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Argument: The monarchy is not actually a model family for Australians

Issue Report: Australian republic vs. monarchy

Supporting quotes

The role of the Monarchy in Britain is not carried out solely by the actual King or Queen; but also by, and through the activities of, the other members of the Royal Family

The institution of Monarchy is, as the constitutional expert Walter Bagehot noted, that of “a family on the throne”.(56)

The Royal Family was hoped to represent the ideal of family stability to which the British people could look for an example of Christian home life. Indeed, Beatrice Frost once wrote that “service” for the Royals “simply means service as a domestic role model”. However, that “breathless awe”, with which British Royalty has been regarded since the reign of Queen Victoria, has begun to fade dramatically in the 1990s.(57)

On November 23rd, 1992, at a banquet to celebrate 40 years on the throne and 45 years of her marriage, Queen Elizabeth II admitted that 1992 had been her “annus horribilis”. A. N. Wilson attempted to sum up the Royal disappointments of that year: “In March Prince Andrew, the Queen’s favorite son, announced that his marriage to Sarah Ferguson was over. A few months later, his sister had divorced her husband, Captain Mark Phillips. By the end of the year, “Fergie”, otherwise known as Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York, had been photographed in the South of France having her toes sucked by a “financial adviser” from Texas; Charles and Diana had announced their separation; the Queen had been forced to pay income tax; and, even in the most conservative quarters, the unthinkable question was being asked: could the Monarchy survive?”.(58)