Royal engagement brings new energy to British monarchy

marriage, which has sparked an international media frenzy, highlights the continuing global fascination with the British monarchy, which has been boosted in recent years by Harry, 33, and his brother Prince William, 35.

Queen Elizabeth II and her immediate family have now largely recovered from the worst troubles of her reign as the longest serving UK monarch — the highprofile high-profile problems of the 1990s, including the divorce of Harry’s and William’s parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, followed by Diana’s death in Paris in 1997. And it is Harry and William who have helped power the ruling clan’s popularity ratings since the turn of the century.

Aside from the Queen and her husband Prince Philip, a YouGov poll earlier this year showed that William is regarded as having made the strongest contribution to the royal family with a 78 percent approval rating, followed by Harry (73 percent), and William’s wife Kate (73 percent). The popularity of Harry, who is fifth in line to the throne, will likely be bolstered by his marriage to Markle.

The US actress and humanitarian campaigner should win the approval of much of the UK public, unlike the last US citizen who married a UK royal. The relationship between Wallis Simpson (like Markle, a divorcee) and King Edward VIII ultimately led to Britain’s 1936 abdication crisis.

Moreover, given the parallels between Diana and Markle it is possible that she could become hugely popular in her own right in the UK and internationally.

Harry said on Monday that his mother and his fiancée “would be as thick as thieves” (indicating they have much in common). Markle will now give up her career as an actress to focus on her royal duties and wider humanitarian campaigning in a way that may prove comparable to Diana in the 1980s and 1990s.

The renewed appeal of the royals has been buttressed by a modernized monarchy with many in the UK believing it has changed for the better. Key recent reforms include ending the rule of male primogeniture on the throne — meaning females now have equal succession rights — and ending the prohibition on marrying Catholics. Harry’s engagement to Markle, who attended a Catholic school in California and is of mixed race, is just the latest chapter in this transformation process that brings the royal family into line with wider changes in UK society.

Correspondingly, polls tend to show that less than a quarter of the UK population want a republic, with many people believing that it is better to have a non-divisive, non-political head of state. This may become even more important in the future, given that the nation appears to be becoming increasingly divided along geographic lines, especially considering increased pressure for independence in Scotland.

On the face of it, therefore, the monarchy seems well set to prosper in the postElizabeth II period. The Queen, now 91, could choose to abdicate in the near future, and has already stepped back from some duties, including those requiring long-distance flights.

However, unlike Harry and William, their father Charles (the immediate heir to the throne) does not share their popularity. In the YouGov poll earlier this year, Charles and his second wife Camilla trailed well behind his sons, with 36 percent and 18 percent popularity ratings respectively.

The poll also revealed that only a third of the UK populace believe Charles “has been beneficial for the royal family.” This was a drop of almost two-thirds on four years ago, underlining that a rockier road may lie ahead for the monarchy once the Queen dies.

At 69, Charles is already at an age when many people have retired. He is the oldest heir to the throne in UK history. And some surveys show that a significant proportion of the UK public would prefer the monarchy to skip a generation to William upon the Queen’s passing.

Taken overall, Monday’s royal wedding announcement will boost the popularity of Harry and the wider ruling clan. However, while the monarchy has largely recovered its public popularity from the Nineties, significant uncertainties remain about the post-Elizabeth II period.

QAndrew Hammond is an Associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.