The Platinum Jubilee

Queen Elizabeth II was celebrated in Britain over the past few days for serving 70 years on the throne. This anniversary leads to two constitutional thoughts.

The first is that Churchill once defended the monarchy on the ground that "It is wise in human affairs, and in the government of men, to separate pomp from power." The United States Constitution does not do this, in the sense that the President is both the head of state and the head of government. Most democracies in the world reject this model, and in a paper that I'm now researching I will examine that issue.

The second is that the Queen's death may usher in significant constitutional change around the world. Many nations of the Commonwealth have her as their head of state. One wonders whether these nations will want her son as their head of state.