The British Monarchy is a prominent part of British Society. It also has a unique role to fill. Members of the Royal Family have official duties which they must perform, while at the same time they are viewed as celebrity type figures by the media. Each member contributes to various charities throughout Britain and they attend a great number of functions each year. They lead by example and they try to uphold values such as duty and being well mannered, two areas in which the British are internationally recognized.
Each member of the Royal Family has a list of charities and societies of which they are a patron or the President. Prince Philip, the Queen’s husband, was the first president of the World Wildlife Fund in the UK. He is the patron or president of 800 organizations (The Royal Family-HRH Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh-Activities and Interests, 2003, para. 1 and 3). His oldest son, Prince Charles has an interest in the youth of Britain and has set up The Prince’s Trust. This trust helps disadvantaged youth in Britain by giving them money to start businesses, grants, courses to take, and volunteer opportunities (The Royal Family-HRH The Prince of Wales(and family)-Activities and Interests, 2003, para. 2 and 3). All of the Queen’s children, their spouses, and most of their children have put their name to causes. They go to events that raise money for the organizations they support, and people want to go to these events because a royal will be there. They lead by showing support for organizations in British society and by example. They bring attention to worthy causes. An example of this is at a conference where Prince Charles (2003) stated:
The fact is that our rural communities are still going through some of the hardest times that have ever been known. It’s important to remember that agricultural employment is still falling by 4 per cent a year and the average agricultural income is only £8,500."
He added: "It’s absolutely vital to retain the knowledge and wisdom in the countryside for the future. (Innes, 2003)
The three sons of the Queen have all served in the British army. Prince Philip has served as well. The army is another area that the British Monarchy promotes. It is well known that most of the sons of the Royals spend time in the army whether it is the in navy, army or air force.
Another area that the Monarchy promotes is British culture and sport. The late Princess Diana rarely wore clothes by designers who weren’t British and, “she took an active role in supporting and publicizing fashion in the United Kingdom”(Diana, Princess of Style, 1997, para. 13). Zara Philips and her mother Princess Anne both rode horses in international competitions (What a Girl Wants, 2003, para.11).
Not only does the monarchy lead through supporting organizations, some of the royals are figure heads for the British Government and the Commonwealth. The Queen leads in the area of politics and so does her son Prince Charles. The Queen meets with the Prime Minister of Britain, Tony Blair, every week (The Monarchy Today - The Queen's working day - Afternoon, 2003, para. 6). She however is a symbol and does not hold much power in the decisions of Parliament. Prince Charles often speaks with Government Ministers (The Royal Family-HRH The Prince of Wales-Activities and Interests, 2003, para. 1).
While the Monarchy leads through its official duties, it is also looked at as celebrities by the British people much the same way movie stars are in North America. There are magazines devoted to royalty, like Majesty. These magazines report on what they do and where they go and conduct interviews with them. One only needs to look at the British tabloids to find out about Prince William’s and Zara Philips’ supposed love lives. Is the Prince going out with a mysterious girl named Kate? They share an apartment at school. They have been seen looking very close! Kate’s dad says they are just friends. The reports go back and forth. Prince Charles’ affair was made quite public, and Sarah Fergus does Weight Watchers commercials. The Monarchy’s lives are put under a microscope. They lead the way celebrities do in this respect as either role models, or symbols of the lives of the rich and famous.
As we have seen, the British monarchy leads in many ways. The Queen is the official figure head of the British government and the Commonwealth. The Monarchy has charities and organizations that it lends its name to in order to support them. They are also looked at as celebrities and so are entertainment and are sought after because of their seemingly exciting lives.
