“The reality is that it’s on its way out, leaving only around twenty-five families in the entire world who enjoy these unique privileges by an accident of birth. Fewer than a quarter (forty-three) of the world’s nations are monarchies, and even that figure is inflated by the fact that Elizabeth II is monarch of sixteen Commonwealth nations. It is worth mentioning here that she is also Head of the Commonwealth, an organisation with a combined population of 2.1 billion people, yet her role is neit...her elected nor subject to a fixed term. The Commonwealth’s governance includes a vague statement that the choice of the next head ‘will be made collectively by Commonwealth leaders’ but no mechanism is set out; the widespread expectation is that Prince Charles will seamlessly succeed his mother. None of the world’s largest democracies – India, Indonesia or the US – has a hereditary head of state or displays any enthusiasm for having one. When India became independent in 1947, many of its maharajas agreed to sign over their ancestral territory and palaces to the new state; in 1972, the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, stripped them of their remaining titles and privileges.MoreLessRead More Read Less
You can download books for free in various formats, such as epub, pdf, azw, mobi, txt and others on book networks site. Additionally, the entire text is available for online reading through our e-reader. Our site is not responsible for the performance of third-party products (sites).
User Reviews: