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Contents

Introduction.................................................................................................................................3

Chapter I – History of the British Royal Family- the most influential British royals................4

King Edward VIII, 1894-1972................................................................................................4

Princess Mary, 1897-1965......................................................................................................4

King George VI, 1895 - 1952.................................................................................................5

Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, 1900 - 2002................................................................5

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, 1921-2021........................................................................5

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, 1948-present day................................................................6

Diana, Princess of Wales, 1961- present day..........................................................................6

Princess Anne, Princess Royal, 1950- present day.................................................................6

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, 1982- present day........................................................7

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, 1984- present day..................................................................7

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, 1981- present day.....................................................................7

The current monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - Queen
Elizabeth II..............................................................................................................................9

Chapter II- Everyday life for the royals....................................................................................10

Wake and get dressed with the help of servants...................................................................10

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 Attend mass several times.....................................................................................................10

Meet with commoners in the courtyard................................................................................11

Meet with the royal council..................................................................................................11

Receive a comprehensive education.....................................................................................11

Meet with foreign ambassadors, knights, and noblemen in the courtyard............................11

Take a break for recreational activities.................................................................................12

Meet your future spouse, who will ensure the treaty between your two countries...............12

Perform the king's touch on holy days..................................................................................12

Commission poems and songs to glorify yourself................................................................13

Consult your court astrologer................................................................................................13

What about now?..................................................................................................................13

Chapter III – Can they handle it? Usually yes, but not always.................................................15

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor......................................................................................16

Diana, Princess of Wales......................................................................................................16

Duchess of Kent....................................................................................................................16

Conclusions...............................................................................................................................18

Bibliography.............................................................................................................................19

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 Introduction

I chose this topic not for my dying interest in the British royalty, its structure or its extremely
famous members, but because their dynamic, the way they have the whole world hooked and
waiting for the next first page worthy event is truly fascinating to me. Being put in the
spotlight from the moment they are born, isolated from “the plebeians”, living only amongst
the most influential people in the world must have an interesting effect on them. In the past
only the British would keep up with their royal family, but as soon as Britain was globalized,
anyone with cable access could follow the royals’ every move.

Strict rules, perfect appearances and academic records that anyone would be envious of are
just what is expected of children born into the royal lineage, preparing them for a future in the
spotlight. Although rare, there have been some counts of British royals who chose to step
down, giving up their titles, and with them their inheritance. The most recent example are
Harry and Megan Markel, whose leave was extremely public due to the public attention they
received with their marriage, creating numerous controversies in the eyes of the common
British citizens, due to Megan’s past. Another person who gave up their status was princess
Anne’s children who, due to their mother being the queen’s only daughter didn’t have
significant titles. She decided that the young ones deserved normal lives away from the
judgmental eyes of the world, allowing them to live their childhoods like all the other
children. William and Harry’s life can be compared to Zara and Peter’s as they had a similar
status in the royal family, the only difference being their parents’ choice on whether they
should live the rest of their lives in the public eye or not. I will do a more in-depth analysis on
the way their circumstances affected them later in the paper.

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My paper will consist of four chapters, starting with a brief history of the British royals, how
they came to power and why they became so important. In the second chapter I will discuss
the modern British monarchy, with important differences between the past and the present,
especially the role globalization played in the fame of this family and how everyday life
changed for royals throughout the years. The third chapter will focus on the way this lifestyle
affects the family’s members, how the pressure that is put on them from the moment they are
born makes them either perform to the highest expectations or break under the stress. Lastly, I
will draw some conclusions in the fourth chapter.

Chapter I – History of the British Royal Family- the most influential

British royals

The House of Windsor as we know it today began in 1917 when the family changed its name
from the German “Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.” Queen Elizabeth's grandfather, King George V, was
the first Windsor monarch, and today's working royals are the descendants of King George
and his wife, Queen Mary. Below follow the line of succession and explore the many
branches of the family over which the Queen presides.

The following list contains some British royalty that, in my opinion, contributed in society
more than they were expected to, making a difference in the world.

King Edward VIII, 1894-1972

Edward, the eldest son of George V and Queen Mary, ascended to the throne upon his father's
death in 1936, but plunged the kingdom into disarray months later when he proposed to
American divorcee Wallis Simpson. This was an absurd behavior at the time, especially given
his standing, but as we have lately seen, the British Royal family has stringent standards about
marriage, and anything outside of those tight boundaries is deemed scandalous. As monarch,
Edward was the head of the Church of England, which at the time would not allow divorced
persons with a surviving former spouse to remarry in the church, hence the marriage was
opposed by the government. Unable to marry Simpson and remain on the throne, Edward

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abdicated in December of 1936, and was succeeded by his younger brother Albert, Queen
Elizabeth’s father, who would go on to become King George VI. Edward’s reign lasted just
326 days, one of the shortest in British history. After his abdication, he was named Duke of
Windsor and married Simpson in 1937. They lived abroad until his death in 1972.

Princess Mary, 1897-1965

The only daughter of George V and Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth’s aunt. During World
War I, Mary devoted herself to charity work, visiting hospitals and launching fundraising
campaigns to support British soldiers and sailors. She later trained as a nurse, and worked two
days a week at the Great Ormond Street children’s hospital in London. In 1922, Mary married
Viscount Lascelles, who later became Earl of Harewood; theirs was the first royal wedding to
receive coverage in fashion magazines like Vogue. Those fans of the Downton Abbey movie
will recognize Mary from her part in the plot.

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King George VI, 1895 - 1952

King George VI, known officially as Prince Albert until his ascension, did not expect to
inherit the throne because his elder brother, Edward VIII, was first in line of succession.

After fighting in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force during World War I, he was named
Duke of York in 1920 as the second son of George V and Queen Mary. Following Edward's
abdication in 1936, Albert ascended to the throne and was known as King George VI. During
George's reign, the British Empire was disbanded and the British Commonwealth was
established, making him both the last Emperor of India and the first Head of the
Commonwealth.

Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, 1900 - 2002

Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was the ninth of ten siblings born into British royalty. She
married Prince Albert, Duke of York, in 1923 after rejecting numerous earlier engagements
due to her reservations about royal life. When Elizabeth's brother-in-law abdicated in 1936,
Albert became King George VI and she became Queen consort of the United Kingdom.
Following her husband's death in 1952, her eldest daughter Elizabeth succeeded to the queen,
earning her the title "Queen Mother." She remained engaged in public life until her 100th
birthday in 2000, when she died, seven weeks after the death of her younger daughter,
Princess Margaret.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, 1921-2021

Prince Philip, known as Queen Elizabeth's husband and consort. He was born Prince Philip of
Greece and Denmark, but his family was banished from Greece when he was a youngster, so
he studied in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom before joining the British Royal
Navy. He married then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947, during her father George VI's reign, and
the pair had four children together. Prince Philip was not just the longest-serving consort of a
reigning British Monarch when he died in 2021 at the age of 99, but also the longest-living
male British royal in history.

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Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, 1948-present day

The eldest child of Queen Elizabeth, and the heir apparent to the British throne, Prince
Charles was born in 1948 in Buckingham Palace. He went on to be educated at a number of
institutions including Cheam and Gordonstoun Schools (which his father attended before him)
and Cambridge University, before serving in the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.

In 1981, Charles married Diana Spencer, and the couple had two sons, Prince William and
Prince Harry, before divorcing in 1996. Charles later married his second wife Camilla Parker
Bowles in 2005. Having held the title since 1958, Charles is the longest-serving Prince of
Wales in history. He is also the first heir to the British throne ever to have a university degree.

Diana, Princess of Wales, 1961- present day

Diana Spencer was born on July 1, 1961, as the third of four children to John Spencer,
Viscount Althorp, and Frances Roche. When she was 16, she met Prince Charles and married
him in July 1981, becoming the Princess of Wales. She had been studying ballet and was on
her way to become a professional dancer when she was forced to give it up owing to her
height. Anne Allan, her dance teacher, once said that she "had dance in her soul." She loved
the freeness of being able to move and dance’. Anne also said that for Diana dance was a way
to alleviate her emotional life. Because of her free-spirited way of being, she was the first
royal bride to have a paying job before becoming royalty, which at the time was
groundbreaking.

Princess Anne, Princess Royal, 1950- present day

The second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Princess Anne is
one of the hardest working members of the royal family. She is also an accomplished
equestrian, and was even the first British royal to compete in the Olympic Games.

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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, 1982- present day

The elder son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, William is currently second in the British
line of succession. After attending Eton College and St Andrew’s University, he trained at the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and served in the Royal Air Force, eventually becoming a
search-and-rescue pilot. He has since left the military and is now a full-time working royal. In
2011, he married his longtime girlfriend, Catherine Middleton, whom he met at St Andrew’s,
and the couple now have three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, 1984- present day

The younger son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Harry is currently sixth in the line of
succession. After attending Eton College like his elder brother William, Harry trained at the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and served in the British Army where he was twice
deployed to Afghanistan, making Harry the first royal to serve in a war zone since his uncle
Prince Andrew. In May of 2018, Harry married American actress Meghan Markle in a
widely-watched royal wedding. A year and a half later, he and Meghan announced their
decision to step back from their roles as working roles, and have since carved out space for
themselves in the private sector, inking a deal with Netflix and signing with a speaking
agency. In May of 2019, they welcomed their first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-
Windsor; the family of three currently lives in Santa Barbara, California.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, 1981- present day

The Duchess of Sussex broke the mold of the expected royal bride, as a biracial, California-
born actress. Markle, who divorced her first husband in 2013, was reportedly set up on a blind
date with Harry in 2016. Although more than 100 years later, her marriage with prince Harry
was seen with the same eyes as king Edward’s with Wallis Simpson, a sign that as the world
progressed, judgement and critique is still very much so present both inside the Windsor
monarchy and in the world.

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And of course, the rest of the royal family who, despite having acknowledgeable
accomplishments, did not make the list are:

King George V, 1865-1936 Princess Eugenie, 1990- present day

Queen Mary, 1867-1953 Jack Brooksbank, 1986- present day
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, 1900- Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, 1964-
1974 present day
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, 1965- present
1901-2004 day
Prince George, Duke of Kent, 1902-1942 Lady Louise Windsor, 2003- present day
Prince John, 1905-1919 James, Viscount Severn, 2007- present day
Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, 1906- Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, 1982-
1968 present day
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, 1935- Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor,
Princess Alexandra, The Honorable Lady 2019- present day
Ogilvy, 1936- present day Prince George of Cambridge, 2013-
Prince William of Gloucester, 1941-1972 present day
Prince Michael of Kent, 1942- present day Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, 2015-
Princess Margaret, 1930 - 2002 present day
Antony Armstrong-Jones, Lord Snowdon, Prince Louis of Cambridge, 2018- present
1930-2017 day
Captain Mark Phillips, 1948- present day
Sir Timothy Laurence, 1955- present day
Peter Phillips, 1977- present day
Zara Tindall, 1981- present day
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, 1960-
present day
Sarah, Duchess of York, 1959- present day
Princess Beatrice of York, 1988- present
day
Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 1983- present day

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The current monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland - Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II became Queen of the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth Realms and
Head of the Commonwealth, on 6th February 1952. She is head of the British Royal Family,
has 4 children, 8 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, and is 96 years, and 10 days old.

As of today, she has reigned for 70 years, 2 months, and 23 days. 6th February 2022 marked
the 70th anniversary of her succession to the throne on the death of her father King George VI
on 6th February 1952 when she was 25 years old. She was crowned Queen 16 months later at
her coronation in Westminster Abbey on 2nd June 1953.

On 21st December 2007 she became the oldest reigning British monarch having lived longer
than Queen Victoria, and now at 96 years old she is still in activity, being also the longest
reigning monarch in over 1200 years...

She is Head of the Commonwealth of Nations comprising 54 member states and over 20% of
the Word's land in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. The
aims of the Commonwealth include the promotion of democracy, human rights, good
governance, the rule of law, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free trade, multilateralism, and
world peace. The 2.5 billion people in the member states account for almost a third of the
world's population.

Her reign of over 69 years has seen 14 Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, and numerous
Prime Ministers in the Commonwealth Realms of which she is (or was) also Head of State;
between them she has had a total of over 170 Prime Ministers including 12 Canadian and 18
Australian Prime Ministers during her reign. There have been 14 US Presidents during her
reign.

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 Chapter II- Everyday life for the royals

What was everyday life like for medieval royals in Europe? Like anyone else, their days
followed routines, but they also enjoyed the perks, privileges, and luxuries that came with
their high status in medieval society.

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Royal experiences varied depending on time, location, and position within the royal family.
What was typical in the 900s was not necessarily common in the 1300s, and vice versa;
cultures differed between royal courts across Europe; and princes and princesses didn't
complete the same duties as their parents, though these duties sometimes overlapped.

That being said, some things were true no matter where, when, or who the royal was. Nearly
everything about a medieval royal's life was political, from the cultural life of the court to the
marriage bed. Religion also connected medieval royals - king and princess, Plantagenet and
Capetian alike regularly performed acts of piety.

Wake and get dressed with the help of servants

King Charles V of France typically began his day a little after 6 am by donning sumptuous
clothes. Since medieval fashion communicated status, royals wore the best - and
costliest - silks, furs, and embroidery.

Royal households were hierarchical. Chamberlains and wardrobe keepers - and anyone who
had direct contact with a royal body - were relatively high-ranking members of the staff. By
the late Middle Ages, English kings appointed esquires of the body - personal attendants - to
directly serve and wait on them.

Attend mass several times

Performances of piety were part of a medieval royal's daily routine. King Charles V of France
would attend mass at 8 am every morning. Likewise, William the Conqueror attended daily
mass, along with morning and evening prayers.

Meet with commoners in the courtyard

Medieval monarchs - whether personally or through a council - spent at least part of their day
addressing concerns from commoners, though some kings and queens welcomed this contact
more than others.

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Many medieval kings did not directly hear grievances in person. King Edward I of
England, for example, preferred that his subjects submit petitions in the form of written
documents, something that poor, illiterate subjects couldn't do.

Meet with the royal council

Medieval monarchs may have been endowed with political authority, but they relied on a
council of advisors to make sound decisions. Charles V of France liked to meet with his royal
council in the morning.

Kings could choose members of the council. These councilors - usually high-ranking officials
- advised the king or queen and helped shape policy.

Receive a comprehensive education

As future leaders within the kingdom and abroad, princes and princesses received an
education befitting a royal. In childhood, the future King Edward III of England studied
everything from etiquette to jousting.

Royal princes and princesses alike received an education from various tutors - but that doesn't
mean they learned the same things.

Meet with foreign ambassadors, knights, and noblemen in the courtyard

After an early lunch, Charles V would meet with a variety of dignitaries, officials, and nobles.
Ambassadors from other kingdoms would meet with the monarch and even present gifts. 

In England, these meetings could make or break a king's tricky relationship with the nobility.
King John clashed so spectacularly with the landed elite that they rebelled and forced him to
sign the Magna Carta to safeguard their rights.

Other kings handled the nobility with more finesse - King Edward I frequently called
parliaments to address nobles, clergy, and civic leaders.

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Take a break for recreational activities

Medieval royals punctuated their days with plenty of downtime. Charles V would devote
some of his afternoon to leisure activities.

Royal hunts were popular throughout the Middle Ages and often included large segments of
the court. Members of the royal family also enjoyed falconry, a largely aristocratic sport open
to men and women alike.

Meet your future spouse, who will ensure the treaty between your two countries

One of the best way to build political alliances in the Middle Ages was through the bonds of
marriage, that at the time were nothing more than political arrangements. Royal princesses
were often sent to foreign courts. Most royal couples - like England's King Henry III and his
wife Eleanor of Provence - didn't meet until after their wedding had been planned. 

Perform the king's touch on holy days

Since monarchs liked to claim divine favor, English and French kings and queens said they
had the power to cure people. The ritual of "Touching for the King's Evil" invited a
succession of people suffering from scrofula to approach the king or queen. The monarch
would then touch the afflicted person and theoretically cure them.

This ceremony often lasted hours. France's King Charles II is believed to have touched no less
than 4,500 people over the course of a year.

Monarchs usually performed the ritual in conjunction with religious occasions like Easter or
Christmas. In France, touching for the king's evil eventually became a coronation ritual for
new monarchs. 

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Commission poems and songs to glorify yourself

European royals patronized religious orders, artists, poets, and musicians as a way to display
their wealth and shape their public image. Medieval royals - especially in French, Spanish,
and Italian courts - patronized troubadours and often commissioned them to write poetry and
songs for special occasions.

Royal acts of patronage almost always were meant to reflect on the monarch making the
commission. Kings and queens who built chapels, for example, did so to demonstrate their
piety. 

Consult your court astrologer

Many people in the medieval world considered astrology to be a legitimate science, and royals
were no exception. Some court physicians even dabbled in astrology. 

Charles V was so interested in astrology that he hired Thomas de Pisan as his court astrologer.

Royals consulted their astrologers about medical and political matters. For instance, they
might ask their astrologers if the conditions were right for a voyage or battle.

What about now?

For the Queen, the day starts around 8.30 am when she wakes up, followed by the 9.00 am, as
she is greeted by the sounds of the bagpipes played on the terrace at Buckingham palace.
Before having breakfast alone, which is very similar to ‘the commoners’, she usually has a
bath and officially stars her morning. She takes her time completing all the formalities,
reading the news, catching up with everything that happened while she was asleep.

After, she will open the so-called fan mail, as she receives over 300 letters from the public
every day, and makes it her goal to choose a few that will receive an answer.

Then, it’s time for the famous ‘red boxes’ , that contain important documents, letters and
telegrams that must be read carefully and signed each day.

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The rest of her day is filled with meetings, brunches and lunches. She is invited to a great
amount of places every day, so it’s not hard for her to find ways to spend her time outside of
the palace. When she isn’t travelling, she finds time to attend as many events as she possibly
can.

Although it might not seem that way, the Queen is an extremely busy woman even at her age.
She always makes sure to finish her duties before relaxing or spending time with her family,
members of which have to make appointments in order to get to see her, so unannounced
visits are impossible.

When at home, the Queen always finds time to spend with her dogs, that the royal house
recognized as their official pet. The famous corgis live a luxurious life as it is expected, and
have a life almost as busy as the Queens.

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 Chapter III – Can they handle it? Usually yes, but not always

Being born into a strict family and having to follow endless rules regarding your attitude,
education, diet, clothing and so much more, is not easy on anyone as many studies suggest.
This kind of childhood creates adults that don’t know who they are or what they like, and that,
most of the times, are too scared to try and find out.

Imagine that, on top of your upbringing, you are being observed. Every time. Every success
or failure is mediated to millions, if not billions, of individuals. Psychologists would agree
that this type of living has major effects for a kid, especially given the royal family's
involvement in so much drama.

Murray Bowen established the Bowen hypothesis, which is a transgenerational approach

based on the concept that individual issues are produced by recurring patterns of interactions
that transcend many generations. Tracing those patterns and comprehending them, as well as
the impact they may have on the individual, may lead to the discovery of solutions as well as
issues.

This theory is also considered a systems theory, in that the family is viewed as a dynamic
system of interactions, as Bowen himself says ‘a change in the functioning of a family
member is automatically followed by a compensatory change in another family member’.

Although more complex than that, this is the jest of this theory that in my opinion applies
perfectly to the British monarchy. Some members decided that royal life was not suited for
them and their families and took a step down from the family, their stepping down being more
or less public depending on their role in the hierarchy.

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor

King Edward the VIII famously abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry American divorcee
Wallis Simpson, leaving his younger brother in the role of the King. It is believed that there is
a parallel between his and Harry’s situations, but historical Robert Lacey says that there is no

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real connection between the two: ‘if he had not resigned, he would have been expelled in any
case. He would have been sanctified as king’

Diana, Princess of Wales

After her divorce from Prince Charles in 1993, the Princess issued an emotional plea for
seclusion, announcing a year away from the spotlight after a lengthy period of constant stress
and scrutiny.

In this situation, Dr. Susan Cartwright, a psychologist, stated that "those who are in the public
spotlight and cope extremely well have friends or individuals at home who put things in
perspective for them." It's possible that the Princess lost part of this backing. It's the same for
everyone; if you're under a lot of stress at work, the greatest advise is to take a break, a
vacation, and allow yourself time to recover. I wouldn't be shocked if she returns when she's
ready.'. That was a prediction of sorts, as she did in fact come back in 1994, but her plans to
become a global humanitarian were sadly cut short by her death three years later.

Duchess of Kent

The duchess of Kent opted to teach music in Yorkshire, about an hour distant from her former
family estate, Hivingham Hall, in 2002. What may have come as a surprise to many was that
she had been preparing for this for a long time, having gone from the public eye in the late
'90s to begin her profession.

Music is Katharine's greatest interest in life, and the few engagements she currently conducts
as a member of The Royal Family are mainly musical in nature. In addition to teaching in
Hull, the Duchess rented an apartment in London and offered piano lessons there. Her musical
abilities blossomed when she was quite young.

"When I started teaching, the first thing I began to see was the power of music as a stimulant
to these youngsters to give them confidence and self-belief," she remarked in a 2011
interview. That started to happen all the time.

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 Conclusions

The Windsor family has been in power in the United Kingdom for over 100 years during
which the scandals and public outrage were inevitable. Going from being watched closely by
the English, the monarchy ended up being a global phenomenon, with billions being
fascinated by the lifestyle, drama and popularity of British royalty. From the Harry and
Meghan scandal to the royal corgis, the whole family is under the spotlight constantly,
everyone trying their hardest to not be the one that breaks under the pressure.

The royal family is seen by the public as aspirational, a life that many would do anything for,
a fairy tale even. And outside of its closed inner circle it might seem that way. However,
taking a deeper look into the actual lives of the monarch we can easily see their imperfections,
struggles and even the side of them that they try so hard to hide.

Over the years, we have seen kings give up their royal duties, princes and princesses being
forced to leave the family due to their own wrongdoings and parents that chose to protect their
children from this life and leave their royal titles behind. Each monarch tried their best to find
a balance between the duties and expectations that they had to live up to and their personal
life, which often was sacrificed. Nowadays, as we have seen, the priority for most is a quiet,
yet opulent and unattainable lifestyle. Giving up the role they play in the monarchy, but not
the money earned from generational wealth, more and more princes, princesses, dukes and
whatnot decide to distance themselves from the public eye for their own mental health.

I think that, over the years, the monarchs that chose to leave the family did so for the better,
be it their relationship, their career or their wellbeing in general.

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