By George Christiansen.

“Soon there will only be five kings left – the King of Spades, the King of Clubs, the King of Hearts, the King of Diamonds and the King of Britain.” The prophecy of the Egyptian King Farouk in 1947 showed great foresight. An institution as ancient as civilization itself is disappearing. One century ago, monarchy was nigh-on ubiquitous; now over three-quarters of countries are republics. Just five years after King Farouk’s prophecy, another country overthrew their monarchy. It was his own.

The future of the British monarchy has seen much debate across the realm. As former colonies and Commonwealth countries gradually remove the British monarch as their head of state, the continuation of the monarchy in the British homeland seems increasingly uncertain. To many, it is the embodiment of the class system, an antiquated and horribly outdated institution, the antithesis of a modern meritocracy. To be entitled to great privilege merely by right of birth has no justification alongside the great principle of equal opportunity for all. Over 100 million pounds a year are wasted on the anachronistic elite.

Or so they say.

There is more to life than abstract concepts of equality that can never truly be achieved. The monarchy is at the heart of British culture; a core component of our national identity. It is what makes our country unique. This was best summarised by Macron when he commemorated the death of Queen Elizabeth II. “To you she was your Queen. To us she was the Queen.” The monarchy rakes in nearly £2 billion for the country every year, a vast sum against which its cost of £100 million pales into insignificance. The magic of British palaces and their touristic appeal is that they are still inhabited. Should the monarchy be abolished, they would be mere empty shells of extravagance; reduced to soulless museums, a few more stately homes owned by the National Trust. Buckingham Palace, would be the poor cousin of Versailles.

The monarchy acts as a unifying force, the guiding hand of stability in a deeply divided land. Amidst a tumultuous political landscape plagued with populism and deceit, the continuity of the monarchy as an apolitical institution ensures a head of state around which much of the country can unite. The pageantry of regal events is a rallying point of patriotism, emphasising all that we have in common, not all that pulls us apart. Opinion polls over the last 25 years have shown support for the monarchy at 3-to-1 in favour. It is hard to find any political question on which the British people are more united. The monarchy reminds us that in spite of our differences, we are all united under the banner of the Union Flag, citizens of one country. We are all British.

It is vital to bear in mind the alternative to the monarchy. Were the United Kingdom a republic, we would need an elected head of state, likely a president. This would serve only to divide us further because the president would be political. It would mean another election, more populism, more lies, more arguments, a political and partial head of state, around whom the British people cannot unite. With the monarchy, there is none of that. Moreover, abolishing the monarchy would not tackle the remnants of the class system. It would be a merely superficial change, that would not alter Britain’s deep-rooted inequality. The most egalitarian and meritocratic countries in the world: Denmark, Norway and Sweden, are all monarchies.

In spite of its flaws, the monarchy unites our divided country, providing a stable, continuous core that counterbalances the perpetual change and division of politics. Keep it, for it is one of the few things that hold us together.

(Unless, of course, you would rather clamour ‘God Save Boris’, or ‘God Save Jeremy Corbyn’)