老布微信答疑:What do the British people really think about the Royal Family?

从王子大婚到奥运开幕式女王玩儿空降，再到凯特怀孕，英国皇室的新闻越炒越热。英国百姓对女王和她的家族是怎么评价的呢？

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读者提问：

What do the British people really think about the Royal Family?

老布回复：

In general terms, the British people are happy with their royals. Irrespective of whether one likes them as individuals, the fact that there IS a royal family means that power is kept out of the hands of politicians, since the Queen is (officially) the head of the armed services – even though she herself has no power to order them to do anything. This is a very important role that the monarch plays in the United Kingdom.

The death of Lady Diana Spencer still rankles with many British people though; and many would dearly like to see the line of succession miss out Prince Charles altogether and settle the crown next on Prince William. However, this is a constitutional impossibility and so Charles is likely to be the next king – though his reign will of course be relatively short.

The marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton – who is widely liked and seen as a very good match for the future king – has already boosted the popularity of the royals again; and shortly we will witness the British media gushing over a new baby royal. If there’s one thing that Britain does very well, it is going overboard on sentimentality, coupled with its spectacular pageantry. Expect a tourism boost and a consequent boost in the pound when Kate finally delivers!

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