🇬🇧 Is it time for Britain to abolish the monarchy? | The Stream

With the death of Queen Elizabeth II, could this be the beginning of the end for the British monarchy? As a new king accedes the throne, more Britons are questioning the relevance and need for a ceremonial head of state funded by taxpayer money.

In London, Oxford and Edinburgh, several protesters have been arrested for voicing their anti-monarchy opinions with the slogans #NotMyKing and #AbolishTheMonarchy.

Yet a majority of Britons still support the monarchy and believe the institution is crucial for maintaining national identity, unity and pride. In a YouGov poll taken ahead of Queen Elizabeth's June 2022 Platinum Jubilee weekend, 56% of Britons said the monarchy is good for the country, although that percentage had fallen from 73% in December 2012.

As head of state and head of the Church of England, the British monarch's duties are largely ceremonial. Although Prince Charles had a reputation for expressing his opinions on some political issues, King Charles III is now expected to remain neutral in matters of government.

In this episode of The Stream, we'll look at the debate over the British monarchy’s future and what to expect from the new king.

Join the conversation:

#aljazeeraenglish
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#kingcharles

[elizabethtan]

To begin with, all royals should pay all taxes that any commoner pays.

[mirrormirror]

Birth rights come with titles AND duties. Royal titles without duties is just privilege. This kind of privilege has no place in modern society.

[chi-jenyang]

Instead of abolishing monarchy, I sugges that the UK should expand the royal family to include every citizen that self-identify as royal, and distribute the wealth of royal family equally. Make everyone royal and abolish the commoner class.

[thomasthomasphilp]

Germany had the fairness to come to terms with their brutal history. They teach their history at schools. British dont teach their brutal colonial legacy in their schools.

[alanfurlong-drummer]

Oh please save the country money and get rid of them we are tired of them, yes keep the buildings and the houses, open them to the public, actually let the homeless into keep warm but retire the family from the sheer excesses and leeching off the tax payers.

[jcdova]

It’s been so overdue. Abolish the monarchy now!! All the wealth needs to be given to the people.

[mohammadsultan]

Even if we don't abolish the monarchy, we should definitely not be forced to fund the monarch's lifestyle with our hard-earned salaries. Don't give the monarch any money, simple. They have enough, and if they invested it, they'd still be living luxurious lives on passive income.

[teresaconnolly]

Abolish the monarchy a waste of space and money

[revekat]

Abolishing the monarchy will help the country’s economy.

[mikenewby]

The idea of a monarchy is so incredibly insulting to everyone

[jzilla]

That royalist is very careful not to mention the monarchy of saudi arabia, because it blows up his house of cards

[alhaah]

The monarchy protected democracy? What about other countries? How other countris can protect democracy without monarchy.

[user__]

Britain killed 4 million Indians in Bengal in 1943 by imposing a famine

[superfox]

To try and link inequality in America with the fact that it’s a republic takes a certain amount of delusion that I didn’t even think could exist in a human being’s mind. I didn’t know that a monarchy all of a sudden got rid of special interests and lobbyists and money in politics and nepotism. Except, oh wait, all of those exist in the UK too. Also, this disdain for the American way of doing things doesn’t seem to stop the British government from cowering behind the Americans every time something needs doing on the world stage, now does it. Seriously, at this point, these old fashioned British elites are just arguing for an old person to sit in a palace on eat on taxpayer money because it makes them feel good about themselves that they’re “not like” those “inferior French and Americans” who don’t have an old aristocrat lording over them.

[SorminaESar]

Britain's mind: I reject King Charles III so I said that I don't need monarchy. I want my future leader is accountable, transparency, representatif of me, serve me, elected from the ordinary people like me so I have a good challenge to lead UK in the future. I decided to choose democracy, not monarchy

[Mancunianblue]

ABOLISH, ABOLISH ABOLISH ABOLISH ABOLISH ABOLISH

[vox.vera.vocalcoaching]

Mine is the same! Abolish the monarchy!!! 💪💪💪

[philcollins]

Yes the amount of money this caste system has gobbled up could have housed and feed all the poor in the country.

[tmmartinesq.]

The oldsters will die off and also support for the obsolete British monarchy 🇬🇧

[dragosapina]

God If he thinks that Australians are pro monarchy, he's been talking to some strange Australians