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With the death of Queen Elizabeth, one of the longest serving monarchs in world history, the commonwealth is adjusting to a new normal and a new face of the firm, Charles III.\\xa0 \\u201cGod Save the Queen\\u201d is back to \\u201cGod Save the King\\u201d, there\\u2019s a new face on postage stamps, a new face on the pound, and a slew of other changes big and small.\\xa0 But above all,\\xa0 Britain is grappling with their identity, and what the monarchy means for them today.\\xa0 For some, this means that the time has finally come to do away with the outdated parliamentary monarchy system in favor of a proper modern republic. They argue that the British Royal Family is out of touch with ordinary Britons, and represent an unsavory colonial history that must be left behind. The slew of scandals plaguing the Royal family hurts the country\'s image internationally.\\xa0 They argue the Royals represent the past, and Britain must move into the future. But others argue that the royals serve an important albeit limited function.\\xa0 Beyond representing a rich and storied history, the Royal family is a unifying force amid political and cultural divisions. And without the royal family, the UK loses an important piece of their cultural identity at a time when Britains are struggling to define themselves.\\xa0 The Royal family may have problems, but they\\u2019re existence is necessary.

Arguing for the motion is Polly Toynbee, columnist for The Guardian newspaper since 1998.Toynbee previously worked as social affairs editor for the BBC and also for The Independent newspaper.\\xa0

Arguing against the motion is Richard Fitzwilliams, freelance royal commentator, film critic, and vocal monarchist.\\xa0 He has covered the largest royal events of the last two decades for the BBC, Sky, CTV, CBC, and Al-Jazeera.

Speaker Quotes\\xa0

POLLY TOYNBEE: \\u201c If they are the sovereign and we are the subjects, we are subject to the absurdity of this extraordinarily ordinary family, who had after all the highest education available ended up being so very little intellectually interested in anything, beyond the polo and corgis\\u201d.

RICHARD FITZWILLIAMS: \\u201cThere\'s nothing ephemeral about a reign such as the Queen, and there\'s nothing ephemeral about an institution that\'s lasted a millennia.\\u201d.

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The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths -\\xa0@rudyardg. \\xa0

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