After celebrating its queen's long reign, what comes next for Britain?

Now that the United Kingdom has celebrated 70 years of Queen Elizabeth as sovereign with a huge jubilee celebration June 2-5, the question of the monarchy's future looms even larger.

It's not just that Queen Elizabeth is 96 years old because there's a whole line of descendants to kick in and the longest-serving monarch seems in reasonably good health. (Not to mention good genes; her mother lived to 102!)

But many Britons have been questioning their form of government in today's world mostly featuring nations headed by an elected president or other official instead of a hereditary monarchy. The past few decades haven't helped the image of the royal family between all the marital discord of the majority of the working royals and the banishment of the queen's second son, Prince Andrew, after allegations of sexual misconduct and the massive payoff of one of his alleged victims in the last few years.

This preference for an elected official who can be ousted for such behavior is especially strong among those under 25; according to a 2019 poll. 46% wanted an elected official to head the government and only 31% wanted a king or queen in that position.

Among those over 65, 81% preferred a royal, saying the king or queen acts as a focus for national identity, unity and pride, gives a sense of stability and continuity and supports the idea of voluntary service. But even this age group acknowledges the past few decades have featured the royal family displaying much more bad behavior than King George leading his country through World War II and his daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, being a stable force through the challenges of the past 70 years.

England's monarchy is the eighth-longest monarchy in the world, officially documented as beginning with the invasion of William the Conqueror in 1066 but having a central monarch as early as the 6th century, when King Arthur (or someone on whom the legendary Arthur is based) ruled the British people. Through the centuries and the dynasties, from Plantagenets to Tudors to Stuarts to Hanoverians (George I-IV) to the House of Windsor, the United Kingdom has had a king or the rare queen as its head.

Duties of the monarch seem largely ceremonial. The Sovereign attends the opening of Parliament (their version of our Congress) each year and gives a speech laying out the government's goals for the coming year. She eyes each piece of legislation passing through Parliament to formally approve it, but the last time a law was refused was in 1708. She has regular audiences with the prime minister and members of the Privy Council, an appointed group of advisors. She hosts visiting heads of state and foreign ambassadors and leads ceremonial events such as the annual Remembrance Day (their Veterans Day). Finally, she is the royal patron of over 600 charities, military associations and public service organizations, most of whom expect a representative of the royal family to make an appearance and say a few words each year. Up to recent times, the British didn't consider scrapping the monarchy. Today, faced with the soap opera of the younger royals and the expense of maintaining a royal family including dozens of relatives, they are considering other options.

Another issue, according to "Clearly Britain loses more than it gains from the monarchy. Let us be brave and end it" by Polly Toynbee in the Feb. 17, 2022, issue of The Guardian, is having what many Britons consider one of the weakest and most corrupt prime ministers in years with only a 96-year-old queen over him. Toynbee argues that an elected top official would keep a prime minister better in check, adding "Presidents around Europe protect constitutions and guard against over-mighty politicians breaking basic law."

Supporters of the monarchy argue that while the royals do cost a huge sum, they bring in a far larger amount through warrants (like an endorsement) from a variety of products and services, speaking engagements, appearances and tourism. According to an article in the May 18, 2019, Sunday Post by Craig Campbell, in 2018 the royal family cost, in American dollars, $434,976,000 but generated $2,226,855,360.

Toynbeen counters that by arguing that by not covering the royal family's expenses and by expanding tourism, even more money could be raised without the cringe-worthy actions of the royals to defend. As she says, "Elizabeth the Last should get a historic send-off, her golden coach and crown retired and her six places opened as fine museums."

With a great 70 years behind, now is the time to end, before health issues diminish her ability to serve and especially before another generation of royals takes the crown. But the decision is up to her subjects, who must decide if they want to continue the monarchy or convert it to an elected top official.

— This is the opinion of Times Writers Group member Lois Thielen, a dairy farmer who lives near Grey Eagle. Her column is published monthly.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: After celebrating its queen's long reign, what comes next for Britain?