WINDSOR, England: Celebrations this year marking Queen Elizabeth's seven-decade reign will mask a less happy reality for the world's pre-eminent royal family: the British monarchy is being questioned in ways that last 70 For most of the years were unimaginable.
From the US abuse court case facing son Prince Andrew to accusations of racism in the royal household of his grandson Prince Harry and his wife, rarely to the family of 95-year-old Elizabeth, who became queen on February 6, 1952, kind of faced. Investigations and damaging headlines.
Such is the depth of respect for the queen that a thousand-year-old institution seems to be safe while she is alive. What comes next is less certain.
"Monarchy and queen are synonymous for most people," said Graham Smith, chief executive of the anti-monarchical group Republic.
"Once we get past the end of the Queen's reign, all bets are off where public opinion is going to go."
He said that while abolishing the monarchy would only require an Act of Parliament, it is highly likely that a referendum will have to take place first.
The monarchy's fortunes have ebbed and flowed since its ancestor Norman King William I's conquest of England in 1066, but only during the decade that King Charles I was hanged in 1649 has Britain been a republic.
During Elizabeth's reign, there was a decline between the failures of the marriages of her three children in the 1990s and the death of Princess Diana, the first wife of heir Prince Charles, in 1997.
The high included public support over the previous jubilee, the 2011 royal wedding of Elizabeth's grandson - and future king - Prince William, and the birth of the royal children.
Buckingham Palace said the four-day celebrations to mark Elizabeth's platinum jubilee in June would allow for a "national moment of reflection on the Queen's 70 years of service".
A spokesman declined to comment on questions about the long-term future of the monarchy.
royal extinction?
Supporters see the Queen as a stabilizing factor, and cite the economic benefits the monarchy brings to Britain through tourism. Opponents argue that the institution is a bastion of undeserved privilege, partly funded by taxpayers and undermined by the behavior of some members.
Andrew, 61, who is known by the media for being Elizabeth's favorite of his four children, was stripped of his royal patronage and military titles this month as he battles abuse charges in a US trial.
"It's an extinction-level event for a monarchy. You can't spend a thousand years telling everyone that you're special and then everyone finds out in real time, in a court case, that you Not really," columnist Camilla Long wrote in the Sunday Times newspaper.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry, once the most popular member of the Windsor, and his American wife Meghan have left their royal duties to move to Los Angeles, from where they have launched some prickly attacks on the family and Buckingham Palace.
Charles came under scrutiny after Michael Fawcett, his right-hand man and close confidante for decades, quit his job to run one of the heir's main charities, amid allegations he had offered honors in exchange for donations. .
Fawcett has not commented publicly on the allegations.
Royal biographer Penny Junor said, "Whether [these scandals] are enough to make enough people in Britain think that we should have no monarchy as a result, I would be skeptical."
Opinion transfer?
According to a poll in December, polls show that a comfortable majority believe the monarchy should remain, with 83% holding a positive view of Elizabeth. But there are worrying signs for the royals.
With Barbados leaving the Queen as head of state last November, Charles is far less popular and support among young people appears to be waning, with polls suggesting a majority under 30 to get rid of the monarchy .
"I don't think it matters any more," said Margaux Butler, a 20-year-old student in Windsor, where the Queen now spends most of her time.
"I hate that idea (of Charles being king). I don't mind the royal family in general, but I think he's a bit controversial and I think a lot of young people feel the same way." "
However, abolishing the monarchy will take longer than the indifference of Charles or the tabloid headlines about Andrew or Harry. In fact, the same papers now rarely run negative articles about Charles, his wife Camilla, William and his wife Kate, all of whom have faced intense criticism in the past.
For some Britons, the scandals embracing Prime Minister Boris Johnson and even the US presidency of Donald Trump make an elected head of state a less attractive proposition.
The establishment also rests firmly behind the royals.
There is no indication that the ruling Conservative Party will put an end to the monarchy, while the main opposition Labor Party is expected to partially replace its former leader in the 2019 election.
The perceived lack of devotion led to defeat.
Johnson remarked last year,
Following the death of Prince Philip, how Elizabeth's husband of 73 years helped his wife "run the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably important to the balance and happiness of our national life."
The royals themselves are also aware of how they must adapt to the changing world.
While politicians faced "brutal" disapproval by the public at the ballot box, "for us, a royal family, however, the message is often hard to read," Elizabeth, who never gave interviews during her reign, said. 1997 speech.
"I have tried my best to interpret this correctly during my years of marriage and my reign as your Queen. And we, as a family, will strive together to do so in the future." (Reuters)