Monarchy at risk unless it reforms

BUCKINGHAM Palace was presented with a blueprint for reform yesterday which would see a slimmed-down monarchy stripped of many constitutional and financial powers, including the Queen’s role as head of the Church of England.

The proposals have been put forward by the Fabian Society, a left-of-centre think tank which argues that unless there is a thorough programme of modernisation there will be a marked decline in public support for the institution.

In the report The Future of the Monarch, the Fabians set out an agenda for reform, claiming the monarchy is the last bastion of the British establishment not to have been touched by the wave of constitutional changes which has seen the establishment of devolution in Scotland and Wales, the reform of the House of Lords and the proposed abolition of the Lord Chancellor’s office.

Proposals for a 21st century monarchy include: ending the bar on Catholics from ascending the throne; abolishing male primogeniture so the line of succession passes to the eldest child regardless of gender; and removing the right of the Queen under the Royal Marriages Act 1772 to dictate the marriage choice of those in direct line to the throne - a proposal which could allow Prince Charles to wed his mistress, Camilla Parker Bowles.

The introduction to the report says the monarchy remains a "remarkably popular institution" but this could be put a risk unless it embraces "radical change".

It says: "The risk it faces is that, unless it can become more representative at a symbolic level and its functions more appropriate at a constitutional one, the strengths of the system will be increasingly undermined.

"The existence of a hereditary, unreformed apex to an otherwise democratic, pluralist state will come to look increasingly incongruous."

The report, drawn up by a specially-created commission of experts, also presses for widespread reform of the monarchy’s finances, suggesting the number of Royals receiving state funding should be reduced from the current 23 to the king or queen, his or her spouse, their offspring and the children of the heir.

Calling for the definition of a "working member of the Royal Family" to be revised, the commission takes a thinly veiled sideswipe at those members who perform few public duties despite being on the Civil List.

It concludes: "Being a working Royal should be seen as a serious job. It would involve undertaking a publicly acceptable level of public duties and engagements and appropriate behaviour."

And it warns against allowing Royals such as the Countess of Wessex to mix duties with business interests, arguing that they should not take part in commercial activities.

The report also suggests the public duties undertaken by the Royals are too confined to exclusive and establishment engagements. "The Royal Family needs to associate itself with all parts of Britain and with its many different social groups and activities in order to be seen to reflect the nation they serve," it says.

On the financial side, the commission proposes stripping Charles of his private income from the Duchy of Cornwall. Instead, it says the Royal Family should be funded by a single revenue stream - accountable to parliament - combining the Civil List, grants-in-aid and the Duchy of Cornwall income.

Other proposals include:

Changing the Oath of Accession so the Queen, if she wished, could take early retirement rather than serve the country until death;

The Head of State and all other members of the Royal Family should pay tax on their private income and wealth. At present, the Queen has a "voluntary" arrangement to pay income tax;

Properties owned privately by the monarch, such as Balmoral and Sandringham, should be subject to capital gains and inheritance tax on the same basis as they would be for other citizens;

All the staff of the Head of State should be incorporated into the civil service and given the same status and conditions as other state departments;

An externally recruited chief executive should be appointed to Buckingham Palace to manage the office of Head of State;

There should be a general presumption that land, buildings and art which belong to the nation should be publicly accessible.

The commission also puts forward wide-ranging suggestions on how to separate the Queen from her role as head of state with her constitutional duties.

It argues that the monarch is granted a number of discretionary powers which are no longer suitable for a 21st century democracy. It suggests the state opening of parliament should take place only at the start of a new parliament and the scrapping of the Oath of Allegiance requiring MPs and MSPs to swear allegiance to the Crown - a demand which has kept Sinn Fein MPs from taking their seats in the House of Commons.

A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said the report was a useful contribution to the debate on changes to the monarchy. "We will be interested in seeing public reaction," he added.

The Fabian Society was founded in 1884, taking its name from Quintus Fabius, a Roman general who was known for his strategy of delaying battle until the right moment.

Associated to the Labour Party since 1900, the society argues for gradual rather than revolutionary social reform. Early members included George Bernard Shaw, Emmeline Pankhurst and HG Wells.