BeatrixFan said:
With respect, that's the clinical view. It's a form of state in definition only. In truth and in modern terms, it's a family raised above all others and given certain privelages which they must earn by facing extreme difficulties and slogging their guts out. The Queen is lucky - she is above criticism, not because she is the Head of State - but because she's a dear old lady who has worked for us tirelessly as the Head of State. It isn't about her legal role, it's about her emotional role and that's what people decide on. People make their decisions on their affections and emotions - not on legal terminology.
Still it will be a hell of a job to change the United Kingdom with an unpopular King into a republic with President Brown. Don't forget that an eventual not so loved monarch can be 'counterbalanced' by a hugely popular future monarch who is loved by the people.
Maybe the British public will be cold and distant towards King Charles III but they are over the moon with the lovely Prince and Princess of Wales and their cute little children.
The same happened in Luxembourg: the extremely distant Grand Duke was respected, but the Luxembourgians were in love with Henri and Maria Teresa.
In the Netherlands Queen Beatrix is more 'feared' than that she is loved. She is so formidable and holds so much power, that she is seen as the manager of Netherlands Inc. who holds the whip. But her son, the Prince of Orange, Princess Máxima and their two daughters have boosted the monarchy to alltime high ratings and the Queen is in their slipstream as 'the loving grandmaman'.
So there are periods of cold, distance and there are periods of deep affection and love. It counts for most monarchies.
The hugely popular Queen Juliana was succeed by the widely seen as arrogant, distant, aloof and cold Queen Beatrix. But maybe that was what the Dutch monarchy needed: bring back the formality and the regalness after the 'too informal' Reign of her mother.
The hugely popular King Albert II will be succeed by his son Prince Philippe, widely seen as dumb-and-dumber, clumsy, a wooden stick, with zero charisma. It is that Mathilde does camouflage it a little bit, but also this will be survived (when Belgium remains as a state).