'Lucid, clear-sighted and highly readable.'Richard Toye, author of Age of Hope: Labour, 1945, and the Birth of Modern Britain.The British monarchy has been through turbulent times. Rocked by scandal and strife, and seemingly without a clear plan for the future, many are asking: should the monarchy continue to exist in its current form? Or is it time it embraced radical change?Ed Owens argues that the monarchy must embrace reform and transform itself radically. No more private jets while preaching about the importance of the environment; no more secrecy obscuring royal influence in high places; and no more hangers on enjoying grace-and-favour homes. A major slimming down is essential. And it's time the family archives were opened.All these issues will have a direct effect on the common good of the nation as it tries to reinvent itself as a modern working democracy, and endeavours to equip itself for the coming decades. Ed Owens situates this critical moment of royal transition in its historical context in order to set out a vision for monarchy that is future-proof, but which would also see the crown play an integral role in the evolution of 21st-century Britain.