Introduction

This chapter is centrally concerned with the frequently glossed over reality that we (the British) are subjectswithin a monarchy, and not citizens in the sense taken for granted by many other nations. This issue becomes more evident if we recognise citizenship as ‘both a status and a practice’ (Manzie, 1997: 31). In the year of the Queen’s 80th birthday (2006) the role and status of the monarch received wide coverage in the media. In the mass media we were reminded inter aliaof her reserve, sense of duty, English upper-class lifestyle, frugality, and that she is the defender of Christ’s religion (see Bunting, 2006, and many more) yet, as is normal, little interest in the monarchy has been evident in academic literature. There are a number of possible explanations for this: apathy, because no one cares anyhow; fear of accusations of polemic or indoctrination; or perhaps academics are a loyal bunch of subjects who regard any such discussion as treasonous and heretical, so powerful are the myths surrounding the British monarchy. It has been suggested by others that the first of these possible explanations applies, and that ‘the concept of “British subject” and “British citizen” seem much the same to most people’ (QCA, 1998: 10). We take issue with this assumption, and suggest that even if it were the case, such concepts need unpicking in the spirit of healthy debate. Finally we consider some aspects of tourism, focusing on some of the myths perpetuated by those who regard our monarch, her extended family, and their various residences, as important tourist attractions. However, essentially we consider these arguments as irrelevant as the social and psychosocial costs to British subjects are too great, as we argue throughout.

We argue that to claim citizenship and subjecthood as one and the same, confuses and conflates two otherwise incompatible discourses.