After Elizabeth : can the monarchy save itself?

The British monarchy has been through turbulent times of late.

Rocked by scandal and strife, and without it seems a clear plan for the future following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, we have been left wondering: what happens next?Nothing seems certain.

Will the monarchy survive with its continuing echoes of an Imperial past?

Will young people - disenchanted with the political status quo - find the ritual and practice of the monarchy quite so mesmerising as previous generations have done?

What might a republican Britain look like?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.