​British Monarchy: Is it Going out of Style?

By Alex Goodman ’25

During Spring Break, the rest of the world and I pondered one question: Where is Kate Middleton? In late January, the Royal Palace announced the Princess’s upcoming abdominal surgery; up to late March, reporters, conspiracists, and civilians alike have speculated her whereabouts due to the public not seeing her for two months. On the social media platform TikTok, the Kate Middleton tag had 142.7K videos under it, all theorizing where she could have gone. Some thought she was growing out a terrible attempt at bangs, while others thought she would appear on their TV screens as a contestant on The Masked Singer.
 
On March 22, the rumors stopped when the official Kensington Royal Twitter account posted a 2:20 minute video titled “A Message from Catherine, The Princess of Wales.” In the video, Kate explained that she was diagnosed with cancer and would start chemotherapy soon. In a flash, Kate was found and the royal family slowly slipped from everyone’s minds – except mine. Kate’s condition is severe, and I wish her a speedy recovery; however, one can’t help but notice that the royals recently only make the news when tragedy is involved.
 
As an American, I never saw myself allured by the British royals and only paid attention to them during the Meghan Markle fiasco, just like many others. As the years continue, it seems like the British Monarchy only commands general attention when something terrible happens, like the Kate Middleton situation or Queen Elizabeth’s death. Furthermore, according to a National Centre for Social Research poll, British public support for the monarchy is at an all-time low; the number of people who believe that the monarchy is “very important” dropped from 38 percent in 2022 to 29 percent.
 
The decrease in support for the British Monarchy is understandable: for the past four years, increasing inflation rates, war, and a deadly pandemic have commanded the world’s attention. The average person does not have the time or energy to keep up with the royals, and they are unable to relate to their problems. In today’s world, consumers want to support influencers and celebrities they can relate to. The royals, who have a wholly tailored image, seem to lack the relatability factor. One would rather watch a one-minute video of a person complaining about college rejections than the crowning of a British royal because the former is an experience that one either had or can have. I predict that 50 years into the future, people won’t be concerned about the next missing royal but rather about the rising ocean levels or the deterioration of the ozone layer. I also want to wish The Princess of Wales good health, of course!