There is a large proportion of the British public who go nuts for anything to do with the royal family; be it an engagement, a wedding or a baby, the country enjoys the celebrations. You can imagine then, that many of the royalists celebrated with joy when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they were expecting a child.
The baby, which is due any week now, has caused a huge stir among the British public, and while it is very unlikely that the child will ever sit on the British throne, there is still an air of excitement. Such is the excitement that many people are flocking to the bookies to check out the latest royal baby betting odds.
But what is it that the British love so much about their monarchy? Here, we will take a look at what makes the British royal family a national institute.
Nan-like Queen
Let’s face it, whenever you have a look at the Queen, you see your own grandmother. She’s presentable, loveable and always gives a great speech at Christmas. She’s lived through the dark days of World War II and been the monarch during several crises, such as the Suez Crisis, the troubles in Northern Ireland, and the tragic death of the beloved Princess Diana.
Despite all of this, she has remained strong and stable and a figurehead to be admired. She has been served by 12 Prime Ministers during her reign and as she has grown older and wiser, she has played an important role in providing the Prime Ministers with advice.
Gaffes galore
While the Queen has created an image and reputation of being a woman who takes a calm and measured response to a situation, the same can’t quite be said of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip.
Many British people love the Duke because of his ability to make us all laugh. How does he do this? Through his infamous and cringeworthy gaffes.
There are plenty of examples of some hilarious and, in some cases, offensive things the Duke has said, but here are a few examples:
Talking to a Filipino nurse at Luton Hospital in 2013 he said “The Philippines must be half empty as you’re all here running the NHS.”
When he met British students in China in 1986, he told them “If you stay here much longer, you’ll all be slitty-eyed.”
To schoolboy Andrew Adams, who was 13 and told the Duke he wanted to go into space, the Duke replied “You’re too fat to be an astronaut.”
The relatable non-royals
It’s not just those who were born into the royal family who we appreciate, it’s also those who have married into it. While Sarah Ferguson did little to improve the reputation of the royal family, the likes of Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle have helped massively.
Proof of this lies in the viewing figures for the weddings of the two princes. The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton peaked at 19 million viewers while the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received a peak audience of 18 million viewers.
It’s their “normal” lives prior to marrying the princes which has helped the British public to welcome both into the royal family. Although Meghan was a successful actress prior to meeting Harry and Kate was born into an upper-middle class family, this hasn’t stopped the British public with relating to them.
