ABSTRACT
Monarchy today broadcasts its heritage. Some of its traditions may have been invented in the past two hundred years, but they bear the appearance of great antiquity. This raises a problem for understanding the psychological force of royalty. The appearance of antiquity might be appealing to something genuinely old within the psyche of monarchy’s subjects. Is there some pre-modern corner of the mind, perhaps a vestige of an ancient archetype, which resonates to the images of kings and queens? Or, on the other hand, is one dealing with an institution whose mass appeal is firmly rooted in the times of today? As will be argued in this chapter, the latter possibility is the more convincing: present times are producing states of mind which are drawn to the appearances of tradition. Monarchy, thus, fits today’s modern, perhaps post-modern, times. This is indicated by its psychology, which carries the mark of contemporary cynicism, rather than premodern superstition.
