It was the charismatic, even sacral powers of the king, and not bureaucracy, that underpinned regality in the reign of Henry VIII, and such powers were concentrated in the Privy Chamber, the innermost sanctum of the court, and not in institutions such as the exchequer, the courts of law, or even Parliament.

ECONOMIST: Tudor history

The mood of the nation is more closely aligned to the success of its international teams in major competition than to budget announcements from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, or even the weather.

BBC: Go to a game in London