This loyalty was endearing when given to a darling old woman always seen in a brightly colored hat with a smile on her face. When Elizabeth was queen, the monarchy certainly served its purpose as a source of patriotic inspiration.
But is the time of the English monarchy drawing to an end?
With King Charles battling cancer, talk of the next heir to the throne has already begun. If he were to die, Prince William and his wife Princess Kate would be crowned king and queen of England.
King Charles seems to be a passing specter who will neither draw near to replacing Elizabeth nor make a great difference in British history.
Will Prince William and Princess Kate be able to rebuild the royal reputation established by Elizabeth?
While Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan Markle have shown a disinterest in their royal connections by leaving the royal family, William and Kate seem to have filled their roles and begun rebuilding the Elizabethan legacy.
If the sole value of the English monarchy is to serve as a representative of national pride, the king and queen of England must be people worth being proud of, even more so than in ruling times.
William and Kate have the potential to uphold the throne by making appearances at political and social gatherings and by living an idyllic British lifestyle with their three adorable children. However, the future of the throne looks dim because, after a few uninspiring monarchs, the purpose of the monarch will quite literally be that of a figurehead.
