Traditions Vs Modernity

       All along the movie, we can see a real conflict between the traditional face of the U.K. and its modern side. There is an effective confrontation that opposes the Queen, conservative and attached to the customs, and the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, described as the modernizer of the country. A few examples illustrate this conflict: 

     The Prime Minister advices to let the flag fly at half mast above Buckingham Palace, whereas the Queen wants to respect the tradition which is that the flag should only be flying in presence of the monarch in the Palace. 

Also, the Royal Family wants private funeral, in a more traditional and discreet way, when the Prime Minister assures the requirement of a public funeral to help the population to be in mourning.

The activities of the Royal Family are also very different of the Prime Minister ones:  when the royal family goes fishing, hunting and other ancient conserved activities of the British monarchy, the Prime Minister likes to go golfing.

       Finally, the traditional/modern conflict is reflected by the cloth and behaviors on both sides.

 The Queen has a very strict dress code to respect. We could quote the length of her dresses: never above the knees. The tradition demands as well to never show your back to the Queen. 

We can obviously feel the tension in the insolent and provocative attitude of the Prime Minister’s wife during the first meeting at Buckingham Palace, which shows her disagreement about this tradition and the traditional style of the monarchy in general.

Reflections regarding elected power / inherited power in the British monarchy)

Throughout the film, the two powers frequently collide, showing two different views on the British society. First is the traditional view, represented by the Queen, her inherited power's legitimity being constantly challenged by her people who seem to believe more in the modernity embodied by Prime Minister Tony Blair. Indeed, the monarchy refuses to listen to the will of people concerning the burial of "Princess" Diana in Buckingham Palace which would go against the royal traditions. Moreover, the apparent impassibility of the Queen is confronted to the deep sorrow of her people. In the end, the elected power wins since the will of the people is granted by Diana's national funeral and tribute.
We can conclude that even though British people are profoundly attached to their monarchy and traditions, their defiance towards the Queen and her refusal to listen to the people's requests show the limit of inherited power whose role doesn't make he royals care for the people's will. Conversely, an elected power must be regardful when taking decisions as its position is always at stake.

Use the posts of your classmates to reflect on the "collisions" in British culture we spoke about in class; tradition vs. modernity, inherited power vs. elected power and the instinct for privacy vs. media demands for information.
Come prepared to discuss:
Are these are distinctly British problems?
Do these things keep the British insular and "unto themselves" or unwilling/unable to be a part of the EU?