Feb 06, 2012
At the rare occasion of a monarch's diamond (60 years reign) jubilee, Andrew Marr examines the nature and practice of the British monarchy, notably during that period. George V 'nationalised' the ruling branch of the German Saxe-Coburg dynasty as the nationalistic House of Windsor, to refute German sympathy allegations in World War I. Edward VIII's abdication over the US divorcée Simpson traumatized the royalist camp. George VI designed modern constitutional monarchy, aiming for 'mystical' popularity, a model elaborated on in the present reign. Political influence ...