This House Believes Monarchy is Mere Celebrity
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There is nothing more quintessentially British than the monarchy. Her Majesty’s unsaid mantra of ‘never complain, never explain’ has theoretically served as a guiding principle for the conduct of the Royal Family. The proliferation of mass media and the internet has, however, presented severe challenges for this mantra and the institution it protects. Running tabloid commentary and total scrutiny of the lives of the Royal Family has dramatically changed the relationship between the British people and the Crown, with the deference and divine right of the past giving way to celebrity status. To many, the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex represented the conclusion of this: the fusion of Hollywood and Holyrood. In this Jubilee year, in which the monarchy is being celebrated more than ever, the question of what the monarchy stands for is more relevant than ever. Where is the line between monarchy and celebrity? In an age without deference, is the monarchy moving with the times or being moved by the times?
Proposition
Jack Royston
Chief Royal Correspondent at Newsweek. He has previously served as a news reporter and Royal Correspondent at The Sun, and published a wide variety of articles on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Her Majesty the Queen, and the Duke of York.
Opposition
Richard Fitzwilliams
Royal commentator, publisher, and film critic. He has served as the live commentator for CNN on various royal weddings, funerals, and state visits, and has contributed to royal coverage at the BBC, Sky News, and LBC.
Count Nikolai Tolstoy
British monarchist, historian, and the current head of the Russian noble family, the House of Tolstoy. He is the incumbent Chancellor of the International Monarchist League.
Angela Levin
Journalist, royal biographer, author, broadcaster, and public speaker. She has written for The Telegraph and authored, ‘Harry: Conversations with the Prince’. Her biography of HRH The Duchess of Cornwall (Camilla) is due to be released in September 2022.
Robert Hardman
British journalist, author, and documentary maker. He currently writes for The Daily Mail and was previously a columnist and royal correspondant at The Telegraph
