Exception to the rule: Don't judge the monarchy by Elizabeth's exemplary reign

Elizabeth II, who surpasses Queen Victoria as our longest reigning monarch today, is the best advertisement possible for a thoroughly bad idea: the hereditary principle. During her reign she has steered the monarchy through difficult times. The most dangerous of these came with the public reaction to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997 – or rather the public’s revulsion at the way they perceived the Palace as being in some way uncaring in the aftermath of that tragedy. For the Queen it was essentially a family matter and a private one at that; for the public it was so much more. For her Prime Minister at the time, Tony Blair, it was a moment for him to offer her sound advice. She, as a studied constitutional monarch, chose to follow that advice. Between them, they saved the House of Windsor.