The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 7, February 13, 2005, Article 22

HOW SOON TO REVISE BRITISH EMPIRE COINS?

Dick Johnson writes: "Periodically, someone wants to do
away with the Royal Family of Britain. Mostly its Brits
themselves. One out of three Englishmen are no longer
loyal to the Royals. This one act alone would effect the
images on coins of Australia, Canada, New Zealand (and
a dozen other dominions and colonies) in addition to
England itself. Royal Family images appear on paper money
and stamps, as well. Prince Charles impending marriage to
Camilla Parker Bowles won#39;t change much.

"Has the time for royalty passed?" asked writer Doug Casey,
February 8, 2005 in the International Speculator. Does
England really want to abolish the monarchy? He lists the
actions of the dysfunctional current Royal Family but states
firmly that as long as Queen Elizabeth rules Britannia there
will be no more talk of that. It costs British taxpayers
approximately 37 million pounds (almost $70 million) each
year to keep the monarchy but the citizens are, apparently,
still willing to pay this for the "pomp and circumstance" the
Royal Family provides.

But imagine what British coins would look like without a
king or queen#39;s physiognomy? The country has a rich
heritage of symbols, from Big Ben to country castles. It
also has not one, but two medallic sculptor organizations
in the wings whose members are fully capable to create
new coin designs.

Doug Casey#39;s article "Loyal To The Royals": 
Full Story

[Thanks for pointing out this article, Dick. Here are some
excerpts. -Editor]

"Throughout history, kings and queens have ruled over
Britain. With a national anthem of ‘God Save the Queen#39;
and the monarch-of-the-day#39;s face emblazoned on every
British pound note and coin, British heritage is steeped in
this time-honored tradition of the Royal Family. However,
the world—and many Britons—periodically wonder: Has
the time for royalty passed?

In a country built on so-called ‘pomp and circumstance,#39;
admittedly, the Royal Family fits in perfectly. With a cast of
colorful characters that any TV soap opera would take
pride in, it is no wonder that the Windsors are a favorite
of international tabloid paparazzi who revel in every detail
of fairy tale marriages and high-file divorces, tragic deaths
and rumors about homosexuality. Every milestone and
misstep by the blue-bloods has been well publicized and
sold millions of newspapers."

"Of course, older generations of Britons, who served ‘Queen
and country,#39; have always shown strong support for this
institution. "When I was a boy, loyalty to the Crown was a
big thing. Now you don#39;t hear so much about it," Sir William
Broun of Colstoum, a 13th-generation baronet, told The
Guardian. Nevertheless, more and more British people seem
to feel disloyal to the Royals. A 1999 poll in The Sun found
that 1 in 3 Brits (up from 1 in 4 in 1996) said they would vote
to abolish the monarchy if there was a public referendum."

"So, why are the Royals still treated so royally? Maybe the
Brits are able to forgive and forget because they take the
Royals for what they are—an eccentric, antiquated and
out-of-touch family who nostalgically represents centuries
of tradition. Of course, as long as the Queen is still alive
and kicking, the throne will be safe from blunder-prone
successors. After that, we#39;ll just have to see."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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