The Monarchy As A Product

What if we analysed the UK monarchy like a product? Stay with me here

I grew up defending the UK monarchy because the republican alternative always unsettled me. My Portuguese heritage taught me why: when Portugal lost its monarchy in 1910, nothing stable replaced it. The result was years of volatility and decline that opened the door to something worse — Salazar's authoritarian state. It's a reminder of the stakes when a unifying symbol vanishes.

Today I look at the UK Monarchy with my systems lens, as a Product.

Lets think of it like Apple:

Organisation	The Crown Estate. The corporate machine (assets, land, revenue).
Brand	The King. Just as Steve Jobs personified Apple, the King personifies the Crown Estate. The face, the story, the charisma (or lack of it).
The Flagship Product	The Monarchy. The iPhone equivalent Features = ceremonies, coronations, jubilees, state visits. Product launches that create cultural stickiness. The monarchy is a viable product. But who is the Customer? Who actually pays for it, and who actually uses it?

💵Customers (who pay):

• UK taxpayers (via Sovereign Grant, security, local costs)

• Private donors and sponsors

• Involuntary but real: the public — because unlike Apple, you can't opt out

👥Users (who use it):

• Visiting heads of state (diplomatic leverage)

• Charities & institutions (patronage and visibility)

• Tourism & events sector (ceremonies and attractions)

• Media & press (content and attention fuel)

• The public (consuming national theatre — weddings, funerals, jubilees)

Here's the twist:

✅ With Apple, you can choose not to buy the iPhone.

❌ With the Monarchy, even if you never engage, you're still bound into the system - taxpayer funding, cultural imprint, political symbolism.

So in discovery terms, many people are neither willing customers nor active users, yet they are still bound to the system.

Here's the hard discovery question:

if I'm not a user or a customer, do I still get requirements onto the backlog? Does the monarchy even see me as a stakeholder, or am I simply part of the environment it operates in?

If the answer is no, then it's out of touch with a whole population who are impacted but not served.

And remember, just like Apple:

• If the brand falters (a monarch who fails to connect), legitimacy declines.

• If the flagship product feels outdated, alternatives creep in.

• If the organisation stumbles, the whole ecosystem looks shaky.

Whether monarchy, business, or community, resilience depends on discovery.

Map stakeholders, listen to non-users, adapt your features before the system breaks.

Dear HM, call me if you want to discuss how I can help 😊.