Royalty - Whats The Point?

Queen Elizabeth Won't Abdicate or Retire, Cousin Says (Update3)

April 19 (Bloomberg) -- Queen Elizabeth II will continue in her role until her death and won't abdicate or retire, a first cousin, Margaret Rhodes, said in an interview marking the celebration of the British monarch's 80th birthday.

``It's not like a normal job, it's a job for life,'' Rhodes, who meets regularly with the queen, told the British Broadcasting Corp. ``I'm perfectly sure that the vows she made on Coronation Day are something so deep and so special to her that she wouldn't consider not continuing to fulfill those vows until she dies.''

Longevity is common in the royal family, increasing the likelihood that the next in line, Prince Charles, 57, will be elderly when he takes the throne. His grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, died in 2002 at 101. Some 57 percent of Britons want the Elizabeth II to reign until she dies, according to a poll published this week by broadcaster ITN.

I would like to see the monarchy abolished, I personally have nothing against the Windsors, I just don't think the insitution of monarchy has a place in modern Britain.

Royalty today represents everything that is vulgar, antiquated, fraudulent and toadying in this country.

I think A.A. Gill put it best:

"I mean what we do to the Queen and her family is inhumane. What other 80 year old woman would be force to do what Elizabeth Windsor does? We shold stop being humiliated as a nation by the exploitation of this over extended family. We stopped chimpanzees having to perform tea parties in captivity years ago - why do we still expect of these humans? Like Elsa, the Queen and her cubs should be set free. Why don't we have anybody at all? If the ambassador from Tuvalu or the Aston Martin owner's Club turns up just tell them she's out, running wild in the heather"