According to a poll reported last week, the Royal Family is more popular than ever. Only 22% of those interviewed believed that Britain would be better off without a monarchy and a mere 10% would want an elected head of state after the Queen's demise rather than a regal Charles or William. As some parts of the media (but not Private Eye!) never tire of pointing out in what amount to hagiographies, the unelected monarch is far more popular than any elected politician.
If you think about it, it's not surprising that this is the case. The Queen never has to say anything controversial or allocate resources between competing claims of often equal merit or take decisions that provoke disagreement. If your job is largely confined to uttering bland pleasantries ("have you come far?"), shaking hands, cutting the ribbon at various events and distributing gongs ("arise,Sir Tom Jones"), it's actually quite difficult to be unpopular.
Yes, we British do like our Queen but I don't think this should be taken as a blanket approval of the monarchy. It is, in fact, quite easy for the Royal Family to gain the disapproval of the flag-waving British public. All they have to do is to step outside of the Ruritanian bubble we see as being their true abode and operate in the real world. Witness the ordure heaped upon Prince Charles for his opinions on alternative medicine, GM crops, architecture and so on. Witness how the Duke of Edinburgh is criticised when he expresses his views. Witness how the Queen's approval ratings fell in the aftermath of Princess Diana's death.
The Queen's longevity is keeping the monarchy alive and well. But it will be interesting to see what happens when she's no longer around. Will the collective affection for Charles still prevent us from seeing what monarchy actually symbolises: hierarchy, hereditary privilege, deference, feudalism and unearned wealth. Surely democracy has a better story to tell?
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