The British Monarchy & Their Finances

Today in class we learned about the British Monarchy in depth. The last few hundred years have seen many changes in the nature of the Monarchy in the United Kingdom. The monarchy used to be the sole welder of political power within the nation. From the end of the 17th century, monarchs lost executive power and they increasingly became subject to Parliament, resulting in today's constitutional Monarchy.

An important part of the work of The Queen is to support and encourage public and voluntary service. One of the ways in which Her Majesty does this is through involvement with charities and other organizations. The Queen has over 600 patronages. These cover every area of the charity and voluntary sector, from opportunities for young people, to preservation of wildlife and the environment. Involvement with these organizations helps to recognize their achievements, and helps to recognize the contributions of many different sectors of public life. 


What I found most interesting during class today was the perception of the British public on the financial handlings of the monarchy. Many criticize the Monarchy for being a waste of money, as it spends millions of pounds each year on simply sustaining itself. However, as far as we can travel back in time, every Monarch as head of state has given the money he or she made off the land back to the public. This gives a small tax relief to everyone in Great Britain. Without the Monarchy, Britain would be worse off.