I have a vague like (well below the level of actual political preference) for a monarchy.
And, well, I really, really, really don’t like British Monarchy Apologism. It’s simultaneously obscene and cowardly.
If we see a restoration it will, and will have to be, different. Above all things the historical aristocratic contempt for all things useful and practical and especially for labor must pass away.
I’m not sure it’s possible to have a monarchy without some level of aristocratic contempt for useful and practical things. What would a non-aristocratic monarchy look like?
I didn’t necessarily say “a non-aristocratic monarchy”.
What I was specifically thinking of is, like, people who form entire cultures around considering Working For A Living to be basically illegitimate, and who then don’t have the saving grace to live in austere and ascetic poverty when their rent fails them.
In my ideal nation, the royal family would have the role of safeguarding the nation’s culture (and a few other things) rather than being a tourist attraction or having full political power better reserved for the civilian government.
Their membership would be drawn from national heroes, waning over several generations and requiring new heroes to marry in for the line to remain royal. So, great artists, great scientists, great warriors, those who have made amazing sacrifices - people who just knowing they’re from your country and embody its ideals, make your heart swell with pride.
This keeps the genetic lines fresh, rewards those who benefit society, helps keep the nation united, and so on. In many countries the monarchy is reduced to a national mascot and cultural institution - so if we’re going to do that, let’s do it right.