After Elizabeth

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What to expect

The British monarchy has been through turbulent times of late. Rocked by scandal and strife, and without it seems a clear plan for the future following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, we have been left wondering: what happens next?

Nothing seems certain. Will the monarchy survive with its continuing echoes of an Imperial past? Will young people - disenchanted with the political status quo - find the ritual and practice of the monarchy quite so mesmerising as previous generations have done? What might a republican Britain look like?

Ed Owens argues that the monarchy must embrace reform and transform itself radically. No more private jets while preaching about the importance of the environment; no more secrecy obscuring royal influence in high places; and no more hangers on enjoying grace-and-favour homes. A major slimming down is essential. And it's time the family archives were opened.

All these issues will have a direct effect on the common good of the nation as it tries to reinvent itself as a modern working democracy, and endeavours to equip itself for the coming decades. Ed Owens situates this critical moment of royal transition in its historical context in order to set out a vision for monarchy that is future-proof, but which would also see the crown play an integral role in the evolution of 21st-century Britain.

Critics Review

  • A lucid, clear-sighted, and highly readable analysis of the British monarchy’s self-inflicted crisis.

    Richard Toye, author of Age of Hope: Labour, 1945, and the Birth of Modern Britain.
  • With the clarity of expertise, Owens sets out an agenda to give the Crown an energetic role in the 21st century.

    Kirkus Reviews
  • [Ed Owens] thoroughly and expertly examines the past and present of the British monarchy… Highly recommended and though-provoking, with practical and well-informed ideas.

    Library Journal

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