Sam Smith – Queen Elizabeth is the most consistent public figure in my lifetime. She was coronated when I was 14 and my parents even bought their first TV to watch it.
I have gone through my life perplexed by how a country with intellectual institutions like Oxford University can dedicate its leadership in perpetuity to one family, yet I have to admit that the current Queen has done a pretty good job of being grandmother to a whole nation. She even let South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka leave her empire.
Further, having majored in anthropology, I recognize the role of myth in society, whether it be in religion or government. And I am also rather fascinated by those moments when the mythology comes under attack and threatens to just become a part of history.
Something like that seems to be going on in Britain. I have yet to run into anyone who suggests that Prince Charles or William would do anywhere near as well as Elizabeth. Now Harry and his wife are engaged in a bizarre attempt to redefine their own role in British history.
An ultimate weakness of families – namely that virtue is not necessarily a genetic gift – is coming to the fore. It is interesting that a recent poll found while 67% of Brits support the rule of royalty, that figure drops to 42% among 18-24 year olds. Just as America is undergoing a great generational shift, the Brits may be slowly and painfully doing the same, with Harry and Meghan a voice more of the young.
The truth is that the British crown is about to be passed to someone far less appealing than the current Queen and the game is going to change in ways that are hard to predict but probably not for the better. Harry and Meghan have been working on this problem, and it will be fun to hear what they have to say.
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