Stephen Fry - Sentimentalist

To avail balance, in an attempt to respond to my own opinion of the British monarchy, I bring you a quote from Stephen Fry's autobiography of his first twenty years, Moab is my Washpot, (including a heart-warming photo of him playing chess with Hugh Laurie during their first year at Cambridge). Reflecting on his distinctive, and distinguished, bent nose, he likens this imperfection to the the Royal Family:

I think of the monarchy and aristocracy as Britain's bent nose. Foreigners find our ancient nonsense distinguished, while we think them ridiculous and are determined to do something about them one day. I fear that when we do get rid of them, as I suppose we shall, we are going to let ourselves in for a psychic shock of discovering that the process has not made us one jot freer or one ounce more socially equitable than France, say, or the United States of America.

I disagree, of course, but still...