Queen As Pricey Figurehead

Queen Elizabeth II went to the UN and "Ground Zero" this week, her third visit to New York in almost 60 years as Britain's monarch. It was a side trip from a much longer visit to Canada, whose government picked up the tab.

Audio Embed: Weekend Edition Saturday 7/10/10, Host: Scott Simon.

In England there is substantial debate among those who see any royalty as antiquated anti-democratic relics, or as a giant drain on public funds by a family already among the world's richest AND a class of boosters and professional observers who defend their own meal-tickets along with the institution's expense.

Audio Embed: BBC, PRI & WGBH's The World 7/6/10, Host: Marco Werman.

In Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg introduced the electoral reform that was the price of Liberal Democrats joining the coalition led by PM David Cameron... So Conservatives' emphasis on austerity is attached, too.


Video: ITN 7/5/10

Could Queen Elizabeth II be Queen Anyone the last?