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In the essay - published in the latest edition of PPR, the quarterly journal of ippr - Hunt argues that many millions of people view the monarchy with 'admiration, affection and identification' because at its best it represents 'continuity, tradition and dignity', even though for many on the left it is 'the antithesis of everything we believe in.'

However, Hunt argues that as Prince William prepares for his wedding in April he needs to 'think creatively' about how to sustain the monarchy into the future. Hunt suggests a number of areas where William could strengthen the institution through modernisation:

By rejecting his father's 'reactionary anti-Enlightenment sensibility' and showing 'a more forgiving approach to the individualism and energy of the modern world.'
By widening his circle of courtiers through open internships and a much more open and transparent recruitment process. Time in the British army or a 'spell at Cirencester' should not be the only qualifications for working at the Palace. Hunt adds 'If the Prince can marry a commoner, then he can certainly start to surround himself with a few more different stripes.'
By backing the on-going campaign to repeal the Act of Settlement so that if his first child is a daughter she can succeed to the throne. Hunt suggests this would be a tribute to Princess Diana who 'struggled against the more archaic elements of Palace protocol.' The Act of Settlement also bars Catholics from succeeding to the throne.
By doing more to cut back waste from the royal purse and to regularise the royal family's financial arrangements, including what Hunt calls the 'unwarranted extravagance by minor members'.
By showing 'less of the Castle of Mey-style indulgence of his father and the Queen Mother' and by leaving 'the bling and conspicuous consumption to the Russians and Saudis'. Instead he should adopt an 'understated style'.
By learning the lessons from his father, aunt and uncle's failed marriages. Hunt suggests that 'building his own family, sustaining his marriage, will also be for William a deeply progressive act.'
By developing the notion of 'welfare monarchy'. Hunt pays warm tribute to Charles's charitable entrepreneurship - but suggests William should adopt his own personal causes - perhaps more in line with his mother's preoccupations - such as youth drug addiction and homelessness.
By building on the Queen's example and making the royal family a symbol of a 'more open, flexible and inclusive idea of nationhood'.

Notes for editors

Monarchy in the UK, the full essay by Tristram Hunt, is available for download free of charge.
Public Policy Research (PPR) is ippr's quarterly, subscription-based journal, edited by ippr and published by Wiley-Blackwell. It features policy-relevant and politically savvy essays about the major issues in the news and those rising up the political agenda. It includes original research and analysis by the finest international writers and thinkers, including academics, practitioners, and politicians.
Other essays in the current edition include:

Towards a progressive politics of 'recognition'
To re-engage with its traditional working-class base, Michael Kenny argues that the centre-left must embrace the politics of recognition, building a project that creates a new, progressive sense of belonging across a range of geographic and cultural communities.
Debate: Time to start picking winners again?
In the wake of the global recession and signs of fragility in the UK's own recovery, a panel of eminent economics thinkers and innovators gathered to debate whether and how the notion of government intervention in industry might be resurrected as part of a new approach to economic policy.
Right alignment
Does the Coalition government represent a real and lasting realignment of the centre-right in British politics, or is it just the product of political expedience? Could a pact bind the two parties together for electoral success? In his book, Which Way is Up?, Nick Boles MP argues that the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats share a common ground of values on which the Coalition government is built, a foundation that is about much more than parliamentary arithmetic. He sets out a liberal conservative policy agenda which goes beyond the Coalition Agreement, addressing the major policy challenges facing the UK. We asked two political commentators with an in-depth knowledge of the Coalition parties to respond to Boles' vision for the future of British centre-right politics. Mark Pack and Peter Snowdon offer contrasting perspectives on the prospects for a lasting union.
Where next for Scottish devolution?
After four years of SNP government, Jim Gallagher reviews the fight for Scottish independence and, in the party's current ideas on fiscal independence, finds a thinly disguised plan to end the Union. As the parties jostle for position ahead of the upcoming Scottish elections, what will the SNP do next?
Managing migration: How some councils cope better than others
Rhys Andrews, George A Boyne, Kenneth J Meier, Laurence J O'Toole Jr and Richard M Walker review their empirical study of the effects of immigration on local public services and conclude that, by sharing good practice and building human and social capital, councils can minimise the costs of immigration and maximise its benefits.
'Our leaders are all Aristotelians now'
Or so one British newspaper recently announced, heralding the rise of a new politics of the Good Life and the Good Society, which finds its inspiration in the ethics and politics of Aristotle. Jules Evans asks how Greek philosophy and wellbeing science is changing modern politics and whether the change is all for the good.

Contact

Tim Finch, Director of Communications on 020 7470 6110 / 07595 920 899 / t.finch@ippr.org