Geography and environment of Great Britain

 

 

 

 

     6.2 Queen and the Law, Church, Armed Forces

 

 

     In the earliest times the Sovereign was a key figure in the enforcement of law and the establishment of legal systems in different areas of the United Kingdom. As such the Sovereign became known as the 'Fount of Justice'. While no longer administering justice in a practical way, the Sovereign today still retains an important symbolic role as the figure in whose name justice is carried out, and law and order is maintained. Although civil and criminal proceedings cannot be taken against the Sovereign as a person under United Kingdom law, The Queen is careful to ensure that all her activities in her personal capacity are carried out in strict accordance with the law.

     In the United Kingdom, The Queen's title includes the words 'Defender of the Faith'. This means Her Majesty has a specific role in both the Church of England and the Church of Scotland. As established Churches, they are recognised by law as the official Churches of England and Scotland, respectively. In both England and Scotland, the established Churches are subject to the regulation of law. The principle of religious toleration is fully recognised both for those of other creeds and for those without any religious beliefs. There are no established Churches in Northern Ireland nor in Wales. They were disestablished in 1869 in Northern Ireland and 1920 in Wales. There is no established Church in any Commonwealth country of which The Queen is monarch (i.e. a realm). In addition to playing a role in the Churches of England and Scotland, The Queen recognises and supports the various other faiths practised in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth [17, p.23].

    The Queen as Sovereign is Head of the Armed Forces. She is also the wife, mother and grandmother of individuals either having served, or are currently serving, in the Armed Forces. The Queen is the only person to declare war and peace. This dates back from when the Monarch was responsible for raising, maintaining and equipping the Army and Navy. On enlistment, the Army and Air Force Acts require members of the Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Marines to take an oath of allegiance to the Monarchy as Head of the Armed Forces. Members of the Royal Navy have never been required to swear an oath – the service was formed hundreds of years ago and its existence stems from the Sovereign’s prerogative.The Queen takes a keen interest in all the Armed Forces, both in the United Kingdom and in the Commonwealth. She undertakes regular visits to Service Establishments and ships, to meet servicemen and women of all ranks, and their families, both at home and overseas. The Queen and other members of the Royal Family hold various appointments and honorary ranks in the Armed Forces. Such appointments include special relationships with certain ships, and honorary colonels  in Army regiments and Corps, and honorary ranks connected with Royal Air Force stations. The Queen meets regularly with the Chief of the Defence Staff and the Single Service Chiefs. Her Majesty also keeps in touch with the work and interests of the Services through her Defence Services Secretary, a serving officer who is also a member of the Royal Household, who acts as the official link [18, p.13].

 

 

     7 The Future  attitude of the British Monarchy

 

 

     The British monarchy is undoubtedly the most prestigious and famous in the world, and are admired the world over. Each year they bring in billions of pounds into the British economy and keep tourism levels high However recently some have questioned whether they are still needed as figure heads of the British Isles, particularly given the amount of money and security that they require each year to house and keep them safe.

     Although the royal family that most people know about are bringing in a lot of money each year, there are also a lot of other relatives and lower royals who still draw money from the government to live. These people are for the most part unknown even to members of the British public, and although some of them earn their own livings, they can still claim a free estate and upkeep costs due to their royal ties[19, p.17].

     Others tend to take a more hardliner approach in that they want to remove the monarchy altogether, stating that the French palaces and gardens attract more visitors even without a royal family. While it is true that the French royal relics attract more visitors from within Europe, they don't tend to attract as many people from places such as the United states or Japan, both of which are often big fans of the British Royal family. At the same time it is becoming more and more of a rare thing for a country to have a legitimate royal family, as many others are getting rid of them.

     From the standpoint of the British government, keeping the royal family is probably a good thing to do, and the political system in Britain has numerous ties with the kind of tradition and ceremony that the Royal family is a part of. Not only are they important as a part of British culture, but they also bring in a profit in terms of how much they spend and what they bring in through tourist revenues. Although places such as London do have tourism markets outside of the royal family, they are probably the main thing that attracts people to Britain. Mainly due to the fact that most of the historic sites dotted around the country are usually all relics of a time.

     History in Britain is always linked with royalty in some way, and every castle, manor estate and historical site is testament to this, Even ancient places such as Stonehenge were probably constructed under the instruction of the kings of the time, and right through until the days of the British Empire, Royalty still has a big influence on British culture and society today.

     Most people in Britain, and indeed the wider commonwealth of countries that the uses the British monarchy as their own are in favor of keeping the royal family as they are. Despite the fact that they have little power or influence in the way that the country is run these days they still have influence in other ways over the country. For example they are still important for their work with numerous charities which they are patrons of. As well as this they are often useful for diplomatic occasions, and take many trips all over the world each year.

     The reason that royalty are often more useful to send on diplomatic and humanitarian missions is simple. For any foreign representative meeting the queen in particular rather than a nameless emissary in a suit is a lot more prestigious, and is also a sign of trust between the countries. In Medieval times, when kings and queens actually ruled the world, sending a member of the royal family was a risky venture as they could be either killed or taken for ransom. Obviously these kinds of things don't happen these days, although sending a royal representative is still a sign of good faith.

     In the immediate future, the current queen looks set to be succeeded sooner or later by her son Prince Charles. Whether he actually takes the throne or defers to his eldest son William remains to be seen, It has been suggested that Charles will probably step aside and let the young Prince become kind in his place, given that he is already in is early 60s. Also it has been suggested that other members of the royal family aren't keen on his new bride Camilla Parker Bowles, and dot want her to become queen. Although of course this is merely rumor and hearsay, and is hard to substantiate definitively[20, p.81].

     Conclusion

     Today Britain’s ruling family has nothing like the power it used to have. Laws are made by the democratically elected.  Parliament, and the queen simply advises the government and approves the new laws. But the ruler still has a busy time doing all kinds of work, from representing the nation as a ceremonial figurehead to supporting the activities of countless charities. Being monarch is certainly a full-time job.

     Although in some ways it is just a shadow of its former self, the British  monarchy is still the most impressive monarchy around. It is honored and respected at home and even, in various permutations, provides the sovereign of 15 other countries of the Commonwealth. Its remaining responsibilities and privileges are more modest, but certainly easier to perform, and, according to opinion polls, the population is quite satisfied with the results. True, this is little compared to the raw “power” of earlier centuries, and being a constitutional monarch does have its inconveniences. But they are nothing compared to the difficulties of actually running, or trying to run, a country as compact.

     The monarchy is the only thing that makes Great Britain popular all over the world.  It is just marvellous that the British have preserved it throughout centuries.  Monarchy is a good tradition; it is the first thing that is associated with the name of the country (Great Britain).  It makes Great Britain more influential in international affairs.  That's why it must be preserved by all means.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Bibliography

 

 

1 Paul Thomas. British Monarchy: учеб. пособие / Paul Thomas – Oxford University Press,1989  – 31p.

2 J.C. Eno (Canada) Ltd. The British Monarchy : Elizabeth I to Elizabeth II: учеб. пособие /J.C. Eno (Canada) Ltd – J.C. Eno (Canada) Ltd,1953  – 22p.

3 Anthony Holden. The British Royal Family: Great Front Pages: учеб. пособие / Anthony Holden –  Vendome Press, 01.02.1984 – 127p.

4 Edward Augustus Freeman. The History of the Norman Conquest of England: Its Causes and Its Results, Том 1: учеб. пособие / Edward Augustus Freeman – Clarendon press, 1877 – 698p.

5 David McDowall. An illustrated history of Britain: учеб. пособие / David McDowall – Cambridge, 2006 – 188p.

6 S.D. Zaitseva. Early Britain: учеб. пособие / S.D. Zaitseva – Prosveshcheniye - Москва, 1975 – 223с.

7 Нестерова Н.М. Страноведение. Англия: учеб. пособие / Нестерова Н.М.  – Ростов-на-Дону, 2001 – 316с.

8 A.A. Ermakov. Great Britain: учеб. пособие / Ermakov A.A. – Тула, 2000 – 312с.

9 James O'Driscoll.  Britain the country and its people: учеб. пособие / James O'Driscoll  – Oxford University Press, 2003 – 224p.

10 Константин Васильев. British  History: Essential Dates, Facts and Events: учеб. пособие / Константин Васильев – Авалонъ, Азбука-классика,  2004 – 413с.

11 Charles Dimont. The British monarchy: учеб. пособие / Charles Dimont –  B. T. Batsford,1955 – 80p.

12 Nicholas Mansergh. The Commonwealth Experience: From British to multiracial Commonwealth: учеб. пособие / Nicholas Mansergh – Routledge, 1983 – 299p.

13 Jeroen Deploige, Gita Deneckere. Mystifying the Monarch: Studies on Discourse, Power, and History: учеб. пособие / Jeroen Deploige, Gita Deneckere –  Amsterdam University Press, 2006 – 296p.

14 Roy C. Strong. Coronation: a history of kingship and the British monarchy: учеб. пособие / Roy C. Strong – HarperCollins, 2005 – 556p.

15 John A. Taylor. British Monarchy, English Church Establishment, and Civil Liberty: учеб. пособие / John A. Taylor – Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996 – 167p.

16 Robert Malcolm.  Punnett British government and politics: учеб. пособие / Robert Malcolm –  Dartmouth Pub. Co, 1994– 588p.

17 John Gregg. Is the monarchy perfect?: учеб. пособие / John Gregg – J. Calder, 1958 – 150p.

18 J. A. Thompson, Arthur Mejia.The modern British monarchy: учеб. пособие /J. A. Thompson, Arthur Mejia – St. Martin's Press, 1971 – 120p.

19 Charles Petrie ((Sir)). The Modern British Monarchy: учеб. пособие / Charles Petrie ((Sir))– Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1961 – 228p.

20 Sir Charles Petrie. The modern British monarchy: учеб. пособие / Sir Charles Petrie – Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1961 – 228p.

Appendix A

Royal Family of Elizabeth II