. There's a beer brewed in the UK called Worthington white Shield. Unlike most bottled beers, it contains live yeasts. If kept unopened for eighteen months or so, it goes out of condition. Left for another 24 months or so, it comes back into condition with a completely different, arguably far superior taste. British traditions, particularly the monarchy, are like that. British society is very conservative, and hangs on to things long after they are unfit for purpose. Sometimes they then come back into condition with an altered purpose. It's a good thing that the monarch is the head of the church, particularly as the church itself withers. It gives a ceremonial focus for a nation that loves ceremony, without actually meaning anything or interfering with anything important.