ABSTRACT
Walter Bagehot placed the monarchy in the ‘dignified’ category of the constitution, as opposed to the ‘efficient’ parts, like the House of Commons. The monarchy has constantly tried to defend and improve its public standing whilst not letting in too much of the ‘light’ which Bagehot warned would damage its essential ‘mystery’. The monarchy has traditionally been held to be a moral template for the nation: virtually above criticism. Bagehot reckoned that the key to the public’s regard for the monarchy was its mystique or ‘magic’ upon which too much light should not be cast. One of the reasons for negative views of the monarchy is its alleged excessive cost. In June 2014 Buckingham Palace said the cost of the monarchy was the equivalent to just over one penny a week for every United Kingdom resident: a favourable presentation of costs but not one necessarily shared by the public who tend to compare overall costs with their own expenditures.
