PROTOCOL IN THE BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY: TRADITION, EVENTS AND A BENCHMARK AMONGST EUROPEAN MONARCHIES

Abstract

The present study analyses the protocol of the British Royal Family in detail and examines the factors that make it the benchmark for European royal protocol. Using a qualitative methodology based on a bibliographic review and documentary analysis of secondary sources, the study also examines two of the House of Windsor¿s major events¿royal weddings and state funerals¿to identify the elements that distinguish them and confer their unique institutional character. Subsequently, a comparative analysis is carried out with the Spanish, Dutch and Swedish monarchies, applying four criteria: global diplomatic and media reach, the historical depth of the ceremonial as a system of meaning, the documented influence on other monarchies, and the structural differences between systems. The results demonstrate that the supremacy of the British model is not due to a single factor, but to the convergence of several.