It is probable that most readers of en are in favour of a constitutional monarchy rather than a republic, though of course there are arguments for both views. This is not the time and place for that discussion! But whether we are monarchists or republicans we can recognise that the length of service of The Queen is something both to mark and to celebrate.
She is, of course, Britain’s longest-serving monarch. And then there is also the manner in which she has conducted herself. Family travails have come aplenty for her – and one cannot but help feel for her in this regard – but she herself has been uniformly dignified, above any whiff of real scandal.
We have only to look across at the situation facing the Spanish monarchy (where King Juan Carlos had to abdicate in 2014 following scandals) or to the Netherlands (where King Willem-Alexander had to apologise in 2020 for ‘betraying the trust’ of his people) to see that monarchies don’t always work out so well. And when we consider a presidential system, the recent experiences of the US perhaps serve to many as a painful reminder of where things can end up!
