God Save the Queen

The Australians have been independent of British rule since 1901 but they still retain their links to them & is evident in their everyday lives - the Queen's face appears on the Australian notes.

Cries of 'God Save the Queen' greet British Royals in Australia
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/197394/1/.html


There have been cries for some time in Australia about being independent of the British. Well, they are, aren't they? The Queen is merely a figurehead there. She shows her face at some events, waves at the people & remind them that they are a nation because her ancestors 200 years ago decided to turn that mass piece of land into a settlement for those who broke the law.

As a result, many wonder if it's even worthwhile at all acknowledging her. In fact, cries for dissolving the British Monarchy is also in contention in Britain itself.

I, for one, am not affected by the Monarchy but I don't see why it should be dissolved. Think about it - the Monarchy is probably the oldest in the world since William the Conqueror (also known as William of Normandy) founded it in 1066 after the Battle of Hastings. Despite all the trials & tribulations the Monarchy went through, the wars, uprisings & all other revolts, it hasn't fallen apart (OK, the members in the family are another issue altogether).

The British Monarchy is an institution and IS Britain & all that it stands for. Why do millions of people flock to London to squeeze with the crowds at Buckingham Palace, wondering if Her Majesty is in residence or not? Postcards sold all over London have pictures of the Royal Guards in their famous red coats & bear-skin hats, Buckingham Palace or some other royal residence. So tell me, even if the Queen & the Monarchy is politically redundant, you have to admit that they bring in the tourists to the country. Think about how much money Prince William's postcards, pictures, calendars, etc bring in for the country. See, not even King but he's already done his part for the country. Well done, Will!




Of course, there are those who think that maintaining the Monarchy is a waste of public funds. Indeed it is. Imagine paying £10million a year on paying the Royals their salaries & maintaining their official residences, offices & expenses in the call of public duties. That is a huge amount considering that most of the time, these Royals just wave their hands, grace events & smile. Their royal residences are definitely costly to maintain because of age of these buildings as well as ensuring they are up to date. I guess the Queen has been wise in volunteering to pay taxes on her personal income.

However, the romantic notion of the Monarchy is a draw, well, at least for someone like me. Too many tales of political intrigues, political assassinations...run in my mind. I always thought that these tales will form a brilliant legacy for the British & indeed they will. The bit on kings, queens, princes, princesses, dukes, duchesses....they are like fairy tales come alive, except that they really did exist before.

Well, like the legend/superstition says, for as long as the ravens remain in the Tower of London, the British Monarchy will stay. God save the Queen!