Research by VisitBritain has revealed that while the Palace of Versailles in republican France attracts millions of visitors each year, Buckingham Palace was visited by only 50,000 tourists last year. The London home of the Windsors came a long way down the list of attractions for overseas visitors. The other homes that British taxpayers provide for the Windsors were also of limited appeal to tourists.
Monarchists have often shown their contempt for democracy with the claim that the feudal institution could be justified by its effect on Britain’s tourist earnings. That always dubious argument will now have even less weight.