By design, the United States has never had a royal family. Americans have enjoyed political dynasties such as the Kennedy, Bush, and Clinton families. In the nation’s early years, the Adams family was the first political dynasty with both John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams serving as president.
Still, those hardly amount to a royal family. British citizens look up to the royal family with respect. Queen Elizabeth II, who has sat on the throne for over six decades, commands deep reverence across many quarters of British society. This makes the news story about her take on marriage equality all the more poignant. After the parliament and prime minister produced the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act back in 2013, the Queen Mother was required to sign off on the legislation as is customary.
This practice is called “Royal Assent”. However, one well-placed source at the ceremony stated that the queen did more than just sign the law. She made the comment that she when she took the throne 62 years prior, it was unimaginable that she would be signing such a law and viewed the change as wonderful. It has truly been a transformation she has witnessed. When Queen Elizabeth II took the throne, it was illegal for a man or woman to practice homosexuality.
Being found guilty of the offense was punishable by imprisonment and carried with it intense public shame. Critics long argued the law gave rise to blackmail. This is because unscrupulous people would extort money out of gays and lesbians under the threat of exposing them to the law. Thankfully, those days are a thing of the past.