For those on the “it’s archaic and undemocratic” side of the debate, have you ever turned your attention to the City of London?
The makeup of the Ascension Council would suggest that despite the ceremonies surrounding it the City of London is tied to the Monarchy:
In the United Kingdom, the Accession Council is a ceremonial body which assembles in St. James’s Palace upon the death of a monarch (Demise of the Crown), to make a formal proclamation of the accession of his or her successor to the throne, and to receive a religious oath from the new monarch.
The Council is made up of Privy Counsellors, members of the House of Lords, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, the Aldermen of the City of London and the High Commissioners of some Commonwealth countries.
Here is a Lord Mayor of London with Leon Brittan’s wife, in a situation she seemed to have forgotten before being presented with the photo:
Here is the same Lord Mayor of London with the Queen, that afternoon she claimed to not be tied to the establishment in her role as head of the child abuse inquiry: