I am often asked by particularly my American friends, and European school mothers at the school entrance about the quirky customs of the British, and the Royal Family. Some of them struggle to understand why Britain happily accepts funding to the the tune of £87 million an institution, which to them seems arcane or indeed, eccentric. To witness across the UK this past 4 days, local communities coming together to create excitement for local residents in city streets, town squares and village greens, across all ages and ethnicity suggests strongly that this continues to be a force for social cohesion and good. You might well argue that because it is illogical is precisely why it works. A focal point that can stand apart from a Prime Minister facing challenges to his authority, inflation, rail strikes, post-pandemic recovery and wars on the continent of Europe.
