The death of Elizabeth II makes people ask a question: where will the British royal family go?
The Queen of England is the Head of State of the United Kingdom and the Head of State of the Commonwealth. Elizabeth II is deeply respected by the British people, although Crown Prince Charles will inherit the throne, but the image of Charles and his wife in the hearts of the people can not be compared with Elizabeth II.
At the beginning of the Queen's reign, she pushed Parliament to amend the royal succession law, fearing that if something happened to her, her son Charles would not be able to succeed to the throne because he was a minor. But with the Queen's "super long standby", Crown Prince Charles became the oldest heir to the throne in British history. In recent years, some of the Queen's powers and official activities have been gradually transferred to Crown Prince Charles.
Elizabeth II and Prince Philip had four children: the eldest son, Crown Prince Charles, the daughter, Princess Anne, the second son, Prince Andrew, and the younger son, Prince Edward. The most talked about among the grandchildren are Crown Prince Charles's two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Princess Anne was lower in the ranking of heirs to the throne, but the story of her divorce and remarriage that year was boiling over, which once worried the Queen.
In 1981, the "wedding of the century" between Crown Prince Charles and Princess Diana made the world envious, but in the 1990s, his and Camilla's many years of scandal were exposed, becoming a "scandal of the century". In 1996, Charles divorced Diana, and he was condemned by public opinion. After Diana died in a car accident in 1997, Charles and the British royal family were once pushed to the forefront of public opinion.
Charles and Diana
In 2005, Charles and Camilla married in a low-key manner, but they still failed to gain public understanding. Camilla served as a "concubine" for 17 years, and it was not until February 6 of this year that the Queen announced that his wife Camilla would have the title of queen when Crown Prince Charles would become king in the future.
Prince Andrew was once the pride of the Queen, he served in the British Air Force for 22 years, worked as a pilot, and was a "combat hero". But in 1996 he divorced his wife, Ferguson, and their public image was tarnished. What really made him disliked by the British people was the sex scandal that Prince Andrew had been involved in in recent years in the case of the rich American businessman Epstein. In 2019, after Epstein died in prison, Prince Andrew was on the show, originally wanted to "wash white", but because of the difficulty of convincing the public to cause public opposition again, he finally withdrew from royal affairs that year.
Prince Andrew
Fortunately, Prince Edward, the younger son of Elizabeth II, is low-key, and he is in harmony with the original Princess Sophie, and the two have a son and a daughter, which is the most worrying pair for the Queen.
Of the Queen's two grandchildren, Prince William, the eldest son of Crown Prince Charles, chose a modest royal path — he trained in the military, then went to college, met Princess Kate, and married in 2011 with three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Prince William and his wife have a better image in the public eye than Crown Prince Charles, and William and Kate often represent the royal family at events, are well recognized by the public, and are playing an increasingly important role in the royal family.
Prince William's younger brother, Prince Harry, has been a bit of a "toss-up" in recent years, marrying Megan Markle, an American actor who has been married in 2018. But after marriage, Harry and Meghan became increasingly unable to adapt to royal life, and after a period of entanglement, they officially quit the royal family in March 2020, and then went to the United States to settle down, and the news of discord with the royal family was once reported. The two have two children, and relations with the royal family have eased somewhat in the past two years.
As early as 2006, there were media reports that the Queen would appropriately "naturally and discreetly transfer some of the power" to Crown Prince Charles after the age of 80. Crown Prince Charles began to attend some receptions in place of the Queen, and also participated in events such as the Commonwealth Heads of State Summit. In April 2018, Crown Prince Charles was approved to take over as the next Commonwealth Head of State.
In 2019, there was news that Elizabeth II may transfer power to Crown Prince Charles after the age of 95, but at that time, some royal experts pointed out that although the queen will transfer power, according to her own statement on many occasions, she will never voluntarily abdicate. The queen did not break her word, and she persisted in her work until the end.
In recent years, some Commonwealth countries have begun to bid farewell to the British monarch. On November 30 last year, the Caribbean island nation of Barbados became a republic, and Sandra Mason, who had previously served as governor of Barbados, was elected the country's first president, replacing Queen Elizabeth II as head of state, and Crown Prince Charles attended the ceremony. Occupied by the British in the early 17th century, Barbados became independent in 1966 and later became a member of the Commonwealth.
In addition to Barbados, Caribbean countries such as Jamaica, Belize and the Bahamas are also considering transitioning to a republic. In March this year, Prince William and his wife visited the Caribbean region, and they were met with a series of public protests, and Jamaican Prime Minister Haunis said bluntly: "Our country wants independence." Prince William said in his speech: "We support and respect your decisions about the future. ”
Australia, which recently completed its change of prime minister, is also considering saying goodbye to the British royal family. Australia's new Prime Minister Albanes is a supporter of the republic, and after taking office, he appointed Australia's first assistant minister for republic affairs, which is considered to be Australia's second move closer to the republic.
In an interview with the British, Australian Governor-General Hurley said australians gave Elizabeth II a lot of "emotional support", but after the Queen, the situation may change. "I think there's a lot of attention to the Queen right now, but when she leaves and a successor emerges, Australia will have a new discussion about it."
Polls conducted this year by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation showed a slight increase in the number of people supporting Australia's transition to a republic compared to 2019. In 2019, 39% of respondents agreed to abolish the monarchy, and this year the proportion rose to 43%. Canadian media quoted a poll in April as saying that while nearly two-thirds of Canadians still have a favorable view of Elizabeth II, 51 percent of respondents oppose continuing to maintain a constitutional monarchy.
Even in britain, the support for a constitutional monarchy is not optimistic. According to a survey released in May 2021 by the British pollster YouGov, 41% of respondents in the UK (excluding Northern Ireland) aged 18 to 24 supported the election of a head of state, more than 31% who wanted to maintain the monarchy. In 2019, 46% of respondents aged 18 to 24 supported monarchy, while only 26% supported the election of heads of state.
After Elizabeth II, where will the British royal family go? The Independent believes that the future of the British monarch and royal family seems to be "smaller, less expensive, more democratic, less flashy" and "more reflective of the multicultural and multicultural communities of contemporary Britain and the Commonwealth". At the same time, the royal family must also work harder in areas such as diplomacy, trade, and charity. "The secret of the British monarchy, which lasted for more than 1,000 years, is its ability to adapt to the changing times and act according to the will of the people and politicians," the report said. Charles had no reason not to. ”
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