Monarchy = Biggest dole merchants ever. 
Wrong, actually - the royal family earns a bucket of money every year, hands the whole lot over to the Treasury, and gets a stipend back (to pay for upkeep, staff and so on). Said stipend has not increased in amount in decades, and the palaces are starting to fall into disrepair.
I just hate the fact that these people are given credibility and a self of importance and entitlement. Why? Because centuries ago their ancestors were ruthless and shrewd enough to become rulers and own their position. What do these guys do...really? They are ambassadors and wave and shit but they don't really do much at all.
They are kind of the Paris Hiltons of the world. Famous for being famous which makes no real sense.
To be fair, the Queen is a shrewd diplomat - and she has a lot of experience on the world stage.
The Monarchy has no power; the Queen is just the figurehead of the ship, our public face - one that hasn't changed in a long time. That's a good thing - international relationships are unstable things at the best of times, what with term limits and elections, so having someone be the Avatar for their country adds an impression of stability and steadiness.
