“…lest British republicans, who count among their ranks some of the most professionally joyless people in the country, should be offended”.
Had to have a giggle at that one – how true. I am something of a part-time republican these days – but I think I’d be more enthusiastic about the prospect if there were fewer committed sourpusses among the existing population. Who articulated a positive view of a future state rather than just whining about unearned privilege.
I think mystical is the right way to explain the continued fascination and devotion to the monarchy. It does feel instinctive, a little irrational and quite divorced from the specific person who occupies/will occupy the top spot (although, at 40, I’ve only ever known QE2). It’s rather like the odd feeling of home I get whenever I’m near the sea and get the salt air in my nose.
It’s this basic feeling of belonging that can only be felt and not really described but which not even decades living in a landlocked republic can erase.