Do we really need a royal family?

Ever since the line of British monarchs began in 1066 with William the Conqueror, a monarch and a royal family have been in place to watch over Great Britain. Monarchs from hundreds of years ago had power over everyone and they merely had to state what they wanted and it was done for them, however crazy a request. For example Henry VIII could just say ‘cut his head off’ and it was done without really much thought. Though, over the centuries: the role and importance of a monarch has largely decreased, as the state is now governed by Parliament. Gradually, over time Parliament has become very powerful and the jobs of a monarch were no longer instated. Monarchs today still have some power, but they are now there for more of a ceremonial reason rather than a political reason. The Queen, who is known as a constitutional monarch, must pass any laws which Parliament wish to be declared first. But in this day and age do we really need the royal family?

Today, the British royal family costs just over £38 million a year to look after and maintain, according to the annual report from Buckingham Palace. The Queen spent a staggering £1.2 million on just catering and hospitality and £600,000 on housekeeping’s and furnishings! The total is an average of 66 pence for the royal family for every single person living in Britain! The reason why the royal family, particularly the Queen, can afford to splash their cash so much is that they receive the majority of their income from the taxman’s pocket. And who pays tax? Us. Tax that people like you and me pay for to help benefit our lives is being spent on things such as royal occasions and outings. When people pay tax they think that their hard earned cash is going towards things like: NHS funding, education and emergency services, but did you know that some of this money is being given directly to fund the royal family. Also, the Queen and several other members of the royal family receive civil income from the government: money,