OPINION: Prophets of doom spout nonsense about collapse of the House of Windsor
It can’t be easy being royal when everything you do is scrutinised to see if a media story can be invented out of it, writes Derek Taylor
The public love bad news. They also love news about the royal family. So at the moment, we get this absolute nonsense about the potential collapse of the Royals.
What are the facts? The King has got cancer. It’s a nasty disease and we all hope that the treatment he is undergoing will solve the problem. The Princess of Wales has also been ill and a picture of her and her children has been doctored to improve the image. Well, what’s so terrible about that? Every woman recovering from illness is likely to use makeup to improve her appearance.
To build this up into a conspiracy is just stupid. The Princess has obviously been fairly unwell, but she is recovering satisfactorily and her health is her own business.
To suggest that the two health problems create a crisis for the royal family just doesn’t make sense. The Prince of Wales, Princess Ann, the Duke of Kent, Prince Edward and Princess Alexandra, are just some of the royals who can be counted upon to open new buildings, congratulate worthy citizens, support charities and attend anniversaries in the absence of the King and the Princess.
They all carry out a great deal of work and give an enormous amount of pleasure to those involved in their public works. Their involvement is often little known. The Duke of Kent has been the Grand Master of the 177,000 Freemasons for more years than anybody else in that society’s existence.
They also compare favourably with a lot of other royals in the past. George III was mad, George IV lived a very Bohemian life, as did Edward VII. Edward VIII abdicated and supported Hitler. By contrast, the present royal family have sponsored a mass of good causes and presided over the creation of a multi-cultural society which is the envy of countless millions around the world who live under dictatorships.
So what is all this talk about the collapse of the royal family? It’s one of the cheapest forms of ruler and it’s lasted for well over 1,000 years. The state opening of parliament makes clear that we are a democracy where all the political parties are part of one country because they all owe allegiance to the King.
The Trooping of the Colour, with the royal family on parade, shows the world that the armed forces are also non-political because they also owe allegiance to the King. As army officers produce coups d’etats to take over countries like Egypt, Myanmar and Ethiopia, at home the British military forces are simply in reserve if the police can’t cope.
It can’t be easy being royal because everything you do is scrutinised to see if a media story can be made out of it. The law has been tightened up so that libel damages can be awarded, but suing in court is not the kind of event which most people want to endure. You’re taking on powerful organisations and the learned friends are the ones who mostly benefit.
The royal family is very popular and we are fortunate that Prince William and Prince George will extend the reigns of the House of Windsor. They were, of course, the House of Saxe Coburg, after Prince Albert, but they changed their name to Windsor during the First World War.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
