As the queen nears her 75th jubilee marking the three-quarters of a century she has been ruling, thoughts on the role of the monarchy in British society have been raised. 

The UK has a constitutional monarchy which means the queen works alongside a democratic government. This reduces the risk of tyranny and corruption of the monarch as an elected parliament shares the power with the majority to the government. 

She does have some power such as the ability to declare war, pardon criminals and command the armed forces. All bills must be passed through her to be (or not) given royal assent to be made into actual law. 

More importantly, though less formally, she acts as a symbol of national identity and emblem of the country’s pride, unifying the state. 

Elizabeth II started her reign in 1952 at the mere age of 25 after the sudden untimely death of her father, George VI and is currently the longest-reigning British monarch. She is Head of State for 15 Counties in the Commonwealth Realm, including the UK, Canada, Australia and others. 

As a dedicated and active leader, our Queen is exceedingly popular amongst the British public but will the adoration of the sovereign continue when the slightly controversial Prince Charles takes over? Lila Lawson ‘adores The Queen’ and thinks ‘it will be a global lose the day she dies and the country will not be the same’.

I agree with Lila in the sense Elizabeth II will be greatly missed worldwide and Britain will have to undergo a cultural shift when welcoming a new monarchy. However, I do believe the British monarchy is inherent in our culture and a fundamental pillar in England’s society.