The British Royal Family is one of the things you think of when you talk about the UK

Why does the UK still have a Monarchy, how much power does the King actually have? These are great questions if you are visiting or studying English in the UK. One of the first things that comes to mind when thinking about Britain is, without a doubt, the British Royal Family – but how much do you actually know about who they are, and what they do?

 

Who is King Charles III?

The current King, Charles III, was born on 14 November 1948. He was born in Buckingham Palace. After completing a history degree from the University of Cambridge, Charles served in the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy from 1971 to 1976. In 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer. They had two sons, William and Harry, but divorced in 1996. In 2005, Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles.

Charles became King when his mother died in 2022. At the age of 73, he was the oldest person to become King. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales in British history.

 

Who was Queen Elizabeth II?

Queen Elizabeth II was recognised all over the world, and ruled for longer than any other Monarch in British history. She died at 96 years old and left four children; Charles Prince of Wales, Anne Princess Royal, Prince Andrew Duke of York, and Prince Edward Earl of Wessex.

Known by her supporters for a strong sense of duty and her devotion to service, her life was celebrated in a state funeral on 19 September 2022. The ceremony was watched on TV by over 29 million people in the UK. The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and related events cost the UK government an estimated £162 million.

 

Who are the other British Royal Family members?

The British royal family includes the King, Queen, and other members of the royal household. Some members of the British royal family include:

  • King Charles IIIThe current King of the United Kingdom
  • Queen CamillaThe current Queen consort of the United Kingdom
  • William, Prince of WalesThe heir to the throne, married to Catherine, Princess of Wales
  • Catherine, Princess of WalesThe wife of William, Prince of Wales
  • Prince GeorgeThe eldest child of William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales
  • Princess CharlotteThe second child of William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales
  • Prince LouisThe youngest child of William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales
  • Anne, Princess RoyalThe only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
  • Prince Harry, Duke of SussexMarried to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
  • Meghan, Duchess of SussexThe wife of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

 

Why does Britain have a Royal Family?

In the early centuries, most Western countries had a King and a Royal Family. Over time most of those countries grew out of them, while some few decided to keep their Royals. The main reason for Britain to keep its Royal Family is that many people think it is important to keep the UK’s roots and identity alive. Also, Kings and Queens are symbols of their nation’s unity in times of war or crisis. For example, the Queen’s father, King George VI, became a symbol of strength for Britain in the Second World War.

 

How and when did the Royal Family start?

Magna Carta is a huge part of British Royal Family history

The Great Charter or Magna Carta of King John in 1215 was the start of the houses of Commons and Lords. Also known as the elected Parliament in Westminster, which by 1649, had enough power to destroy all their enemies who resisted and attempted to dissolve their power. In the following centuries England’s constitutional monarchy developed and included Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland which then was called the British Empire. They expanded even as far as Australia and New Zealand.

 

Commonwealth realms 2025

Today there are 14 of these former British colonies, now known as “Commonwealth realms”, which remain happy to acknowledge King Charles III as not just as head of the Commonwealth, but as their own particular head of state.

Commonwealth realms in 2025 are:

Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory (BAT), British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

 

What does the Royal Family do?

The British Royal Family has the role of being a morale booster across the Commonwealth. They bring glamour to the opening of a new power station or hospital. Young members of the family are expected to join the armed forces or participate in some useful social service. They do a lot of charity work and present medals to courageous soldiers and cups to victorious sporting teams.

 

How much Power does the Royal Family have?

Since it’s a representative people’s monarchy, the people have all the power and the monarch has none. The British Royal Family isn’t supposed to express political opinions. Even though the King reads out the policies of “His” government in the King’s Speech at the Opening of Parliament, the policies are from the Prime Minister who gets put into office through a General Election.

 

Why do people care about the Royal Family?

Politicians are only around for a short amount of time compared to the monarch, so it’s much easier for people to relate to them. People really get to know their Royals and a successful family creates a sense of human continuity at the heart of society. When Queen Elizabeth II died, a lot of people found it difficult to process because this was something that stayed the same while other areas of their lives changed.

 

What are the British Royal Family worth?

The net worth of the British royal family was estimated in 2021 at £21.3 billion by Forbes, and Queen Elizabeth II had a separate personal fortune of £380.7 million, inherited by her son King Charles III, making his net worth over £1.8 billion.

The Crown Estate, which manages the monarchy’s property holdings, is valued near £15.6 billion and generated an estimated £312.7 million in net revenue at the end of the 2022 fiscal year.

 

What are the arguments against the Royals?

The monarchy is not chosen by the people, so supporters of democracy are often in favour of abolishing the British Royal Family. Critics claim that the institution is old-fashioned because it celebrates very rich people having an unfair economic advantage. They never had to start from the bottom but receive unfair advantages – for example, when a young Royal Family member joins the army, they automatically become officers.

The amount of tax money that goes to the British Royal Family is called the Sovereign Grant, which was £86.3 million for the 2022-23 financial year. This is equivalent to about £1.29 per person. This pays for royal engagements at home and abroad, with over 160,000 guests being welcomed at royal palaces for events like garden parties and investitures. Tens of millions of pounds are spent on maintaining Buckingham Palace. Many campaigners believe the Royal Family do not deserve this money and that it should be spent on schools and hospitals, for example.

One last argument, that is worth mentioning is, the endorsement that the Royal Family gives to the Church of England and organised religion. This leaves a bad taste in the mouth of atheists and free-thinkers.

 

How much tourism money do the Royal Family bring in? 

It is difficult to discuss the subject of value for money because it is not clear how much money the Royal Family brings in from tourism. Buckingham Palace receives over 50,000 visitors annually. Brand Finance, which bills itself as the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy, estimated that the royals contributed 1.77 billion pounds ($1.95bn) to the UK economy in 2017.

 

Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle no longer use their royal titles

In 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle issued a statement on Instagram saying that they had decided to step back as “senior” members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty the Queen. This means they no longer receive public funds for royal duties. This means they also no longer use their “HRH” (His/Her Royal Highness) titles, but they still legally hold their titles as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The couple cited a desire for privacy from the UK press, a lack of support from the family, and to pursue financial independence and mental wellbeing as reasons for leaving their royal roles.

 

How popular are the British Royal Family?

Just over half (54%) of people in Britain believe that it is ‘very’ or ‘quite important’ for Britain to have a monarchy, but support for the monarchy is in decline. As recently as 2012, this statistic was 76%.

Older British people are traditionally more in favour of having a monarchy than younger people.

This data chart from the National Centre for Social Research shows how attitudes have changed over time.

Support for the British Royal Family is dropping fast

 


 

If you are studying in the UK (or just visiting) it’s important to remember that not everyone has the same opinion about the British Royal Family, and that conversations can sometimes get very opinionated. Sometimes it might be better to change the subject and talk about the weather instead!

 


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