December 29th, 2007 by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief
Every once in a while there are a spate of news stories that surface, suggesting that the British monarchy is losing support — but a new one is about a poll that suggests the monarchy and Prince William in particular are now on solid ground with young people:
Britons overwhelmingly back the monarchy and would like to see Prince William to be the next monarch, of whose girlfriend Kate Middleton they also wholeheartedly approve, an opinion poll showed Friday.
A poll of 1,004 young people, aged between 18 and 24, showed that nearly 70 per cent want to keep the royal family, even though half of them believe the British royals do ‘not provide value for money.’
The survey, commissioned by Discovery Channel, also found that Prince William, 25, was voted as the top choice for the next monarch - rather than his father, Prince Charles, who is heir to the throne.
Even Queen Elizabeth II gets boffo reviews in this poll (but then she’s now communicating to young people via the Internet):
Despite Queen Elizabeth II, at 81, is the oldest monarch on the throne in British history, 81 per cent of those questioned do not want her to step down.
Prince William, who is currently doing a spell in the armed forces, is the most popular member of the royal family among 18 to 24 year-olds, with 70 per cent wanting him to rule.
His girlfriend Kate Middleton, with whom he is back after a split last April, appears to be a hit with young Britons. Over 80 per cent thought that she would be a good addition to the royal family.
It has often been said over the years that Prince William most resembles his mother, the late Princess Diana. She seemed to have a kind of movie-star appeal both in her appearance and stories people would read about her. The poll suggests the same is now true with William, although it’s unlikely he’ll get to be King anytime soon.
December 28th, 2007 by SWARAAJ CHAUHAN, International Columnist
While an opinion poll in Britain shows that 80 per cent of citizens want the monarchy to continue in their country, Nepal’s parliament voted Friday in favor of abolishing the centuries-old monarchy and turning this Himalayan nation into a republic.
The BBC reports: “Some 78% of respondents agreed that Britain should still have a royal family and 19% disagreed. The Gfk NOP survey of 1,000 people aged 16 and over was commissioned by historian Prof Peter Hennessy, guest editor of Radio 4’s Today programme. When asked if there will be a monarchy in 30 years’ time, 80% said yes and 15% said no.
The Reuters reports: “Britons favour Prince William over his father Charles as their next monarch, with widespread approval for William’s girlfriend boosting his ratings, a poll shows.”
While in Nepal more than two-thirds of parliament voted in favor of amending an interim constitution to end the monarchy after an agreement by the main political parties was reached earlier this week, said Speaker Subash Nembwang, reports IHT.
The developments in the two countries indicate that Britain still favours tradition and continuity in the fast changing world, while the small Himalayan country sees no utility in having a monarch at the helm even as a mere symbol to hold Nepal together.
Since 1800, most of the world’s monarchies have been abolished by dismemberment or annexation, or have been transformed into republics; most current countries that are monarchies are constitutional ones. Among the few states that retain a rather absolute monarchy are Bhutan, Brunei, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Swaziland and the Vatican City (the papal city-state, an electoral theocracy). In Jordan and Morocco, the monarch also retains considerable power. There are also recent (2003) developments in Liechtenstein, wherein the regnant prince was given the constitutional power to dismiss the government at will. More here…
December 20th, 2007 by SWARAAJ CHAUHAN, International Columnist
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II crosses another significant milestone in her life that has been marked by highs and lows…On Thursday she is set “to become Britain’s oldest monarch, overtaking her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria amid signs the royal family is preparing for life after 81-year-old ‘Lillibet’, reports AFP (the photograph above is also courtesy AFP).
It is reported that the monarch, who was born on 21 April 1926, will spend the day on her normal duties and has no public engagements or audiences.
“She is the world’s second-longest living monarch, after Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej; has outlasted 11 prime ministers — the first was Sir Winston Churchill — and is the first to have a premier, Tony Blair, born in her reign.”
“The queen is head of the Commonwealth, made up of 53 mostly former British colonies, but the right of her successor to take over from her is not automatic — instead, the organisation’s leaders must decide.
“Despite her age, the queen shows little sign of slowing down — last month, she and Prince Philip visited Uganda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting and she carried out 425 official engagements last year….”
During her reign, the Queen’s achievements have already included being the first British monarch to send an e-mail, to have a message put on the moon and to hold a public concert in her back garden, reports the BBC.
In November this year the Queen and Prince Philip (the Duke of Edinburgh) celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. When and where did the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh first meet? What was the (then) Princess Elizabeth’s wedding ring made from? Where did Prince Philip have his stag night? How many grandchildren do the Royal Couple have? Find out the answers by clicking here…
The BBC has apologized to the Queen for “misrepresentation.” Even worse, as this BBC report notes, there is now a major inquiry about whether there have been other BBC journalistic glitches.
Watch the report and you’ll note the key role of “fatal” journalistic ASSUMPTIONS…which led to misreporting…which led to the Queen’s image being soiled (to “assume” makes an “ass” out of “u” and “me”). Which led to the BBC getting yet another black eye:
