Our view: The firm

AT the time of the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II she was recognised as Head of State by a selection of Countries, some of which were considered Dominions and others Colonies and during her reign there was a total of 32 independent countries.

In addition, there were several small Colonies such as Bermuda, Falkland Islands and Gibraltar which became known as Overseas Territories and they alongside Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man also recognised her position.

Over the years, as Independence took place a number of new countries declared themselves Republics and whilst remaining as part of the Commonwealth of Nations no longer acknowledged the Monarch as Head of State.

Now 70 years later, that figure has dropped to just 15 (including the UK) plus the Overseas Territories and already it looks as if the next to go will be Belize, followed almost certainly by Jamaica, New Zealand and possibly Australia.

There is no doubt that the British Royal Family is no longer viewed as being above reproach, with family feuds, infidelity, marriage breakdowns, paper bags full of cash and more which means that there is something of a divide between the young and old over the relevance of the ‘family firm’.

What has become clear from the scenes leading up to the Coronation of King Charles III is that not just the British but many nations, both home and abroad do still have affection for the pomp and circumstance of a well-organised event and one can be pretty certain that the majority of even the most cynical would jump at the chance of having tea at Buckingham Palace.