I don't want to be 'reigned over' anymore

[Yubgftr]

While I totally respect the Queen and how she served the country, I think it's now a good time to end the monarchy as I think modern society has outgrown it.

Just the idea that someone inherits the job of head of state through birthright and reigns over us peasants is crazy in this modern age. Then all the ceremonies, titles, line of succession are remnants of a completely different era and tbh remind me of episodes of The Tudors or Game of Thrones, it's just so archaic and out of place.

I think having to bow and curtsey to people just because they were born or married into a special family also seems ridiculous. Why should I have to curtsey to any of them? Not saying I'd be rude or disrespectful but having to bend my knee to a set of people as if they were deities, it's just insane! I think I'd actually feel humiliated.

I also don't get the fawning and crying outside the palace - by all means be respectful and recognise her contribution but crying about someone you've never met? To me it's OTT

Back in medieval times when there was little education and religion was used to manipulate the masses, I can understand why all the peasants went mad for their sovereign and saw them as annointed by God etc etc but we're much more enlightened now (most of us!) so we need to make way for a new way of doing things.

Even a new national anthem - why is it all about the king or queen and god saving them? Why not about the people, the nation as a whole?

That said, I also hate the idea of someone like Boris Johnson being head of state and I bet that's a role he'd go for if we were a Republic. Swings and Roundabouts!

YABU - God save the king, monarchy forever
YANBU - time to end the monarchy

Wow! I’m sure they are going to take a vote because the republicans on Mumsnet are baying for one! 😀

If there's a real appetite for abolishing the monarchy and republicans are willing to put in the work petitioning their MP's and garnering support for it, I expect it'll happen at some point.

Personally, I'm not that bothered about the constitutional monarchy, but I'm happy to participate in a vote/referendum when republicans make it happen.

YouGov carried out a vote barely three months ago. That's why I shared it. YouGov is about as non-partisan and reliable as I think you can get. If you want to know what most Brits think, that appears to be the current answer. You don't have to like it but denying it doesn't seem a constructive way of changing it.If anyone cares what I personally think, and clearly Novella4 does, to the point where she'll make it up for me: I do think that if a referendum were held now, the vote would be in favour of the monarchy. I don't think the death of the Queen will change the recent YouGov findings significantly and a coronation is exactly the kind of event that stirs up public support. Charles won't have as lavish a coronation as the Queen had...the postwar mood isn't there, plus the cost of living crisis and age of the monarch etc will inform the context. But do I think royalists would win if we had a referendum right now? Well, based on the evidence, yes, I think they would.

This is how things should work IMO. The public are entitled to talk among themselves, discuss politics and constitutional matters and international affairs and suchlike. Something happens that triggers lots of ordinary people to maybe start to discuss a particular issue. People who have cared about the issue for a while see that new people are interested and attempt to persuade them of their viewpoint. Journalists see these discussions on MN, Reddit, Twitter, FB, Pistonheads, wherever, and report on these trends in public discussion, with relevant information. Politicians take notice of these changes in what people are interested in and in any new trends in the way that opinions are moving.

That's not always how it works in reality — sometimes the impetus comes from elsewhere and might be astroturfed into the public sphere. But I think that if it does happen spontaneously and makes its way up, that's a good thing. And no, it doesn't work instantly; Liz Truss isn't going to say "I was reading Mumsnet today and ClumpingBambooIsALie thinks we should be a republic — right everyone, prepare a referendum!" But MN is one of the places the British general public discuss this sort of thing, and gradually, over time, lots of little conversations can change big realities.

Thanks, @ReneBumsWombats I'm not bothered either way, tbh, but it sounds as if some people really are and they're welcome to do something about it.

Change requires work, though, it doesn't just happen.

You're welcome. YouGov does surveys on the popularity of the monarchy fairly often. I expect they'll hold another around the time of the coronation, and more about the popularity of each individual member of the Royal Family once people have had a chance to think about and choose their new favourite.

I expect security will be the biggest cost of the coronation. They've already got the venue, the transport and the outfit.

I wouldn't go to a hereditary dentist. The government and royal family will maybe tweak things a bit though - make it more Dutch style?

Discussions like this are part of the work. In a democracy, the idea is that things change (or stay the same) because the people want things to change (or stay the same). So talking to other people about why you believe in gay marriage or Brexit or republicanism is actually action.

Of course people are entitled to discuss this sort of thing.Just that some of us with experience of life think differently. The very title ‘I don’t want to be reigned over’ shows a misunderstanding of the nature of constitutional monarchy, so it would help if you guys were a little more informed. The national Athem, btw, dates from John Bull in roughly 1610 and the role of monarchy has changed somewhat since then. Jus5 for your information.

Not RTFT - many pages long - but I love our country. I love all the traditions, the fact that we have a royal family etc - I think the UK is envied.
Long Live the King!

Do you have enough experience of life to realise that being incredibly condescending is rarely a winning attribute?

For your information, there is a difference between a dentist and a king. The present king has served a much longer apprenticeship too than most dentists will!

Sometimes on MN it would be helpful if our ages were displayed next to our usernames. It's like when you get annoyed at some driver dawdling along and when you eventually pass them you feel ashamed at your thoughts.

The replies of "well if you don't like it, leave the country!" really are idiotic. The country is not a cult (well, it seems that way for some people, but...) and people are perfectly entitled to live in it while voicing their opinions about how things should be done differently. Indeed a vast proportion of traffic on internet forums such as this consists of precisely that, and you could give the same answer to all of it:

"I really think the energy companies are out of order, people are going to freeze this winter and something should be done about reducing bills".

"OH, OFF YOU GO AND MOVE TO A COUNTRY WITH LOWER ENERGY BILLS THEN!"

"I don't believe in trans ideology. People shouldn't be able to just say they're a different sex when they're not".

"OH WELL, LOOKS LIKE YOU BETTER MOVE SOMEWHERE THAT DOESN'T HAVE A GENDER RECOGNITION ACT THEN!"

"Anyone else concerned about the strain on the NHS and what it's doing to waiting times and services?"

"OH, TUT TUT! DON'T LIKE IT? WHY DON'T YOU GO AND MOVE SOMEWHERE WITH BETTER PUBLIC HEALTHCARE THEN!"

If these examples seem ridiculous, then what is it about the monarchy that means people don't even have the right to initiate a grown up conversation about it, without being told that it's completely off the table of public debate, beyond question and that - unlike everything else to do with how we run our country, apparently - the only available choices are to accept it as a given or leave?

Like when you see somebody idiot undertaking you whose never learned to drive properly

I don't really get the arguments regarding cost of the Coronation. We haven't had one for 70 years and so think of all the money saved in that time when we could well have had 2 or 3 or even more.
I think of all the money we have saved by basically our Queen living a long time. With luck Charles will live a long time too and so we shouldn't have to pay for another Coronation for 20 years or so.

If we had a Presidential system like US they change every 4 or 8 years and I bet they cost an absolute bomb.

It's also worth remembering that the Queen's coronation was the first to be televised...another reason they went all out.

Charles' will be much more modest.

You mean it would be lovely for MN to become even more ageist than it is already. No, thanks.

I think another point is that the vast majority of the country appears to enjoy these royal occasions apart from the staunch Republicans who appear to be missing among the cheering crowds. Like the last Jubilee for the Queen everyone around me seem to be celebrating without protest and having a good time so Joe Public seems to want it

A legal clause means King Charles III inherits his mother’s vast fortune but escapes a £200 million tax bill.

• 0% tax for him
• 40% tax for you

@Kellie45 if the vast majority of the country enjoys the pomp and pageantry that comes with the Royals then I'm sure there'd be no problem with funding them through voluntary public subscription. Maybe we should try that?

Good idea. Do we do the same for Parliament, local government and other public services?

Perhaps try it with the forces too so the pacifists can opt out?

Discussion is definitely a good way to define ideas and garner support-but you also need to take action, e.g., petition your MP for a referendum.

It’s abit like saying you can’t stand the government and giving good reasons why-but then not bothering to vote in elections. I’m Actions speak louder than words, IYSWIM.

One thing puzzles me about the monarchy. When the Queen came to power and became the head of the church, the majority of the country would have identified as C of E. Now this is no longer the case. Surely this hugely undermines the whole point of a monarch invested by God? Most people are not even religious?
Thankfully I think young people see through the ridiculous nature of monarchy, especially when our whole culture purports to be about egalitarianism and equal treatment. Please treat everyone equally except for that guy, his dad is king!!