Americans dislike royalty but adore the Queen

By Caren Bohan

RICHMOND (Reuters) - They admire her stalwart demeanor, her elegant hats and the fairy tale fantasy her life represents. But despite their excitement over Queen Elizabeth's U.S. visit, Americans have no interest in a monarch of their own.

The Queen, arriving on Thursday in Virginia to help commemorate the 1607 founding of Jamestown by English settlers, hailed the deep bonds between Britain and the United States as she stood in the Roman-inspired capitol building designed by Thomas Jefferson.

Accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, the Queen was greeted by thousands of well-wishers who braved rainy weather reminiscent of London to gather on the lawn of the capitol to bring flowers and catch a glimpse of her.

"She's the original female CEO. She does it all: God, country, duty, family," said Betsy Marks, 50, of Ashland, Virginia, who, like many of the women at Queen Elizabeth's arrival ceremony wore a straw hat in the style of the monarch.

"It's magical, it's little girls in fairy tales and princesses and all that," said her friend, Marina Winks, also 50, of Lynchburg, Virginia

But both women were adamant that they would not want a monarch for their own country.

"We were founded on different ideals than their country was. But it's fun to enjoy someone's else's royalty," Winks said.

Political scientist Terry Madonna of Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has never seen a poll on the subject but said he was quite certain that sentiment is shared by an overwhelming majority of Americans.