Michael Jesso's Fabulous, Derailed - God Save Them From Themselves
The current Megan and Harry scandal rocking Buckingham Palace put eyes from all corners of the globe on the Palace. But for Canadians, it hits a little closer to home. After all, Queen Elizabeth II is our Queen and at the very top of our government. While some will say she is a figurehead, the cost of having her there seems to be only a little cheaper than that of our UK cousins.
Let’s start with how the Royal family is worth an estimated $88 Billion. The castles, the art, the jewels, none of it comes cheap. However, the British taxpayer still chips in 60 to 70 million pounds per year (That’s $120 Million in Canadian dollars) to bankroll their follies.
For Canadians (because we don’t “actually” send any money across the pond), our bill for doing business in the name of the Queen still comes in at around $62 million per year.
“How?” You ask? Well, there are Royal visits to consider: the upkeep on a smattering of stately homes across the country, all awards and dinners are thrown by the Governor General’s office, whether the Royal family is here or not, and last but not least the cost of the Governor General’s office.
The latest polls show only 24 percent of Canadians want to keep the constitutional monarchy in Canada, and I have to side with those Canadians, but there’s a catch. I love the pomp and pageantry that come with the royal family.
I love a royal wedding, the gold carriages and seeing them on the patio at Buckingham, all whilst I mimic the royal wave. I love the changing of the guard and especially the Christmas message every year. Some people can’t wait to see Santa. I can’t wait to see what the Queen has to say, but is all of this worth it? For all the good, there seems to be equally bad.
One of the biggest expenses is yet to come, and it’s not just for Canadians but all of the commonwealth countries. It would add to the cost of the Queen’s passing. The cost associated with changing everything from passports to courthouses has been estimated in the hundreds of millions, taking as long as 18 months of daily work.
Our government, our military, our court system right down to lawyers’ business cards will have to be changed from the Queen’s name to the King’s name. Let’s not forget all businesses and the stock market will be closed for the day.
The next chapter for the Royal Family will be its toughest yet. For many generations, Queen Elizabeth II is the only Queen they’ve known. A strong symbol of stability and strength for Canadians and other commonwealth countries but are we really going to roll out the red carpet for scandal-clad Prince Charles? The man does seem to come with more baggage than a cruise ship, and this is the last season of Keeping up with the Kardashians, so maybe the public will welcome him with open arms. Who knows? I guess only time will tell.
