Respect for Monarchies?

Question

Why do countries in Europe, Asia, etc. such as Britain and Japan still show any form of loyalty to the monarchy? They give them this special status and still give them an amount of power. Why aren't they forced back into normal civilian life with no special treatment. Last I remember, the last Japanese king with power started WW2 in the East. What's so special about these kings and queens?

Answer 1

Tradition is deeply embedded in countries with monarchies.

Answer 2

You're right; it's just silliness.  However the king of Norway is quite an ordinary guy with respect of the nation and not put upon a pedestal as others are, especially the English royalty.

Then we have the quite bizarre monarchy of  the Saudis as well as the monarchy of Kuwait.

And Brunie, Swaziland, Vatican

Vatican City is a non-hereditary, elected monarchy that is ruled by the Bishop of Rome

Answer 3

If the majority of people in a country want a monarchy then they should have one, if they don't they shouldn't. Personally, I think the monarchy's great.

In the United Kingdom, the monarchy is a lot cheaper than a republic would be. 66p per person per year is a bargain. For that we get a link to a thousand years of history and a unifying national figure most countries are envious of. In practice, the Queen rules at the pleasure of her subjects.

There is, of course, an argument than the monarchy is undemocratic, but if there was a referendum on whether to keep the monarchy or not, the Queen would win easily. I have never heard a British republican call for such a referendum, they just want parliament to abolish the monarchy. If her popularity ever dropped, the MPs would move to get rid of her, but that won't happen. The Queen as an average approval rating of 75%, most politicians would kill to have ratings that high.

Having a non-political head of state can be very useful. For example, if a tyrannical Prime Minister even managed to get to power, the monarch would be the only one who could remove such a PM and call an election. This is what happened in Thailand after the 1981 coup, when the King stepped in to restore democracy. In a sense, the UK's unelected head of state is democracy's last line of defence.

Also, Japan has an emperor not a king.