England's Royal Family; Explained

Samanyu Ram

August 19, 2022

The Royal Family of England is one of the wealthiest and most historic families in all of history. Countless monumental kings, queens, princes, princesses, etc. have all come from the English Royal Family. Everything dates back to the year 1066, when William the Conqueror, also known as William the Bastard, became the first Norman King of England. He is most commonly known for being the start of the English Royal Family. William the Conqueror had three sons and fast forward almost a millennium later, this family tree is still in power and mightily reigning over England (sort of).

The United Kingdom has a Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who is comparable to the President of the United States. The Parliament of the United Kingdom is its supreme legislative body. It has two houses much like the House of Representatives and the Senate in the U.S. It is a bicameral Parliament with the houses being the House of Commons, the lower house, and the House of Lords, the upper house. These two houses are responsible for managing and directing all public services in the country. Boris Johnson is the head of Government, and alongside the British Parliament, leads the United Kingdom.

So what does the Royal Family do? What kind of power do the Royals possess? The answer to that is quite straightforward. The queen is the only Royal with any type of major power as she commands a large portion of the British Armed Forces. The rest of the members of the Royal Family are big public figures and are also heirs to the throne. Prince Charles of Wales, the son of Queen Elizabeth II, will take control of the throne after the Queen passes. Then, his son, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, will take over the throne after Prince Charles. The Royal Family is a representative people’s monarchy so the people have all the power, not the monarchs. Usually, members of the Royal Family will be present for a grand opening of some sort to spread publicity of the event.

Where is the Royal Family’s money coming from? How much do they make? The citizens of England pay taxes each year and that is where the Royal Family makes their money. The family receives 25% of the Crown Estate income while the rest of the money goes to the British Treasury. They pulled in $700 million and out of that, $475 million was profits. Tourist attractions also play a tremendous part in making money for the royals. There are around three million tourists who visit Buckingham Palace, home of Queen Elizabeth II. Alongside the Crown Estate income, they bring in close to $700 million in tourism and tourist attractions. Earlier this year, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, came out with a statement. They stated that they will be stepping away from being senior members of the Royal Family to become more financially independent. Now, Prince Harry will be the chief impact officer at a San Francisco-based health tech company named BetterUp Inc.

The British Royal Family has dwelled in the minds of humans for hundreds of years. They have played tremendous roles in conquests, wars, laws, and influence on modern times. It is quite easy to get caught up in all the history and news on this family. They have cemented their names in history and will go down as one of the most fascinating and powerful Royal Families of the time.