A pamphlet dense and critical. ( )

A short, sharp read by the master polemicist Christopher Hitchens. It is not quite as hard-hitting and comprehensive as I would have liked, but Hitch is always refreshing to read. It's a shame he didn't write a full-length book on the topic, but in a sense he did: his problem with monarchy is similar to his problems with religion (tawdry mysticism, illusion/delusion, retards social growth, etc.), which he has discussed at length. His argument revolves largely around the constitutional poverty enabled by the British monarchy, noting its obstruction and retardation of national social maturity. But he also has time to pour his measured scorn on the fetishism (his phrase, and an apt one) of the monarchy by the British people and the media. It is actually rather depressing that the issues Hitchens identified and railed against when writing this in 1990 are still just as relevant in 2013, and perhaps have even intensified. With the royal wedding and the birth of Prince George... the sycophancy is all but unbearable. In fact, on the day that I read this book the front-page story (the front page) in The Sun tabloid was that Kate Middleton - 'Princess Kate' as she is nauseatingly (and erroneously) dubbed - has a flat stomach months after giving birth. That's the entire story. The front page. ( )

It's not a very long read, and of limited value as a result, but the Hitch remains true to his style, and it is immensely enjoyable for that reason. I likewise do not "get" the fetish so many Americans have for the British royal family. ( )

In this short essay Hitchens does what Hitchens does best: he takes a complex argument and separates out the most salient points, before presenting them cogently in what is, ultimately, a serious yet entertaining proposition. Its brevity may render it of little value to the well-read anti-monarchist, but this same quality conversely renders it perfect for the uninitiated republican. After reading The Monarchy, I only wish Hitchens had written a more in-depth work on the subject before we lost him.