An ancient and hereditary monarchy devoid of political power is the easiest way of providing an apolitical head of state. In the terms of the UK, the monarchy

An ancient and hereditary monarchy devoid of political power is the easiest way of providing an apolitical head of state. In the terms of the UK, the monarchy is interwoven with the national identity; it is its link to its past in human form. Most British people don't despise everything that has been done in the name of their country, and hence see the pragmatism of the constitutional settlement the UK landed on as the acceptable adjustment required to maintain something resembling a democracy.