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| Twenty years after the annus horibilis, Queen Elizabeth II steers the monarchy to popularity |
1992, which marked the Queen’s 40th year on the throne, was
dubbed “annus horibilis,” a year of tragedy that the Queen will always look
back “with undiluted pleasure.”
The year saw the separation of the Prince and Princess of
Wales, the Duke and Duchess of York, the divorce of Princess Anne from his
first husband, and the Queen’s sensational portrayal in Andrew Morton’s
biography. These scandals all dipped the monarchy’s popularity. To top it all,
Windsor Castle went on fire, which triggered the public demand that royals
should pay taxes as well.
Twenty years past, the monarchy has succeeded in weathering
the storm. The Queen has successfully steered the royal family to safer, calmer
water.
According to Vernon Bogdanor, a constitutional expert at
King’s College London, the main change that the Queen oversaw is the
transformation from being a “magical monarchy to a public service monarchy.”
1952 Britain was “a very deferential society. Apparently,
one third of people thought she had been chosen by God." The monarchy was
a "distant and remote institution". Today, "it is a much more
utilitarian institution, to be judged by what it contributes to public service
and community feeling", said Bogdanor.
Television has something to do in changing how we see the
monarchy today. As King George VI puts it, as media respect for the royal
family’s privacy dwindled, so it will change the monarchy’s relationship with
the people.
Monarchy has to “adapt and evolve” to survive, said
Bogdanor. “It can't be ahead of public opinion, but it can't be too far behind.
It's a difficult balance to achieve.”
It was obvious that “the jubilee shows how enormously
popular she is. It is interesting, even in the 1990s, and her annus horibilis,
in terms of opinion polls the support for the monarchy has remained
extraordinarily stable. The attacks on it, including those from the Guardian,
haven't actually had much influence on public opinion,” said Bogdanor.
The Queen follows the path set by her father and grandfather,
overseeing a “welfare monarchy,” filling the vacuum left by losing its
political power by social service, with patronage roles. In the 18th century,
King George III had nine patronages; today, the Queen has around 800, while the
entire Royal Family takes in 3,500.
To reach out to millions of subjects, and to the world as
well, Buckingham Palace employs the power of social media (Facebook, Twitter,
Youtube, etc) to create an awareness of a monarchy of the people.
The younger generation royals also have their share of
helping the Queen restore the monarchy’s popularity. The duke and duchess of
Cambridge’s wedding, and their overwhelming popularity is a stamp of approval
that the monarchy is still an institution that binds and unites the country.
Robert Lacey, a royal chronicler the royal family, said that
the royal family “has discovered it can't uphold the old-fashioned values of
family life any better than anyone else. But you can set an example of care,
concern, forgiveness, and understanding. And, at that royal wedding, that's
what we saw.”
“This jubilee doesn't just celebrate a person, though it
rightly celebrates the Queen's personal qualities and achievements. It
celebrates an institution and its incredible survival and flowering under her,”
he added.
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