Many things continue to carry the stench of imperialism, but none do so better than the British royal family, despite seemingly being limited to purely ceremonial roles.
However, behind the ceremony, the Crown has real powers in Canada and Britain. On May 6, Canada gets a new head of state, Charles III. Canada’s governments, armed forces, judges and other institutions of the state swear their loyalty to the Crown, rather than to the Canadian people. When I became a Canadian citizen, I had to promise loyalty to a remnant of feudalism living 7,500 kilometres away. All new Canadian citizens pledge that “I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles the Third, King of Canada, His Heirs and Successors.”
Legally the government is decided by the Crown as represented in Canada by the Governor General (GG) and the GG can remove the government if they so wish. This may seem far-fetched but in Australia in 1975 that is what happened. The Labour government had carried out major reforms and was being opposed by big business. Its policies were blocked by the Senate and the GG removed Labour Prime Minister Whitlam and appointed a right-wing Prime Minister.
This is a reserve power that the ruling class, of which the monarchy with its obscene wealth is clearly part of, will only use in a dire emergency. If a genuine socialist government, with mass popular support, was elected and started to transform Canada, that would be the greatest imaginable emergency for the capitalists. They would use every trick they could.
Great efforts are made to portray the royal family as a benevolent monarchy that keeps an arm’s length from state politics. Charles, before becoming king, was well known to push his views, even for his own financial benefit, on governments.
Alongside these special, utterly undemocratic powers, the family is notoriously secretive about the wealth it actually owns. So much so, that the British parliament prohibits negative discussion about the royal family. Furthermore, the royal archives cannot be accessed without consent of the family itself. This secrecy stretches beyond just basic history of the family, and goes as deep as its finances, all of which is under the protection of British judicial decree.
Financial knowledge about heads of state is available in many other countries, such as France and the United States. However, when it comes to the British royal family, it is carefully guarded under the guise of safety concerns for them. Following Prince Phillip’s death in 2021, the president of the Family Court ended up ruling that the wills of all senior royals be secret for a minimum of 90 years. Not only that, once those 90 years have passed, wills could be disclosed with one small caveat: the requirement of royal permission.
While the actual wealth of the British royal family remains a mystery, there are some rough estimates. The Crown Estate is worth (in US dollars) approximately $19.5 billion, Buckingham Palace $4.9 billion, Kensington Palace $630 million, the Duchy of Cornwall $1.3 billion, the Duchy of Lancaster $748 million, and the Crown Estate Scotland $592 million. None of this includes the jewels, works of art and so on. These assets are used by King Charles in his capacity as monarch, but he can’t sell them off because they belong to the Crown itself and will be passed down to Prince William once he becomes king (who will pass them to Prince George, and so on). Charles inherited around $500 million from his mother, and it is tax free as British inheritance tax does not apply to him. Much of this wealth has come from slavery and the plundering of Britain’s many former colonies.
At the centre of all this is “The Firm.” This particular moniker dates back to the 1936 abdication of Edward VIII. The Firm, which is also known as “Monarchy PLC” — are the public faces of the British empire that include the lavish televised weddings, cash-showered tours of commonwealth countries and public displays of ridiculous affluency. Back in 2020, the Crown Estate made £475 million in profits and the royal family got 25 percent of it, approximately £86.3 million. Not surprisingly, the £86.3 million made by the royal family wasn’t spent on measures that provide social assistance to the working and downtrodden class. It was used for maintenance of various palaces and castles, and to pay for their numerous tours and visits.
It is thus no surprise that the general public’s interest in seeing the royal family as monarchs has gone down over the years. This is especially true in Canada, where nearly 50 percent say they do not have a favourable view of King Charles. Almost 60 percent oppose recognizing him as a monarch. Most Canadians feel less and less connected to the monarchy than before.
Many countries are considering removing the British royal family as head of state. Barbados removed the Queen as head of state, becoming a republic in 2021. Belize, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Kitts and Nevis are planning to follow suit. While Canada may follow the same route at some point in the future, there are no indications of it happening anytime soon.
As an institution, the British royal family adds nothing of value. Its legacy of racism, war, and genocide echoes across the globe from South Asia to North America. It is another cog in the machine of global capitalism, and perhaps one of its wealthiest. It holds an obscene amount of wealth, which is a justified cause of angst and frustration among the working class. As the working class toils their hours away to make measly wages, the British monarchy sits with its feet up, perhaps generating more money for themselves in a minute than a working family does in a year.
The monarchy is a feudal relic. The first Charles was beheaded in the English Revolution of the rising capitalist class. Later they restored the monarchy, with Charles II, as a block on the lower classes.
It is time Canada got rid of the monarchy. And monarchy itself needs to be eradicated. The future needs to be a socialist society. Not a society of monarchs ensuring the ruling class remains well fed.
