This month witnessed another royal event for the millennial generation to enjoy, namely the wedding of Prince Harry to American actress Meghan Markle.

There was a great deal of fuss made leading up to the ceremony about the cost levied on the taxpayer to fund the day, plus a wider debate of whether the monarchy still has a worthwhile purpose. Is it just a husk of the past propped up for the sake of convention? Or does it have darker implications, protecting the elitist circle from a slide into obscurity and mediocrity?

Firstly, before I start debating whether the British monarchy is still relevant, I would like to say that the wedding itself was lovely to watch. Unrestricted by the level of pomp and duty necessitated at Prince William’s marriage to Kate Middleton, it was a joy to regard the personal touches and warmth of the occasion. It was a ceremony that had seriously been set about with a deep love and consideration.

But - why all the fuss? Are royals, with their magazine deals, Hollywood friends and high-living not just a breed of celebrity themselves?

I must admit that they have morphed into a strange beast in my lifetime. Always in danger of becoming superfluous, they have made a concerted effort to reach out to common causes. International diplomacy alone no longer seemed a viable reason for the monarchy’s existence so they have been direct in their attempts to use their influence positively in as many aspects of British life as possible. The guard has been lowered, the tone has been adjusted and the majority can be seen to be spending their time doing worthwhile or charitable activities.

The question of funding is probably the most contentious one that they still find difficult to bat away, hence the further scrutiny every time an occasion such as this demands millions from the public coffers. From an economic point of view though, any high-interest Royal event only further enhances the image of the royals, adding to their appeal and, in particular, their tourist appeal. And, in a more abstract manner, the royal family is so entwined in people’s perception of Great Britain and London that one would find it difficult to quantify the negative impact financially and culturally it would have by stripping them out of the equation. I think it’s safe to say, however, that it would at least equate to their objective worth.

Another protestation at the monarchy is that their existence is an affirmation of the rigid class system still enveloping and stunting the country. I sympathise with this view more than any other, but then I think that it’s exactly because of this that they have changed their tack. The distance has been narrowed by the royal family, prima facie, moving ground and coming closer to the layperson. Is it enough to justify the class divide that still exists and that it still, despite this effort, reinforces? The trouble is I don’t think it does but at the same time I think the royals are a class scapegoat. Class divide goes far beyond the royals and is vested in business, not monarchy. Take away the monarchy and the ‘establishment’, the ‘elite’, will be unmoved and may even thrive further without the guise of the royal idol attracting a constant wider focus.

My lasting thought for why I’m a royalist is that if we were to get rid of them then there is no going back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. Our collective belief system today has no place for God’s representative on a throne. However you feel towards history, having a tangible and present manifestation of our societal past is something that should be beyond monetary value. Keeping the line and the link back to our past alive keeps the tradition of us as a group alive too. It would be a shame to sever this ancestral tie for the sake of a political principle, one that we know not whether the consequence would be fruitful and is itself even questionable.

Lastly, in an age where our leaders, chosen or not, take us in uncomfortable directions and even go as far as putting us into danger and decay, it is healthy to have a leadership whose existence is truly dependent on its people, with no further motives than to exist and be exemplary. For as long as the royal family can maintain this standard I will continue with my support.

This month's favourites:
   Courtney Barnett, Tell Me How You Really Feel
   Arthur Schopenhauer, On the Suffering of the World
   Birdman (2014)