Lower 6 students Emily, has shared an insight into the lecture delivered by Dr Mark Peel.
In the sixth lecture of the series, Dr Mark Peel came to speak to us about a subject which effects us all, and is perhaps becoming more relevant: whether The Royal Family serve a purpose today, or whether they are outdated. This lecture gave us many different perspectives and argued this question from both points of view. He began by discussing The Queen and everything her job entails. This included her duties, trips and ceremonies, amongst other things. He also spoke about the evolution of The Queen’s role, and how she has become a symbolic figure since reaching an older age, rather than serving a practical purpose.
In the next part of the lecture, Dr Peel explored the reasons why many deem The Royal Family and in particular, The Queen unnecessary. Whilst many of the arguments he proposed forced us to question how much we really need the royal family, he soon convinced us otherwise, when he finished by emphasising the importance of The Queen – she inspires, supports and uplifts our nation, as well as her Commonwealth countries and stands as a figure for us to look up to. She represents us as the face of the United Kingdom, and is someone for us to be proud of. Discussions around this continued for a while after the lecture finished, as everyone debated this controversial topic at lunchtime. Dr Mark Peel certainly sparked debate and curiosity among the L6!