Republic Tuesday: a year of royal articles

For some extra reading over the holiday break, here’s a personal selection of articles about monarchy and the royal family from 2009:

Peter Preston: “The trouble with Harry” (Guardian, 11 January 2009)

• The prince is in another fine mess, but his problems aren’t entirely of his own making

Joan Smith: “Manufacturing the myth of monarchy” (Guardian, 24 February 2009)

• A statue of the Queen Mother is the royal family’s way of passing itself off as charming heritage, rather than pointless privilege

Prof. Edzard Ernst (audio): “Duchy detox: ‘It’s the promotion of anti-science’” (Guardian, 11 March 2009)

• Professor Edzard Ernst of Exeter University attacks Prince Charles’ Duchy Originals detox potions

Graham Smith: “The dangers of a political king“ (Guardian, 21 April 2009)

• Already a routine meddler, Charles has made it clear he intends to be a vocal monarch. The consequences could be disastrous

Gary Younge: “A new politics: Ditch the monarchy” (Guardian, 20 May 2009)

• Or if we cannot do without the royal family, we must at least make the monarch’s role ceremonial, not constitutional

Jerry Brotton: “Jewel in the Crown” (New Statesman, 26 June 2009)

• The Royal Collection is a treasure trove of Old Masters, bought with taxpayers’ money. So why does the monarchy deny the public access?

Ted Vallance: “Off with their heads“ (New Statesman, 9 July 2009)

• From Wat Tyler swilling beer in front of Richard II to chants of “God save the poor and down with George III”, the British have a long history of hostility towards the Crown. Can it survive the coronation of King Charles III?

Robert Booth: “Royal disapproval: how Prince Charles tried to stop a modern ‘masterpiece’” (Guardian, 16 August 2009)

• Prince urged St Paul’s architect to be dropped; Calls for Clarence House to stop meddling in process

Johann Hari: “Gin, servants and bloodlines for royalty’s Alf Garnett in a tiara” (Independent, 25 September 2009)

• To be fair to her, the Queen Mother did do one thing well. She supported far-right politics

Sholto Byrnes: “All dressed up – but with nowhere to go” (Independent, 21 October 2009)

• Charles v Edward, Philip v William, and one gaffe after another. These are troubled times for the House of Windsor. What to do?

Nigel Morris: “Nick Clegg: Cancel the Queen’s Speech – and save democracy” (Independent, 16 November 2009)

• Nick Clegg issues a call for this week’s Queen’s Speech to be scrapped and replaced by an emergency programme of reform designed to “clean up politics once and for all”.

Robert Verkaik: “Queen’s finances to be revealed” (Independent, 21 December 2009)

• The Independent wins three-year battle to publish secret correspondence with Government over spiralling cost of maintaining royal palaces.

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