Cards on the table: I’m a republican — albeit one reconciled to the fact that Britain will not become a republic in my lifetime.
Well … maybe.
The House of Windsor is doing its best to challenge the idea that it is an unshakeable institution. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s association with Jeffrey Epstein has heaped disgrace upon the monarchy — but, in truth, this reckoning has been a long time coming.
What emerges from Thames Valley Police’s investigation into Mountbatten-Windsor and the family’s years of reputation management remains to be seen. Clive Irving, in this week’s magazine, argues the late Queen and palace courtiers were complicit.
“Charles’s great final test of his reign will be damage control. Constitutional monarchies are thin on the ground,” he writes. “The Windsors manage the only one of significance — and they have done a terrible job.”
What we can be certain of is this: the crisis does not — in Jonathan Dimbleby’s ludicrous phrasing — make the monarchy stronger. The real question is whether it survives.
Suggested Reading
My picks of the week: Awards season, Epstein and Starmer’s bitter fight
Matthew d’Ancona believes survival would require nothing less than a revolution — beginning with a reckoning with the public’s seething anger.
Having admitted my republican leanings, I should add that I’m in a minority at The New World. You’ll find a wide range of rigorously argued positions in this week’s issue. Our readers, we trust, can make up their own minds.
Also this week:
Alastair Campbell has filed a special report from Kyiv today – you can read it here now.
Tanit Koch on the Berlinale’s political storm after Wim Wenders’ intervention.
James Ball on why white women have become a lightning rod in US politics.
Philip Ball dismantles the myth of inevitable modern progress.
Eleanor Longman-Rood on Gisèle Pelicot’s courage — and the trial that shook France.
Ros Taylor reviews Sandbrook and Syrett’s The Book Club.
Sophia Deboick on the new Gorillaz album.
Marie Le Conte launches the Outsiders Art Club.
Great Life: Shane Warne, told beautifully by John Osborne.
This is only a snapshot. The magazine is packed with journalism you won’t find anywhere else. Enjoy!
