Classic versus modern England (Familial and governmental)

 

    I have observed so far that in classic England, the typical family structure is very similar to how we portray it in movies, however it is more caring and kinder between members than we thought. It was not mother’s passing their children off to nanny’s for no reason as we are often led to believe. But rather it is that the women were involved in keeping order of the house while husbands were usually keeping order of the county or larger affairs. Between the wealthy, it seems almost all marriages were for power dynamics and trades, certain people like Queens choosing to not marry at all to keep things tidy in foreign affairs. It seems that everyone knew to identify with the queen and the church, as we saw through the trip to Lincoln Castle and Cathedral that the church created institution, leading to creation of state, and therefore creating a strong bond between the three. It is obvious why the family structure changed so much when the church and government separated.

               I think over the last 10-15 years, the amount of middle eastern immigration to the England area has raised exponentially, raising the number of mixed families and cultural mixing. I think that this change has happened due to recent wars and such, because this change is so recent— it hasn’t been reflected in modern day textbooks yet. Personally, I was ready to see less diversity than what is in Moscow! I think that London is definitely more diverse than other areas we saw, and while you might think that it is just due to it being a travel hub, but really I met several locals who have been here for the last few years or had moved since 9/11.

 

 

               Overall, throughout my time here, I have seen that of course the Royal Family can been seen in every shop throughout posters, figurines, and even small little tributes in restaurants through mini crowns. I think that they make themselves seem as though they are the “ideal” family to the general public because they want people to respect their reign. Even though many people do not respect the current king, are upset about it, and some even praying on his death— it is clear that the family over all still has most people’s respect. The royal family presents themselves as a traditional family where several generations can all live together under one roof and each uphold the laws and needs for the country. While many of us are familiar with the death of Princess Diana, it is clear that the royal family is still trying to evade incidents like that and portray that some family members are separate and not as regal of the rest of them (i.e.— Harry and Meghan).

               While many people show this respect for the family, like I said earlier, it is clear that King Charles individually has little respect from the majority of the general public. I think that this is partially due to his past relations with Diana, the people’s princess, and due to his age. When the Queen died, lots of people believed that the reign would be passed right down to her son William and his wife Kate. I have also heard of people (on my own during my time here, usually when listening in on street conversations) not liking King Charles because of his political choices. I am quickly finding that no one can actually speak in approval of the king and many people thing that this discontent is a sign that the royal family’s lead in the government over the country needs to come to an end.