Something which I have never understood is why so many people love the British Royal Family. I am not a republican by any stretch, and the Royal Family have never really bothered me, but it is the obsession with them that I have just never quite got. My business partner Bharat Bhise is very much a Royal lover and I was chatting to him recently about why he, and many of his fellow Americans, have such a crush on our Royal Family. I have asked many other people this question too, and here is what Bharat and the rest had to say on the matter.
Fantasy
Because we grew up with so many fairy stories about kings and queens, princes and princesses, this is our opportunity to watch that level of fantasy in real life. All little girls dream of one day growing up to be a princess, and because we have royal family which actually exists, it drives home dream for so many. This is a family which lives in a completely different world, a world which many of us would kill to live in.
Throwback
Much of what the upper classes did in the past are things that many people would love to have the opportunity to do in the modern day, and there is a notion that the Royal Family still live like this. Being waited on by butlers, having high tea with china cups, living in palaces and castles, these are all dreams which so many have and to watch a real live family live this way is yet another reason why so many people love the Royal Family.
Decadence
Another reason why so many love this family is because of the decadence which is so often on display. The collection of jewels and diamonds which the Queen alone has is in the multi-millions of dollars and even the events like anniversaries, weddings or changing of the guard, are done in such an overtly ostentatious way that they can either be viewed as disgusting or as deliciously decadent, most see it as the latter. This again goes back to the idea of fantasy, watching these people live a life which is so foreign to so many stirs fascination and obsession in the people watching on.
Reality TV
Reality TV has taken over in the last 20 years and you only need to look at viewing figures for shows like the Kardashians to see just how much we love to consume this type of program. The Royal Family is also a reality show, and that is part of the reason why we have tuned in for so long. We love to watch Harry make mistakes and bounce back from them, we love to watch Prince Phillip and his gaffs, the way that the Queen holds it all together and the divorces and the family members who get lost in scandals along the way.
These are the reasons why people like Bharat Bhise are so obsessed with what is potentially the world’s most famous family.
