Although Americans associate royalty with Europe, it’s a system that’s been used virtually everywhere, from the pharaohs of Egypt to the emperors of Japan and ancient Rome, to the Mayan kingdom that stretched across modern-day Mexico and the royal courts of West Africa. The Old Testament, the New Testament and the Quran all reference kings and queens.
The idea that rulers derive their legitimacy from God and might pass it down to their children has been around for at least 7,000 years. For most of that time, kingship has been the dominant form of government. Today, 29 countries still have monarchies (43 if you include those in the British Commonwealth).
Another reason for their enduring popularity might be their success. Dr. Guillén’s study concluded that monarchies tend to produce higher standards of living than republics, apparently because they do a better job protecting private property rights and provide a necessary check on pesky politicians. Constitutional monarchies, where royals throw lavish weddings but leave the actual governing to elected leaders, have some of the highest standards of living on the planet — the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Japan.
“The fascination, the magic, the continuity, the stability that comes from a monarchy with a dynasty that has been playing this role for centuries, a lot of people find comfort in that,” Dr. Guillén told me. “In the U.K., that’s the reason the monarchy has 55 percent support.”
John Jost, a New York University professor, told me that people tend to cling to traditions and longstanding social systems that justify our understandable desire for order, safety and predictability. That’s what his 2020 book, “A Theory of System Justification,” is all about.
“I also suspect that some people are simply drawn to the glamour of royalty and the fantasy that some very, very special people are living opulent, extravagant lives, and this could be a way of transcending our mundane realities,” he told me. “Perhaps we hope that they will protect and take care of us as a reward for our adulation? That’s how it works out in fairy tales, at least.”
Is it possible that people crave pomp and pine for leaders who embody grandeur? Leaders who live in fancy towers, full of gaudy gold stuff, perhaps? Leaders who are said to have been chosen by God? Donald Trump obviously thought so.