I don't have any strong opinions about the Royals, so I'm neither rooting for monarchism or republicanism. I just think that as part of the evolutionary process the human collective is going through now, many royal families will be reduced in stature if not stripped of their statuses. I don't know whether the Windsors will still be around in 10 or 20 years, but I do think more Britons and Commonwealth subjects will become apathetic towards them, as the case of Barbados is showing.
@moonbeam I saw the video of the speech Elizabeth delivered to the British public back in the spring about the coronavirus lockdowns, and I could feel the emotional attachment and swell of pride many Britons feel towards her. But we're living in an age where, driven by exponential shifts in popular opinion, institutions that are synonymous with reality will evaporate seemingly overnight. So I'm just keeping that in mind.
It seems like the younger royals don’t really want the “royal” label. Harry and Meghan wanted Archie to have a normal birth, and now they’ve stepped back to live their own lives, which I think they should be allowed to do. Even William and Katherine have put messages out that they want to raise their children as normally as possible. The duty they have as royals comes with certain expectations, but even those seem to be peeling away as time moves forward.
@parizienne, I think that has always been the case. Our current King has had a childhood like that as well. There are also agreements with the press about when they can make pictures. Nobody wants to expose their children to a glasshouse. However, they do live like very rich people. You cannot get away from that. They will never be 'normal'.
That said, I am not a fan of the Dutch royal house. To me they are kind of useless and slurp up a lot of money (unlike the British Queen Elizabeth, they do not pay taxes). The way they behave is set to be 'modern', but since it is also a relatively young royal house (200 years) there hardly is historical context attached.
The British do have this though and William seems very much committed to keep the monarchy alive and well. They have 1000 years of history and tradition behind them. There will always be some of an impact on the kids from this. Who knows, Archie might even grow to resent his parents for taking him away from his birthright/cousins/celebrations.