Daniel Harte

Political commentator and self-described reluctant monarchist. Has strong opinions about the institution, its scandals, its failures, and its future — and absolutely no patience for spin. His pieces regularly start arguments. He considers that a success. "The monarchy survives on myth. Let's look at the facts."

Spain’s Heir Is Doing Everything Right. The Polls Still Can’t Agree If It Matters.

Spain's polls on monarchy versus republic disagree wildly with each other. What they agree on is a generational shift the palace can't fix with a popular princess alone.

Thailand Has No Named Heir. That Is Now an Emergency.

A princess who might have steadied the succession is dead. A king with seven children has named none of them heir. Thailand is running out of time.

Edward and Sophie Were the Monarchy’s Safe Pair of Hands. So What Happens Now?

Edward and Sophie were the proof that the system could produce decent, scandal-free public servants. The NAO report has made that proof considerably harder to cite.

Japan Has Three Male Heirs and a Parliament That Keeps Looking the Other Way. That Should Worry Everyone.

Japan has had decades to fix its imperial succession crisis. It has chosen committees instead. The arithmetic will not wait much longer.

Peter Phillips Just Showed the Monarchy How to Stay Relevant. Will Anyone at the Palace Notice?

Peter Phillips didn't try to make an argument for the monarchy on Saturday. He just made the best one available.

The Monarchy Has a Young Person Problem. And Pretending Otherwise Won’t Fix It.

Nearly four in ten young British adults would replace the monarchy with an elected head of state. Daniel Harte on why the palace needs to stop celebrating its popularity and start worrying about its future.